This morning, the short-term contract between Star and Ningguang officially ended.
Of course, the relationship between her and Ningguang also underwent earth-shattering changes compared to before the contract.
She wondered if it was because she was about to leave, which made Ningguang feel a slight sense of urgency.
In any case, these past few days, Star hardly ever got out of bed, being thoroughly exhausted.
Ningguang could be said to have made full use of the remaining time.
Moreover, the most outrageous thing was that Ningguang, for some unknown reason, suddenly developed a competitive spirit with Acting Grand Master Jean. Everything Acting Grand Master Jean had played, she wanted to play once, and even more so, she wanted to play it with increased intensity.
For example, that office play. Most of Ningguang's office spaces on Qunyu Pavilion are relatively spacious, meaning that if someone were to seek an audience, she would have nowhere to hide.
Ningguang's desk... let's just say it would be very difficult to hide behind.
Fortunately, no one came to look for Ningguang during this period, so Star's luck was still good.
At this moment, outside Qunyu Pavilion, Star had already packed her things and was standing on the deck of Qunyu Pavilion.
She was about to leave, and Ningguang also came out to see her off.
"Well, I'll be going first." Star looked at Ningguang, her expression a little unnatural as she spoke.
Less than half an hour ago, she was still sprawled on the bed, letting Ningguang do as she pleased.
These days had truly exhausted her; Star's legs were still trembling, and she could barely walk normally.
"Mm." Ningguang nodded, then walked to Star's side, leaned down, and whispered into Star's ear.
The maidservants behind her all tacitly turned their heads away.
To be fair, being in Qunyu Pavilion and with their daily job being to ensure Ningguang's life, even if some things weren't entirely clear, they could still make some guesses.
Anyone with eyes could see that Star had clearly become different recently.
Ningguang's work also began to slow down, and the time the two spent together far exceeded before.
Therefore, the maidservants all understood in their hearts, and even those who didn't quite understand gradually came to comprehend after being reminded by others.
"Did you remember the secret code I gave you?" Ningguang whispered.
"Don't worry, I remember it very clearly." Star nodded.
Ningguang's Qunyu Pavilion is not somewhere ordinary people can come. If Star wants to come back to see Ningguang in the future, she will have to go through a rather troublesome process.
So Ningguang specially gave her a special secret code, which would allow her to bypass many procedures and directly have the guide lead her up.
It's like Keqing's Yuheng special code, except Keqing can completely enter by showing her face, so her code is more for others to use.
As for Star, she is still relatively new to Liyue. Although she served as a temporary secretary for a few days, she hasn't interacted with too many Qunyu Pavilion staff other than the maidservants.
So, having a secret code is more convenient.
"Remember, this secret code is only for you to use, and don't easily give it to others, understood?" Ningguang said in Star's ear. Fortunately, there were no outsiders now, and those maidservants were also Ningguang's close confidantes.
Otherwise, their intimate posture would definitely make others gape in astonishment.
"I'll be leaving now. I'll come to see you later. You should be busy with the Please Immortal Ceremony these days, right?"
Star could have actually left earlier, but Ningguang delayed it until today, even putting aside some matters related to the Please Immortal Ceremony for it.
"Yes, don't worry, on that day, I will send someone to find you and the Traveler."
"That's good."
-
When Star left Qunyu Pavilion, she didn't actually take the normal route.
To be precise, she only walked half of the normal route. Later, she felt it was too slow, so she simply flew down with her Wind Glider.
Fortunately, Liyue Harbor doesn't seem to prohibit flying within the city like Mondstadt, and no one came to check Star's flying license.
Of course, the main reason might be that she came down from Qunyu Pavilion.
People who can ascend to Qunyu Pavilion are either rich and powerful or have some special status. Even if the Millelith saw her, they probably wouldn't pay too much attention.
They are all big shots; what can you do to them over such a small matter? It's better to ignore it and save some trouble.
In short, Star smoothly descended from Yujing Terrace and then walked all the way towards Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Feiyun Slope.
She didn't know if Lumine and Paimon were home today. Star had heard some things about them while at Qunyu Pavilion; they should have been doing various commissions during this time.
In short, they seemed to be quite busy...
Star finally went to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor first, planning to check on Hu Tao's situation.
However, when she arrived at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, she didn't see Hu Tao, but instead saw someone Star had always been a bit afraid to meet.
"Oh? Miss Star, it's been a long time." Zhongli nodded at Star and greeted her.
"Ah, yes, it's Mr. Zhongli..." Star looked at Zhongli with some guilt.
She had a deep impression of this gentleman. Although, counting it, she had only met him once, such an extraordinary and unique temperament was enough to make one remember him for a long time.
"I heard Miss Star has been working at Qunyu Pavilion recently. Has that job ended now?"
"Ah, yes, yes, it has. I didn't expect Mr. Zhongli to be following my affairs." Star rubbed her head. Anyway, it was impossible to just leave like that, so she had to calm down and answer Zhongli's questions properly.
Anyway, Hu Tao couldn't possibly have told Zhongli about their affairs, so, it should, be fine, right...?
Star didn't know why, but Zhongli gave her the feeling of being Hu Tao's old father. As someone who had 'taken' his daughter, it was really hard not to feel guilty.
"Hmm, Funeral Director Hu often talks about Miss Star. She hasn't seen you recently, and she's even lost interest in going out to promote." Zhongli also felt a little emotional in his heart. Although Hu Tao couldn't be said to have no friends, someone like Star was the first.
"Oh, I see... Then where is Hu Tao?" Star asked curiously.
"The Funeral Director went to look at bed frames."
"Bed frames?"
"Hmm... Miss Star doesn't know? A new girl named Shenhe recently arrived, and Miss Lumine let her stay."
"...Ah?! Shenhe!?"
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