Ningguang pushed open the door, and from her angle, the entire room was in full view.
Before her, Stelle and Yelan stood face to face, chatting about something, their expressions normal, seemingly nothing amiss.
Ningguang looked around the small room with some confusion, but still found nothing out of place.
It was as if the sensuous sound she had just heard was an illusion.
Had she misheard...? No, that couldn't be. Ningguang never thought there was anything wrong with her ears.
That was definitely not an auditory hallucination; something had definitely happened.
Ningguang looked at the two in front of her with suspicious eyes, and slowly walked in.
"Ningguang, what are you looking for?" Yelan's lips curved into a barely noticeable smile, and she asked Ningguang openly.
As if nothing had happened just now.
"Nothing... It's rare for you to come seeking me out. Has something happened?" Ningguang's slightly furrowed brows relaxed. She still didn't believe she had misheard, but since Yelan had spoken first, she could only put the matter aside for now.
"Ah, there are some things I need to tell you." Yelan nodded, and at the same time, turned to glance at Stelle.
Her meaning was clear: the matters she was about to discuss were probably not suitable for Stelle to hear.
It wasn't that she distrusted Stelle, but simply that hearing these things would not benefit Stelle in any way.
"...Stelle, you should go rest for a bit." Ningguang hesitated for a moment, then said this to Stelle.
"Okay, sure." Stelle agreed readily. On one hand, as a temporary secretary, she indeed shouldn't know too much about Yelan's work. On the other hand, she was indeed eager to escape.
She couldn't guarantee that if she stayed any longer, Ningguang wouldn't notice something amiss with her.
Stelle quickly started to walk away, but just as she passed by Ningguang, Ningguang's brow suddenly arched, and she turned to look at Stelle.
"Stelle, wait." Ningguang suddenly spoke.
"Wh-what is it?" Stelle abruptly halted her steps, her body involuntarily stiffening.
Ningguang turned around, looked at Stelle's shoulder, and slowly extended her hand.
Stelle's body instinctively wanted to dodge, but in the end, she didn't make any rash moves, only watching Ningguang's actions with some tension.
"Yelan, have you been bothered by hair loss recently?" Ningguang picked up a dark blue strand of hair from Stelle's shoulder, tilted her head, and asked Yelan.
Stelle's heart gave a violent lurch, instantly feeling that something terrible was about to happen.
This was it, she was doomed. How was she going to explain this?
Stelle's mind raced, trying to come up with all sorts of excuses, but none of them seemed to hold water.
"Yes, I have. I've been busy with work recently, so I haven't had much time for hair care. And my hair has gotten a bit long; it's time for a trim." Yelan shrugged, looking much calmer than Stelle. She showed no signs of panic whatsoever because of that strand of hair.
"Is that so?" Ningguang looked at Yelan expressionlessly, and Yelan met Ningguang's gaze with complete composure.
The two fell silent, and in that small room, the atmosphere suddenly changed.
"Stelle, you may go now." Finally, Ningguang was the first to avert her gaze. She turned to the rigid Stelle and said softly.
"Okay, alright..." Stelle felt a bit guilty. She had intended to explain to Ningguang, but she also felt that she might only make things worse and allow Ningguang to uncover the truth, so she remained silent.
It proved to be a wise decision. If she had spoken, Ningguang's suspicions would likely have deepened.
Once Stelle left and the door was closed again, Ningguang looked back at Yelan.
She slowly walked to a nearby seat and sat down, her expression becoming less friendly.
"What did you do to her?" Ningguang asked coldly.
"What would I do to her...? What's wrong? You look like you don't believe me." Yelan also sat across from Ningguang, one leg crossed over the other, speaking with a smile.
"You should know that her mission is over. You'd best stay away from her." Ningguang didn't respond to Yelan's words, her tone still cold.
"Sigh, does she look that easy to bully? Do you really think I took advantage of her?" Yelan sighed deeply, saying to Ningguang with some helplessness.
"That's hard to say." Ningguang snorted coldly. She trusted Yelan, but only in matters of work.
She was aware of some of Yelan's quirks; while addicted to pain herself, she also had a certain inclination in that regard. Her interrogation methods couldn't be made public.
Although Yelan wouldn't harm innocent people, Stelle was, after all, different.
She was so alluring; Ningguang only realized this after she had contact with Stelle.
What if Yelan couldn't resist and did something insane to Stelle, causing Stelle to develop ill will towards Liyue? What then?
One should know that Stelle was someone she had long had her eye on.
"What, are you very concerned about her?" Yelan looked at Ningguang, feigning surprise.
"She's already my subordinate. It's only right that I show some concern." Ningguang said without changing her expression. She herself might not have realized that this concern carried a hint of other feelings.
"Is that so? Is that all?"
"Of course, that's all." Ningguang's answer was very firm, at least at this stage, that's what she believed.
"Alright, alright, I really didn't do anything to her. At most, we just hugged because we hadn't seen each other in a long time."
"I think we should talk about business first. The Fatui side..."
"Phew..." Stelle finally let out a sigh of relief after leaving Ningguang's room.
Although she couldn't guarantee whether Ningguang had noticed anything just now, at least she didn't have to stay in that somewhat suffocating atmosphere anymore.
How did she accidentally get Yelan's hair off? Although she did pull a little hard...
She hoped Yelan wouldn't reveal any flaws.
Steadying her mind, Stelle resumed her steps.
However, she was actually a bit unsure what to do now. Although Ningguang told her to rest... she couldn't just go back to her own room, because then if Ningguang and Yelan finished their discussion, she wouldn't be able to return to Ningguang's side immediately.
Most importantly, there were many places in Qunyu Pavilion that she couldn't just go to casually, as it could be said to be the place with the most secrets in all of Liyue. Stelle didn't want to cause a huge mess because of her curiosity.
After thinking for a moment, Stelle finally decided to go out onto the deck to enjoy the breeze and the scenery.
This also served to calm his mind a bit, so he wouldn't show any flaws when he faced Ningguang later.
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