In a dreadful lack of forethought, Zhongli nearly signed his name as Rex Lapis. Fortunately, he caught himself after the first stroke of his pen, though his hand struggled to recover its rhythm. The resulting signature wasn't his best work. As he looked back to Xingqiu to witness his signing, he swore he caught a glimpse of a smile. This did little to put him at ease.
Did he rejoice at his poor decision? He couldn't think of any other reason why the situation would provoke amusement.
"There we are," Xingqiu revealed his own contract, "all signed." His handwriting was hardly legible, but it was present at the appropriate locations. "Now we can move onto the business side of things." With conscious effort, the young salesman retrieved an accordion folder. He stowed it on his lap as he rifled through it, while Zhongli concocted his plan.
The likelihood that he could effectively divert attention from himself was slim, especially given his opponent's martial skills. He was trained in routinely checking his periphery, and even then Zhongli was directly in front of him. This meant his next best choice was a different kind of diversion, despite the fact that spontaneity was not his strong suit.
"I apologize for not having these numbers at the front of my mind. I truthfully didn't expect a visit from Wangsheng for at least another month." He slid a single sheet of paper from between the folder's layers, and he skimmed it quickly before meeting his eyes. "Alright, so last season you ordered fifty reels of our twenty-five momme grade silk." His eyes widened as he perused the rest of the order; his last transaction had been mediated by his elder brother, so his surprise was warranted.
"Unfortunately winter happens to be our busy season, as you can tell. Though Liyue's climate is temperate, the mild reduction in temperature has a disproportionate impact on the elderly population."
"That would make sense." Xingqiu's eyes lingered on where the final price must have been. He was no doubt calculating his anticipated budget. "So, given that it's our busy season and it fortunately isn't yours...I can offer you about thirty reels of the same twenty-five momme silk right now and a remaining five to ten reels in about a month. At a significant discount, of course." Zhongli paused for only a brief moment to consider.
"The highest quality standard is thirty momme." It was more a statement than an inquiry.
"That's true."
"I'll take sixty reels. Of the thirty." Xingqiu's jaw all but dropped; the resulting difference in price was significant to say the least, especially given the high demand. Surely that would require a small recess to determine stock levels. "In other markets it's far easier to anticipate sales trends. For better or for worse, death doesn't depend on income level. Our current clients have the means by happenstance."
"I-I see. Um, I do apologize Mister Zhongli but I will have to consult the stock manager. An order of this magnitude is rare."
"Certainly. I understand this as well, so please don't rush on my behalf."
"Right." Without another thought Xingqiu started down the hall, his pace brisker than preferred. He could have imagined it, but the young man seemed to tremble. Whether from nerves or the chill in the room he wasn't certain. Another red flag, but he didn't have time to contemplate right now.
He stood with far less grace, his nerves vibrating beneath his skin as he carefully shut the door behind him. The last thing he needed was a thoughtful servant offering him tea in the middle of his heist. As he rounded the desk's lofty corner, he squatted beside the filing cabinet and began to skim its contents. Nothing was where it should have been; crumpled papers lined the hinges and most of the lettered tabs had been torn or folded against the upper drawer.
Cursing, he decided to remove an entire section comprised of several independent manila folders. He grabbed four by chance, one of which was useless and only contained business cards and advertisements. In a lower stress environment, the presence of Hu Tao's BOGO coffin coupons would have amused him, but right now it was only a distraction. The next two folders contained nothing out of the ordinary, besides an occasional steep price. The fourth, bless the adepti, was marked CONFIDENTIAL in bold Liyuen script.
Eager to return the other three folders, he hastily shoved the paperwork wherever it best fit. He was certain that no one checking that cabinet would notice a difference, and so he immediately focused in on his elemental sight. Tucking the confidential folder into his suit coat, he quickly glimpsed through the door's decorative window. The frosted glass didn't exactly lend itself to high acuity sight, but at the very least he could tell Xingqiu wasn't approaching.
He sat in his original seat, scooted it to face the window making far more noise than he intended, and he retrieved the folder. A half slip of paper fell to the ground, which he immediately retrieved and began to read:
Hongxing,
It is within your best interest to follow this directive; you and I are well aware to the reason.
Our common friend has demanded complete confidentiality, and given the social implications I will demand the same. In the unlikely situation that anyone inquire about our current partnerships, you are to refuse an answer and report the identity of the questioning party to either myself or my eldest son.
Young Master Xingqiu has been tasked with maintenance of our merchandise in the meantime. Should he stray from his duties, remind him that there are consequences regarding neglected work. I will return within the hour.
The slip was unsigned, though the writer was obvious.
This entire time...Xingqiu had been managing the silk trade alone? Suddenly the late night shipments began to make sense, though he suspected that their product was more than just cloth. He glanced up. The hallway was still clear of elemental energy; the only traces dated back to about thirty minutes ago. Hydro, and the faintest touch of cryo, swirled through the air.
Wasn't he friends with a cryo user? The Traveler had mentioned something about them he was certain, but they were absent at the time. He could figure that out later. Right now, the wait was becoming far more apparent. Xingqiu had all but sprinted from the room, so what held him up now? His intuition exclaimed it couldn't be good.
Reflexively covering his skin, Zhongli undid his outer jacket to gain access to the vest beneath, and he tucked the folder between the vest and his undershirt. Redoing the buttons, his coat no longer showed any obvious increase in girth. His inquiry somewhat answered now, he briskly opened the door and began to follow the trail of the hydro infused footprints.
The corridor was far longer than he anticipated. It took a couple minutes until he detected a pause in Xingqiu's gait, the young swordsman had leaned against the wall and then continued, stopping frequently. His concern rose another level as he resumed, and he was so focused on studying the plush carpets that he hadn't noticed him standing directly in front of him.
"Mister Zhongli?" His voice trailed off as if speaking cost significant exertion.
"Young Master Xingqiu, I had begun to worry given your extended absence. Are you feeling well?"
"Of course, I apologize as it-as it took me a while...a while to find..." he swayed violently. The moment before his knees gave out, Zhongli reached forward and steadied him. For the briefest of seconds his head lolled forwards, his eyes shutting in a desperate attempt at rest. The moment his cheek grazed his jacket however, he jerked awake as if burned.
His cheeks flushed, "I'm so sorry Zhong-I mean Mister Zhongli. I haven't slept well, I swear I can still-"
"You are not fit to work in this state." He quickly checked for any witnesses, which fortunately there were none, and he escorted Xingqiu down the hall. His father and brother had given him a tour of the building once, and he recalled that there was a seating area nearby. When they were out of view, he began his barrage of questions, "When was the last time you slept?"
"I think," he took a moment to count on his fingers, "eighty-two? I had meant to sleep last night I did! I just couldn't fall asleep." Zhongli kneeled beside him, checking his temperature with the back of his hand. There was no significant heat beneath his hairline, which was a good sign that he didn't have a fever.
"Have you been drinking water?"
"I, um...no. I had a popsicle though?"
"That probably isn't enough to fit your body's needs," Zhongli tsked, "you of all people should understand the importance of drinking water."
"Well, it's not like I can really drink the water from my vision," he laughed. "I mean maybe it's possible but I haven't really given it much thought. Do you use your vision for gardening, Mister Zhongli?" The joke earned him a rare smile.
"I suppose you have a point. I do apologize, it's been some time since I've dealt with mundane sickness. Usually my clients are long past that point." If Hu Tao were here, she would be stunned by his joke, but with Xingqiu it didn't seem to register.
"Oh. Heh." He slumped further in his chair, "I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but I don't think I can get you those sixty reels." He was still thinking about that?
"That's perfectly fine." Xingqiu only allowed the silence to sit for three heartbeats,
"I'm sure you're wondering what has me up so late. In truth, I'm not entirely sure why but, my brother insisted that I do his share of the invoices this month. He's doing some outreach project where he's working with a new client, apparently some big syndicate, but he refused to tell me any more about it."
"I see. Is that all you know?"
"Unfortunately. I don't know why everyone is being so secretive," he sighed, "but I'm too tired to care." Zhongli's heart lurched. He reminded him so much of Ganyu, and maybe just a little bit of Xiao. He actually cared too much, he just wasn't fighting on the right battlefield.
"Well, I thank you for your time, Young Master. Do you require assistance in procuring yourself a break? I can advocate for you, as you did just lose consciousness."
"No Mister Zhongli," he stood to prove it, "I'm quite proficient in secret napping." He winked as if this were a funny joke.
"Well...do take care of yourself. Oh, and you can simply call me Zhongli."
Whomever was responsible for this was going to face his wrath.
