NOVEL WEB Chapter 69: Lady Ningguang Wants to See Me?
After finishing up in the kitchen, Xu Zheng carried a steaming plate of Four-Joy Meatballs down the hallway, headed to where Yanfei and the others were.
"Fire it up!"
"Rock time!"
"Sing in defiance!"
Even from a distance, he could already hear Xinyan belting out bold lyrics, backed by heavy rock music. And if you listened closely, you could catch Eula's shy voice singing along.
Pushing open the door, Xu Zheng brought in the Four-Joy Meatballs.
"Yo! You made these?"
Xinyan had just been listening to Yanfei and Eula rave about Xu Zheng's cooking, especially how insanely good it was.
Xu Zheng nodded calmly.
Xinyan gave a big thumbs up and praised, "That's real rock n' roll!"
—A very Xinyan-style compliment.
"Well said. Keep that up next time," Xu Zheng replied.
"Eh! You're pretty straightforward—I like that!"
Eula and Yanfei's expressions stiffened. In the short time they'd known her, they'd already learned that Xinyan was blunt to the core.
But just saying "I like that" out loud like it's no big deal?
"Wha—Why are you all staring at me like that! I meant like—as in friend-like!"
Xinyan explained when she saw their weird looks.
Xu Zheng didn't react much. He just said he had more dishes to deliver and headed out.
Finally, all the food was ready.
Xu Zheng was the last to return to the room, yet Yanfei and the others had left the best seat—right across from the entrance—for him.
"All right, let's eat," he announced.
"Woohoo!" everyone cheered in unison.
Xinyan picked up a spicy chili milk tea, took a big gulp, and immediately winced from the taste—but still gave a thumbs-up:
"This one's wild! Real rock! But I can't drink too much… Bad for the vocal cords. Gotta take care of that."
She regretfully put the drink down and picked up a lion's head meatball to "vent." Her eyes lit up, "Ooh, this one too—tastes like rock n' roll!"
Xu Zheng thought of a new flower tea he'd been working on—it's soothing, good for vocal cords, like herbal lozenges or honeysuckle.
"Xinyan, Wanmin Restaurant has a new flower tea. One kind is great for your throat—prevents soreness and helps recovery."
"For real? I'm buying loads of that!"
For someone like her, performing live all the time, sore throats were practically an occupational hazard.
By now, Xinyan had totally forgotten about calling Xu Zheng a playboy just the day before.
…
That night, back home, Xu Zheng's mind still echoed with rock music.
After the meal, Xinyan had given them all another impromptu concert.
It was clear—this girl truly lived for rock.
But he hadn't expected Yanfei Auntie to be totally tone-deaf.
Eula, on the other hand, actually had a nice singing voice.
Ganyu came up beside him and teased, "What are you smiling about, silly Xu Zheng?"
"Thinking about you, Master."
He said it with a straight face, and it made the little cowlick on her head wiggle in delight.
"You're teasing again. I don't believe you."
Her words said no, but her cowlick screamed yes.
"Oh right," she suddenly remembered, "I saw Lady Ningguang today. She asked about you specifically."
"She praised how you handled that rice theft incident, said you've got a good business mind.
I've never seen Lady Ningguang speak so highly of anyone before!"
"Ah, that—just luck, pure luck," Xu Zheng waved it off, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Dude's really not that amazing—please don't idolize him!
It was Ganyu's first time seeing him act shy like this.
She chuckled softly. Must be her influence—she raised him well.
She secretly made a note: tomorrow's reward = more cuddles with Xu Zheng!
"By the way, Master, do you know Xinyan?"
"Xinyan? Rings a bell."
Ganyu didn't get out much outside of work, so it made sense she wasn't too familiar with a wandering rocker.
"She always struggles to find venues for her concerts. If the Millelith could designate a performance area, that'd solve it."
Ganyu thought for a moment, then said helplessly, "That's outside my authority. But you could apply through Lady Ningguang."
"Got it. Oh—and Master, when are you giving me today's coconut milk?"
He gave her a cheeky grin.
Even though Xu Zheng had physically grown up, Ganyu somehow was still producing milk.
To avoid wasting it, Xu Zheng… took care of it.
Ganyu blushed. "W-Wait a bit."
She stood and headed into a "forbidden room" that Xu Zheng wasn't allowed to enter.
What she did in there? No clue. He wasn't about to ask.
But one way or another—coconut milk always came out of it.
…
The next morning, Ganyu submitted Xu Zheng's request.
By that very same morning, Lady Ningguang had already replied.
Her message was brief—just three words:
Come see me.
"Want me to go with you?" Ganyu asked, a little worried.
"Nah, it's fine. Lady Ningguang isn't some kind of monster. I'll go alone."
Xu Zheng's casual reply made Baimei—the messenger—almost drop her fan in shock.
Bro… did you just compare Ningguang to a tiger?
That metaphor? Yeah, Ningguang definitely wouldn't like that one.
"Don't worry. Lady Ningguang's easy to talk to," Baimei said, trying to ease the tension.
Xu Zheng wanted to reply: I'm not nervous at all.
After a long walk, they finally reached Jade Chamber.
Once there, Xu Zheng immediately understood why Ningguang lived so high up.
It's cool!
Even in summer, the altitude kept it breezy. Plus, from a business perspective, the Jade Chamber was pure gold.
Not only did it not lower her standing—it raised it.
Anyone thinking of doing business with her would see: Wow, she built a floating palace? This woman means business.
After weaving through corridors, they finally arrived at Ningguang's office.
When he opened the door, she was sipping a plain milk tea in one hand, while reviewing a document with the other.
As always, Ningguang wore her signature tri-color cheongsam—white, gold, and black—with a phoenix pattern near the collar.
"Oh? You've arrived."
She set her paperwork down and examined Xu Zheng with curious eyes.
Lately, Liyue had been buzzing with stories about this boy.
Plenty of merchants wanted to meet the mind behind milk tea and milkshakes.
As Tianquan, Ningguang had access to more intel than most.
This young man had beaten Chayevich in business, captured rice thieves in the wild, and was now selling flower tea on the side.
Most intriguing of all? His origins.
She'd sent people to investigate—but came up empty-handed.
All she knew was:
He wasn't an adeptus.
Ganyu had found him.
And in just a few months, he'd grown from a literal baby into this.
To Ningguang, the unknown meant opportunity—and profit.
"I hear you want to request a performance area for Xinyan?"
"Yes," Xu Zheng replied.
"You do realize her concerts carry fire hazards? If we allocate a space, who will fund the Millelith to manage it?"
"Part of the concert profits can go toward it. If that's not enough, I'll fund it myself."
"Hah." Ningguang chuckled softly.
"How about this—come up with a profitable idea to exchange for it. Sound fair?"