Beware of Liyue Women (Genshin Impact)

Back at the Yuehai Pavilion, Ganyu led Qin Yu to an office cluttered with stacks of documents.

"This is where I usually work," Ganyu explained. "If you ever need my help with work-related matters, just come here."

Qin Yu nodded with a smile. "Understood."

But there are so many files here...

Whether from past experiences or working alongside Ningguang, Qin Yu had often heard praise for Ganyu, the Secretary of the Qixing, for her extraordinary efficiency.

Looking at the stacks of documents, Qin Yu realized everything she'd heard was true.

If it were me, I would have cracked long ago, she thought.

"To get back to the matter at hand, what can I do for you?" Ganyu asked.

Qin Yu explained her request. Ganyu's face lit up with sudden realization, a hint of embarrassment creeping into her expression. "I almost forgot... It's already taken care of."

"Thank you, Miss Ganyu. You must be exhausted."

"Not at all. It's simply my duty. But..." Ganyu kept glancing at Qin Yu, her gaze hesitant and observant.

She clearly has something on her mind.

Qin Yu found it surprising that a half-adeptus who had lived for so long could be so... well, what was the right word? Naive? No, ordinary felt more accurate.

Yes, she really does seem like an ordinary girl, Qin Yu thought, a strange warmth and tenderness rising in her chest.

Now's the time to analyze the behavior of my current targets!

Shenhe always delivered embarrassing remarks with a completely straight face. And a good portion of them seemed to slip out naturally, unintentionally disrupting Qin Yu's carefully constructed rhythm.

Ningguang, on the other hand, acted with deliberate intention.

Touching faces, whispering in ears... it always made one wonder if she had certain tendencies.

Hu Tao... hmm... well... hmm.

Yanfei often seemed to grasp things inexplicably. Even a meaningless remark could make her inexplicably happy.

Though she was easy to please, sometimes it was genuinely baffling what she was thinking.

Keqing... Hmph! That stubborn tsundere!

Compared to these somewhat eccentric individuals, Ganyu was practically the epitome of an ordinary young girl.

Of course, one had to overlook her half-adeptus status and an age far exceeding Qin Yu's.

But appearances didn't matter. What mattered was that her inner self resembled that of a typical girl—and that was wonderful!

Besides, they had met before, and interacting with her was effortless.

"Ganyu is so wonderful..." Qin Yu murmured involuntarily.

An ordinary person wouldn't have heard her, but Ganyu, being a half-adeptus, possessed hearing far superior to that of mortals. She clearly heard Qin Yu's self-addressed exclamation.

"M-me? Thank you for the compliment, but... have I done anything to deserve such praise?" Ganyu replied, slightly flustered.

Evaluation: D+

Ugh, did I just say that out loud? Qin Yu instinctively covered her mouth, but it was too late.

Left with no other choice, Qin Yu quickly backtracked, "I meant Miss Ganyu's work ethic is truly remarkable. I admire her greatly!"

"Ah, that's what you meant. You get used to it after a while," Ganyu replied, visibly relieved. She had worried Qin Yu's words might have hidden implications.

Thank goodness I salvaged that. A misunderstanding would have been disastrous.

Ganyu is so wonderful, the phrase sounded odd and might be misconstrued as having ulterior motives.

But I'm not that kind of woman.

Qin Yu recalled the moment Shenhe had kissed her cheek, her ears flushing slightly. Inwardly, she declared fiercely, Absolutely not!

Now that they had some time, she decided to ask about their past encounters.

Qin Yu was deeply curious about their previous interactions.

Since Ganyu had admitted her earlier denial of recognition was false, confirming they had indeed met before, she likely wouldn't conceal much now.

Sister Ganyu... Could this term suggest we spent a significant amount of time together?

The possibility that Ganyu knew about her embarrassing past made Qin Yu uneasy and ashamed.

But if the answer to that question was "yes," her joy would far outweigh her discomfort.

Not particularly close, yet not distant either—just an average acquaintance. That was good enough.

Having lost even her last remaining family, Qin Yu only had the present moment. Whenever she thought about her past self, the only one who truly knew her, a wave of sadness washed over her.

Even her childhood playmate had long ago sold the toy ring she once cherished as a treasure.

With a flicker of anticipation, Qin Yu asked, "I never expected to see you again, Sister Ganyu... Miss Ganyu. I'm quite surprised."

"Me neither. And I certainly didn't expect you to become Lady Ningguang's secretary."

Not a secretary, but a personal maid.

But correcting her would be pointless. In a few days, once her first month was up, she could finally escape! The mere thought made her feel light as a feather.

After a moment of reminiscing, Ganyu suddenly grew cautious. "Um... how much do you remember?"

Why is she asking that? How strange.

"I just recall giving you something to cheer you up. Besides that, is there anything else I'm forgetting?" Qin Yu asked tentatively.

"Hmm? Not really..."

This was true, at least in Ganyu's eyes. Their formal meeting had only happened once.

Their second encounter didn't count as official, so it was understandable that Qin Yu had no recollection of it. Besides, she shouldn't remember what happened that day anyway.

Ganyu secretly sighed in relief. Qin Yu only remembered their first meeting—perfect. A natural smile graced her lips at the thought.

For Ganyu, that day held special significance.

The day they first met was many days before their reunion. A little shared reminiscing wouldn't hurt, right? After some deliberation, Ganyu decided to show Qin Yu something.

"Do you remember what you gave me that day?" Ganyu asked, clasping her hands in front of her, her voice tinged with anticipation.

I do!

She desperately wanted to say it, but what if Qin Yu thought her memory had suddenly returned and launched into the topic on her own? That would be terribly awkward.

It would be like those New Year's visits from distant relatives—you don't recognize a single one, yet they all seem to know you, peppering you with "Remember when you were little..." stories that leave you utterly clueless, with no recollection whatsoever.

Ugh, just thinking about it feels like absolute hell.

Qin Yu admitted honestly, "I'm sorry, I don't remember."

As expected, Ganyu's gaze lowered slightly, her disappointment evident.

"But... but if I had a little nudge, I'm sure I could remember! Miss Ganyu is so beautiful, I imagine the gift I gave her back then must have been something special too."

"I'm... beautiful? Thank you for the compliment..." Ganyu blushed and lowered her head bashfully.

Evaluation: C-

How normal!

If it were Yanfei, she'd probably stammer, "T-that's..." before her eyes darted around in confusion, suddenly bumping up her evaluation by two ranks. Hu Tao, on the other hand, would grin and retort, "You're not so bad yourself!"

As for Shenhe... let's not even try to imagine her reaction.

Lost in her thoughts, Qin Yu suddenly heard Ganyu say, "Actually, it wasn't anything particularly special."

Huh?

N-no way... could it be I just gave her some random trinket?

What was I doing as a kid, dragging grown-up me into this mess?! Qin Yu panicked, regretting her earlier words.

"No, it must have been special..."

Phew... Qin Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

"But the thing itself wasn't particularly special."

"Huh? What's going on?" Qin Yu muttered to herself, sighing inwardly.

Come to think of it, what kind of special gift could a child possibly give? Even if it was unique, they probably threw it away long ago...

Without much hope, Qin Yu casually asked, "Do you still have it?"

Of course not. Who would treasure a child's trinket? Only a fool would... Wait, does that make me the fool?

Well, technically, it does.

To her surprise, Ganyu nodded and smiled gently. "Yes, I still have it."

Qin Yu was genuinely astonished. That gift was from over a decade ago, when she was just a child. How could Ganyu possibly still have it?

Is she just saying that to be nice? But she didn't seem to be lying. If it were true, it would be... rather heartwarming. A warmth spread through Qin Yu's chest, and a genuine smile crept onto her face.

Scratch that earlier thought!

"Really? Thank you! I never expected you to keep it."

For Ganyu, a half-adeptus who spent most of her time buried in work, the passage of time felt different than it did for others.

Though it had been over a decade, the memory remained vivid, as if it had happened just yesterday. She remembered every detail of Qin Yu's actions clearly.

Ganyu couldn't help but smile.

Qin Yu's smile was remarkably similar to the one she had as a child: her snow-white skin glowed with a rosy luminescence, and her bright lips and eyes curved into a soft, gentle expression.

The most noticeable difference, of course, was the added touch of beauty that came with age.

Yet, what hadn't changed remained unchanged, Ganyu mused, even after just a brief encounter.

Evaluation: C