After dinner, it was already late outside.
Since returning to the construction site was impossible, Zhongli was persuaded—after multiple invitations from the adepti—to join them at the tea house for a game of mahjong.
Baizhu drank a cup of hot tea to help his digestion, then got up and returned to Bubu Pharmacy.
Madame Ping stayed in the shop with Guoba and Qiqi, continuing to drink tea.
The remaining girls all headed to the bathhouse at the back for a soak.
Ganyu finally managed to wash all the confetti out of her hair and let out a relieved sigh. She felt so much lighter.
Then everyone began teasing her, saying she was the star of the night and should be the first to go for a massage from Xia Zhi.
Blushing, Ganyu still wrapped herself in a towel and made her way over.
"Mr. Xia."
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
"No need to thank me. It's your birthday today. We'll throw birthday parties for everyone else too when it's their turn."
"Birthday, huh… You actually care about that kind of thing?"
"Of course."
"I thought…"
"Thought what?"
"I thought only humans cared about birthdays. For someone like me with Longevity, we've lived too long, had too many birthdays. Celebrating doesn't mean much anymore. In fact, I haven't properly celebrated mine in years. Sometimes I forget because I'm too busy with work. Other times, even if I remember, I just go eat at my favorite restaurant alone. That's it…"
"Doesn't Madame Ping celebrate her birthday every year?"
"Madame Ping's different. Her birthday banquet is more like an excuse to gather all the Adepti in Liyue together."
"True."
"But today… I'm really happy. I used to feel so lonely living in this city. But now, that loneliness feels like a distant memory."
"Then… would you like to feel even happier?"
"Huh?"
And then—nothing.
If anything could be said… it would be that even for a gentle qilin, the [enjoyment] aspect of a massage was just too much to handle.
...
In the bathhouse pool.
Hu Tao's cheeks were tinged with a light flush of intoxication as she looked at Diona in front of her, feeling like something was off.
She remembered that the last time she'd come to the bathhouse, Diona's figure had been just as flat as hers.
But now? Diona seemed like she'd… developed a lot?!
Impossible!
She must've been drinking too much and was seeing things.
Hu Tao lowered her head and splashed some water on her face.
The tipsy feeling faded in an instant.
She looked at Diona again, her expression gradually turning to disbelief.
Nope. She hadn't seen wrong.
Diona had really developed.
Hu Tao glanced down at her own chest, her expression darkened.
She was actually bigger than her!
How was that even possible?
Could it be due to her Kätzlein bloodline?
Hu Tao pondered for a moment and looked around at the others in the bath.
Zhu Zi—bigger.
Chi Yu sister's—bigger.
Ying'er—bigger.
Shenhe—way bigger!
Ningguang—bigger.
Keqing—no change.
Yanfei—no change.
Yaoyao—slightly bigger.
Xiangling—no change.
...
Hu Tao scanned the crowd and grew thoughtful.
Somehow, the figures of the people in the shop had all improved.
Yaoyao was still young, so her development was normal.
But Ningguang was already fully developed in age. Yet her figure had improved?
Shouldn't she be like Keqing and Yanfei, with no more changes?
Hu Tao felt like she'd discovered a key clue.
What was it?
What had caused all this development…
As she fell into deep thought, the bathhouse door opened.
Ganyu had returned.
She had just finished her massage. Her whole body looked radiant, her skin glowing with a soft sheen of oil. She looked incredibly alluring.
Hu Tao stared at her blankly as she walked by.
"Bigger… she got bigger too…"
A very reasonable guess popped into Hu Tao's mind.
Could it be… because of Xia Zhi's massages?
Employees at the shop had staff discounts and got massages frequently. Ningguang was rich and came almost daily—no wonder their figures had changed.
Keqing and Yanfei were too busy to come often, only dropping by occasionally, so the effects were minimal.
Xiangling had just returned, always cooking in the kitchen, and hadn't gotten many massages either.
That made sense! It all made sense now!
Hu Tao suddenly paused. Another theory came to her.
Maybe it wasn't the massages—it was the food?
But then again… Mr. Xia also ate with everyone every day, and his body hadn't changed at all.
So there was only one truth.
Xia Zhi's massages could enhance your chest.
Hu Tao was immediately filled with hope.
She swam over to Chi Yu.
"Sister Chi Yu~"
"Hm?"
"I've been feeling kind of off lately… Exhausted and my sleep schedule's all over the place. I want to try the massage too."
"Alright. When I go for mine, I'll mention it to the boss."
"Thanks, Sister!"
Hu Tao's eyes sparkled. Hope glimmered within them.
...
"Director Hu."
"Mr. Xia?"
"Which package would you like?"
"Package?"
"I mean, what tier of massage service?"
"Which one did Sister Chi Yu pick?"
"She prefers the full essential oil set."
"Then I'll take that too!"
"Alright."
And then—nothing.
If anything could be said… Director Hu being all shy was kinda cute.
...
There were too many people getting massages tonight.
By the time Xia Zhi finished, it was nearly 9 PM.
No point going out shopping—better to just sleep early.
Xia Ci said goodnight to everyone and returned to her room, took out her Akasha Terminal, and logged in.
She first checked to see if there were any unread messages.
None.
Good. Otherwise it would've been such a pain. But still… she kind of missed her sister. So Xia Ci tried connecting with Nahida through the network.
After waiting a while, Nahida finally responded.
"Sis… sis…"
Nahida's voice, for some reason, sounded weak and breathless, like she had just gone through some intense physical activity.
Xia Ci raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing."
"You sound kinda weird."
"Well…"
Nahida paused. She didn't really want to say it out loud, but… since it was her sister, maybe it was okay.
"I don't know why, but lately… every night, I suddenly feel all these strange sensations in my body. Tingling all over, like… like someone invisible is touching me…"
Lately… every night… like someone's touching her…
Xia Ci seemed to understand something, and she fell silent.
After a moment, she finally spoke.
"You are… blessed yet unaware."
Nahida was confused. "Huh?"
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