Genshin Impact: My villain system is a little different.

Jean Gunnhildr was a responsible and certified knight, but not particularly qualified as an Acting Grand Master. Due to taking on all of Mondstadt's affairs herself, she had fallen ill. This happened right when Eula was being collectively attacked by others.

The end result was that Eula Lawrence, her good friend and the valued Spindrift Knight, was stripped of her title and expelled from the Knights of Favonius. Now that Jean knew about it, it was too late... Eula had already been seamlessly recruited by Liyue.

As for suspecting Liyue's involvement... it seemed impossible. They wouldn't risk damaging the centuries-old good relationship between Liyue and Mondstadt just for Eula.

After resting for several days, Jean finally woke up. Though not fully recovered, she decided to take a walk to clear her troubled mind. That's when she saw her sister Barbara holding hands with Jiang Ning, even embracing each other.

How improper! When did they get together?!

Though they lived separately due to their parents' divorce, as an older sister, Jean still secretly looked after Barbara.

So Jean made a decision that went against the knights' principles - to follow them.

However, even at her peak condition, tracking Jiang Ning would have been difficult. In her current weakened state, it was nearly impossible.

Jiang Ning immediately noticed the sneaking knight maiden but didn't expose her. He properly escorted Barbara home and prepared to leave.

"I should get going now, get some rest," Jiang Ning said.

He tried to withdraw his hand, but Barbara held it tightly.

"Barbara?"

Jiang Ning was surprised.

"Would... would you like to come up for a while?" Barbara asked with a blushing face.

Jiang Ning: "...No, thanks."

The piercing gaze from behind seemed to warn him that if he dared go up, she would immediately return with the Aquila Favonia to knock on the door.

"I see..." Barbara said disappointedly, but continued, "Then, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Jiang Ning waved at Barbara before turning to leave. Barbara stood at her doorway until Jiang Ning's figure disappeared from sight before reluctantly going inside.

At the plaza near the Statue of The Seven, Jiang Ning sat down on a bench, looking at the ruins of the statue surrounded by barriers and repair preparations.

"You can stop following me now, Acting Grand Master Jean."

Jean didn't emerge; only the sound of wind could be heard.

Jiang Ning wasn't in a hurry. After all, he now had the authority of Barbatos in Mondstadt, and the wind itself would tell him everything.

After a while, Jean seemed to grow impatient and walked out with a complicated expression, standing before Jiang Ning.

"Have a seat," Jiang Ning patted the empty space beside him.

"About you and Barbara..." Jean sat down but hesitated to continue.

"About Barbara... well, I'm not sure myself. She seems to have feelings for me, but I haven't done anything. It's not my fault," Jiang Ning said in a way that Jean found quite irritating.

Jean took a deep breath and said, "Barbara is still young, you..."

She opened her mouth but didn't know how to continue.

"Come on, Barbara isn't that young anymore. These things are bound to happen, and you need to learn to let go," Jiang Ning said meaningfully.

Jean felt confused - she hadn't even said anything yet, how did the conversation jump to letting go?

"You... I... Barbara... she... nevermind, I don't even know what to say anymore. Just don't treat Barbara badly," Jean said, deflated.

Her fever hadn't fully subsided, and with her mind unclear and Jiang Ning speaking cryptically, Jean could only give up.

"Don't worry, Barbara is my friend," Jiang Ning said. "See? I helped her deal with Albert today, didn't I?"

He had announced himself as Barbara's boyfriend today. If anyone dared to harass Barbara tomorrow, he would come and teach them a lesson.

After all, if someone stalked a person who was already in a relationship, that would be challenging their partner.

A beating would be getting off lightly - in Jiang Ning's view, they should be turned into half salt statue, half geo statue.

"Let's not talk about Barbara anymore. How are you feeling?" Jiang Ning asked.

Jean replied, "Better... but if I hadn't been so weak, Eula wouldn't have..."

Jiang Ning interrupted: "Stop right there. Even if you had been healthy, with your hesitant attitude towards these parasites, Eula being forced to leave would have been inevitable."

Jean was taken aback: "Surely not..."

Jiang Ning said, "It would have. If you don't believe me, ask Lisa. Also, has Kaeya told you that the Qixing are already dissatisfied with the goods coming from Mondstadt? You should reorganize the Knights of Favonius properly once you're better."

Jean's expression turned troubled, her illness-paled face making the knight maiden appear more fragile.

"I understand..." she said softly.

"Well then, I'm heading back. Get some rest. See you," Jiang Ning stood up and added, "Oh right, Mondstadt's... efficiency is really low. The Statue of The Seven collapsed almost a year ago, and you're just now starting the foundation? Do you want us from Liyue to send people to help? In Liyue, this project would only take half a year."

With that, Jiang Ning left without looking back, leaving Jean staring at the broken statue, lost in thought.

...

When Jiang Ning returned to Eula's home, Amber had already left.

Havria was nowhere to be seen.

Eula sat nervously in the living room.

Her appearance was very different from usual. Previously, even at home in Liyue, whenever she left her room, Eula would wear her knight's uniform or formal attire.

She always maintained an air of dignity and nobility.

But now, Eula wore a blue chiffon dress that accentuated her dramatic waist-to-hip ratio. The bodice was so well-fitted that one might worry whether the buttons could hold. Below the skirt hem, her pristine feet showed only delicate ankles, creating an enticing contrast with the blue fabric.

She had removed her headband, and her smooth blue hair was tied in a simple ponytail that fell to her chest.

"Your hairstyle is dangerous!" Jiang Ning thought.

"Eula, what's all this..." Jiang Ning asked, momentarily stunned by her shy beauty, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

"Sister Lia said I should try changing my style, as a way to change my mood... Does... does it look good?" Eula's voice was soft, lacking her usual confident demeanor, more like a shy young girl.

"You look beautiful. Someone as pretty as you looks good in anything," Jiang Ning said.

Eula huffed and turned her head, still embarrassed. Jiang Ning found this side of her incredibly cute.

"Are you hungry? Or do you want to rest? I'll... I'll prepare... um, would you like dinner first or a bath?" Eula asked, feeling very uncomfortable with this unfamiliar behavior.

Jiang Ning paused: "Isn't there another line that follows?"

Eula looked confused: "What other line?"

"Well, that's an Inazuman saying... It usually goes 'Would you like dinner, a bath, or... me?' It's typically said by new brides to their husbands."

At these words, Eula's face turned bright red: "What... what are you saying?!"

Jiang Ning said: "Well, you're the one who asked... Anyway, did Sister Lia put you up to this?"

Jiang Ning figured if he teased her any further, Eula might draw her sword.

"No... no, it was my own idea..." Eula said, her wandering eyes clearly giving away her lie.

"I'll take a bath... I'm a bit tired, not hungry," Jiang Ning said, choosing not to expose her lie.

Eula quickly nodded: "Oh... okay... I'll... I'll go prepare the water..."

While filling the bathtub, watching the hot water level gradually rise, Eula recalled what Havria had told her earlier that day.

...

"Sister Lia, why did you want me to stay?" Eula had asked confusedly when they returned home.

Havria said, "Eula, there are some things I want to discuss with you... You like Jiang Ning, don't you?"

Eula blushed, flustered and guilty: "No... not at all."

"You don't need to hide it from me, I can tell," Havria said.

Though she had no personal experience, Havria had observed many love stories among her people.

"Don't try to hide it. Be direct - being tsundere is outdated now."

After a long silence, Eula finally whispered, "Yes... a little."

Her voice was soft, but loud enough for Havria to hear.

"Since you like Jiang Ning, there are some things you should know. Or rather, you should stop deceiving yourself."

"Jiang Ning is an exceptional person, or rather, an Archon. This means he won't have just one person by his side in the future."

"Even now, he has Ganyu and Shenhe... One is an illuminated beast with celestial blood, the other is walking the path of adepti and will likely become an immortal. Both are incredibly beautiful and wholly devoted to Jiang Ning."

Hearing this, Eula's eyes dimmed: "I'm just an ordinary person..."

Havria said, "That's not what I mean. If you end up with Jiang Ning, his masters and senior martial siblings definitely won't let him send away those already by his side. Therefore, walking the path of immortality will be inevitable for you."

"However, what I want to say is that Jiang Ning won't have just one person by his side. If you can't accept this, you should leave before you fall deeper."

Having previously given Eula a sense of urgency, and now playing hard to get, Havria felt she was helping Jiang Ning minimize potential future jealousy issues...

Shouldn't they be thanking Sister Lia?

Hesitation and struggle flashed across Eula's face, but ultimately turned to determination.

"I won't leave Jiang Ning. I'm mentally prepared for this, don't worry, Sister Lia."

Lia was delighted internally but maintained a neutral expression: "Since you're prepared for this, I won't say more. I hope you'll be happy in the future."

"But Sister Lia, will Jiang Ning's senior sisters... accept me?" Eula asked anxiously.

"Of course they will. Don't worry, you've met Shenhe and Ganyu in Liyue, haven't you? They're both wonderful people and won't deliberately make things difficult for you."

Havria continued, "Also, don't try to become completely submissive for Jiang Ning... You have your own charm, you know? Sometimes you need to create some gap moe - that's key to winning affection..."

Though lacking practical experience, they could still give advice to their competitors.

Eula listened attentively: "Mm-hmm."

And that led to Eula's current state.

She only snapped back to reality when she heard water overflowing from the bathtub.

Quickly adjusting the water temperature and level to something suitable, Eula walked back out.

"The bath is ready," she said.

Jiang Ning nodded: "Got it, thanks for your trouble."

With that, he took his clothes and walked into the bathroom.

Hearing the splashing sounds from the bathroom, Eula's mind couldn't help but imagine what Jiang Ning looked like while bathing.

Although she had been around when Jiang Ning bathed in Liyue, she had only ever seen him after his bath, with his flushed face.

She had never experienced being able to hear the bathing sounds so clearly.

Eula finally understood why in novels, protagonists would feel hot when their love interest was bathing.

Because these sounds could make one imagine the specific scene!

Eula pinched her thigh, trying to calm herself down.

Havria silently appeared: "Eula, don't be nervous, these days will become routine... Also, I think you should follow my advice and take advantage of being in Mondstadt, where there's no competition, to make Jiang Ning yours first."

"At least then you'll be on equal footing with Shenhe and Ganyu."

Faced with Havria's encouragement, just thinking about it made Eula's legs feel weak.

She bit her lip and said:

"Let me think about it... I'll... consider it..."

Havria was exasperated: "If you keep 'considering,' by the time Ganyu and Shenhe's children are old enough to run errands, you still won't have made your move..."

Eula kept her head down, lost in thought.

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