“Defamation! This is blatant defamation!”
Luo Qing dramatically slammed the table, exclaiming, “I am a legitimate Sumeru envoy personally appointed by the Lesser Lord Kusanali. How could I possibly be a Fatui Harbinger?! This is slander, absolute slander!”
“I understand, Mr. Luo Qing. Please, calm down…”
Charlotte, momentarily flustered, hadn’t anticipated this would be such a sensitive topic for Luo Qing.
It seemed he cared deeply about his identity…
Yet in the next moment, Luo Qing suddenly regained his composure, speaking calmly.
“Alright, it’s fine. Let’s continue. Next question.”
“Uh…”
Charlotte swallowed nervously.
How could his mood shift so abruptly?
“Alright then, the next question…” Charlotte glanced at her notebook, steadying herself.
“Previously, during Lady Furina’s livestream at the Vasari Corridor, she personally promoted the Akademiya’s Void Terminal. Given her notoriously capricious nature, we’re curious—how did you persuade her to endorse the Void Terminal?”
“That pertains to diplomatic affairs between Sumeru and Fontaine, and it’s confidential. I’m afraid I can’t disclose that, Miss Charlotte.”
“I understand,” Charlotte nodded, before leaning forward with a probing look.
“There’s another rumor. Someone claimed they saw Lady Furina visiting your residence late at night. How do you respond to that?”
“…”
Luo Qing was momentarily speechless.
Where on earth does Charlotte get all this information?
“That’s just hearsay. Lady Furina hasn’t visited my home during this time,” Luo Qing replied, feigning confusion. He asked with a puzzled expression, “Miss Charlotte, may I ask where you got all these questions? They seem… unusually pointed.”
“Oh, that…” Charlotte scratched her head, thinking back.
“When I returned home the other day, my desk was mysteriously piled with information about you. It claimed you were the Twelfth Harbinger of the Fatui, and there were even photos!”
“…”
From the sound of it…
Luo Qing could hazard a guess as to who was behind this.
Arlecchino…
How had he not noticed before how many tricks she had up her sleeve?
Luo Qing considered whether he should give Arlecchino a small warning.
Yes, perhaps he’d bring Rosalyne in on this later—it would be easier to deal with her involvement.
“Miss Charlotte, remarks that sow discord shouldn’t be spoken lightly. Please trust me—this is undoubtedly the work of unscrupulous individuals trying to undermine the friendly diplomatic relations between Fontaine and Sumeru.”
Luo Qing frowned slightly, placing a hand on Charlotte’s question-filled notebook as if deep in thought.
“You must be cautious, Miss Charlotte, lest you be used as a pawn in their schemes.”
“I understand. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Luo Qing.”
Charlotte nodded obediently, her hat bobbing with her movements, adding a touch of endearing charm.
“Alright, Mr. Luo Qing, let’s move on…”
“The next question: there are claims you have a close relationship with a Fatui Harbinger hidden in Fontaine—The Knave. Some even say you’re associated with the House of Hearth. What do you have to say about that, Mr. Luo Qing?”
“…”
Why do Charlotte’s questions keep getting sharper?
Luo Qing sized her up for a moment.
Maybe he should…
—
Night fell.
After a day of facing Charlotte’s relentless line of sharp questioning, Luo Qing was thankful for his thick skin. Otherwise, she might have managed to extract something from him.
Still, he had to admit he found the spirited, pink-haired girl quite charming. The fact that she possessed a Cryo Vision only made her more intriguing.
Charlotte had taken up most of his day, so his original plan to meet Navia had to be postponed until evening.
After inquiring with the Spina di Rosula branch, Luo Qing learned Navia had returned to headquarters in White Pine Town.
Without overthinking it, he set off under the cover of night.
Standing on the waterway tracks and finding the direction to White Pine Town, Luo Qing’s golden eyes glimmered faintly as he prepared to use Time Zero to hasten his journey.
But just as he was about to act, he sensed someone covertly watching him.
Turning around, he found the street behind him seemingly empty…
Except for a tall crimson hat poking out from behind a decorative shrub.
In a calm voice, Luo Qing said, “Come out, Miss Charlotte. I can see you.”
The crimson hat behind the shrub remained still.
“If you don’t come out, I’ll leave,” he added.
“Uh…”
Hiding behind the shrub, Charlotte hesitated.
A gust of wind rustled the foliage, momentarily obscuring her view of Luo Qing.
When the wind died down, she quickly peeked through the leaves—only to find the spot where Luo Qing had been standing now empty.
“Eh…? Where did he go?”
Charlotte was puzzled.
How could he have disappeared in just a few seconds?
The next moment, a familiar male voice sounded from behind her.
“Miss Charlotte, are you looking for me?”
“Ah?!”
Startled, Charlotte spun around to find Luo Qing standing behind her.
His golden eyes dimmed as the light within them slowly faded, but under the night sky, they gave him an unnervingly eerie presence.
“Miss Charlotte, can you tell me why you’ve been following me?”
Luo Qing crossed his arms, a faint smile on his lips.
But in the dim light of the night, paired with his glowing eyes, his expression was particularly unsettling.
“I… I…”
Charlotte found herself at a loss for words under Luo Qing’s piercing gaze.
Even though Luo Qing had denied everything during the interview earlier, that didn’t mean she fully believed him.
After all, the intelligence report she received had been meticulously detailed. Not only did it include photos of Luo Qing as a Harbinger, but it also listed several of his subordinates—people she had personally spotted at the Vasari Corridor!
And so, as an exceptional journalist dedicated to uncovering the truth, she had decided to secretly follow Luo Qing, hoping to gather more evidence.
As for what she’d do if Luo Qing turned out to be a Fatui Harbinger and discovered her… well, she hadn’t thought that far ahead.
“Well…”
Charlotte gave an awkward laugh, unsure of how to respond.
“So, deep down, Miss Charlotte still believes I’m a Harbinger, doesn’t she?”
Luo Qing let out a small laugh, crouching down until his gaze was level with hers.
“Then tell me, Miss Charlotte, if I really were a Harbinger, what would you do?”
“Eh?”
—
T/N: UGHH i don’t know if it’s white pine town
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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