"I love you."
"You can't."
Zhongli x Childe , Xiao x Aether, Scaramouche x Mona , Xingqiu x Chongyun , Beidou x Ningguang
Please do not hate on any ships included in the fanfiction, they are purely my opinion.
TW: This fanfiction contains violence a...
Zhongli, a well known, intellectual man, and respected citizen of Liyue Harbor received the honour of stares from every corner wherever he went. A brutally honest man who knows about everything. All you'd need to do is ask and you'd receive a detailed explanation on any topic in the world, be it the extended history and account of events from the life of Rex Lapis, or the formula for the circumference of a circle. (Which is 2πr, by the way.) This that seems extremely tedious and frustrating is viewed as nothing more than a norm by Zhongli. The fact that people willingly paid attention to all of the little things he did was ridiculous, to say the least. A bunch of bumbling fools, they were, unable to accept that Zhongli truly was at a greater understanding.
---
"Zhongli!"
The man turned around, towering over the short girl looking up at him.
"Master Hu. How may I assist?"
Hu tao bent forward, in a teasing manner.
"Hmm, I was about to tell you that we're done for the day, but from the sounds of things, surely you wouldn't mind working overtime, eh?" She chortled.
Zhongli maintained his poker face, refusing to be irritated by Hu tao's usual tactics.
"I wouldn't mind, no."
Hu tao sighed in retaliation, placing her hands limply on Zhongli's shoulders, slightly pushing herself up with her toes to match his height.
"C'mon now, I was just joking! It's too late to keep the parlour open, y'know."
Hu tao strutted towards the exit, Zhongli following her close behind. As she locked up the parlour, she looked back at Zhongli.
"Zhongli. Would you like to join me and a few friends for dinner?"
The male's attention snapped back from the approaching sunset to the girl next to him. After an abrupt second of contemplation, Zhongli agreed to join Hu tao.
---
"That'll be 200 Mora, sir."
Zhongli looked at the taxi driver with slight confusion laced in his amber eyes.
"Pardon me?" He asked, oblivious to the meaning of the driver's question.
"The payment, buddy. Ya can't hail a ride and not pay. Sheesh, what a hobo. Probably that Zhongli guy." The driver muttered.
Hu Tao stepped between the two, sheepishly laughing. She handed the man a pouch of 200 Mora and gestured Zhongli to follow her without further discussing the topic.
Zhongli and Hu Tao clambered up the ramp around the tree on which the Wangshu Inn was built upon.
The Inn was bustling with the sound of laughter from all over, people enjoying meals with their friends, family and loved ones. Wangshu Inn was particularly popular at this time of the year. Many people from all over Teyvat would arrive for the Lantern Rite Festival and book rooms in Wangshu Inn for the perfect view of the Mingxiao lantern.
"Hey guys~" Hu Tao cooed at the sight of a small table at the back of the inn.
The table was preoccupied by 3 people, roughly the same age as Hu Tao. 2 males and a female, who Zhongli recognised as the young heir of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, the head chef of Wanmin Restaurant, and a young man with blue hair who was likely an exorcist.
---
10:15PM
"Uwahhh!! I'm so f-fuullllll... XIianglinnnnnn there's a ghoosttt behind-jya..... It just want some huggie wugieeessssss~"
Zhongli chuckled at the sight of the drunk girl. If she wasnt already bad enough when sober, this was another level of crazy. On the other side of Zhongli was another intoxicated person.
"A-hic-and then I tol er... There's a ghost over there, lemme ecksorsise it!!! Bu-but- she said it was nothin for us exorcistists to worrhy about.." Chongyun slurred, pounding his fist on the table next to Xingqiu, causing the sober boy to chuckle.
"I'm surprised, Xingqiu, one would expect to be completely wasted with the number of drinks you've had." Zhongli sipped carefully at his Osmanthus Wine.
Xingqiu laughed. "Ah! Yes, I don't get drunk very easily, however.. the same can't be said about this one." The male pinched Chongyun's cheeks, causing him to whine.
"Your alcohol resistance is quite something, too, Mr. Zhongli, isn't this your 7th drink?"
Zhongli nodded. "Let's just say that.. I'm quite used to it."
It was almost time for the restaurant to close. Verr Goldet had come to their table, which was the only occupied one at this time, to collect the payment. As Zhongli opened his mouth to protest about having forgotten his wallet, Xingqiu spoke up first.
"No problem! 13000 Mora, right?" Xingqiu handed the older woman the mora, then supported Chongyun with his weight and left the inn after a short goodbye.
---
11:05PM
It had been about 50 minutes since everybody had departed to their homes. Zhongli however, had chosen to spend the night at the Inn. Despite popular belief, Zhongli wasn't completely broke. He had booked the most expensive room, the one closest to the balcony. Room 12. Perhaps it was because of the memories the inn held. The view from the window of his room was indeed breathtaking, with the sparkling ocean's waves crashing at the dock of the Qiongji Estuary, the birds of night flocking away to their nests, with the soft glow of the moon lighting up the vast sky.
Only as Zhongli retired to bed, however, was his tranquil silence abruptly disrupted by the noise of light footsteps hovering over the stairs of the inn that lead to the balcony.
Now unable to sleep, Zhongli decided to leave his room to explore the cause of the sound.
He hid behind the door leading to the balcony, hearing a very familiar voice...
---
word count: 964 a/n hi everyone!! welcome to the first official chapter of my first official wattpad fanfiction! im always looking for feedback so please leave any constructive criticism or mistakes you found in the comments so i can improve it :)
hope you enjoyed, and happy april fools!
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