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***
Hu Tao shooed them away into her room immediately and closed the doors behind her, leaving the air inside feeling as stagnant and hot as the chamber was outside.
Zhongli once more took a seat on a cushioned chair nearby, crossing his legs at an elegant angle in order to display grace whilst resting comfortably, as he tilted his chin up to focus his attention upon the Director.
"So~ Let's talk business!"
The cheery Director made herself comfortable in a chair in front of him with her arms casually draped across the armrests. A blissful expression upon her pretty features that bordered on smug yet pleasant gleamed forth upon her.
"So~ I've been away for quite a while~ How are the things around here? You guys did not bankrupt my Funeral Parlor, now did you?"
For a few moments, Zhongli noticed a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Director Hu...? What is your goal?" His tone was lighthearted but also serious, holding weight and meaning in it. He was somewhat curious why she didn't bash him out of the parlor when she learned about his true identity a few minutes ago.
He thought she might be angry he was keeping things from her, but that didn't appear to be the case.
"I mean~ you must have lost so much money without me~" She grinned, "I used to run around the city to advertise our beautiful Parlor many times a day! I doubt someone else could do that! But worry not, I'll save the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor from it's debt and get back to work immediately!"
"I do not think you should be worrying about that...From the reports, we've noticed a sudden and enormous spike in profit, right after you've left Liyue, Director Hu..."
Hu Tao blanked out her large red eyes in disbelief, cringing at the blunt statement.
"...I-Is that right..." she murmured, "Nah! You're pranking me, aren't ya! You're pretty good at that, I admit, but right now we should act mature and more serious about this. We must have suffered massive losses~"
"Mm...I am telling the truth. Ever since Director Hu left on your journey to Mondstadt, employees were thinking about expanding our business." He started off, lowering his voice a bit. "That young rascal Meng is of talented mind, and he saw through what he called as 'an inefficient handling' around funeral affairs from your side and handled it accordingly. I consider myself as a being of lesser intellectual brilliance compared to truly exceptional minds like him. He came up with a few solutions that raised our profit, and popularity exponentially, within weeks."
"M-Meng did!? Hey...Old Blockhead...now is truly not time for jokes...Meng is a dummy...there is absolutely no chance he could suddenly get so smart!"
"Do check for yourself, Director Hu."
Zhongli pointed his slender finger towards a stack of papers on the table in front of him.
Hu Tao stood up and ransacked through them.
She examined them closely, her eyebrows knitted together.
"Hmm~ Hm." Her lips pouted in deep thought, flipping through several sheets of legal writings intermingled amongst themselves with vigorous gestures.
Then, looked up at Zhongli with a sour expression atop her pink lips. "People...really no longer need me here, huh... Turns out I was the reason for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's lack of popularity after all..."
Zhongli gazed upon her, not saying anything in particular. He let her think her way through it on her own for a minute or two.
However, Hu Tao didn't need that much time, as she seemed to have already grasped the whole thing.
Hu Tao was really quite dumbfounded by the news, but she always felt deep down that she was the issue.
She assumed the problem lay in the stubborn people who were afraid of disrespecting the old traditions and funerals, but the truth lay hidden beneath all these excuses she held up for herself, and a harsh realization kept mounting up on top of each and every one of them.
"I have decided."
Her knowledge and etiquette for funerals was incomparable to anyone else out there, but still. It was something she simply loved doing, not because she was talented enough or refined enough in it, but because it just represented who she was as a person.
"I'll fully leave the Parlor in the hands of Meng and other capable members. From here on, my plans are quite modest. They are rather basic principles I wish to uphold. Though people continue to fear the bloodstains and death adorning their walls, they don't want decorum... I'll stick to just ceremonies and partings. I'll no longer advertise the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
As though finally realizing her mistakes, her tone was extremely calm and collected.
Zhongli knew she had to be frustrated and deeply saddened at having been cast out as the black sheep despite being the Director of the Parlor, but the results were loud and clear, and she wasn't stupid.
He knew full well there wasn't much use in discussing matters right now, so it was best to switch subject completely.
"Director Hu, there is one topic I wish to inform you about. I would like to request for a temporary leave tomorrow, would that be acceptable with you?"
Hu Tao regarded him curiously for a moment.
"Leave? Tomorrow? Sure." She nodded her head softly, raising her eyebrows. "Ah that's why... Tomorrow is Rite of Descension, isn't it? Are you going to show off your cool dragon form in front of audience?"
Zhongli inclined his head a little to one side, as if considering something, before averting his face a slight amount.
"...Indeed. This Year's Rite of Descension will mark the start of a new era for Liyue."
It seemed like there was something burdening him, although the connotation remained veiled...
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