Rover sighed helplessly, "This is really exhausting."
Jinhsi shrugged and smiled faintly, "For Jinzhou, it's nothing."
Changli smiled softly, "Speaking of which, Jinhsi, when do you plan to find a suitable partner?"
Rover immediately tensed up at these words, only to hear Jinhsi shake her head slightly, "It's still too early to talk about such things..."
Rover let out a quiet sigh of relief, but Changli continued, "I think Lucian is quite a good match. By the time he returns from his travels abroad, Jinhsi, you'll probably be at the right age for marriage, won't you?"
Rover: "?"
Jinhsi's face flushed slightly, "This... who can say for sure about the future? We should focus on the present."
Seeing this, Changli chuckled, "So it seems Jinhsi does have quite a fondness for Lucian..."
Lucian let out a mournful sigh, "Changli, are you trying to get me killed faster?"
Changli gently kissed Lucian's forehead, "If love between two lasts long, why must they be together day and night?"
"Building a strong emotional foundation with Jinhsi now means that even if you're apart for a time, you'll surely come together in the future, won't you?"
Rover: "?"
Jinhsi's face turned red, " Teacher!"
Rover snapped angrily, "How dare you try to steal him right in front of me?!"
Rover put down the documents in her hands, grabbed Lucian, and started dragging him away on the spot.
Changli smiled faintly from behind, "Rover really is quite insecure. But with so many admirers around Lucian, as the saying goes, 'blocking is worse than guiding.' Instead of clinging to him and making everyone miserable, why not loosen up so everyone can be happy..."
Rover: "???"
Lucian, tears in his eyes, hugged Changli's leg tightly, "Changli, you truly understand me!"
Rover, furious, pointed at Changli with a delicate finger, "You!... As expected of Jinzhou's counselor—such silver-tongued eloquence!"
She yanked Lucian by the collar and dragged him away.
After the two left, Jinhsi asked in confusion, " Teacher... why did you do that?"
Only then did Changli have the chance to explain the agreement she had previously made with Rover.
Jinhsi fell into thought after hearing it, "So Teacher also likes Lucian..."
"But if Rover regains her memories later and Lucian returns to settle in Jinzhou, wouldn't Rover definitely come back with him?"
Changli shook her head slightly, "Given their bond, Rover would undoubtedly follow him back—unless something unexpected happens."
"This is just a delaying tactic to prevent Rover from monopolizing Lucian. It also ensures that even if Lucian is in other regions, he'll frequently return to Jinzhou."
Jinhsi blinked blankly, "I've never seen this side of Teacher before..."
Changli smiled and patted Jinhsi's head, "Someone like Lucian should be shared by everyone..."
...
"Huh? Isn't that Zhezhi?"
Lucian and Rover were strolling through Jinzhou City when they suddenly noticed a large crowd of citizens gathered ahead, with Zhezhi standing awkwardly in the middle.
As they approached, they saw a middle-aged man seemingly giving Zhezhi a hard time.
"This painting is too bland in color, lacking impact."
The middle-aged man was dressed rather elaborately, his eyes filled with greed and disdain.
Lucian glanced at the painting—it depicted a panoramic view of Jinzhou City, with a black-haired man in the foreground facing the city at dawn, his back turned to the viewer.
The perspective seemed familiar—it might have been the view of Jinzhou from the pavilion in Taoyuan Vale...
Zhezhi quickly waved her hands nervously, "Th-this painting isn't for sale... Sir, if you'd like to buy a painting, you can look at these over here..."
The man cut her off, his voice dripping with contempt, "Not for sale?"
He looked Zhezhi up and down, "You small-time artists always have some lofty principles. Let me tell you, these are just commodities—how can there be anything 'not for sale'?"
"I'm buying this painting today—5,000 Shell Credits!"
Zhezhi froze, "F-five... thousand...?"
Her usual paintings sold for at least 30,000 Shell Credits, let alone a piece like this, which wasn't even for sale.
The man continued mockingly, "5,000 is already the highest price this painting could fetch. No one would even glance at it for more! You should be grateful I'm offering this much!"
The crowd around them chimed in, "Yeah, exactly."
"Don't be ungrateful, little girl."
Lucian glanced around speechlessly—were these people all plants hired by that man?
Zhezhi looked at her painting, titled Dawn, and mustered unexpected courage to retort, "Sir, please stop causing trouble. This painting is not for sale—no amount of money will change that!"
The man, seeing her defiance, paused before suddenly laughing, "Oh—I get it. You're trying to drive up the price, aren't you?"
"You shady little artist, playing games with me? You're just a scammer! Everyone, let's wreck this con artist's stall together!"
The crowd instantly surged forward, trying to destroy the display, while the man stood in the middle, smirking coldly.
But in the next second, a powerful wind field erupted from the ground, lifting everyone into the air and suspending them at its peak.
"Ahhh—what's happening?!"
"Help! I can't fly...!"
"Let me down, let me down! I admit it—this skinflint put me up to it!"
Zhezhi blinked in surprise, then looked ahead to see Lucian and Rover smiling at her.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Lucian had secretly placed a Windfield Generator on the ground earlier. The thing's stealth capabilities were truly impressive.
Zhezhi's face flushed as she stammered, "L-Lucian, Intelligence Officer..."
Just then, Ma Xiaofang arrived with several patrol officers.
Lucian deactivated the Windfield Generator, and the group, led by the middle-aged man, crashed to the ground.
"Ow—my butt—!"
The man clutched his backside, glaring around furiously, "Who?! Which bastard did this?!"
But Chixia stepped forward, flashing her badge, "You've violated public disturbance laws and are suspected of coercive sales. You're coming with us."
The man's face paled, "P-patrol officers...!"
As the group was hauled away, Chixia cheered, "Lucian, you're really my lucky charm!"
"No time to chat—I know this guy. He's pulled this stunt multiple times. We'll make sure they pay."
With that, Chixia eagerly escorted the offenders away.
Zhezhi, still blushing, hugged her painting and approached, "L-Lucian, Rover... thank you."
Lucian patted her head gently, "As long as you're safe. These paintings..."
Zhezhi, her face burning, handed him the artwork, "This one's for you, Lucian..."
Lucian took it reflexively, "For me?"
He looked at the painting—it was the same Dawn that had been "not for sale."
"And... and also..."
Adjusting her gold-rimmed glasses and noticing the curious onlookers, Zhezhi quickly tugged Lucian's sleeve, leading him to a secluded corner.
Just as Lucian was about to ask why, Zhezhi hastily removed her white stockings, too embarrassed to meet his eyes, "Th-these... are for you too..."
Lucian: "???"
Rover, who had just caught up: "???"