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

Hey Chao, what are you doing? Me from the past?

A year can be described as gradual progress, ten years as the age of a virtuous person, and a hundred years as the saying goes, "If love between two people lasts forever, why should they be together every day?"

The problem is over a thousand years old, what are you doing?

Are you practicing the Sunflower Manual?

This reaction didn't just come from Qin Ye; even Tatiana, who was standing next to him, stared at him with wide eyes.

"No way?"

Even with her composed nature, she couldn't help but blurt it out.

Colombia suppressed her shyness and her expression suddenly turned serious: "I'm sure you've all realized who I am."

A sense of oppressive power suddenly enveloped the house, clearly an attempt by someone to ease the awkwardness.

"I am the first fairy."

The topic was exceptionally engaging, and Qin Ye couldn't help but take it seriously.

She spoke slowly: "You can think of my relationship with Fairy as being like that of Dotole and his slice."

The girl sat between the two with her arms crossed, looking like a big brother, which seemed somewhat incongruous with her petite figure.

"The task of the fairy spirits is to travel across the continent in place of...someone, guiding and observing humanity."

"So you can't handle this alone?" Qin Ye immediately figured out the reason.

Columbia naturally nodded in agreement: "They inherited part of my power and represent different versions of me from different periods. The fairies have a special network of connections to facilitate communication."

So that's why she said she made up her mind to leave before, because she wanted to find the immortals scattered in various places?

"They are responsible for different regions, and naturally they will grow in their own way, so for me..."

The girl turned her head slightly toward Qin Ye, as if to say that this matter was also related to him.

"To me, they are like family...like sisters, but unfortunately, one day, the connection was lost."

Qin Ye reached out and pulled the girl's head to rest on his shoulder. Tatiana also reached out and silently took the girl's hands in hers.

"It's nothing." She shook her head to indicate that the other person shouldn't worry about her.

“I used to have a glimmer of hope that one day they would return to their original state, but things didn’t go as planned.”

She gripped Qin Ye's clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

The spirits of the snow-capped mountains became her last straw, pulling away a portion of their power each time. The despair and sorrow in her heart placed an indescribable pressure on her spirit.

"I'm sorry, I should have gone with you." Qin Ye tightened his grip on the other person's shoulder.

"No, I feel much more at ease as long as you are here listening. This is a harsh reality I will have to face sooner or later. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't be the way I am now."

No wonder she seemed mentally unstable when I saw her at the layered rock...

"That's only natural..."

Qin Ye left a suspenseful question, not explaining everything, but he had already indicated what he wanted to ask.

The girl gently nuzzled his arm with her head.

"..."

It seems there's another reason for killing Tianli.

The girl has always supported him silently, unwilling to steal the limelight, unwilling to disturb his performance, and even... spoiled him.

This feeling has remained unchanged over time.

Even the most cherished wish she didn't want to break, she personally went to take back in order to protect him.

Looking back now, I think this was probably the reason why Columbia was unwilling to explain things to me.

The atmosphere suddenly became somber, and even Qin Ye didn't know how to comfort the other person.

Until Tatiana tugged at Columbia's sleeve.

"what happened?"

The girl quietly turned her head. In fact, she had already made up her mind, but it took a lot of courage to tell people about it.

Tatiana actually saw through this completely.

Unfortunately, Brother Qin Ye can't stand up for himself when he's with his own people.

Because I usually think too much and want to be straightforward with my own people, I don't know if the words I say will satisfy them when they actually come out of my mouth.

This hesitation also reflects how much he values ​​those he trusts.

The girl leaned close to the young woman's ear and slowly asked, "So, does this have any fundamental connection to the fact that you haven't had any physical intimacy with Brother Qin Ye?"

"Well..."

Columbia's pretty face returned to its pre-conversation state. She had finally managed to gloss over the matter, and you actually brought it up again?

The foot, dangling in mid-air, kicked out and was gently caught by Tatiana's palm.

The girl quickly grabbed the cushion behind Qin Ye, and the man's body collapsed instantly because the other girl's hands and eyes were too fast to adjust.

The soft pad patted Tatiana's head. Because it wasn't being used with much force, and because of its soft material, the patting felt rather comfortable.

"Ha ha..."

Qin Ye chuckled helplessly.

However, as long as they are both happy, it's fine. It's clear that Tatiana and Columbia have a pretty good personal relationship; it's just that her younger sister is too shy to reveal it in front of her.

Columbia is also much more lively than when we first met, which is a great thing overall, isn't it?

Seeing that the two were still bickering, Qin Ye was about to stand up and pour them a glass of water when a small hand suddenly grabbed his shirt.

Then his tall body was thrown out like a toy.

The playful noises instantly subsided, and Tatiana's eyes were fixed on the parabola in the air as she swiftly tossed out the cushion.

Colombia gripped the sofa with both hands, sitting like a duck, and stuck out her tongue.

"...It seems...I accidentally hurt someone."

Chapter 248 The Shrewd Merchant of Sumeru

Qin Ye was fortunate to have a decent night's rest in Sumeru. Although he had been thrown out by Columbia the day before, it wasn't a big deal; at least he didn't sleep with his eyes open.

Where is Tatiana?

He clearly got up early enough today, but upon closer inspection, the sun hadn't yet risen to the top of the sky, indicating that his hard work and life for the day had only just begun.

But the question is, where did my younger sister go?

Surely it's not necessary to work that hard, going to learn dance from exotic dancers every day?

The problem is, who are you going to teach this jump to...?

Show me how to dance, then learn it.

"Let's go and settle today's score with that cunning merchant who's a worthy opponent."

"?"

Columbia wrapped her arms around her knees, burying her head in her chest. The drowsiness on her face was still lingering, and she was clearly not fully awake yet.

"What kind of unscrupulous businessman? It's pointless to waste words on such a creature."

Qin Ye deeply despised unscrupulous merchants. When he was implementing various policies within Zhidong, there were always those risk-takers or self-righteous individuals who dared to act out in front of him.

They fawn over their superiors, exploit their subordinates relentlessly, and then give up entirely when their superiors become impartial, believing they have powerful backing.

In the end, Qin Ye and his backers were all wiped out in one fell swoop.

But Qin Ye still vividly remembered the despicable nature of these creatures and their complacent attitude in profiting from national disasters, and felt utterly disgusted by them.

Of course, no merchant is a fool, otherwise they would lose all their bitter tea seeds in the end. It all depends on whether this cunning person knows how to protect themselves or forge ahead relentlessly.

"What...what was it called again?"

Columbia stretched her limbs naturally, and the comfortable feeling of stretching brought a happy expression to her face. She then returned to her sitting position and beckoned to Qin Ye.

"what happened?"

"Come sit here." A small, fair hand patted the seat next to her.

Qin Ye was a little confused, but since the other party had made such a request, there was no reason to refuse, so he took a few steps to the front of the sofa.

He sat down gently on the sofa, afraid that any exaggerated movements would dispel the girl's drowsiness.

Columbia smiled contentedly and casually leaned onto Qin Ye's lap, her nonchalant movement causing the soft sofa cushions to sway a few times.

"When Tatiana first arrived at Ormos Port, her old habit kicked in again. She spent half a day exploring the port alone, sketching out a rough map of the area, and building relationships with all the merchants in the area. However, there was one little dwarf who sold things at exorbitant prices, and she even tried to rip her off..."

Columbia remembered this incident vividly because after hearing it, she wanted to go and talk to the little dwarf herself, chat about life ideals and such, and maybe he would be so moved that he would even hand over his goods for free.

"Is that little dwarf named Dolly?"

"?"

The girl's drowsiness vanished instantly. She quickly shifted from her side-lying position, frowned, and tilted her head back to get close to Qin Ye's face: "You know him?"

"..."

Oh no! I thought I didn't need to hide too much from Columbia, but I forgot that the little dwarf is also a woman.

"Ha ha..."

Fortunately, he, the Fool, was a seasoned veteran, and quickly explained with a smile: "I heard that she has a morbid desire to control Mora, so Brother Zhongli once used her as a typical example and talked to me about it."

"Would he care about these things?" The girl's expression grew increasingly puzzled.

"Yeah, I was actually quite curious at the time, but since he brought it up with me, we definitely had to talk about it, since I'm in charge of some finances during the winter, so..."

"I see. Since you've put it that way... I'll have a chat with the Rock King Emperor when the opportunity arises."

"..."

Brother Zhongli, my future happiness depends on your decision.

Remember to say a few good words about the Eight Desolations Brothers.