Genshin Impact: I, the Winter's Executor, am forced to work.

Even more terrifying is...

The petite girl sat quietly on the sofa with her feet dangling in the air. When she heard Qin Ye's voice, her fair little feet wobbled, and she turned her face toward the door.

"..."

hiss...

He was rushing to get there before Colombia returned, and for some reason, he felt a little guilty if he didn't...

Although she certainly wouldn't tear my roof off like she did with Dotole.

"sit."

The girl smiled and patted the spot next to her with her palm, making a gesture that couldn't be clearer.

"You're here." Qin Ye's expression turned serious as he sat down next to Columbia.

The other person didn't say anything, but quietly moved closer to the other person.

"Tatiana, you're resting, don't be too noisy." As she spoke, she leaned her whole body against Qin Ye's arm.

"...good."

What? Doesn't she intend to confront me?

"I had a casual chat with the professor."

No, no, saying that would make me seem guilty, and that would give me away right away.

"Hmm, what did you talk about?"

Columbia spoke as if she didn't care at all, chatting with Qin Ye in a very ordinary way.

"Forehead..."

Qin Ye was having a fierce internal struggle, trying to shut down all the riddle-solving switches and slang dictionaries in his mind.

"You heard everything outside?" He finally decided to get straight to the point.

"I've always been at home." The girl shook her head, making a denial that Qin Ye could see through at a glance.

"I see."

He understood that the girl was telling him he didn't need to care at all.

In other words, only the Doctor was injured.

But he made an option that had never been possible before.

Recount the entire conversation with Dotole.

"So, you're alright?" Columbia's tone was filled with concern.

"Me?" Qin Ye pointed to himself, still somewhat doubtful. "You mean you know some things about yourself? Doesn't it feel unreal?"

"Yes!" The soft, sweet voice suddenly became urgent, and the fair hands on her knees clenched tightly, revealing the tension in the girl's heart.

"Absolutely not. This is something I want to understand myself. If someone jumped in front of me and said, 'You used to be so-and-so, and you had such-and-such a mission,' I would definitely think they were out of their mind. But this heartfelt thought is different."

Qin Ye gently put his arm around the girl's shoulder, supported the back of her head with one hand to straighten her awkward posture, and then let her lie on his lap.

"If I wasn't interested in this before, now I'm quite interested..."

He drew out the sound, sounding a little embarrassed.

"think?"

"I want to reminisce about the things we did together."

"Mmm..." Columbia rubbed against his thigh, adjusting herself into a comfortable position.

Her eyelids trembled slightly, but she ultimately did not open them.

"What's wrong?" Qin Ye didn't ask too many questions, but simply posed a question that allowed the other party to answer freely.

"It's ugly, and it's not ready yet."

"Ha..." The man's sigh contained a hint of indulgence: "No matter what it looks like, I won't mind, but it's important to be mentally prepared. There's no need to rush."

"Ah."

"I do have a question I'd like to ask you." Qin Ye realized something, his expression full of apology: "Sorry, I have a lot of questions today."

"I'm very happy." Colombia didn't mind at all.

"You told me before... that you spoke haltingly because you liked seeing me overthink things, but that's not the most important reason, is it?"

"Don't you like it?" The girl frowned, wondering if her actions had been misunderstood by the other party.

"No, it's just that seeing you talk to other people without having to be tolerant makes me even less inclined to be so cautious with me."

Columbia fell silent, a rare occurrence. She pondered how to reply, but heard no urging from Qin Ye, and her anxiety gradually subsided.

"It's my fault..."

She said something completely unrelated.

Both of them fell silent.

Could you elaborate?

"Yes, I've caused you trouble in the past, and I don't want that to happen again."

[The girl] hadn't felt this tension in her chest for a long time, as if it were squeezed together, and her heart started beating faster.

She always stayed by his side based on her own wishful thinking, and always assumed that he would accept her unconditionally.

Even though she had been living in Qin Ye's house ever since he became an executive officer, but...

Now that I think about it, it's still the same as before. Will he not understand this? Will he blame me for it?

Am I the same as I was in the past?

Qin Ye asked another question in return.

Yes. You've always been you.

Hearing the girl's affirmative reply, Qin Ye laughed: "Then the answer is obvious. Even though I once doubted your motives, I don't feel that what you did was imposed on me, because I can feel your goodwill. I suppose I will always feel the same way, right?"

He reached out and gently brushed the girl's stray hairs behind her ear.

Columbia's pretty face flushed slightly. She changed from lying flat to lying on her side, facing outwards, not wanting Qin Ye to see her like this.

"Do you really want to regain your memories?" The fragmented manner of speaking disappeared.

"Of course, I'm very interested in this now."

"I don't want you to compromise for others, and if that's your wish, I will naturally support you. If you only want to live a good life in this world, I will accompany you, whether it's the Abyss, the Seven Gods, or even..."

She paused for a moment, then her tone became even more firm.

“I will never allow them to involve you in their scheme.”

It's like they practically have "I did all this for you" written all over their faces.

"Of course it's voluntary. I once thought about living in seclusion with you and Tatiana someday, but some things are beyond my control. I like to be in control, so no matter who the opponent is, as long as I keep winning, keep winning, that's the best way for me."

He paused for a moment, then continued to console me: "If I really don't want to, even if Morax threatens me with the Heavenly Star, I won't agree."

"He dares?!" Columbia suddenly raised her head and slammed the back of her head heavily onto Qin Ye's lap.

"..."

"I was just using an analogy."

Qin Ye gave an awkward smile.

So, does this mean that Columbia made me realize the past not because it compels me to reminisce, but because it trusts me and believes that with my independence, I can definitely make my own choices?

No matter what I become, as long as it's me, I will silently support you...

Then the problem is coming.

Where did you find such a wonderful girl in the past?

Chapter 141 Extra: Homecoming

(This is a side story, but not entirely. It's a continuation of the previous story related to Tatiana's past, and it's about what the protagonist has to do before going to Mondstadt. If you haven't read that part, you can skip it.)

When Qin Ye was twelve years old, he had just become an executive officer and visited Tatiana's hometown.

"Fool...Fool!"

In a small border town, in a rather lavishly decorated office, a fawning man rubbed his hands together, holding a cloth bag in his hand, and stood up from his leather chair.

He shook the heavy Mora in the bag, making a mesmerizing sound, then gently opened it and waved it in front of the young boy, clearly intending to offer a bribe.

Qin Ye reached out and lifted the black and red ice cone pendant on his chest.

"Yegor, right?"

"Yes, it is truly frightening that the Foolish One knows a lowly person."

"Do you know what price this pendant would fetch on the market?"

"Ah, this..." The man's fawning smile vanished, somewhat confused by the other party's meaning.

"Roughly speaking, it would cost at least a billion in China, right?" Qin Ye looked disdainfully at the Mora in the other person's bag, toying with the ornament in his hand: "Do you think... if you threw a billion Mora into the well outside the door, it would help the frog inside jump out of the well?"

The boy looked at the maid beside him. She straightened up somewhat awkwardly, as adjusting to a respectful posture was not easy and made her appear a little stiff.

He continued, "Of course not, because the frog couldn't even walk when it saw Mora, and ended up getting crushed to death inside, haha!"

Qin Ye seemed to realize what was happening, and looking at the man in front of him who was trying hard to raise the corners of his mouth, he asked in confusion, "Why aren't you smiling? Yegor? Did I say it wasn't funny?"

"Oh no, no, no! How could that be? It was your eloquent manner and superb conversational skills that captivated me, making me forget the true nature of the joke."

"Huh?" Qin Ye blinked. "When did I joke? I just wanted to know, I'm happy, so why aren't you?"

"..."

"Do you know her?" The boy pointed to the maid beside him.

"This... the executor's favorite, how could I, an ordinary person,..." Although he spoke humbly and politely, the man's eyes began to scrutinize the girl whose figure did not match her personality.

"Her name is Tatiana."