Genshin Impact: One Hundred Confessions? Just a System Task

"Consider it... an advance 'investment'."

He deliberately dragged out his words, his voice light and cheerful, as if he were singing.

"Perhaps... you'll be able to use it soon? After all, the chessboard of fate... seems to have already begun to turn silently~"

"Don't say I, your old friend, didn't help you then! This favor is very valuable!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wendy didn't give Yichen a chance to ask any further questions. He turned around lightly, like a breeze that couldn't be grasped, humming a song that no one had ever heard in its entirety, and leisurely strolled away towards Mondstadt.

"Hey! Wendy! You stop right there!"

Yi Chen immediately chased after him and grabbed his cloak.

"Reject riddle makers!"

"I'll even buy you a drink! Just tell me!"

Wendy was grabbed by him, but she didn't struggle. She just turned around, her face still bearing that infuriatingly smirking expression.

"I already said it's a 'wonderful little gadget'~ You'll find out how to use it when the time comes! Just keep it safe, you won't regret it!"

"Oh... thank you."

Yi Chen was exasperated by his perfunctory attitude, subconsciously thanked him, let go of his hand, and turned to walk back.

"I'll take the props. I'm leaving now."

"Eh--?!"

Now it was Wendy's turn to be stunned. He quickly slid around to Yichen's side and pointed at his own nose.

"Wait! Didn't you just say you were going to buy me a drink? Where's the drink? Where's my drink?"

Yi Chen stopped, a completely innocent yet matter-of-fact expression on his face, and pointed in the direction of Mondstadt.

"I already put the wine in the angel's gift wine cabinet, it's not going to run away. Just go and drink it! You only need to pay Mora!"

The expectation on Wendy's face froze instantly, then slowly cracked.

"...Huh?! Doesn't that mean I have to buy the alcohol myself?! Yichen, you bastard!!!"

Yi Chen smiled brightly and patted Wendy on the shoulder.

"No need to thank me! I'm off!"

After saying that, while Wendy was still confused and calculating whether this counted as treating someone, he quickly slipped away and ran back to Luminous and Dvalin, leaving the great Anemo Archon Barbatos standing there, facing the direction of Mondstadt, calculating whether the cost of the drinks or the "favor" was a bigger loss.

"Yi-Chen-!!!"

Wendy's exasperated shouts drifted on the wind.

"I'll remember this grudge!!!"

Yi Chen, who had already run far away, triumphantly tossed the warm queen chess piece in his hand.

"The riddle-maker can only buy his own wine."

Chapter 28 Shen He Arrives

A moment later, Yichen, Ying, and Paimon returned to the gates of Mondstadt.

Ying and Paimon headed straight for the Adventurers' Guild, full of energy once again.

Yi Chen strolled leisurely into the city, unconsciously fiddling with the Queen chess piece Wendy had given him as he walked.

The chess piece felt warm to the touch, as if it were alive and possessed a strange allure.

As he was playing, he suddenly felt his fingertips go empty.

Looking down, he saw that the chess piece had silently disappeared into his palm, like a drop of water melting into a sponge!

Yi Chen raised his hand in surprise and examined it from all angles. His skin was as smooth as ever, without any marks or discomfort.

He tried to sense his internal energy, but found nothing unusual, as if the chess piece had never existed.

"Strange... what on earth did Wendy give me..."

He muttered something to himself, but since his body hadn't given him any warning signs, given his optimistic nature, he didn't bother to investigate further.

"Well, even though Wendy is unreliable, she shouldn't be the type to harm me... right?"

He shook his head, putting the little incident behind him, and continued to wander aimlessly through the streets of Mondstadt.

The sun was shining brightly, a gentle breeze was blowing, and everything seemed so peaceful.

Out of the corner of his eye, he inadvertently caught sight of a figure that seemed completely out of place in the atmosphere of Mondstadt.

She was a tall, aloof, white-haired woman standing quietly at the edge of the fountain square, looking around at the bustling crowd and exotic buildings with a slightly bewildered expression.

Her ethereal, otherworldly aura and aloof, unapproachable presence made her stand out like a crane among chickens in a crowd.

Yi Chen stopped in his tracks.

He blinked and looked closely.

White hair... red string... a cool and stunning profile...

"Senior sister?!"

Yi Chen recognized the person almost instantly!

He stopped abruptly, his face filled with immense shock and disbelief, his mouth agape as if he could fit an egg in it.

The next second, he shot forward like a rocket, instantly crossing half the square and leaping in front of Shen He.

"Senior sister?! It really is you! What are you doing here?! What are you doing in Mondstadt?!"

Shen He had been frowning slightly because of the unfamiliar and noisy environment, but when she heard that all-too-familiar voice, she immediately turned her head.

When she saw Yichen's face, which was full of surprise yet still bright and lively, all the coldness and confusion in her eyes instantly melted away.

Her voice remained calm as always, but it had a subtle softness that was more noticeable than when she was at Mount Ozang.

"It's been a few days..."

She paused slightly, staring intently at Yi Chen, as if to confirm that he was unharmed, before continuing very naturally, even with a touch of self-righteousness:

"...Senior sister misses you."

In fact, after Yi Chen transformed into a gust of wind and rushed out of Mount Aozang without looking back, disappearing into the horizon, Shen He stood there, looking in the direction he left. His worries and the "sense of responsibility" he had long believed in grew wildly like vines.

After enduring only one night of torment, as dawn was breaking, she ignored the warning from the True Lord Liuyun and quietly descended the mountain. Relying on her vague sense of direction and an astonishing obsession, she chased after Mondstadt all the way.

However, she was unfamiliar with the route and was hiking, which is why she arrived much later than Yichen.

At this moment, she finally saw the person she wanted to see, and the tension in her heart quietly eased, and the cold aura around her softened considerably.

"Miss me? I miss my senior sister too!"

Yi Chen paused briefly, then naturally interpreted Shen He's weighty "I miss you" as pure affection between a senior and junior brother.

He even added with a touch of smugness.

"I originally planned to go back to Liyue in a couple of days, once things were mostly settled here!"

As he spoke, he reached out with practiced ease and naturalness, taking Shen He's cool, well-defined hand in his—just like the countless times they had practiced and walked together on Mount Okuzō, it had become an unconscious habit.

"Since you're here, Senior Sister, that's perfect!"

Yi Chen smiled, her eyes crinkling, and pulled Shen He toward the center of the square.

"Come on! I'll show you around Mondstadt! It may not be as bustling as Liyue Harbor, but it has lots of interesting things and delicious food! I guarantee you'll love it!"

Shen He looked down and saw Yi Chen's warm hand naturally encircling his wrist. Feeling the closeness without any barriers, a faint sense of satisfaction and pleasure flashed in his eyes.

Her junior brother deserves to be so close to her.

She nodded slightly, letting Yichen lead her as they began to wander through the streets and alleys of Mondstadt.

Yi Chen enthusiastically introduced the windmill, the fountain, the specialties of the Deer Hunter Restaurant, and the strange gadgets of the Glory Wind... he kept talking non-stop.

Shen He's gaze, however, hardly left Yi Chen's profile. She listened quietly, seemingly uninterested in the sights and goods. Only when his eyes lit up with excitement would the corners of her mouth curve up slightly, almost imperceptibly.

To her, all the scenery in Mondstadt was merely a backdrop to highlight her junior brother.

However, the natural and intimate interaction between the two "senior siblings" was not missed by a calculating eye lurking in the shadows.

Kaiya was leaning leisurely in the shadow of a building, his fingers stroking his smooth chin, a playful smile on his face as if he had discovered some earth-shattering secret.

He had noticed this beautiful woman with a unique air, white hair and red ribbons, who was clearly not from Mondstadt, the moment she stepped into the city.

What started as a mere vigilant observation out of a sense of duty turned into a spectacle involving his own brother.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

Kaiya clicked his tongue softly, shook his head, and his face was full of "I knew it" in his expression.

"Yichen, Yichen, how many romantic entanglements did you get into in Liyue? You've only been back a few days, and people are already coming to your door..."

Looking at Yichen's oblivious, even cheerful, naive and innocent demeanor as he led the girl around, and then contrasting that with the almost undisguised focus and... a certain possessiveness in the white-haired woman's eyes...

Kaiya's wicked smile deepened.

"Since that's the case... then don't blame me for being disloyal, brother..."

He touched his meager savings, which had recently shrunk drastically due to someone's villa and furniture, and was now practically overflowing with rats. With a heavy heart, he made a decision.

"I've spent so much money renting you a villa and buying you furniture that my savings are almost gone... so I really need to get some cash back!"

"Jie Jie Jie..."

He couldn't help but let out a villainous chuckle, as if he could already see Mora rolling in.

"Yichen, don't blame your brother. Blame your damn, irresistible charm and your ability to attract all kinds of beautiful women."

He could already imagine the gossip and betting odds that would erupt within the Knights of Favonius and even in Mondstadt when the news of “the acting Grand Master’s assistant of the Knights of Favonius being seen intimately strolling the streets of Mondstadt with a mysterious, white-haired beauty from a foreign land” spread, especially when it reached the ears of a certain overly serious Grand Master!

And he, the great intelligence officer and bookmaker Kaia, will surely seize this opportunity to fill the fiscal deficit in one fell swoop!

"don’t worry,"

Kaiya silently chanted something without any sincerity as he watched Yichen's departing figure.

"When you get married, all the money your brother Kaiya has earned will be given to you as a wedding gift! Not a single penny will be left for you!"

Thinking this, he could no longer suppress his excitement. He covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking wildly from the suppressed laughter.

He glanced one last time at the oblivious, strangely different yet remarkably harmonious pair of "senior and junior siblings," then turned and, like a cheetah disappearing into the shadows, silently slipped away towards the Knights' headquarters.

It's time to report to our beloved commander on the latest security situation in Mondstadt.

Chapter 29 How delightful!

Inside the Grand Master's office of the Knights of Favonius, the air was filled with a faint aroma of tea and a tranquil atmosphere.

Qin sat upright behind her desk, but instead of the usual mountain of official documents, she held a beautifully bound, slightly curled-edge romance novel.

Thanks to Yi Chen's vigorous promotion of the "outsourcing plan" and efficient business processes, coupled with the resolution of the Stormterror crisis and the detailed planning of Dvalin's return ceremony, the burden on her shoulders has become lighter than ever before, and she has finally stolen a half-day of leisure.

Her slender fingers gently turned a page, gazing intently at the words in the book. Her expression subtly changed as the characters in the story experienced joy and sorrow.

When she sees something touching, the corners of her mouth will unconsciously turn up; when she sees a dramatic separation, her delicate eyebrows will furrow slightly; and even when she sees the scene where the male and female protagonists finally confess their feelings to each other after going through hardships…

Her cheeks would flush slightly, her eyes would drift towards the window, and her mind would involuntarily begin to conjure up certain vague yet beautiful images.

Perhaps it was about a black-haired assistant who always brought "surprises," who, one evening as the sun set, once again, and for the "first time," spoke with his radiant smile...

A slow, unhurried knock on the door, yet clearly mocking, abruptly interrupted the ensemble leader's beautiful thoughts.

Qin was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly waking up from her reverie. She hurriedly closed the novel, stuffed it under a stack of documents awaiting approval, and then, in an attempt to cover it up, grabbed a report and placed it on top.

She quickly composed herself, trying to regain her usual seriousness, but her slightly reddened ears betrayed her.

"Please, please come in!"

The office door was pushed open, and Kaiya strolled in with his signature smile, which seemed to always be looking for trouble.

Good afternoon, my beloved acting leader!

His tone was light, but his gaze swept sharply over the unnatural bulge of the stack of documents in front of Qin, as well as the blush that had not yet completely faded from her face and a hint of unease at being disturbed.

Qin coughed lightly, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Is something the matter? Is there a problem with the preparations for the Tvalin return ceremony?"