Yes, Lady Funina!

As I said before, when you ask someone for a favor, you should show the proper attitude.

So Funina's attitude was very proper. Her eyes were earnest, and her big, watery heterochromatic eyes stared unblinkingly into Richard's eyes. Her rosy lips were slightly pouting, making one want to kiss them...

"I definitely won't suck," Richard sighed, putting down his newspaper. In the end, he compromised and said, "Yes, Lady Funina."

"Great! Let's go now!" Funina cheered, then grabbed Richard's arm and prepared to rush out the door, completely disregarding any segregation between men and women.

Although Richard had explained that he was not without worldly desires, but rather that he had 'locked' them away with absolute rationality and strong control, it seemed that Funina didn't take it to heart.

Instead of maintaining a normal distance between men and women, the other party began to frequently test Richard's bottom line after that day.

Oh no, the enemy has broken through our safe distance.

What goes around comes around.

Of course, the probing here is limited to superficial physical contact, such as putting arms around each other or playfully punching each other's chests. There are no actions that go beyond the normal scope of friendship, such as intimate hugs or kisses.

In summary, it's more than friends, but less than lovers.

Moreover, even if she were to put her arm around Richard's, it would be a rare occurrence. Only if Funina was truly happy would she condescend to hug Richard's arm.

As for Richard, who was being held by the arm, he didn't feel anything special. After all, it was too flat. It's just that girls' bodies are naturally soft, otherwise he would have felt uncomfortable.

If this set of moves were performed by Clarin, the effect would definitely be explosive, but for Frynn... it's alright.

"Actually, there's no need to be in such a hurry, is there?"

After leaving the office, Funina let go of Richard's arm. The outside world was not as comfortable as the office. When they were alone, Funina could be a little more 'unrestrained' in front of Richard, but outside, she had to put on the airs of a 'water goddess' and could not just hug and cuddle with Richard.

The ring on her hand had already caused quite a stir before. If she were to openly walk down the street holding Richard's arm, she might as well just make it official.

“The Liyue people will only be in Fontaine for less than two weeks for their exchange, so we naturally need to make the most of our time!” Fryna said matter-of-factly.

Richard raised his wrist to check the time and found that there was less than an hour left before he got off work.

"Lady Furyn, do you know where the Liyue delegation is?"

“I know, it’s the VIP lounge, just a matter of going upstairs and downstairs.” Funina had already found out everything, and she also noticed Richard checking his watch.

"Vilet and the others should have finished discussing their matters by now, so it's perfect time to go over and have dinner together. Isn't it customary for people in Liyue to discuss things at the dinner table? I'm just playing to their tastes."

Don't be fooled by Funina's seemingly naive and easily manipulated behavior in front of Richard. In reality, anyone who underestimates her is truly foolish. Funina has prepared numerous contingency plans for this day and has considered everything very thoroughly.

Of course, to ensure everything went smoothly, she insisted on bringing Richard along, partly because Richard had connections in Liyue, and partly because of Frynn's own personal needs.

Without Richard by my side, I always felt like something was missing, and I felt very insecure, especially worried about things going wrong.

If Richard is by her side, Furnessa feels much more at ease, and she can even speak louder.

"By the way, what kind of gift should I give that Tianquan Star? I remember that in Liyue, people usually bring a gift when they visit someone, right?" Funinga thought to herself.

Li realized that Funina might be overthinking things. Although Funina was the one going to find Ningguang and the others, this was Mo Mang Palace, Funina's territory, and Ningguang and the others were the ones who had come.

Besides, as for a gift... Li realized that if Funina brought him along, it would be the best gift in Ningguang's eyes.

Ningguang never intended to hide her feelings for Richard. Since their last reunion, although he had shown great restraint, he had not concealed his desire to take things further.

It's Richard who's running away. Believe it or not, if Richard agrees, their friendship could be elevated to a whole new level. To prevent any unforeseen complications, Ningguang might even take care of things at the same time, helping Richard shed his virginity and, incidentally, turning herself into a woman.

“As for a gift, Lady Funina, why don’t you take them to a performance at the Opicclay Opera House? It would fit the theme of this cultural exchange perfectly,” Richard suggested.

“Good idea, you’ll go too, right?” Funina looked at Richard.

Richard regretted his loose tongue; he should have asked Funina to prepare some desserts for Ningguang and the others.

Richard could only vaguely reply, "We'll see... after all, there's still quite a lot of work."

"Then let's do it on Saturday, the day after tomorrow. There's no work to do on a day off, right?" Funina wasn't going to give Richard a chance to be vague.

"They said it was a day off, but isn't this considered overtime?" Richard complained.

Funina smiled slyly and said, "No, it's team building, an extra perk."

A very strong reason, Richard couldn't refute it, Funina has gone astray!

He realized that Funina was determined to take him with her wherever she went.

But believe it or not, Frynn accidentally discovered the secret to dealing with Ningguang. As long as she brings Richard along, she won't have to worry about Ningguang refusing to talk to her.

If Frynn were to give Richard to Ningguang as a package deal, Ningguang would probably be willing to give her not only the Jade Pavilion's flight technology, but also the entire Jade Pavilion itself.

Of course, regardless of whether Funina has such ability, even if she did, Funina herself probably wouldn't be willing.

"Speaking of which, you said you have connections in Liyue, and you know Ningguang and the immortals who came with you this time, but to what extent is your relationship?" Frynn chatted with Richard while waiting for the elevator.

She had forgotten to ask about this before, and only now did she remember to care about it. Fu Ningna wasn't nervous at all, since no matter what, their relationship couldn't possibly be anything beyond friendship.

Director Li, huh?

"Teacher and student? Biological father and adoptive mother?" Richard thought for a moment and answered.

Funina:?

What is this mess?

The relationship between the teacher and the student is understandable, but what about the biological father and the adoptive mother?

How could you, a virgin, be someone's biological father?

Richard smacked his lips. Saving someone's life is like being reborn. He saved Shen He when she was on the verge of death and helped her find Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun as her master. This kindness is no exaggeration to call him a biological father.

While Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun is said to be Shen He's master, he actually raised Shen He from childhood to adulthood, making him no different from a foster mother.

Teacher and student, biological father and adoptive mother—the former describes his relationship with Ningguang, and the latter describes his relationship with Xianyun. It makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

Seeing Funina's bewildered expression, Richard didn't offer any further explanation; he figured she'd find out when they met.

As they entered the VIP reception room, no one stopped them along the way. Of course, who would dare to stop the Water God in the Mo Mang Palace?

As for Ningguang's guards... they recognized Richard, so they wouldn't stop him. Ever since Richard's last visit to Qunyu Pavilion, everyone in Qunyu Pavilion knew that Mr. Richard was the most likely person to become the male master of Qunyu Pavilion.

And it's not like someone's chasing after Ningguang; it's Ningguang chasing after her, all the way to Fontainebleau! As the saying goes, a woman chasing a man is easy, and Ningguang's loyal followers all believe that it's only a matter of time before Richard becomes "Mr. Richard," and they'll all be family sooner or later.

Ningguang was quite surprised by Richard's arrival. She had originally planned to go see him after she finished dealing with things here, but she never expected that he would take the initiative to come to her. This was obviously a good thing for Ningguang.

Only Ningguang and her three secretaries were in the VIP reception room. Xianyun made a brief appearance and said hello before staying in the embassy with Shen He.

While she was supposedly accompanying him, she was actually keeping an eye on Shen He to prevent him from going to Richard, her biological father, behind her back.

This 'adoptive mother' was very worried that her daughter, whom she had raised with great difficulty, would leave with her biological father and never return.

However, Xianyun was overthinking it. Shenhe wouldn't go directly to Richard. Firstly, because she didn't know Richard's exact location, and secondly, because she had already agreed with Ningguang that they would go to Richard together after Ningguang finished dealing with her business.

However, plans can't keep up with changes. Before Ningguang could finish dealing with the matter, Frynn and Richard had already come knocking on her door.

It doesn't matter, Ningguang has already sent someone to invite Shenhe and Xianyun. Since they agreed to meet Richard together, they naturally can't break their promise.

Ningguang valued promises most highly, and of course, she also noticed that the water god of Fontaine looked at Richard with a strange gaze. A woman's intuition told her that the other party definitely had designs on Richard, and she needed to quickly find some helpers.

Ningguang knew that Richard was the executive secretary of Frynn, but she never expected that Richard's charm was so great that even the gods were captivated by him.

Although Funina's actions weren't overtly obvious, subtle clues suggested that even if she hadn't completely fallen for him, she wasn't far off; at the very least, she definitely had feelings for him.

Thinking about this, Ningguang couldn't help but sigh, "My husband is really charming."

"Greetings, Lord Water God. Mr. Richard, we meet again." Ningguang greeted him with a reserved yet elegant smile.

Meanwhile, in the reception room, Navelette keenly noticed the change in Ningguang's demeanor, as if she had switched directly from business mode to battle mode.

Then Navelette turned her gaze to Richard, and he gradually understood everything.

Wow, this is going to be interesting.

Volume 1: Chapter 115 Funina: Did you come to steal my man?

It was said that there would be a good show to watch, but both Ningguang and Frynn were respectable people, so naturally they would not do anything to Richard in this situation.

Moreover, judging from Frynn's dazed expression, she probably hasn't realized that the "sir" Ningguang mentioned earlier isn't a common honorific title, but rather carries a deeper meaning. Whether it refers to a teacher or a husband is a matter of opinion.

However, given Ningguang's personality, even if someone asked her about it, she wouldn't offer much explanation and would simply pass the question on to Richard.

If Richard said it was the teacher's idea, then it was the teacher's idea. If Richard said it was the husband's idea, then Ningguang could accept having a husband like Richard.

There's a rumor circulating in Liyue that Ningguang of Tianquan is polite to every suitor, seemingly giving everyone a chance, but in reality, none of them succeed because she already has someone else in her heart. The fact that no one has ever been able to win her heart is the best proof of this.

Some suitors would ask Ningguang who the person she had in her heart was, but Ningguang would reply that even she herself did not know the other person's name.

Many people interpret this answer as meaning that Ningguang does not have a sweetheart, and only she knows that she does not know the real name of her sweetheart, only that he is 'Master'.

Now, if someone asks her again, she might be able to give a specific name.

"Just call me Funina, no need to be so formal," Funina said, waving her hand.

Ningguang smiled and agreed, telling Funinna to just call her Ningguang. With her high emotional intelligence and the fact that Funinna also wanted something from Ningguang, the two women quickly became acquainted.

Richard, on the other hand, sat quietly to the side, watching the two stunning beauties chat about art and money.

Looking at the calm and composed Richard, Navisette couldn't help but ask with some curiosity, "Aren't you flustered?"

Richard glanced at the Supreme Judge and remembered that this was the same guy who had lied to Funina and the others, making them mistakenly believe that he had no worldly desires, which made him furious.

We're all from the same clan, and now we're even colleagues. How can you spread such rumors?

Don't think that just because you're the highest judge I can't sue you; this is defamation!

Despite Richard's inner turmoil, he still satisfied Villette's curiosity: "Don't panic, why should we panic?"

"Forget it, I won't bother with this sick member of the same clan," Richard thought to himself.

Navelette pondered, "Is this the legendary 'Sea King's Leisure'?"

Navette had handled similar cases before, including many murders stemming from romantic entanglements, where the victims were often like Richard, juggling multiple relationships.

However, given Richard's strength, he shouldn't have fallen to that level. There are people in the world who have the power to kill Richard, but clearly neither Frynn nor Ningguang, nor any of the others, are among them.

Since he wouldn't die, the rest were minor issues. Perhaps that was why Richard was so calm, Violet thought to herself.

Fortunately, Violet usually had little expression, and even when she was thinking, her facial expression was no different from usual, so even Richard couldn't detect what she was thinking.

If Richard knew what this guy was thinking, he'd have to have a long talk with him.

What does it mean to be calm because there is no danger to one's life?

He's upright and has nothing to fear!

Can't you speak properly?!

"Furina mentioned me to you last time?" Richard couldn't help but bring it up again.

“Yes, Ms. Funina is very concerned about you,” Navelette replied.

“But that’s no excuse for you to spread rumors about me! Watch out, or I’ll sue you for defamation,” Richard retorted.

When Navelette heard Richard's words, she didn't seem to take it as a joke. After thinking carefully, she replied, "I'm sorry, I'm not sure if my statement constitutes defamation. If it has damaged your reputation, I can compensate you. If you want to sue me, you can go through the proper legal procedures."

Richard: ...

Why should he bother arguing with this guy?

"Sigh, forget about suing you. Just treat me to a meal sometime and we'll call it even," Richard replied.

“Okay.” Navelette did not refuse. He glanced at Funina, who was chatting enthusiastically with Ningguang, and couldn’t help but ask Richard.

"What is Ms. Funina up to now?"

Clearly, even Vilette could see that Fryna's visit was not merely to receive a foreign visitor, but rather had other purposes.

"Despite her appearance, she actually worked very hard to address the prophetic crisis in Fontaine," Richard explained, but didn't say anything more to Viletto.

Nonsense, the mark on his hand is still there. If he breaks his oath, even Richard won't get away with it.

After all, it wasn't Morax who witnessed the oath, but the underlying rules of the Teyvat world.

Only a contract of this magnitude can bind the gods.

"You seem to know something?"

“Not much, and don’t ask. I won’t tell you because of the contract,” Richard said, waving his right hand at Villette.

Although she was wearing gloves, Vilette could still sense the power of the contract on Richard's body. However, this power of the contract seemed to have a strange quality to it. In addition to Richard and Funina, there was also an aura that Vilette was quite familiar with.

It seems somewhat similar to the Cardinal of the Decree and Judgment. Villette sits next to the Cardinal of the Decree and Judgment every day, so she is naturally very familiar with his aura.

Navelette didn't think much of it, and seeing that Richard had a plan, he felt much more at ease.

With Richard by Frynn's side, there shouldn't be any major trouble, which is why Navelette arranged for Frynn to work at the city hall after hearing that she wanted to participate in the management of Fontaine.

If Richard weren't around, Villette felt that for the sake of peace and stability in Fontaine, Furness should continue to dedicate her talents to opera performance.