He changed Tiwat

Charles didn't recognize him, but he'd heard plenty of gossip about him, and the only person who would be here tonight looking for Miss Yura was Sir Humphrey. The highly professional bartender didn't make a fuss, simply pointing him to the second floor.

Like modern nightclubs, "Angel's Gift" also has a "booth fee," though it's not called that here.

Ordinary customers mostly sit in the lobby on the first floor of the tavern, while the "private rooms" on the second floor are reserved for the upper class.

It's not as crowded as the main hall, and there are professional waiters who can change the furnishings according to guests' needs, or summon bards to sing songs that match the atmosphere. Naturally, the service fees are also much higher.

Kaeya booked them a special seat on the second floor, directly opposite the bar downstairs. They could see the bards' performance downstairs at a glance, and also enjoy the Mondstadt night view through the window. It was probably the best seat in the tavern.

Amidst the curious gazes of the other distinguished guests on the second floor, Han Fulai, led by a waiter, arrived before Youla.

This table is set up in a typical "candlelight dinner" style, with silver candlesticks on a white tablecloth and delicate Cecilia flowers in a celadon vase from Liyue in the center.

Yura was still wearing her knight's uniform, her face flushed, and there were several empty cups in front of her, indicating that she had been there for quite some time.

"I'm sorry I'm late." Han Fulai handed the hat to the waiter and apologized to Yura.

Yura, who was staring blankly out the window, turned her gaze back upon hearing the voice, her expression momentarily complicated: "...I thought you had an appointment with Miss Mona."

“There was an appointment, but it was rescheduled. Some appointments can be postponed, but I think Miss Yura’s appointment is the kind that won’t wait for you once it’s over.” Han Fulai sat down opposite her naturally and smiled.

Then he gestured to the waiter beside him: "Do you have any recommended drinks? Oh, and Yura, would you like some too?"

"Ah..." Yura then realized that there was nothing in front of Han Fulai.

She genuinely believed Han Fulai wouldn't come to their appointment tonight. The reservation was already made, so there was no reason to cancel it, or rather… canceling it would have made her feel even more embarrassed. So she simply decided to come alone and drink alone in silence.

The waiter, quite perceptive, recommended a set meal to them: "Chilled tomato and meat omelet, paired with iced raspberry mint liqueur. What do you think, sir?"

The Iced Raspberry Mint Liqueur is the latest non-alcoholic beverage from "Angel's Gift." The raspberries are just for decoration; the main ingredient is actually a mint drink, which is fragrant, elegant, and refreshing, making it perfect for sobering up.

Tomato jelly omelet is one of Mondstadt's signature desserts. The omelet is filled with diced tomatoes and jelly, and when chilled, it is sweet but not cloying, fresh and refreshing, and pairs best with chilled drinks.

Most importantly, both of these are Yura's favorite things—Yura, who enjoys bathing in icy lakes, also has a special fondness for chilled drinks and snacks.

The waiter's recommendation was so perfect, of course, because Kayah had given Charles instructions beforehand.

Han Fulai naturally had no objection.

After the waiter left, Yura looked down at the empty glass in front of her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't wait for you and started drinking by myself..."

Han Fulai gently shook his head. "It's alright. Drinking alone can be a bit boring, right?"

“Heh, I’m used to it.” Yura gave a wry smile. “Being able to drink alone is actually quite nice. Sometimes the pub is so busy that I’m asked to share a table with others. Once they hear I’m from the Lawrence family, all sorts of people—those who put on airs, those who are provocative, those who openly or secretly try to trip me up—appear from all directions…”

Han Fulai glanced at the noisy crowd downstairs, then turned his gaze back: "After this year's 'Badminton Festival,' there won't be any more people like this."

"Hmm?" Yura looked at him in confusion.

Han Fulai repeated, "It won't happen again."

Hearing him speak so confidently, Yura didn't know how to respond for a moment, and could only mumble a "hmm".

After a moment of silence, Yura took the initiative to start a conversation: "I invited you here tonight to thank you for your help before..."

"Those things aren't worth your thanks for." Han Fulai interrupted Yura directly. "Although you're unaware of it, I did have an agreement with your leader, Jean, to help her eliminate the Fatui hordes entrenched in Mondstadt. This is related to the trade agreement between Liyue and Mondstadt; it's just an exchange of interests. And protecting the Lawrence family's continued existence abroad is also beneficial to Liyue. That's all."

Han Fulai's bluntness left Yura speechless once again.

In fact, she had considered the possibility that Han Fulai, as a high-ranking official in Liyue, might be involved in these matters and that there might be some conflict of interest behind it, but that was not her concern.

Hearing what Han Fulai said now, she also felt that it should be so—at least she knew that Han Fulai was definitely not acting solely for her sake, or rather, she did not believe that anyone other than her master and Amber would do something purely for her own good.

She should have known.

But after hearing these words, she felt relieved, but also empty inside, as if something had suddenly lost its place and was hanging in mid-air.

Just then, the waiter brought out the wine and dishes.

Han Fulai raised the raspberry mint liqueur in his hand to Yura.

"If I have any right to drink Miss Yura's glass of wine, let it be as payment for those two poems? Cheers, 'my fair lord'."

P.S.: The bounty was only posted for less than two hours and I'm already owed a chapter. Are you guys going to only vote if there's a bounty...?

Chapter 245 Solid ice is easily melted in wine

Han Fulai drank the mint liqueur in his glass. The cool liquid slid down his throat and was indeed refreshing.

Yura, sitting opposite him, stared blankly at her wine glass, without drinking.

The sentence she had just heard had left her head spinning.

—Was he really participating for his own sake?

And the poem... was it really written for himself?

"...Why?" Yura asked, holding her wine glass.

Han Fulai swirled his wine glass slightly. "Hmm? Because in Mongolian, 'fair' not only means beautiful, but also fair and equal. I think this word suits you well, as you've always strived to change people's prejudices."

"You know that's not what I'm asking...!"

Yura couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. Was this guy doing it on purpose?

"So what are you asking?"

Han Fulai had a smile on his face; he was indeed asking a question he already knew the answer to.

—It's rare to encounter someone as soft as Yora; it really makes you want to tease her a little.

"...I'm asking why you participated in the competition...and why you...why you wrote those poems for me..." Yura's voice grew weaker and weaker, "The pretense between us ended the day before yesterday..."

"Because I want you to become the 'Badminton Festival Princess,' and I want all of Mondstadt to know you as the 'Fair Lord.' Well, 'fair' here means beautiful." Han Fulai stated the answer directly.

...Is this considered a "confession"?

Yura used to find Han Fulai's roundabout way of speaking very unpleasant, but now she finds that when he gets straightforward, she can't handle it at all.

For the first time in nineteen years, a man wrote her a love poem; for the first time, a man praised her beauty to her face; and for the first time, a man asked her to be his "Badminton Festival Princess"...

Yura's face turned even redder, and the wine glass in her hand made a soft "click" sound, as if the ice in the wine had melted.

To hide her inner turmoil, Yura downed the glass of mint liqueur in one gulp—the chilled drink would at least calm her down a bit.

Han Fulai used his wine glass to shield his increasingly irritating smile. Yura's reaction reminded him of a certain purple-haired, twin-tailed boss in Liyue—how to put it, she was just too worthy of being teased, wasn't she?

He thought to himself that coming tonight was definitely the right decision. If he hadn't made things clear to Yura beforehand, once Yura became the "Badminton Festival Princess," things might have really turned out for real.

Although he's only been out of his naiveté for a few months, men actually mature very quickly in this area. If women are born bosses, with a natural talent for romance, then men can only accumulate experience by defeating bosses time and time again.

Han Fulai recently conquered a super boss who almost killed him, and his experience bar increased by an extraordinary amount. While he wouldn't say he has complete insight into girls' psychology, he at least has a basic understanding of it. In short, if Yura were to participate in some kind of "love brain battle" with him, Han Fulai felt confident of victory.

He's definitely stronger now, I'm sure of it.

So now he even has the so-called "complacency of a strongman," which, in gaming terms, is probably "knowing where the flag is planted so he knows how to remove it."

Han Fulai snapped his fingers: "Excuse me. Please bring two more glasses of the best dandelion wine."

Taking advantage of the waiter's break while he was changing the cups, Yura finally managed to control her expression.

"Can you tell me your reasons for doing this?" Yura's expression could be summed up as "pretending to be calm."

Han Fulai felt as if he could hear Yura's inner thoughts. Yura was asking, "Do you really like me?"

Unfortunately, no.

He smiled slightly and threw the question back at her: "Miss Yura, why don't you try to guess?"

Yura hesitated for a long time before finally giving the same answer: "I...can't guess."

Han Fulai looked directly into Youla's eyes. His dark eyes were calm and deep, which made Youla's heart more and more uneasy. In the end, she couldn't help but look away.

She felt that she had actually guessed the answer, but... how could she possibly say such a thing?

"I guess you're wrong," Han Fulai said calmly.

Yura was stunned for a moment, but then she saw Han Fulai raise his right hand and put it on his own chest. "The reason is that I feel guilty."

"Have I...felt guilty?"

Yura didn't know why he would use that word, but she knew that Han Fu said it with utmost seriousness.

Han Fulai nodded: "Do you remember when I spent some time alone with your uncle in that ruin? I was probably half behind it when your uncle kicked you out of the family."

Yura's eyes widened instantly.

Schubert was, after all, family, and in terms of familiarity with him, no one in Mondstadt knew her better. The interrogations of Schubert over the past two days had indeed made her realize that he was hiding something from her, but concealing things to lessen his punishment was normal for Schubert, and Yura hadn't considered that possibility.

After Han Fulai said that, Yura had already connected what happened in the ruins that day with Schubert's strange behavior during the interrogation these past two days—Schubert still had that arrogant and stubborn look when facing her, but Yura would occasionally find that there was a trace of the affection he once had in his eyes when he looked at her.

If Schubert's actions in front of Kaia and the others that day could be considered a kind of "performance," if Schubert genuinely believed that he was doing it for his own good...?

—And all of this is inextricably linked to the man in front of us.

Yura once again asked Han Fulai those three words: "...Why?"

Han Fulai's expression carried a hint of self-deprecation. "Like your uncle, I also thought it would be a good thing for you back then. Leaving the Lawrence family would give you a wider scope for freedom within the Knights. Believe it or not, I did it with good intentions. And I think you know that many people hoped this would happen."

"Yes, I know... I've always known."

Yura lowered her eyelids, and the expression on her face gradually stiffened, like the frozen soil covering the snowfield, which would never thaw.

Everyone wanted her to make a choice: to become the "Swallow Knight" Yura of the Knights of Favonius, rather than Yura, a descendant of the Lawrence family. She knew this four years ago.

But she didn't choose that option four years ago.

She took a deep breath.

"So you made the choice for me, and then you think that by making me the 'Badminton Festival Princess' and announcing my departure from the Lawrence family to all of Mondstadt, my situation in Mondstadt will improve? Should I say 'thank you'?"

By the end, her tone had reverted to its usual sarcastic tone.

Han Fulai shook his head again, “But I realized I was wrong. I’m not qualified to make decisions for you. So this is the ‘compensation’ I want to give you—I want to take this opportunity to help you truly become the ‘Wave Knight’ Yura Lawrence, recognized by everyone.”

It was at this moment that Han Fulai saw the smile on Yura's face.

It was as if the summer sun had melted the ice of the far north. No, it should be said that... that smile was more lovely and gentle than the summer sun.

PS: ...I was shocked to find I owe 6 chapters when I woke up. The bounty was only opened a few hours ago, so please take it easy and vote! Today's monthly votes are almost higher than the recommendation votes. I've never seen this before... Why are you guys so enthusiastic when I post normally!

Chapter 246 I want you to write a poem for me

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate."

These two lines of poetry immediately came to Han Fulai's mind.

He considered himself not one of those naive young boys who had never seen the world, and he had plenty of resistance to beautiful women, but he had to admit that Yura's smile just now had made him lose his composure for a moment.

He even wondered, if not to compare her to summer, what should he compare her to?

Then another word popped into his head—snowflake.

snowflake?

Flowers made of snow.

Snowflakes use clouds as mud and wind as branches, and bloom only once.

It drifts across thousands of miles of cold, only to land on the warm collar of a traveler or on the dimly lit window of a gazing observer, its beauty lasting only a fleeting moment within the order of its six petals.

Then, it returns to a drop of water.

Just like her smile, it was fleeting.

Perhaps it's because I've hardly ever seen her smile when I'm with her that I'm so amazed when I finally see her smile?

Or perhaps, such beauty shouldn't be something that can be seen casually, but rather something that is only shown to special people?

"Her charming smile could rival a thousand men, and her beauty was most captivating when she donned military attire."

Han Fulai suddenly felt that he understood Gao Wei, the "carefree emperor" of Northern Qi. If he had such a beautiful woman in military attire by his side, most men would probably say, "Jinyang has fallen, so let's not look back. Let's ask the king to hunt again."

Yura put on a stern face: "You've already told me the truth, so praising me now won't move me, okay?"

Even though Han Fulai was always confident in his eloquence, he was now speechless. He said that he had just expressed his feelings on a whim, purely for aesthetic appreciation, and people had to believe him... Besides, he knew that he had indeed been moved just now.

Just then, the tavern waiter brought them dandelion wine.

"This is our best dandelion wine. It's a bit strong, so please enjoy it slowly."

Who cares how strong it is now... Eager to cover up his embarrassment, Han Fulai quickly raised his glass: "To be honest, this is my first time tasting Mondstadt's dandelion wine. I'm only doing this because of Miss Yura. I'll drink first as a sign of respect."

Regardless of whether Yura would respond to him or not, he decided to drink first.

Dandelion wine has a slightly bitter taste upon first sip, but after the liquid slides down your throat, a sweet aroma spreads in your mouth, which is known as "aftertaste".