Chapter 848
Keqing and Sweet Rain
Su Chen naturally took the top half of the file and walked alongside her.
On the way, Ke Qing was silent at first, but Su Chen asked a few questions about the efficiency of file classification and archiving, which happened to touch on her recent worries.
The old archives system was cumbersome and inefficient, and she was advocating for reform, but faced numerous obstacles.
Perhaps it was fatigue that lowered her guard, or perhaps it was Su Chen's attentive listening that made her relax, but Ke Qing gradually opened up, talking about everything from file management to personnel scheduling, from budget approval to grassroots visits, her words filled with criticism of the old bureaucratic system and longing for a new, efficient, and pragmatic system.
Especially towards that "deceased" emperor who left behind a vast traditional system, the complaints were tinged with complex respect and a sense of "disappointment in his lack of progress."
"The era of relying on gods should pass; Liyue must rely on its own people," she concluded, her eyes shining with a light that also carried an undeniable worry.
Su Chen listened quietly, occasionally interjecting between her words.
Instead of providing a specific solution for Liyue, he borrowed some rudimentary theories from his previous life about project management, process optimization, and data-driven management, repackaging them with metaphors and frameworks she could understand.
"Perhaps we could assign 'priority channels' and 'standard containers' to different types of documents, similar to how we plan cargo throughput at a port?" "In addition to seniority, could we incorporate 'performance indicators' like those used to measure craftsmanship when evaluating personnel?" "Could we design more consistent 'feedback channels' for feedback from the grassroots, instead of relying solely on irregular inspections?"
These ideas were fresh and inspiring for Keqing.
They break away from Liyue's traditional way of thinking and provide a different, logically clear set of tools for looking at problems.
Her eyes lit up as she listened, and she kept asking for details, even taking out her notebook to quickly jot down notes while they were still on the road.
"Your Excellency... has considerable insight into these matters! May I ask where you hold office?" Ke Qing finally couldn't help but ask, her tone filled with genuine respect and curiosity.
"Just a free spirit, occasionally helping out with odd jobs at the Hall of Rebirth," Su Chen said calmly. "Just call me Su Chen."
“The Hall of Rebirth?” Ke Qing was somewhat surprised, but quickly categorized it as “a great hermit living in the city.”
She was struggling with the lack of clear theoretical support and implementation steps for many reform ideas, and although the identity of the person in front of her was a mystery, what he said was extremely valuable.
“Mr. Su, I have benefited greatly today. I wonder... if I could ask you for further advice in the future? There are still many things I don’t understand about these ‘management theories’.”
Su Chen looked at the burning thirst for knowledge and determination to reform in her eyes and nodded.
“Sure. If you have time, you can come to the Hall of Rebirth to find me. However,” he added, considering his unstable timeline, he gave a relatively broad agreement, “I’ll usually be there when Walnut grows up.”
“Okay!” Ke Qing solemnly agreed, as if accepting an important contract.
"Hmm? When Hu Tao grew up?"
She froze for a moment.
I don't understand this sentence.
After the fluctuations of the timeline reversal subsided, Su Chen stood once again in the backyard of the Hall of Rebirth, as if the weight of that stack of files still lingered in his hands.
He calculated the time and went to ask Hu Tao. Hu Tao said, "Oh, you mean that one?" but what she said was very strange, and she couldn't understand it.
After visiting a few times, I stopped coming to the Rebirth Hall.
Hu Tao thought for a moment and then sent someone to inform them.
Su Chen did not stop him.
That afternoon, the sun was warm and gentle.
Mr. Zhongli happened to be inside the hall, sitting with Su Chen at a stone table in the courtyard, appreciating the newly arrived "Qiaoyingzhuang" rock tea while discussing a semantically ambiguous clause in an ancient funeral contract.
Zhong Li quoted extensively from classical texts, while Su Chen analyzed the contract from the perspective of the actual demands of both parties and the historical context. Their discussion was not in-depth, but each had its own angle.
Just then, a servant announced their arrival from the front courtyard, and immediately, a nimble figure strode through the moon gate.
Purple twin tails, smart clothes, bright and sharp eyes—it was Ke Qing.
She spotted Su Chen by the stone table at a glance, a relieved expression spreading across her face. She quickly stepped forward: "Mr. Su, I've come as promised..."
The words came to an abrupt halt.
Her gaze fell on the handsome man opposite Su Chen, who was sipping tea and looked up at her when he heard her voice.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Keqing's expression shifted from anticipation to surprise, to disbelief, to a blank stare, and finally settled on a state of utter shock and confusion.
She opened her mouth but no sound came out; her eyes were fixed on Zhong Li, as if she wanted to stare a hole through his face.
Zhong Li was also clearly stunned.
He put down his teacup, and a very subtle crack appeared in his usual calm and composure.
A clear look of bewilderment and astonishment flashed across those amber-like golden eyes.
He certainly recognized Keqing, the most radical representative of the humanist faction among the Liyue Seven Stars. Although he felt sorry for her "death," she was also one of the most powerful figures in promoting the "post-Emperor era."
How could she... be here? And why is she looking directly for Su Chen?
Most importantly, the way she looked at him right now... clearly showed that she recognized him!
But how is that possible?
His "death" was acknowledged by the ritual of sending off immortals, and his incarnation as Zhongli was never officially revealed in front of the Seven Stars.
The two stood across the stone table, their eyes meeting, an extremely strange, awkward, and questioning silence filling the air.
Even the cats that were lazily napping under the eaves were startled by the atmosphere and pricked up their ears.
Su Chen picked up the teacup in front of him, took a slow sip, and, using the teacup as a cover, couldn't help but let a subtle, pleasant smile curve his lips upward.
He chuckled to himself.
The plan is in place.
The scene was even more "unprecedented" than he had imagined.
The diligent and pragmatic Yuheng Star, who both respects and resents the "deceased" emperor, bumps into the retired Rock God, who has faked his death and is trying to experience the mortal world as a mortal. The one who sets up this awkward reunion is none other than Yuheng Star, a "time-playing man" who keeps his merits and fame hidden.
It can't be said that it was just myself; Hu Tao also contributed.
He calmly put down his teacup, looked at the two still frozen in shock, and gently broke the deadlock with a soft voice, as if nothing had happened.
“Miss Keqing has arrived. Mr. Zhongli, this is Keqing, the Jade Balance Star of Liyue. Miss Keqing, this is Mr. Zhongli, the newly hired ritual advisor of the Hall of Rebirth.”
His introduction was unremarkable, yet it was like a pebble thrown into a frozen lake.
Ke Qing snapped back to reality, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Su Chen and Zhong Li with an extremely complicated expression. Finally, she took a deep breath, seemingly forcibly suppressing her turbulent thoughts, and stiffly, almost through gritted teeth, squeezed out a sentence for Zhong Li... or rather, for "Mr. Zhong Li": "Mr. Zhong, Li... I have long admired you." Each word seemed to be spat out from between her teeth.
Zhongli had mostly regained her composure, but the hint of surprise and inquiry deep in her eyes had not completely faded.
He nodded calmly, his posture flawless: "Yuheng Star, it's a pleasure to meet you."
It felt like we were meeting for the first time.
But the invisible, crackling sparks between the two, and Keqing's gaze that seemed to want to "nail" him back to his divine throne, filled this "happy encounter" with an indescribable tension.
Su Chen watched this scene with satisfaction, feeling that his occasional "fun" had been remarkably effective.
The cast of the play "The Hall of Rebirth" is becoming more and more complete, and the plot is becoming more and more exciting.
"Mr. Su Chen is even more powerful than the Emperor..."
Ke Qing's muttered words, which carried a clear sense of comparison, were like a pebble thrown into calm water, creating subtle ripples in the backyard of the Hall of Rebirth.
Su Chen paused almost imperceptibly in the hand holding the teacup, and sighed silently in his heart.
This girl really dares to speak her mind.
I like.
Who doesn't like being praised?
What happened next completely exceeded Su Chen's expectations of simply watching the show.
Ke Qing seemed to switch modes instantly, transferring some of her complex emotions towards the Emperor to Su Chen.
Of course, this competition is not hostile, but rather a mixture of the excitement of discovering a treasure, the thirst for practical knowledge, and a certain... recognition and trust in "non-traditional authority".
She almost immediately ignored Zhong Li, whose aura was somewhat complicated, and focused all her attention on Su Chen.
From the specific operational details of archive classification to how to balance the interests of all levels when implementing new policies, from how to effectively incentivize grassroots staff to how to reserve flexibility for adjustments in long-term planning... questions were fired off one after another, urgent, specific, and aimed directly at the core.
Su Chen was caught off guard by this sudden enthusiasm and trust.
Looking into Ke Qing's eyes, which were full of curiosity and the sharpness of a pragmatist, he simply couldn't brush it off with "I was just saying it casually."
He could only rack his brains, drawing upon fragments of management knowledge accumulated in his previous life, his experiences in cross-cultural communication, and even some simple game theory and psychological effects, combined with his rudimentary observations of Liyue's current situation, to try his best to dissect, analyze, and provide a framework of thought in language she could understand.
He did not provide a standard answer.
That was neither realistic nor what he intended.
He is more like a guide, providing different thinking tools and perspectives, and encouraging Keqing to deduce a solution suitable for Liyue on her own.
This approach of equal discussion, emphasizing methodology rather than directly providing results, actually made Keqing more excited and engaged.
She took notes quickly, interrupting occasionally to ask questions, her eyes growing brighter and brighter, and her gaze towards Su Chen becoming increasingly ardent.
It was a pure appreciation of the combination of "wisdom" and "pragmatism".
Conversely, her verbal rudeness towards the "Emperor" seemed to increase as her interactions with Su Chen deepened.
"If only the Emperor had considered more flexibility in how later generations would implement those ancient contracts when he made them back then..."
"Tradition is important, but for someone like the Emperor to set rules that will remain unchanged for ten thousand years is going too far..."
"Hmph, does the Emperor know everything? I doubt it. At least when it comes to how to bring Liyue to life and let everyone give full play to their talents, Mr. Su is not as insightful as he is!"
When she said these things, sometimes she was genuinely complaining about the constraints of the old system, and sometimes she might have been speaking to the "Mr. Zhongli" next to her with a subtle mix of probing and challenging psychology.
At such times, Zhongli would simply hold his teacup, looking down at his nose and contemplating his own thoughts, seemingly immersed in the aroma of tea and ancient texts. However, the slight twitching of his lips and the fleeting helpless smile in his eyes betrayed that he was not entirely indifferent.
He watched as Su Chen was being questioned by Ke Qing, sometimes deep in thought, sometimes gesturing to explain. Although he seemed a little busy, he remained patient throughout.
Watching this mysterious guest, who uses a seemingly simple yet highly effective otherworldly knowledge that is completely different from the millennia-old wisdom system of Liyue, to actually enlighten the Yuheng Star, who is known for his stubbornness and pragmatism.
The helplessness and slight annoyance that Zhong Li felt due to the suspected exposure of his identity were gradually replaced by a purer curiosity and interest.
This Su Chen is indeed interesting.
He was like a mystery constantly throwing out strangely colored threads, unintentionally drawing parallel lines together to weave a pattern that even he had never anticipated.
Very well, now that the stage is set up before us, let's see how this new play about the future of Liyue, led by mortals, unfolds.
As long as the fundamentals of the contract are not violated, this kind of lively atmosphere is... not bad.
Yes, just treat him like an ordinary person.
Anyway, we can't figure out where it came from.
Zhongli's leisurely observation did not last long. The vortex of time once again silently rippled around Su Chen.
This subsidence felt particularly long and profound.
Once Su Chen had steadied himself, what came into view was the depths of Jueyunjian, an even more majestic and precipitous place, where the clouds and mist had completely turned into a sea, and the outlines of immortal ruins were faintly visible.
The air was crisp and clear, the spiritual energy so abundant it made one's pores open, but what was even more striking was the round, furry figure sitting on a boulder beside a clear, cold pool.
She was a girl who looked very young, a hybrid of immortal and beast. Her figure was much rounder than Gan Yu in Su Chen's memory. She was holding a handful of grass and eating it in small bites without stopping. Her cheeks were chubby, and her eyes were clear with a hint of innate shyness and a faint melancholy that was out of place with the immortal aura around her.
The unique unicorn horns on her head and the faintly discernible facial features immediately confirmed Su Chen's identity.
In her childhood, or rather, before she had experienced the long years and the tempering of responsibilities, Gan Yu was troubled by her body shape and identity.
Round and plump.
So fat.
It feels good to the touch.
Little Gan Yu sensed an unfamiliar presence and cautiously raised her head. When she saw Su Chen, she paused for a moment but did not run away immediately. Perhaps it was because Su Chen showed no malice and even had a strange sense of peace. She just timidly shrank back into the rock and hugged the grass in her hands even tighter.
Su Chen did not approach rashly, but instead found a rock not far away and sat down, gazing at the cold pool as if he were just a passerby observing.
After a long while, perhaps because Su Chen's silence was not threatening, or perhaps because his peaceful temperament, which was subtly integrated with nature, made people feel at ease, Xiao Ganyu gradually relaxed and continued to eat grass in small bites, but her movements were a little slower.
"Are you... also here to cultivate?" she suddenly asked softly, her voice gentle and sweet.
"It's not really cultivation, just... taking a walk and looking around," Su Chen replied gently. (End of Chapter)