Genshin Impact: One Hundred Confessions? Just a System Task

Hmm, this kind of "concern" for subordinates seems particularly interesting.

Qin picked up her milk glass, took a sip, suppressed the increasingly obvious smile on her lips, and prepared to bring this breakfast to a "perfect" end.

However, just as she put down the cup, her gaze inadvertently swept over Yi Chen's eyes, which looked somewhat bewildered by shock and distress.

A very tender corner of my heart was suddenly touched.

Those teasing and joking thoughts quietly faded away.

She knew those confessions were just a formality, not genuine feelings.

She knew that after he had done it a hundred times, he might really turn around and leave without hesitation, just like he had done to Yura.

A subtle sense of loss, which she herself was not even clearly aware of, spread quietly like ink spreading in water.

Qin's tone softened unconsciously, the deliberate teasing faded away, and her voice gained a very faint, almost imperceptible softness and... perhaps even she herself was unaware of the request.

"Anyway..."

"...You weren't being sincere either, were you?"

These words were spoken so softly, almost like a soliloquy, yet they clearly reached Yi Chen's ears.

Before he could react, Qin had already turned her gaze back to him.

Her smile was still gentle, but it seemed a little thinner than before, as if veiled by a thin mist.

She added the second half of the sentence in an almost casual tone, as if it were just a casual reminder, yet it also sounded like a carefully considered expectation:

"so……"

"After the hundred confessions are over..."

"And please..."

"Don't leave me so soon."

The sun was still shining brightly, and the aroma of the barbecue was still enticing.

But when Yi Chen looked into Qin's blue eyes, which seemed to hold dappled sunlight yet also seemed to hide a hint of loneliness, he felt as if something had gently bumped into his heart. It didn't hurt, but it completely stunned him.

Chapter 30 I promise you

"Qin, I promise you."

Qin paused slightly, her fingers unconsciously tightening their grip on the cup.

Sunlight fell on Yichen, outlining his tall and straight figure.

Those eyes clearly reflected her image, and there was a seriousness in them that she had never seen before.

He said, "Qin, I promise you."

It's not "leader", it's "qin" (a type of zither).

My heart felt as if it were being gently brushed by warm wings, and a strange, subtle throbbing quietly spread through it.

Qin lowered her head almost hastily, staring at the milky white ripples swirling in the glass, feeling her ears burning.

How could I have said something like that?

It's almost like she's being coquettish...

"Those flowers,"

Yi Chen's voice rang out again.

"I'll handle everything."

Then, he paused, as if confirming something, or perhaps following his most direct inner impulse, and clearly added that already formulaic sentence, which now seemed to be infused with a different weight:

"Because I like you." (99/100)

There was no "leader," no "please consider marriage as a prerequisite," just the simplest and most direct statement—"I like you."

The sounds of the wind and the distant noise seemed to fade into the distance.

Qin felt her cheeks must be red, and her body temperature was rising uncontrollably.

She could feel his gaze still fixed on the top of her head, focused and...sincere?

"That...about the flowers,"

The sound of the piano was so soft it was like a whisper, almost melting into the wind.

"It was just...a joke."

"...Actually, it's okay if you don't have it."

Yi Chen looked at Qin across from him, who was almost burying her face in her milk glass. The usually composed and capable leader was now replaced by a rare, soft shyness. Her golden hair fell down, unable to cover her slightly reddened ear tips.

An unprecedented and unfamiliar thrill suddenly gripped his heart.

The sound was so loud that Yichen almost doubted that Qin could hear it too.

The feeling came suddenly and fiercely.

It was a strange feeling—hot, chaotic, that almost brought his mind to a standstill.

It felt like drinking the hottest molten water, burning from the throat all the way to the limbs, yet also carrying a strange tingling sensation.

My gaze was drawn to her as if by an invisible thread, unable to look away from her lowered eyelashes, her slightly pursed lips, and that captivating blush.

Yi Chen subconsciously raised his hand and pressed it against his left chest.

Through the fabric, the organ beneath was pounding against his palm with unprecedented force and speed, proclaiming its presence.

I just saw her shy expression.

What exactly is this strange feeling?

His brain tried to analyze this abnormal state like it would process a document, but all he got was a jumble of gibberish.

All logic, all routines, and all familiar "coping mechanisms" failed at this moment.

Yi Chen was like a novice knight who had just touched a sword for the first time. He was at a loss and could only awkwardly feel the weight and sharpness of the weapon in his hand, but had no idea how to wield it.

The air seemed to thicken, and all the surrounding sounds became distant background noises.

The smoke from the deer hunter's oven, the cries of street vendors, the rustling of the wind through the eaves... all have faded away.

In his world, it seemed that all that remained was the blond captain across from him, who was looking down and trying to hide his panic by drinking milk, and the pounding of his own heart that felt like it was about to explode.

Yi Chen opened his mouth, wanting to say something to break the unsettling silence, but found his throat too dry to utter a single clear syllable.

In the end, he just remained in the position of clutching his chest, staring blankly at her.

Meanwhile, atop a mountain far from the hustle and bustle of Mondstadt.

The emerald-green bard sat casually on the thick branches of the giant tree where the wind rose, one leg dangling leisurely and swinging gently.

Wendy tilted her head slightly, as if listening to distant whispers carried by the wind, her fingertips unconsciously plucking the strings of the xylophone in her arms, producing a string of scattered, out-of-tune notes.

"Seriously... all they talk about are the sheer cliffs of Mount Sumeru and the exorbitantly priced gowns of Liyue..."

"We have so many beautiful and heartfelt flowers in Mondstadt too..."

He imagined that the single-minded assistant knight would likely end up disheveled and penniless for those flowers that were so far away, and what he would finally present to the troupe leader would probably only be some pitiful flowers that had traveled a long way, lost their luster, and drooped listlessly.

"That won't do..."

Wendy's smile widened.

"...That would be such a waste of this precious atmosphere, wouldn't it?"

After all, the clumsy yet suddenly sincere feelings and the rare, flustered shyness carried by the breeze brushing past one's fingertips are a prelude to a symphony more intoxicating than any fine wine.

Such an interesting "plot"—if it gets stuck here, wouldn't that disappoint Lord Barbatos?

"In that case——"

"Let's have the best bard in all of Teyvat lend a hand!"

The moment the words left her lips, the branches swayed gently, as if no one had ever lingered there.

Only a wisp of exceptionally refreshing breeze swirled and swept across the mountains and plains at incredible speed, heading straight towards the distant Sumeru and Liyue.

In the afternoon, the setting sun bathed the wooden signboard at the entrance of the Adventurers' Guild in a warm gold color. Yi Chen rushed over almost at the end of the workday and grabbed Guild Master Serius, who was about to finish work and go for a couple of drinks.

"President Serius! An urgent request! A matter of life and death!"

Yi Chen spoke as fast as a barrage of arrows, slamming a list filled with the names of three rare flowers and demanding requirements onto the counter.

Serius stared at the list with his large, bell-like eyes, his thick eyebrows almost twisted into a pretzel.

"A Sumeru Rose? And it has to be the freshest, still dewy? The best of Liyue Harbor's Rainbow Flowers? And a Patisharan?! Young Master Yichen, this isn't a request, this is a death sentence! This difficulty is just too much..."

"A million molas."

Yi Chen interrupted him.

"300,000 upfront, balance due after completion. Mora, plenty of money."

Serius gasped, a gurgling sound escaping his throat, and his enormous hand slammed down on the flimsy piece of paper as if it were pressing down on Mount Mora.

His eyes darted wildly between the list and Yi Chen's resolute face, a fierce battle between greed and reason.

"But, but..."

He swallowed hard, trying to regain a shred of his dignity as chairman and a basic understanding of the mission's difficulty.

"This isn't about money! It's about time! Manpower! Route! And those guardian monsters..."

"Hey~ Looks like someone's run into pretty much some trouble~"

A clear, slightly lazy, and cheerful voice suddenly broke in.

Wendy was seen leaning against the counter, holding a half-empty bottle of cider, watching them with great interest.

"Nothing~"

He shook the bottle.

"If it's a problem with these little flowers and grasses, I might have a slightly 'special' solution, Brother Yichen?"

Yi Chen suddenly turned to look at Wendy.

He knew that this bard was always elusive and seemed to know many strange and unusual things.

At this moment, he was so overwhelmed with worry that he grasped at the last straw and no longer cared about figuring out what Wendy might do.

"Okay, Wendy!"

Yi Chen grabbed Wendy's shoulder, his eyes burning.

"If you can really handle this, the Mora you save, I'll share with you... no! I'll give you a million as drinking money! I mean it!"

"One, one million... for drinks?!"

Serius, standing beside him, stared with eyes even wider than Mora's, letting out a suffocating sound.

Upon hearing this, Wendy's eyes lit up instantly, as if he could see mountains of cider and dandelion liqueur beckoning to him.

His smile grew even brighter and...unfathomable.

He snapped his fingers cheerfully, his voice light and pleasant.

"Then it's settled! Don't worry about it, leave it to me~"

Wendy leaned closer to Yichen, lowered her voice, and winked mysteriously.

"We guarantee to deliver faster than anyone else, and when we arrive, the flowers will still be carrying the dew and fragrance from afar!"

He straightened up, finished the last sip of cider, and casually tossed the empty bottle precisely into a trash can some distance away.

"The wind goes everywhere, doesn't it?"

Serius stared at the two men who had quickly reached a "dirty deal" with their arms around each other's shoulders, then looked at the list worth millions of Mora on the counter. His mouth dropped open, and he felt that his worldview as the president of the Adventurers' Guild had been shocked like never before.

So... the ultimate secret to solving extremely difficult quests... is to find a seemingly unreliable bard and then shower him with wine money?

Chapter 31 Mondstadt, the City of Flowers

Of course, Yi Chen's preparations couldn't stop there. Throwing a mere million Mora at Wendy was just the beginning for his abstract thought process of "either don't do it at all, or do it thoroughly."