Gu Sanqiu glanced at his gleeful companion. “You’ve never done something like this before?”
Xingqiu gave him a sideways look. “And you have? In a place like this, I mean.”
“Oh, no, not exactly.”
“Then that’s settled.” Xingqiu chuckled. “Acting all refined and important in a shady establishment really is something else. No wonder people call places like this ‘money pits.’”
“It’s not too bad,” Gu Sanqiu replied, casting a quick glance at the attendant lingering nearby. The man stood at a polite distance—not close enough to overhear their conversation, but near enough to respond to any request immediately.
“Smart. And pragmatic,” Gu Sanqiu noted.
Xingqiu followed his gaze and nodded. “Ah, you’re talking about the personal attendant system? Looks like we’ve already hit some kind of threshold without realizing it.”
Gu Sanqiu smirked. “Exactly. There are fifty tables in the hall right now, but only twelve have dedicated attendants like ours.”
“So even here in the main hall, if your spending reaches a certain level, you’re given access to certain privileges?”
“More or less,” Gu Sanqiu replied. “It’s much more subtle than throwing money around right from the start. And, incidentally, far more cost-effective.”
Xingqiu rolled his eyes. “Cost-effective? When have you ever cared about how much you spend?”
“Don’t put it like that.” Gu Sanqiu leaned back, twirling his drink. “What I mean is, if I were going to blow a ridiculous amount of Mora in one go, I’d feel obligated to rob this place blind right afterward to recoup my losses.”
Xingqiu nearly choked on his tea.
“But we’re not here to make a scene tonight. We’re here for intel,” Gu Sanqiu continued, shrugging. “If I really did start robbing the place, it’d just complicate things down the line. I can already see Keqing showing up at my door, Mora ledger in hand, lecturing me about the exact number of years I’d serve for theft before confiscating half of what I took.”
Xingqiu winced. “You really can’t stand losing, can you?”
Gu Sanqiu snorted. “Of course not. Remember how I dealt with the Sanxuan Society a while back? Ningguang, Keqing, and the others didn’t leave me so much as half a Mora from the whole affair—it all went to the public coffers. All of it.”
“That’s the real lesson I learned from that debacle. If you’re going to skim a little from the shady types, you’d better do it fast, clean, and under the radar. That way, no one can come knocking with awkward questions.”
Xingqiu covered his face. “Do you honestly think no one would suspect you?”
“They can suspect all they like.” Gu Sanqiu grinned. “If they can’t prove it, I’ll just sue them for defamation. Who’s going to argue with a ‘law-abiding citizen’ like me?”
“You? A law-abiding citizen?” Xingqiu snorted, his sarcasm as thick as the tea in his cup.
“Esteemed guests! The ‘Listening to the Sea’ premium suite has been opened. Please ascend to the second floor!”
The attendant’s singsong announcement captured the attention of everyone in the hall. Moments later, three impeccably dressed men, exuding charisma and elegance, rose from their seats and made their way upstairs under the envious gazes of onlookers.
“Ah, the blessings of youth and wealth,” someone muttered, a mixture of admiration and jealousy in their voice. A few others grumbled, secretly hoping the trio’s families would storm in and drag them away for a public scolding.
Gu Sanqiu and Xingqiu, however, exchanged a silent, wide-eyed glance. They clinked their cups and downed their drinks in synchronized resignation.
Finally, Xingqiu broke the silence. “It’s them, isn’t it?”
“It’s them,” Gu Sanqiu groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Keqing and Hu Tao. And to think they actually pulled off the whole ‘disguised as men’ bit.”
“What about the third guy?”
Gu Sanqiu squinted at the retreating figures. “That one’s familiar. I think he’s a ceremonial attendant from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—probably there to make sure those two don’t get knocked out by some underhanded trick.”
Xingqiu shook his head with a rueful smile, then looked back at Gu Sanqiu, his expression tinged with pity.
“Keep looking at me like that, and I’ll make sure you end up at the bottom of Guyun Stone Forest tonight,” Gu Sanqiu warned.
“No, no,” Xingqiu said, stifling a laugh. “I was just wondering… When they’re done here, who’s going to foot the bill?”
“…It’s not going to be me, that’s for sure,” Gu Sanqiu said through gritted teeth. “Keqing’s a Yuheng of the Qixing. Even if she’s investigating, shouldn’t this come out of some official budget?”
Xingqiu’s smirk widened. “Investigations like this don’t go on the official books. You know there’s a reimbursement cap, right? Anything beyond that comes out of pocket.”
“…”
Gu Sanqiu gripped his cup a little tighter. His thoughts wandered briefly to less-than-legal ways of recovering the hypothetical funds. He could already envision it: a blaze reducing Jihai Pavilion to ashes, eliminating all traces.
“What’s our move, then? Wait it out?” Xingqiu asked.
“What else? Those three made such a grand entrance; anything we do now would just scream ‘suspicious.’ Even an idiot would figure out there’s something going on,” Gu Sanqiu replied, leaning back and raising his glass in surrender.
Xingqiu eyed him thoughtfully. “You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were working with them. You here on the first floor, them upstairs drawing attention—next thing we know, the Millelith will come crashing in.”
“That’d be great, wouldn’t it?” Gu Sanqiu smirked. “But no. I dragged you here the moment I got back. They’re probably just trying to keep a low profile—or maybe that attendant didn’t think two girls should sit in the main hall.”
“Fair enough.” Xingqiu sipped his tea. “Guess we’ll see how it plays out.”
—
Meanwhile, on the second floor, Keqing casually tossed a cube-shaped device under the table.
“All right,” she said softly. “If there are any eavesdropping formations or devices here, this should jam them.”
Hu Tao poured tea for the group, pouting. “Have you spotted those two yet?”
The ceremonial attendant tilted his head in thought. “No sign of them. They’re probably on the first floor.”
“They’re definitely on the first floor,” Keqing said confidently. “Knowing them, they’ll just sit quietly somewhere inconspicuous to avoid drawing attention.”
“And your big, dramatic entrance?”
“It was for their sake,” Keqing explained. “We’re here to draw attention away from them. The less people focus on those two, the easier it’ll be for them to investigate.”
“Keqing, you’re amazing!” Hu Tao cooed, throwing her arms around Keqing and rubbing her cheek against hers.
“Enough already!” Keqing’s cheeks flushed as she tried to pry Hu Tao off. “I’m here to investigate, not indulge you!”
And to make sure certain people don’t go overboard, she added silently, remembering the mess Gu Sanqiu had made with the Sanxuan Society.
“Sure, sure. Investigate all you want,” Hu Tao teased, ignoring Keqing’s protests and doubling down on her cheek-rubbing assault.
—
T/N: a-are they both jealous?
This is a fan translation of 原神之璃月奉香人 by 淡白蛋清. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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