When Ji An arrived, he saw Hu Tao sneaking up behind the girl with deep blue short hair.
The short-haired girl was crouched down organizing a food box, so focused she didn't notice someone approaching from behind.
"Boo—!"
Hu Tao stuck out her tongue, shaped her hands like a zombie's, and suddenly popped up right behind her.
"Wah!"
The short-haired girl jumped in fright.
She turned around and saw the twin-tailed girl behind her.
Puffing out her cheeks in indignation, she exclaimed, "Hu Tao! You're scaring people again!"
"Huff!"
The little panda, seeing its companion startled, scurried between the two, looking at Hu Tao with reproach.
"Hey, little Xiangling, don't be mad, don't be mad! I brought you some plum blossom wine!"
Hu Tao playfully winked, having prepared in advance, and produced a porcelain container from behind her back.
Seeing it, Xiangling's furrowed brows smoothed, and she gave a little hmph. "Alright, fine. I'm forgiving. I won't to be mad at you this time."
She then immediately broke into a bright smile, taking the container from Hu Tao's hands. "Hehe, now I can make lots more Osmanthus Wine Cakes! Guoba, do you want some?"
"Mur~!"
Guoba swayed its head back and forth, looking very happy.
A mischievous look appeared on Hu Tao's face, as if she wanted to tease Xiangling some more.
But then, her gaze inadvertently fell on Ji An, who was approaching, and all her attention instantly flew to him.
"Xiao An-an! You're finally here!"
Hu Tao's pigtails bounced as she skipped happily over to him and took hold of his sleeve.
"Ahem, Director Hu Tao, please don't call me that…"
It was so embarrassing.
Under the strange looks from Master Lu, the Millelith soldiers, and others, Ji An felt his face heat up.
"Hehe, then how about Xiao An?" Hu Tao blinked up at him. "Friends having an affectionate nickname is normal, right?"
No way…Xiao An was also pretty cringey…
But after a moment's thought, Ji An had to admit it was slightly better than Xiao An-an.
Hu Tao was the type of girl brimming with whimsical ideas that he couldn't predict. Who knew what name she'd come up with next if he rejected this one?
So he reluctantly nodded.
"But you can't call me that in front of others," Ji An cautiously added.
"Okay, got it," Hu Tao agreed obediently.
Ji An looked at the unfamiliar girl with deep blue short hair. She even had a little panda with her was it her pet?
He had to admit, it was a rather… compelling combination.
Quite the intriguing pair.
"That's Xiangling," Hu Tao said with a grin. "She's so fun startles easily and jumps at everything. Super easy to tease."
Then, lowering her voice, she whispered in Ji An's ear, "But if you want to tease her too, you have to be careful. Guoba will stand up for Xiangling, you know."
Hu Tao's warm, humid breath brushed against his cheek, making him instinctively lean away slightly.
"Who just goes around teasing people for no reason?!" Ji An shook his head.
That's something only you would do, Hu Tao!
Just then,
Xiangling noticed him too, her eyes lighting up.
"Are you Mr. Ji An?"
The moment this girl spoke, she radiated a vibrant energy—like a warm little sun, making it hard to resist her friendly approach.
"Hello, Miss Xiangling," Ji An greeted politely.
Xiangling beamed. "Hello, hello! Oh, right—did you like our restaurant's food?"
Ji An was taken aback.
Master Lu chuckled. "Kid, didn't you know? Xiangling's father is Chef Mao."
Xiangling giggled. "I'm a server and chef at Wanmin Restaurant! I'm pretty confident in my cooking skills. I'll treat you to some of my creative dishes another day!"
Xiangling is Chef Mao's daughter?
Hearing this, Ji An immediately felt a much greater sense of warmth and familiarity.
When he first arrived in Liyue Harbor with nothing, it was Chef Mao who had helped him.
"Mur~"
Ji An felt something furry touch his hand. Looking down, he saw it was the little panda.
"This is Guoba. He's my best friend," Xiangling introduced.
Such a big, fluffy panda… I really want to pet it…
Ji An's eyes sparkled as he looked at Guoba. But worried about scaring it, he held back.
Unexpectedly, Xiangling smiled and said, "Guoba really likes you! Want to hold him?"
"Well… I suppose it wouldn't hurt."
After a moment of feigned hesitation, Ji An picked Guoba up.
So warm… Feels amazing…
He stroked Guoba's fur, half-closing his eyes in contentment.
Suddenly, he felt an odd sensation on his head.
Opening his eyes, he found Guoba was also patting his head.
Uh…Am I being petted back?
Ji An didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Then, Guoba nudged his hand. Thinking Guoba wanted to be put down, Ji An quickly set him on the ground.
But Guoba didn't run off. Instead, he tugged at Ji An's hand.
"Guoba, what do you want me to do?"
Curious, Ji An let himself be led by Guoba… right over to Xiangling.
Then Guoba took Xiangling's hand as well.
Next, he silently turned his head to look at Hu Tao…
"..."
Ji An broke into a sweat, finally understanding what Guoba was up to. This was revenge on Hu Tao for teasing Xiangling earlier!
In this scene, the three of them looked like a little family, while Hu Tao, the "friend," was suddenly the outsider.
For a fleeting instant, a terrifying expression flashed across Hu Tao's face before vanishing completely.
"Guo—ba… you're really being naughty, aren't you."
Hu Tao spoke through a stiff smile, her teeth gritted, her knuckles audibly cracking.
Xiangling, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere, laughed cheerfully. "Mr. Ji An! Guoba wants us all to be good friends!"
"No way!"
Before Ji An could speak, Hu Tao rushed over and pulled him aside, firing off a rapid stream of words.
"Little Xiangling, Xiao… Ji An here isn't good with words, and he's really dense! If you become friends with him, he'll definitely make you angry all the time!"
Xiangling wore an 'Is that all?' expression and generously waved it off. "That's okay! Hu Tao, you scare me all the time, and I forgive you every time. I'm not the type to get angry easily!"
"But… but…"
Hu Tao was momentarily at a loss for words and could only look pleadingly at Ji An. "But… he already has one very, very good friend. If he's going to make new friends… he should at least wait until that good friend becomes… someone else to him, right?"
"Otherwise… that good friend would be really sad."
Hu Tao tugged lightly on his sleeve, her voice dropping to a near-whisper.
Ji An fell silent. He knew very well that the "very good friend" Hu Tao meant was herself.
She didn't seem to mind his other friend, Zhongli, though…
Wisely, he chose not to call her out on it.
…
After that, the investigation team set out from Mt. Tianheng.
They traveled north along the mountain paths.
Xiangling and Hu Tao were in charge of protection. Aside from encountering a few groups of Hilichurls and one lone Ruin Guard, their journey proceeded quite smoothly.
Xiangling also took on the role of expedition chef. Although some of her dishes involved strange combinations—like Sugar-Frosted Slime—Ji An found them unexpectedly tasty.
The journey took about three days.
Finally, they arrived at the outskirts of Tianqiu Valley.
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A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
*Honkai Impact 3rd, I Can Transform into a Valkyrie!*
patreon.com/deadlygoober