Chapter Text
5 months.
That was the number of months her last assistant has lasted before she quit under loud curses that both made Keqing wish she could wash the woman’s mouth with some olive oil, and show her some respect because of all the people she had hired as secretaries – and the list was longer than her hair – Yanmei had hit a new record.
Still, it was a shame that she would have to search for a new one soon which would prove quite a difficult endeavour with the reputation Keqing knew she had built up over the course of her career. People weren’t exactly scrambling for the position and at this point Keqing almost considered being her own assistant if her workload didn’t require the help of someone else for her to focus on the truly important matters.
Of course, Ningguang had offered to lend her a helping hand but more than anything, Keqing preferred to decide things on her own rather than relying on the help of someone she didn’t truly trust.
“Thank you for the hard work, Yanmei. I really appreciate everything you did during your employment and I wish you all the best for the future”, Keqing said and gave what she hoped was a grateful smile because despite everything, she was truly grateful for all the help she received. Especially after Rex Lapis’ demise that left all of Liyue and its government in utter chaos.
The look Yanmei shot her though, told Keqing clearly that the small woman thought differently about their brief partnership before she gave a polite nod.
“No, if anything I should be thanking you for giving me this opportunity. Lady Keqing, I’m truly grateful I got to learn so much from you.”
Judging from the way Yanmei bowed her head, it was probably an attempt to hide the disdain on her face but Keqing didn’t judge her for it. If anything, it would have been a surprise if Yanmei truly loved her work because none of her predecessors had ever shown any signs of liking their work.
Well, be that as it may, Keqing thought as she waved Yanmei farewell and returned to her desk and the ever-growing pile of documents on top of it.
Rex Lapis wasn’t the only one who had died in this year and left the Qixing in complete disarray. As the current Tianji had died just a few days ago, it was up to Keqing to choose someone to fill his position and arrange his funeral as he had no living relatives even prior to his death.
It was a task Keqing didn’t look forward to considering she was without an assistant as of now, but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t fulfil her duty to show her respects to a former colleague.
Thankfully, Yanmei had arranged a meeting with someone from Wangsheng’s Funeral Parlour to help Keqing with the procession to the gravesite and overall funeral ceremony.
She hoped that whoever Yanmei had called for was professional in both their work and attitude because as serious as Hu Tao was about her work as the director of Wangsheng’s Funeral Parlour, her overall nature made it hard for Keqing to spend any more time with her than needed.
A loud knock on the door made Keqing’s lips curl into a small, satisfied smile.
Whoever they had sent was very punctual which hopefully was a good sign.
“Come in”, Keqing said and pushed a staple of unsigned documents away from her.
The door opened and to her surprise a man entered her office. Even at a quick glance Keqing could tell that he was much taller than her but men towering over her were nothing that ever intimidated her. Still, she wasn’t fond of the fact that she had to crane her head up to him.
Upon meeting his gaze, she could see that his eyes were a quite rich colour of gold and amber, as brilliant and shiny as Cor Lapis itself, if it weren’t for the darker shade of them that made them so unique and hard to look away. Not that beautiful eyes or the friendly smile he was wearing were something that could sway her, and so Keqing only motioned for the man to take a seat in front of her desk.
“It is a pleasure to finally meet the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing, Lady Keqing”, he said and for a moment Keqing forgot what she wanted to say.
“My name is Zhongli and I hope we will work together well.”
It surprised her, how pleasant and friendly his voice was. No hint of fearful respect or quiet obedience as she was used to could be heard in his voice.
Well, he came to her office so it was obvious that he had to know who she was. Immediately, Keqing switched back into business mode, but not before taking a long look at him to finish her first assessment of him.
Long brown hair with some amber highlights at the end of his fringes, was styled in a windswept fashion and pulled back into a long ponytail falling behind his back, granting him an elegant and refined look fitting with his clothes Keqing realized with only a quick glance to be made of finest silk
- and somehow, just somehow his looks made her think that he resembled someone Keqing knew but couldn’t put a finger on for now.
Zhongli.
She had heard of him, in the way nothing happening in Liyue escaped the ears or eyes of the Qixing. The mysterious new consultant of Wangsheng’s that was quite knowledgeable in terms of everything concerning Liyue, whether it were business or cultural matters. Something in Keqing itched to test whether he was as knowledgeable as the rumours told but business was more important than this small indulgence.
“The pleasure is all mine”, Keqing answered and pointed towards the tea set on a small table next to her office. “And no need for formalities, just call me Keqing. Can I offer you some tea before we get to business?”
The smile on Zhongli’s face only widened at her words. Though her words had only been out of courtesy, the satisfied glimmer flickering through his golden eyes told her that he was someone who also enjoyed tea as she did because his next words only affirmed her in her thoughts.
“I must admit I’m pleasantly surprised to see that you enjoy the gentle and sweet taste of the Xihu Longjing as well”, Zhongli said and pointed towards the tea leaves Keqing was preparing right now. “The leaves must be plucked and dried in early spring for them to retain their flavour so I did not think I would get to enjoy it during the last days of summer.”
Though the leaves were merely a far too expensive gift Keqing received from acquaintances, she couldn’t deny the importance of this tea not only as a part of Liyue’s culture but also as an expression of the living attitude of the people who spent so much effort to create this light yet exquisite tea for her to enjoy.
“It’s rare that I meet someone who is so knowledgeable about tea to the point they can discern its origin with only one glance”, she answered without thinking.
A small smile played around Keqing’s lips before she noticed the interested look on Zhongli’s face upon meeting his gaze, and immediately schooled her features back into a mask of professionalism. But not without scolding herself mentally for slipping into such unimportant matters just because of how friendly he seemed.
Much to her pleasant surprise, Zhongli turned out to be a commendable business partner indeed, following her protocol of work without any complaints – and what was most important was that he managed to keep up with her pace.
Whether it was due to his long legs or seemingly bottomless patience, Keqing couldn’t tell but as the sun was setting in red and gold over the horizon she certainly hadn’t any complaints to working with him.
When reaching out to the Tianji’s family, Zhongli had proved himself to be more than capable in answering all their questions regarding the funeral, whether it was about the location of the gravesite, the procession or the numbers and colours of huāquāns – he certainly answered all their questions as if he had attended many funerals in his past already.
The streets were already emptying when they finally finished their work for today and though Keqing wasn’t one to freely give out compliments, somehow she felt so accomplished today that she suggested something she had never done before.
“It had become quite late and as neither of us had anything to eat the whole day, maybe we could grab something to eat before the vendors close.”
Looking at the surprised look on Zhongli’s face, she started to regret her words immediately.
And to make her life much worse than Ningguang prying into her private life, Keqing could literally feel her face warming up under his gaze.
“Don’t get the wrong idea though”, she said immediately and turned her head sideways so she wouldn’t have to meet his gaze anymore. “This is just my way to thank you for your hard work, because it’s rare someone manages to meet my expectations and I-“
For the love of Rex Lapis, I really shouldn’t have talked at all, Keqing thought and slapped herself twice in her mind.
For a moment there was only long - far too long and unbearable silence before his laughter reached her ears and Keqing whipped her head back to see how his eyes closed to crescents as he laughed.
“It is my treat then”, he answered with a gallant smile before they walked towards the nearest restaurant still open.
It was quite a surprise to see Zhongli being capable of such an expression, Keqing thought to herself, considering the stern look he had been wearing for most of the day but it certainly was a nice side to him.
Though that was a thought she definitely kept to herself as she hoped that night falling over the streets was hiding the faint blush she still felt blooming on her cheeks.