Genshin Impact: One Hundred Confessions? Just a System Task

"I have some urgent business to attend to with the Knights, so I have to go back now."

Yi Chen was somewhat surprised, but nodded in understanding.

"Okay, official business is important! You should go now!"

Qin nodded without saying anything more. She glanced at the stage one last time, then quietly got up, lowered her head, and quickly left the noisy venue along the aisle, leaving behind the space filled with her sister's tears, applause, and that oblivious guy.

Her departure was swift and decisive, as if she were truly only dealing with urgent official business.

Only she knew that this was a silent exit, and also a clumsy tenderness belonging to her sister.

As the intermission bell rang, the stage lights dimmed temporarily, and the audience began to chat or move around quietly.

Taking advantage of the break, Yi Chen quietly slipped away to the backstage area.

In the corner of the makeshift lounge, he saw that familiar figure.

Barbara was facing away from the door, quickly and somewhat frantically wiping the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, her shoulders twitching slightly.

"Barbara?"

Yi Chen walked over quietly, squatted down, and looked up at Barbara's face.

"Are you alright? What happened? Did someone bully you? Or are you feeling unwell?"

He saw Barbara's red eyes and nose, and the obvious signs of crying, and his brows furrowed tightly.

"I saw you crying so hard on stage just now, was it really just acting? If you need any help, please let me know!"

Barbara was startled by Yi Chen's sudden appearance and quickly turned around, instinctively trying to hide her disheveled state.

But when she faced Yi Chen's bright eyes, filled with pure concern and worry, all her pretense seemed to vanish instantly.

She sniffed hard, forcing a bright smile that appeared fragile due to her tear stains. Her voice still trembled with a lingering sob, but she spoke with feigned ease:

"No, it's alright! Mr. Yichen! It's really... it's just... it's just that I was too emotionally invested in that song just now! Yes, I was really invested! I'm so sorry to have worried you!"

As she spoke, she even nodded vigorously to make her words more convincing, as if that would help her hold back her tears.

Yi Chen clearly didn't believe it, and the worry in his eyes didn't diminish at all.

"Really? But..."

"It's really okay!"

Barbara interrupted him, her tone suddenly becoming urgent. As if she had made up her mind, she lowered her gaze slightly, no longer daring to look into Yi Chen's eyes, and her voice also became softer.

“Mr. Yichen…no, don’t worry about me…I’m really…okay.”

She paused, her fingers unconsciously gripping the hem of her skirt tightly, and with all her might, uttered that blessing that felt like it was tearing her heart out:

"You...you and the troupe leader..."

"They look...like a really good match..."

"I wish you... happiness."

After saying that, she seemed to have used up all her courage. She quickly raised her head and glanced at Yichen. Her smile was even more forced, almost unable to hold on. Her eyes quickly reddened, and she hurriedly lowered her head again.

Yi Chen, who was squatting in front of her, was completely stunned after hearing this blessing.

"what???"

Yi Chen uttered a monosyllabic sound filled with confusion and bewilderment.

"Me and... Qin?"

He pointed to his own nose and then pointed towards the doorway.

"Happiness? A perfect match? Barbara... what are you talking about?"

His brain was clearly unable to process this overwhelming information, and his face was filled with pure bewilderment, as if asking, "What does this all mean?"

Barbara was stunned by his utterly genuine and completely bewildered expression.

Could it be... that she guessed wrong?

Yi Chen scratched his head vigorously, trying hard to understand Barbara's earth-shattering "blessing".

"Qin and I... talking about happiness?"

"Barbara, you must have made a mistake! My relationship with Commander Qin is purely platonic, a very upright superior-subordinate relationship and a revolutionary friendship!"

He diligently searched for evidence to prove his "innocence".

"Although I did feel a bit unwell once at the Deer Hunter's Tavern, my heart was beating really fast, and I even had trouble breathing when I looked at the harp!"

He described the symptoms that resembled "heart fluttering" in a serious manner, but completely attributed them to physical health problems, and even had a hint of lingering fear on his face:

"But I got busy and forgot about it! Now that I think about it, I probably ate too much that day!"

As Yi Chen spoke, he completely nipped that budding affection in the bud, preventing it from developing into anything more.

Barbara, who had been hanging her head, fighting back tears and preparing to accept the "cruel reality," suddenly stopped throbbing with pain after Yi Chen's explanation.

The enormous, unbelievable surprise, like sunlight breaking through the dark clouds, instantly dispelled all the gloom and bitterness in her heart!

So it wasn't a secret relationship after all!

Turns out... he just didn't get it at all!

So... I still have a chance!

The extreme sadness instantly transformed into extreme joy, and this rollercoaster of emotions left her almost unable to think.

Overwhelmed by immense happiness and the ecstasy of getting what she had lost, she lost her mind!

Chapter 43 The Older Generation's Views on Love

"Really?!"

Barbara's voice trembled with emotion, but this time, it was tears of joy welling up in her eyes.

Almost instinctively, she reached out and grabbed Yichen's hand tightly!

Her movements were too fast and too sudden; a warm, soft touch instantly enveloped Yi Chen's hand.

Yi Chen was startled by the sudden contact. He subconsciously looked at their clasped hands, then at Barbara's eyes, which had suddenly become bright and sparkling. His face showed even more obvious confusion.

"Barbara? What's wrong? Why are you crying and laughing? Are you alright?"

Barbara then realized she had been too excited and lost her composure. She abruptly released her grip as if burned, quickly lowered her head, and spoke in a barely audible voice, yet filled with barely suppressed joy:

"N-nothing! It's really nothing! I'm so sorry, Mr. Yichen! It was...it was my mistake! I'm so sorry!"

She secretly raised her eyes, glanced quickly at Yichen, and immediately lowered her head again, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up, and the little bird in her heart almost sang happily.

The sky is still blue!

The wind still tastes sweet!

Hope... is still there!

Seeing her strange behavior, Yi Chen was even more confused and could only scratch his head.

"A mistake? Oh... good that you made a mistake... it's alright now! Well, you'd better get ready for the second half! Don't cry this time!"

He stood up, still confused, but seeing that Barbara seemed to have regained her spirits, he felt relieved, smiled and waved to her, then turned and left the backstage area.

Barbara watched his retreating figure, gently covering her still-burning cheeks with her hands, her heart pounding wildly from the touch and the immense surprise.

There are good things about being a fool...

As soon as Yi Chen stepped out of the backstage area, before he could fully recover from Barbara's complex emotions of "crying, laughing, and apologizing," the long-lost loli system voice, clearly carrying a hint of mockery, suddenly rang in his mind.

[Ding~! Host, you're so slow-witted, even this system can't stand it anymore~]

[You didn't even notice that obvious teenage girl's infatuation was just now?]

Yi Chen was taken aback by the sudden sound and subconsciously responded in his mind.

"System? What are you talking about? What do you mean by a young girl having first love?"

[This system is saying! Priestess Barbara! It's obvious she's fallen for you!]

Those tears, that blessing, that sudden grab! They were all classic expressions of ecstatic joy after "not being able to reach them" followed by "realizing it might be a misunderstanding"! Host, is your emotional intelligence negative?!

"You like me?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Chen wore an utterly absurd expression; he even subconsciously picked at his ear.

"System, are you kidding me? How is this possible!"

He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"How could someone develop a liking for something so serious after only knowing each other for a short time?"

He crossed his arms and solemnly expounded on his "Yichen-style view of love."

"The so-called 'liking' means that you have known each other for more than five years!"

And it requires being together every day, going through countless trials and tribulations, knowing each other inside and out, and having an unparalleled understanding before such a precious feeling can slowly develop! It's not that simple!

The system seemed to fall silent at this outrageous statement, and after several seconds, it erupted in a near-hysterical electronic scream:

【Aaaaaah! Host, what kind of primitive view of love did you unearth from some primitive tribe?!】

You're a radical conservative of the "childhood sweetheart" camp!

It's all about love at first sight, love at first sight forever, and fast-food romances now!

By your standards, over 90% of couples in Teyvat would break up! No wonder you selectively ignore everyone's affection signals! It's because you simply don't have the right antenna to receive this version of the signal!

Yi Chen's head was throbbing from the system's noise, and he frowned.

"What love at first sight? That's all lust! Anyway, I think my standards are right! Liking someone takes time to develop! System, you must have read too many novels, you're just talking nonsense!"

[This system is too lazy to explain to a blockhead like you! Let's discuss this again when you're already being hacked to pieces...]

After saying that, the system voice fell silent again.

Yi Chen shrugged, completely ignoring the system's words, and thought the system was acting strangely today.

"Like her? Barbara? How could that be... really..."

He muttered to himself, shook his head to shake off these "random" thoughts, and refocused his attention on the upcoming second half of the concert.

For him, it was more important to think about what posture to use when clapping later.

A few moments later, the concert came to a successful close. Amidst thunderous applause and cheers from the audience, Barbara delivered a perfect final performance.

She stood in the center of the stage, bathed in light, and bowed deeply. But her gaze involuntarily drifted back to the empty seat in the first row, and to the black-haired youth next to him who was still clapping enthusiastically with a bright smile.

The joy of regaining what was lost was like delicate bubbles, gently enveloping her heart.

As the event ended, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Barbara changed back into her everyday clothes and quietly caught up with Yi Chen, who was about to leave.

"Mr. Yichen!"

She jogged to catch up, slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed with a healthy rosy glow from the performance and running.

"Huh? Barbara?"

Yi Chen stopped, turned around, saw her, and smiled.

"The performance was fantastic! Those last few songs were absolutely amazing!"

Barbara lowered her head, her fingers nervously twisting together.

"Um... it's not too late yet... would you... like to walk with me for a bit? Just... a casual stroll..."

She mustered her courage, raised her head, and added, "Perfect timing... I also have some questions about the singing performance, and I'd like to hear your opinion."

She came up with a lame but plausible excuse for herself.

"Of course you can!"

Yi Chen agreed without hesitation, as he also felt he had plenty of energy to release.

"Let's go! The weather is so nice tonight, a walk is the perfect way to relax!"

The two walked side by side on the quiet streets of Mondstadt.

A gentle evening breeze rustled through the dandelions by the roadside, bringing a refreshing coolness and a faint floral fragrance.