Natalia turned around and saw a strikingly beautiful woman ascending the hill. Her gaze was locked on Natalia with visible reluctance written all over her face.
Moments later, the woman stopped in front of Natalia. Her eyes met Natalia’s briefly before flickering downward, landing on the black-and-white outfit in her hands.
A sense of foreboding crept into Eula’s heart.
“You’re a little late, Miss Eula,” Lou Qing’s voice rang out smoothly.
“You have three tasks to complete. Including this one, two remain.”
Eula’s voice was cold. “If you pull the same trick as earlier—three tasks, then three more—I’d rather forfeit the sword entirely.”
“Well, since you’ve made yourself clear.”
Lou Qing turned to face her, looking perfectly agreeable. With a glance at Natalia, he signaled her to step forward. Natalia nodded and approached Eula, handing over the outfit in her arms.
“What is this…?”
Eula swallowed hard.
“A special outfit I designed just for you, Miss Eula,” Lou Qing said with a sly smile. “Why not give it a try?”
“…”
[Frustration +1 from Eula]
Even from just a glance at the lace trim and inexplicably provocative design, Eula could tell this was no ordinary outfit.
He expected her to wear that?
Was this guy serious?
“Hmph, I’m not putting that on. Give up on the idea!”
Crossing her arms, Eula turned her face away in disdain.
“Oh, really?” Lou Qing’s grin widened, his voice dripping with mischief.
“This is your second task, after all. You’ve already come all this way, so wouldn’t it be a shame to leave empty-handed~?”
“…”
Eula was silent.
Her gaze darted briefly to the Song of Broken Pines standing beside Lou Qing, then shifted back to the outfit in Natalia’s hands.
She swallowed again.
“It’s a very nice outfit. Surely Miss Eula doesn’t want to miss out on trying it~,” Lou Qing teased, his fingers lightly brushing against the sword hilt at his side.
“All you have to do is put it on, and that’ll count as your second task. Then there’s only one more to go, and you’ll have your sword back.”
“…”
“Well? It’s a great deal, isn’t it?”
“…”
Eula stayed quiet, clearly deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Natalia watched from the side, her expression unreadable.
She couldn’t help but feel conflicted. Did her lord actually enjoy teasing beautiful girls like this?
But… he’s never teased me.
“Tell me this first…”
After a long silence, Eula finally broke it.
“What’s the third task? And will you actually return my sword once I’ve completed all three?”
“Of course.”
Lou Qing nodded with a smile. “Once you’ve completed all three tasks, this sword is yours again. As for the third task…”
He leaned forward slightly, his grin widening.
“Once you’ve finished the second, I want you to…”
“What?”
“Sweetly call me ‘Master’~.”
“…”
[Frustration +10 from Eula]
Eula had never been more certain: this man, Lou Qing, was blatantly using her stolen sword as an excuse to humiliate her!
And now he wanted her to call him “Master” on top of wearing that outfit?
So it is a maid outfit!
What a joke!
She was a proud knight of the Knights of Favonius!
To call a Fatui Harbinger “Master” would be a fate worse than death!
“Are you deliberately trying to humiliate me?”
Her fists clenched tightly at her sides as the sting of humiliation coursed through her.
If she could, she would’ve punched him square in the face by now.
“Hmph! Forget it! I’d rather abandon the sword than call you ‘Master.’”
“You just did.”
Lou Qing tilted his head, a playful glint in his eyes.
“…”
[Frustration +1 from Eula]
Was this guy seriously nitpicking her words now?
“Miss Eula, no need to be so quick to refuse,” Lou Qing continued in a gentle, coaxing tone.
“Look around. We’re in the middle of nowhere. It’s just the three of us here. Even if you put it on and called me that, no one else would know.”
“Trust me, we Snezhnayans are masters of keeping secrets~.”
“…”
“Hmph! Keep dreaming!”
Eula snorted disdainfully, shooting Lou Qing a look filled with utter loathing.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the maid outfit from Natalia’s hands and tossed it onto the ground.
“I’d rather leave it than agree to this nonsense!”
With that, she spun around and stormed off into the night.
Soon, her figure disappeared into the darkness.
Coming here to meet Lou Qing was easily one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made!
I thought if he returned my sword, I might even thank him for helping during the day…
Now I wish I’d just cut him down where he stood!
—
“My lord, are you not going after her?”
Natalia glanced in the direction Eula had gone, then bent down to pick up the discarded maid outfit. She folded it neatly and placed it beside Lou Qing.
She knew all too well where this outfit came from.
It wasn’t designed specifically for Eula, as Lou Qing had claimed. It was a maid outfit originally made for Rosalyne, one of his subordinates. The only reason it had been offered to Eula was because the two women shared a similar physique.
“Why chase her? My goal has already been achieved.”
Lou Qing spoke casually, retrieving both the Song of Broken Pines and the maid outfit into his system inventory.
“…?”
“You genuinely want her to wear the maid outfit and call you ‘Master,’ don’t you?”
Natalia couldn’t help but chuckle.
Eula was a proud and stubborn knight. There was no way she would ever comply with such a humiliating demand.
“Why not?”
“I just think it’s… unlikely.”
“Natalia,” Lou Qing said, patting her shoulder lightly.
“When have I ever failed to achieve what I set my mind to?”
“…”
Natalia fell silent.
After thinking for a moment, she realized he was right.
When Lou Qing first announced he intended to recruit Rosalyne as his subordinate, none of them believed him. Yet now, Rosalyne was as obedient as a kitten around him.
Then there was the matter of the Raiden Shogun…
That one’s on a whole other level.
To think that someone of her caliber—practically a peer to the Tsaritsa herself—had not only kissed Lou Qing but willingly embraced him…
There’s no way to put that into words.
“So, what’s your plan, my lord?”
“Simple. Patience, Natalia.”
Lou Qing smiled faintly as he waved her along, heading toward the construction site below the cliff.
“Taming a tsundere takes time.”
At that moment, Natalia looked at Lou Qing’s retreating figure.
He resembled a seasoned captain, expertly navigating the stormy seas of life.
—
This is a fan translation of 原神：这个见习执行官太屑了 by 何一乐. 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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