A/N: this chapter is focused wholly on Ningguang and a little bit of Zhongli. You can skip to the next chapter because it won’t affect the plot.
Ningguang stared at the starry night sky. The stars seemed to be shining a lot more that day. She sighed heavily, “Where are you, father?”
Are you happy? Are you healthy? Do you worry about me everyday like how I worry about you? Do you still remember me?
Tears sprung into her eyes as all of those questions spinned inside her head. She hadn’t caught a glimpse of her father since she was a child. Her eleventh birthday was the first birthday she had without her father, and her worst one too.
“Goodness,” She muttered as she wiped her teary eyes, careful not to ruin her simple makeup.
She felt like a cry baby. She was becoming one since she had her daughter. Nowadays, she would cry over matters like this, which surprised herself more than anything as she hadn’t cried for years because of this. She grew emotional.
“I think it is completely normal to cry.” A gentle voice invaded her ears.
She turned around to be greeted by a familiar tall, brown-haired figure clothed in a brown and yellow formal suit.
“Mister Zhongli. May I inquire what it is that you need?” Ningguang asked calmly. How in hell did the man manage to get here in the first place?
“No need to be so formal with me, Ningguang. I am simply.. an old friend of yours,” Zhongli stated calmly, keeping both arms tangled behind his back. [old fren my ass but, let him be :D]
“I see, well, Zhongli. What do you want?” Ningguang questioned. This time, a bit more… impolite.
Zhongli chuckled at the woman’s boldness and answered, “Nothing, nothing at all. I’m here for a good friend of mine.”
“By that, you mean.. me?”
Zhongli hummed in agreement as he took steps forward and aligned himself with Ningguang. “Something’s on your mind?”
“Ah,” Ningguang sighed, “Yes, a lot of them.”
“Care to share?”
Ningguang smiled sweetly and leaned herself against the railings, “My little girl’s high up on the list. Next is my father. Then the rest.. are just the regular works I receive as The Tianquan.”
“Now, what is it that you worry so much about Miss Y/N? Young, smart, beautiful, polite, sometimes cheeky little girl. She’s the daughter of every mother’s wish,” Zhongli commented, staring at the lady beside him.
“I love her, with all of my heart, Zhongli. I’ve been having an inkling that something terrible will happen soon in Liyue Harbor, and I certainly wouldn’t want my daughter to be in such a great risk. Losing her would feel like losing the whole, entire world of Teyvat.”
“I.. understand,” Zhongli paused for a few seconds, his eyes searching for possible solutions in the stars. “Mondstadt.”
“Pardon?” Confused, Ningguang demanded an explanation.
“Mondstadt. I heard from… uh, an old friend of mine that the Stormterror’s case has been quelled. I was thinking of leaving Y/N in the custody of the Acting Grand Master of Mondstadt, tentatively, so you can fully have the time to yourself. I too, have a strong inkling something terrible is bound to happen in a few days time.” [ofc you do, old man. yo da god.]
The red-eyed woman stared blankly at the man opposite of her, the idea was absurd, improbable. Leaving Y/N in Mondstadt under the Knights of Favonious? She acknowledged the Knights’ high quality guest service, but she was genuinely concerned for Y/N’s social interaction.
The girl would never, ever play with other kids her age. She bluntly called them ‘stupid’ when her mother would tell her to play with them. Y/N could go to a certain extent of being impolite, but while she could, she would definitely stay polite. But oh boy, once her patient runs out, all the kids she was playing with would end up crying their eyes out.
How did she know, you ask? It happened once with ChangChang. Y/N, being her impatient self, nicknamed ChangChang as ‘Stupid, Nerdy Glasses Girl’.
“Mummy, that stupid, nerdy glasses girl is so slow! She cries and whines at every single thing I do! SHE SUCKS!”
Apparently, ChangChang took it pretty hard and ended up bawling her eyes out to her grandpa.
“And what about your father?” Zhongli’s voice snapped Ningguang out of her thoughts.
“Ah, uhm, yes about that...” She looked away, “I.. I don’t feel like sharing it.”
“Very well, I shall take my departure now then,” Zhongli said.
“Wa-wait!”
“Uhm, uh, nevermind. You may go, I apologize for stopping you,” Ningguang’s cheeks flushed bright red as her hands beckoned for Zhongli to go. She didn’t even know why she had stopped him in the first place.
Zhongli suppressed his laugh with a smile and stepped towards Ningguang, whose eyes automatically searched for the floor. His hands slowly reached for her head, lifting her chin in abundant gentleness, as if afraid she would break if he touched her any stronger, much like a porcelain doll. Ningguang felt his soft lips brushing delicately against her forehead.
Her eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment as her attempt to hide her flushed cheeks were thwarted by the man once again. Zhongli kissed the tip of Ningguang’s nose and Ningguang could feel her soul flying away from her own body. Archons knew how wild her heart was pounding. [you see.. idk wat i wrote so.. let Ningguang reside in peace.]
“Have a good night, Lady Ningguang,” Zhongli addressed her formally before disappearing from his original spot, probably going back to the funeral parlor.
Ningguang let out a shaky breath and sauntered into the Jade Chamber as she massaged the bridge of her nose in exhaustion. If she was to follow her intuition, then a letter addressing the Acting Grandmaster must be delivered immediately.
Plus, she had to persuade Y/N to reside in Mondstadt for a while, leaving her under the care of the Knights of The Favonius. And persuading the golden-haired girl was not as easy as it seemed.
![Little Lady of Liyue Harbor [DISC]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/275719442-64-k769166.jpg)