Genshin Impact: One Hundred Confessions? Just a System Task

Diluc repeated it in a low voice, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, as if he had expected it all along.

"As expected, it was these persistent bastards pulling the strings behind the scenes."

He remained silent for a moment, seemingly processing the news, before standing up.

"In that case, I won't bother you any longer."

"If you need any help, just come to me."

Diluc's gaze lingered for a moment on the clothes that belonged to Yichen, before adding.

“Especially you, Yichen. If you need temporary accommodation, please contact my butler at any time.”

After saying that, the red-haired nobleman said no more, nodded slightly to the group, and turned to walk behind the bar to continue wiping the glasses.

Chapter 11 The Rich Man's Sucker

A moment later, Yi Chen ordered a large table of signature dishes, and the fragrant food quickly filled the table.

While enthusiastically introducing the characteristics of each dish to Ying, he also tirelessly teased Paimon, who was flying in the air, with the food.

He would either deliberately wave the roasted meat in front of her and then stuff it into his own mouth, or pretend to snatch the dessert she had her eye on, causing Paimon to yell and shout, creating a lively atmosphere.

Just as Paimon angrily declared, "I'll remember this! And I'm going to eat yours too!" and tried to pounce on a whole plate of sweet flower-stuffed chicken—

A lazy, mocking voice, sounding utterly irritating, slowly rang out from behind Yi Chen:

"Hey~ I was wondering why we couldn't find our hero while the Knights were busy as bees~ Turns out he was hiding here taking it easy and found a new... 'target'?"

The voice was so distinctive that Yi Chen's brain didn't need to think at all; his body had already formed a perfect conditioned reflex!

His right hand, still holding the fork, was in the position to hand Paimon food, but his left arm, like a cannonball, delivered a precise elbow strike with a sharp whoosh, slamming him backward!

"Uh-huh-!"

A painful groan came from behind, followed by the creaking sound of a chair being hit.

Kaiya clutched his ribs, which had been struck hard, and bent over in pain, wincing in agony.

"Hiss... Wait... Yi Chen, you... how come you used your elbow strike before you even saw the person?!"

Yi Chen then slowly turned around, his face showing no remorse, and even a hint of "you asked for it" disdain.

"There's nothing I can do, some people's voices have a built-in 'begging to be beaten' buff, so my body just moves on its own."

Once he had recovered, Kaiya rubbed his ribs, which were probably bruised and purple, and unceremoniously pulled out the chair next to Yichen and sat down. His carefree smile returned, as if he hadn't been the one who had just been beaten.

He waved to Ying and Paimon, who were staring blankly at him.

"Hello, two beautiful ladies~ I am Kaeya, the cavalry captain of the Knights of Favonius."

It's a pleasure to meet you all, although our first meeting was a bit... uh, violent?

Paimon hid behind Ying and muttered, "This blue-haired guy looks really strange... and he seems to know the mysterious plane crash victim quite well..."

Ying remained vigilant, nodding slightly in response: "Hello, Mr. Kaia. I am Ying, and this is Paimon."

Kaiya smiled and looked them over, then glanced at the sumptuous food on the table, before finally fixing her gaze on Yichen.

"Aren't you going to introduce me, Yichen? This isn't like you at all, inviting a girl to dinner in such a 'serious' way?"

Yi Chen rolled her eyes at him, annoyed.

"Do you think everyone is as wicked as you? They are new friends I met on the road. They're new to Mondstadt, so what's wrong with me showing them some hospitality?"

After saying that, he stuffed the largest piece of honey-glazed carrot and fried meat into Kaiya's mouth before he could continue speaking.

Even food can't shut you up!

Kaiya swallowed the fried meat in his mouth with difficulty, and then took a big gulp of cider before he could catch his breath.

He paused for a moment before slowly pulling a brass key from his pocket and casually tossing it onto the table in front of Yi Chen with a "snap".

Yi Chen stared at the key, then looked up at Kaiya's "thank me quickly" expression, and frowned.

"What? Let me make this clear: I'd rather die out here, jump off Fengshen Square, than share a bed with you!"

"puff--!"

Kaiya nearly spat out the wine he had just drunk. He glared at Yichen with annoyance.

"You wish! There's no way I'd take you in! My bed only welcomes beautiful ladies, not dangerous individuals like you who elbow their roommates!"

He waved his hand dismissively, as if trying to dispel some terrible imagery, before clearing his throat and speaking in a serious tone.

"This is the house I rented for you. I wanted to talk to you today about the aftermath of Stormterror, but I couldn't find you anywhere in Mandolin.

I saw that the scene at your 'Wind Demon Dragon Demolition Office' was quite devastating, and I figured you couldn't go back, so I took the liberty of... finding you a new place."

He paused, looking at Yi Chen's slightly widened eyes, and the smug smile on his lips became even more pronounced.

"Knowing you like big houses, I rented a small villa for you."

The location... is right next to the Cathedral of the West, with a good view and a nice environment.

It's just that occasionally there might be a little... um... 'singing'?

You wouldn't mind if Miss Barbara and her choir rehearsed a little noisily, would you?

After Kaiya finished speaking, he opened his arms, assuming a posture that awaited cheers and gratitude:

"Alright, now—feel free to worship your generous, considerate, timely, and handsome Lord Kaiya! Don't hold back, feel free to throw your tears and praise at me!"

Yi Chen looked at the key on the table, then at Kaiya's smug expression, and was speechless for a moment.

He really didn't expect that this guy who spent all his time slacking off and watching plays would actually get this done quietly.

Paimon flew over, circled the key once, and exclaimed in surprise.

Wow! A villa! It must be very expensive.

Ying also looked at Kaiya with slight surprise, seemingly having changed her opinion of this seemingly frivolous cavalry captain.

Yi Chen was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out and grabbed the key, clutching it tightly in his palm. He then looked up and gave Kaiya an extremely bright, almost blinding smile:

"Kaiya—"

He drew out his words, his tone sounding incredibly moved.

Kaiya squinted his eyes in satisfaction, ready to accept this belated gratitude.

However, Yi Chen's next sentence was:

"—You really are a hidden tycoon and a sucker! How could I possibly turn down such a good deal! Please do more of these suckering things up in the future! I don't mind at all!"

Kaeya: "???"

"...Yichen, I really want to take the key back now."

Chapter 12 Reliable

Seeing that Kaiya looked like she was really going to take the key back, Yichen quickly grabbed the key from the table and stuffed it into his small bag. He even instinctively covered the bag with his hand, looking like he was protecting his precious treasure.

He raised his head, glared at Kaiya with righteous indignation, and turned the tables on him.

"What? This is my house key!"

Kaiya was stunned for a moment when he saw Yichen's smooth "face-changing" and "robber logic". Then he was amused by Yichen's extremely shameless behavior and chuckled, his shoulders shaking slightly with laughter.

"Hahaha... Good, good, you win."

Kaiya raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"You... your skin is getting thicker and thicker every day."

He shook his head, stood up, and straightened his slightly wrinkled clothes.

"I have some official business to attend to with my Knights, so I won't keep you company with this chat."

He smiled politely at Yichen, then at Ying and Paimon.

"You should take these two ladies who have come from afar to tour Mondstadt properly, and don't cause any more big commotion like a 'plane crash' or 'house demolition'."

After saying that, he waved his hand casually, turned around and walked towards the tavern entrance, leaving behind a figure that seemed to have concealed his merits and fame.

Yi Chen breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Kaiya had really left. He patted the small bag containing the keys triumphantly, as if he had won a battle.

Paimon flew over, looking at his bag curiously: "So... mysterious plane crash man, you finally have a place to stay?"

"of course!"

Yi Chen raised his chin.

"And it's a villa! After we finish eating, I'll take you all to see my new home! It might not be furnished yet... but it's definitely big enough!"

A moment later, Yichen led Ying and Paimon out of "Angel's Gift".

The afternoon sun shone on the streets of Mondstadt, but it did not bring the usual hustle and bustle.

The city was much quieter than usual after the attack. Pedestrians hurried by, and many shops closed early. Only the busy figures of the Knights of Favonius and the hammering sounds of craftsmen repairing buildings could be heard from time to time.

Looking at this scene, Yi Chen sighed softly, a hint of worry flashing across his brows.

He turned his head and looked at Ying, who was curiously looking around.

"Speaking of which, since you're new here, do you have any plans to stay here tonight?"

This question immediately hit Ying's sore spot.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across her face, and she subconsciously touched her empty pockets, her voice lowering several decibels.

"...We...don't have Mora. Maybe...we'll just find a bridge hole or a bench to shelter us from the wind and rain for the night."

She tried to speak casually, but her slightly furrowed brows betrayed her unease.

Paimon flew lower, pointing to his fingers with his little hand, and whispered, "..."

"Paimon...Paimon doesn't know either..."

Looking at the blonde girl's forced composure yet undeniably dejected appearance, Yi Chen was momentarily reminded of himself when he first arrived in Teyvat, penniless and standing bewildered at the gates of Mondstadt.

A strong sense of empathy and compassion welled up inside me instantly.

Without a second thought, he spoke very decisively, his face showing a rare seriousness and reliability.

"What kind of nonsense is this bridge archway! It's quite chilly in Mondstadt at night."

He patted his small bag containing his keys and gave a hearty and reassuring smile.

"If you don't mind and trust me, you can stay at my place for now. Anyway, Kaiya's rented villa probably has plenty of empty rooms, and it would be quite lonely for me to live alone."

Yi Chen seemed afraid that Ying would feel embarrassed, so he quickly added.

"Don't worry, you're not staying for free! Once you're familiar with the area and find ways to make money, like doing commissions for the Adventurers' Guild or something, you can slowly pay me back the rent! Or you can help me clean to pay off the debt? How about it, this is a good deal, right?"

His proposal was straightforward and honest, without any sense of charity. Instead, it felt like an equal and well-intentioned invitation to cooperate, which greatly protected Ying's self-esteem.

Paimon's eyes lit up instantly, and he excitedly flew up and circled around.

"Really?! We can stay in a villa?! We don't have to sleep under bridges anymore! Traveler! Say yes! Say yes!"

Looking into Yi Chen's eyes, which were filled with sincerity and without any impurities, and then at the excited Paimon, Ying felt a warm current surge in her heart.

She was so fortunate to encounter people willing to lend a helping hand when she first arrived in this unfamiliar world, which made her have a very good impression of Mondstadt.

Without further hesitation, she nodded solemnly, a genuinely relaxed smile appearing on her face—the first such smile she'd had since arriving in Mondstadt.

"Thank you, Yichen. Well then... I'm sorry to bother you. We'll definitely pay you back the rent as soon as possible."

"Don't be so formal! Let's go!"

Yi Chen waved his hand and, in a cheerful mood, led the way forward.

"Let me show you around first! Even though there's probably nothing inside except dust..."

With the expectation of an "empty villa," Yi Chen led Ying and Paimon to the brand-new villa next to the West Wind Cathedral.

Yi Chen took out the brass key, inserted it into the lock, and turned it with a slight hesitation—

However, the envisioned scene of bare walls and echoing sounds did not materialize.

What comes into view is a spacious, bright, exquisitely decorated, and even... fully equipped living room!

A soft, thick carpet, an elegantly designed fireplace, a crystal-clear chandelier, and—most importantly—a huge sofa set that looks expensive and is so soft and comfortable you could sink into it!