Chapter Text
The sun was setting in Liyue's harbor as the lively streets basked in the remaining rays of sunlight, truly a beautiful sight that was admired by many. This also included Yanfei, who was gazing at the pleasant scenery from her office. The day had been exhausting with legal consultations for a considerable number of clients which included trivial and complex matters alike. Even though the day had been tiring, Yanfei always enjoyed looking into the sunset as it made her feel relaxed and helped relieve any kind of stress. However, she was not one to complay about workload since the Half-Adepti was very proud to be one of Liyue's most well-known and trusted legal advisors, which drove her to work late hours on her office at times.
Today would be different than her usual routine though, since she had received a special request from Zhongli a few days ago to visit Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to discuss some legal matters. Yanfei initially asked if Zhongli and the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor would like to come to her office to discuss whatever those matters were, however, he insisted that the director wanted to talk to her in person. Based on what he said, she wanted to make sure that there was no one eavesdropping and to thank Yanfei properly for her work. She truly admired Hu Tao (even though people badmouthed her very original advertisement methods in Liyue) and the current situation had really picked her interest as she was not sure on what to expect. The fact that the pink haired Half-Adepti was not one to back down from a legal case no matter how complex it was coupled with her curiosity towards the Director of Wangsheng's Funeral Parlor made her really interested on it. While it is true that she did not interact much with Hu Tao, there were times in which she felt a strange sense of familiarity whenever she saw her. Yanfei could not quite grasp why, but these flower shaped eyes reminded her of someone she might have met before and that made her very curious about her newest client.
After organizing her thoughts, preparing the documentation for a future contract and neatly placing it on her bag, Yanfei closed her office for the day and got ready to visit the Funeral Parlor. On her way, she could not help but think what Hu Tao could have done for Zhongli himself to come request her legal assistance on her stead. She was quite proud at herself as the Director finally had to request her assistance on something since she rarely sought her legal advice, which was a shame as Yanfei knew her work was the best in all of Liyue and Hu Tao was only missing for not seeking her legal counseling more often.
The sun had set some time ago and Liyue streets were now illuminated by the moonlight. Yanfei did not take long until reaching her destination. She knocked on the door of the building that was seen as eerie by many, which was promptly answered by Zhongli himself.
“Miss Yanfei, good evening. I really appreciate you taking your time to visit the Funeral Parlor. Please, do feel welcome.” He said as he motioned for her to enter the building.
“Good evening, mister Zhongli. How may I help?” Yanfei asked, polite as always, as she entered the Funeral Parlor while looking for its Director, who was nowhere to be seen.
“Hu Tao did some…” He took a pause as he sighed. “Very... peculiar advertising once again. The Millelith have confiscated it all and threatened to legally remove her business register from Liyue's list of commercial establishments.” Despite looking young, his expression was one of a parent concerned with his family. Yanfei was well aware of Hu Tao's usual advertisments methods, so she was not really sure on what was the concern with the newest of them.
“Well, they cannot simply do that even if her advertisement was not to their liking. That should not be a difficult case.” Yanfei said as she crossed her arms confidently.
“I do agree with you on the first part, but this time the Millelith are observing all of her steps while trying to get proof of her unlawful behavior. This is the reason why she has invited you to come here in person for more discretion.” The wise man said carefully, concern evident on his voice, which prompted Yanfei's next question.
“J-Just what did she do this time?” His last comment has managed to incite some worry in Yanfei. She knew Zhongli was not one to exaggerate and for him to be in that state, Hu Tao probably went way farther than she should have with her latest advertisement campaign.
“I think it is best if she explains for herself, please do follow me.” Hu Tao's employee signaled for her to follow him until they stopped at what she believed to be the director’s office. He gently knocked on the door and announced that she had arrived to provide legal counseling. It did not take long before the door opened with a low creak and Yanfei was greeted by Hu Tao herself.
“Hello Yanyan, thank you for coming! You can leave now, Zhongli, it is girls talk time~.” Hu Tao said as she signaled for him to leave for the day. Yanfei was a bit taken back by the sudden nickname and the lack of concern in the director's voice after all that she heard from Zhongli. Hu Tao gently pulled the chair in front of her desk so that the pink haired woman could sit down with a big grin on her face. Yanfei accepted the kind action and expressed her gratitude. She waited so that her newest client could also sit down and feel comfortable enough before asking for further details on what was her current cause of concern.
“Miss Hu Tao, it has been some time since you last requested my legal advice.” She started speaking with a bit of bitterness in her voice, but cleared her throat and proceeded. “Before we move to the formalities of our contract, what has prompted your current request for my visit?”
“Please Yanyan, there is no need for such formalities, you can call me Hu Tao.” The girl said while leisurely waving her hands in the air. “By the way, would you like some tea? I just brew some of the best teas in all of Liyue.” She kindly offered and Yanfei saw no harm in accepting but… she noticed that it seemed like Hu Tao was kind of avoiding the subject as she quickly got up from her chair and grabbed a tray with a tea pot and two cups. She placed the tray in front of both of them and served the tea to Yanfei first and then to herself.
“I really do appreciate your kindness.” She paused a bit to take a sip of the tea that was a bit bitter, but very welcome in the cold night. “However, Zhongli told me that the Millelith are keeping a close eye on you after something you did and that this was the reason for your sudden invitation.”
“I simply can not believe that Zhongli, did he spoil everything?” Hu Tao feigned anger as she would not be able to fully explain what had happened with her own words. She then proceeded to drink a bit more of her tea after blowing some steam from it.
“He just mentioned that you seemingly went too far with your advertisement, but I need to understand what you did in order to help you. And also, to determine the specifics of our contract.” Yanfei was starting to get slightly concerned as Hu Tao was known for being very straightforward about almost everything, which prompted many to criticize her all around the city. If she was taking her time before explaining what actually happened, she likely did something that sparked the ire of someone relevant in Liyue this time. Yanfei did not know at the time, but her guess had hit bullseye.
“Yanyan you will not believe it.” The director gently put her tea cup on the table and dramatically rested her chin on both of her hands for more effect. “I sent special pamphlets to potential new clients and one of them got so angry that reported me to the Millelith as a potential threat to the Qixing and to Liyue as a whole! It is so unfair how we are not recognized by our hard work!” She concluded her sentence with a frustrated sigh.
“Just who did you send it for and what were its contents?” Yanfei replied with a raised eyebrow as she took out her notepad from her pocket to take some notes.
“I sent a special letter to the Yuheng saying that she would need Wangshen Funeral Parlor’s wonderful services sooner or later and her Eminence reported it as a death threat! And after it took me so long to make her a personalized plan as a member of the Qixing too.” Hu Tao crossed her arms and pouted like a kid, but Yanfei could clearly see hints of nervousness on her voice, even though she was trying to hide it very well. They were talking about the Liyue Qixing after all so it made sense that even Hu Tao would feel tense.
“I am sure you meant no harm with it, as with your other advertisements. However, the Liyue Qixing has been very wary of suspicious behavior after the incident with Osial that happened some months ago. And you sent your advertisement letter to the Yuheng out of all people, who is very skeptical and serious about everything…” Yanfei put her hand on her chin to think for a bit and continued sharing her thoughts on the case. “I think we can clear you out by showing your other advertisements in Liyue and by presenting testimonies from people that have used your services and were pleased with it. Some people may get creeped out by what you do but they certainly do not understand how serious you are about your business, so I think we would not have much trouble clearing this misunderstanding. We just need to gather evidence and properly communicate your intentions. You can also send an apology letter to the Yuheng as a starting point.”
“Why should I apologize if I did not do anything wrong! I am just advertising the best funeral service in all Teyvat!” Hu Tao proudly replied with a huff, which Yanfei thought was very cute. She knew from others that the Director could be stubborn but she did not expect these cute antics from her personally. There was no time for those thoughts though, as she was there for business and not to admire her newest client, so she picked a piece of paper from her bag and gave it to Hu Tao while explaining its additional details.
“Of course, you will only apologize for the misunderstanding. I am sure you would feel relieved if the Millelith stopped following every single step of yours.” Hu Tao winced at that but Yanfei continued speaking anyway: “This is the contract, please read it carefully and sign all pages if you do agree with its terms.”
The director simply picked a pen and dipped it into some paint before writing down her name where it was needed. “I trust you, Yanyan! No need to read it all.” She finished signing all pages and gave the contract to Yanfei, who neatly put it in her bag again.
“I can guarantee you will not regret requesting my services. I will come here tomorrow to get some evidences and work with you on the letter. Would that be alright?” The legal advisor said as she slowly got up from the chair. Their conversation was not unpleasant, on the contrary, but Yanfei had other appointments early in the next morning and she would like to get some sleep to be ready to face them on her best shape.
“But of course! I will even prepare a special promotional program just for you once this is all cleared!” Yanfei was about to reply that she would not need it anytime soon since she would likely live much longer than Hu Tao herself, however, the director quickly got up from her chair and approached her newest legal consultant. Yanfei was a bit startled by the sudden action, and even more so by the one that followed it. The brunette gently grabbed both of her hands and expressed her gratitude with a kind smile, one she has never seen before from Hu Tao. This not only made her heart skip a beat, but also triggered something inside her. That smile looked so very familiar to her, yet, she could not clearly see who smiled at her like that. Yanfei felt a pleasant feeling that reminded her of when she was younger and used to explore Liyue's mountains while her parents were not at home. It seemed to be a good memory which was clearly incomplete. She could feel that something was missing, as if she was being prevented from getting the full picture behind that smile. While lost in her own memories, she did not notice a single tear fall from her eyes, which slightly panicked Hu Tao that now looked at her in confusion.
“Ya-Yanyan, do you feel bad? Did you not like that I held your hand? I am sorry, I did not mean to do something you felt uncomfortable with.” Hu Tao hurriedly undid their linked hands as concern washed over her face. After that, she gently reached out to Yanfei's cheek and tenderly wiped the stray tear away with her thumb, as if the Half-Adepti was a very frail doll that she was afraid of damaging.
“N-No.” Came the reply in a confused tone, as Yanfei slowly grabbed Hu Tao's hand from her face and held it with a firm yet kind grasp to show her she was fine. “I just think I remembered something from the past. Someone that looked just like you… But my memories are too foggy so I only remembered their… kind smile that was just like yours.” Yanfei barely had time to register that she unknownly complimented her newest client and that it could be interpreted the wrong way but Hu Tao did not seem to mind it at all, quite the opposite as she seemed to be actually amused by it.
“Did my lost twin sister hurt you then? If they used my pretty smile to do so, I will surely beat them up!” Hu Tao jokingly said as she pretended to hold her usual staff in her hands ready for a good fight, which made Yanfei giggle a bit.
“No silly, it was not a bad memory. It seemed to be a pleasant one actually. I am not sure why this tear dropped just now but I am fine, really.”
“Are you sure, Yanyan? It was not my intention to make you feel bad so if I did I apologize.” It was very sweet how Hu Tao displayed her worry towards her. Yanfei did not know she had this side to her, which was quite surprising. The pink-haired Half-Adepti only knew that she was seen as eccentric and at times even considered inconvenient by some people in Liyue with her unorthodox methods of advertisement. Yanfei truly admired her work but she could never expect to end up learning about this other side of the Wangsheng's Funeral Parlor's Director.
“There is no need to apologize, Hu Tao. I am good as ever, so no need to worry about it. And thank you for your concern, I appreciate it." While it was true that Yanfei was not bothered by Hu Tao herself, she lied about being completely fine. The pink haired woman was actually wondering what had just happened and what was that odd feeling. Nevertheless, as a good professional she could not let it show after her sudden strange behavior in front of a client. With this, Yanfei decided to schedule her next appointment with Hu Tao in order to free her from the fiery eyes of the Yuheng as soon as possible.
"I will come back tomorrow at 17:00 PM to gather some evidence to solve the case and help you with the formal apology letter, is that alright with you?”
“But of course, it works perfectly well for me.” Hu Tao replied as she kindly walked Yanfei through the Funeral Parlor until its exit. The building did not seem to be that big from the outside, but it was surprisingly spacious and its decoration was not creepy as it was rumored throughout Liyue. Once arriving at the front door, the duo bid their farewells and parted ways for the day.
Differently from the morning and afternoon in Liyue, the streets at night were not filled with people from different ages that lived near the harbor. Instead, the calmness and silence replaced lots of noise and excitement from kids playing and workers engaged in their own activities. Nonetheless, the harbor was still very beautiful and pleasant to gaze at under the moonlight. Unfortunately, Yanfei was not able to pay much attention to the scenery that day. She did tell Hu Tao that she was fine after what happened but that was a lie. Besides feeling a bit guilty for liying to her newest client, Yanfei simply could not stop thinking about what had happened when Hu Tao held her hands. She had always had that lingering thought that the director was a familiar presence somehow, but the recollection of that smile from what seemed to be from very long ago deep from her memories had completely occupied her thoughts. What could that have meant and just who was that person that she could not remember about at all? However, she was certain that this memory had filled her chest with a warm feeling that mixed in with her fastened heartbeat after Hu Tao held her hands between hers and thanked her with the sweetest smile she had ever seen.
As a good overthinker, Yanfei did not sleep at all that night.