Noctilucous Jade ENG VERSION (Genshin impact- Childe x Zhongli)

6 : White Peony Tea (part 1)

“See you later! Enjoy your meal!” Xingqiu left Childe with a smile then took Chongyun by the sleeve of his shirt to lead him to his table.

“If we finish eating before you, we’ll stop by to say goodbye!” Chongyun promised, letting himself be guided by the other boy to the corner table already prepared by Xiangling, on which a large basin containing blue icicles was placed.

Puzzled by that lunchtime food choice, Childe wanted to inquire further, but Zhongli was already seated across from him, chopsticks gripping what was left of his tempting mushroom noodles. He looked almost out of place in such a noisy restaurant with his composed posture and dark, elegant clothes.

Childe observed him more closely, unable to help but think that not only was his attitude unusual but also his appearance. His long, raven hair was tied in a low ponytail, illuminated by light brown locks on the tips.

A single gold earring hung from his left ear like a small bright star between the dark shades of his attire, and the sharp cut of his eyes was accentuated by two dark lines of makeup, framed by scarlet eyeshadow. He was undoubtedly a well-groomed man, covered from head to toe despite the high temperature. He even wore gloves while he ate.

“Please, help yourself.” Zhongli handed him the menu. It was a handwritten sheet of golden paper, as if to highlight how much the restaurant was tied to its ancient traditions. Childe narrowed his eyes as he tried to decipher it. He understood the language spoken in Liyue well, but he still had to do a lot of practice with reading.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Childe replied. He made himself more comfortable in the wooden chair, dragging it under the table. He looked up from the menu, determined to postpone the analysis for a moment. He had managed to distinguish some words but was still completely ignorant of the names of the recipes, which he could not concretely associate with any dishes he knew of.

Childe remembered how Xingqiu and Chongyun had extolled Zhongli's extensive acquaintances. He would have asked Zhongli for an explanation, but not before he understood better why the mysterious man had invited him to sit down. Childe looked at his almost empty plate, slightly shaking his head, raising the corner of his mouth in a half smile.

“But you’ve already had lunch. You want me to believe that you will only drink tea while I wait for my food and finish it?”

“You will be surprised how long it takes me to consume a cup. It is my favorite drink,” Zhongli replied, his serious expression stretching out into a smile. “Xiao is often in a hurry but would have run off, anyway, if he had had to wait for me until the end. It didn't seem right, keeping a whole table all to myself.”

Upon hearing of Xiao, Childe couldn't help but be annoyed. His harsh words still burned like a flame in his soul, and Zhongli's precious response to him had left him even more disoriented.

We leave it to experience to understand if you are right or wrong. Mr. Childe is not his people, so we must judge him by his actions, not by his reputation, the man had told Xiao, and now he sat across from him, peering at him intently. He had not taken his defense directly, but at the same time he had not even accused him. He had declared that he wanted to know him, so as not to judge him too hastily. He was giving him a possibility, which—Childe knew well—was a rare gift.

Still inevitably nervous about being watched, Childe bit the inside of his cheek, taking a moment before replying. He had to behave in the most natural way possible and try to enjoy the meal. After all, Zhongli had showed himself to be a kind man. Although his intentions were still unclear to Childe, at least he knew he was not dealing with a superficial person.