If Fang Xun could pay her an additional salary, then she'd have money to nurse her health back to normal, too!
Naturally, Ningguang was tempted by a secretary job like this.
But she didn't rush to accept,
because a high income meant she needed to be capable enough to earn it.
Little Ningguang worried she wouldn't be able to handle the job.
"Brother Fang Xun, what you've said sounds really tempting,"
"but, but I'm afraid I'm not capable enough to be your secretary."
Seeing Ningguang wanting to try but not daring to, Fang Xun couldn't help laughing.
"Just looking at the schedule you made, I know you've got what it takes. Trust me."
"Don't worry, I won't give you too much to do. You can relax."
"Besides, I'll be hiring other secretaries after you, so you won't have too much pressure, right?"
Fang Xun's reassurance put Ningguang at ease.
"Then, Brother Fang Xun, I'll be your secretary!"
The Transformation of a Pitiful Little One
What a great deal!
Fang Xun had absolutely struck gold by taking in this little poor thing!
After all,
twenty years from now, merchants would have to spend tens of millions of Mora just to buy a dinner engagement with Ningguang.
And that only bought them her time for one meal.
If they wanted to buy a whole day of her time, the price would be even higher!
Yet Fang Xun had only spent fifty thousand Mora to get Little Ningguang to follow him around like a little shadow.
This investment was definitely worth it!
At least now he'd have a secretary to handle all his tasks...
Just then, Ningguang spoke up. "Then, Brother Fang Xun... Oh, no, Mister Fang Xun, let me show you around Liyue."
Little Ningguang felt that since she was Fang Xun's secretary now,
it would be better to address him more formally.
But the way she said it sounded terribly awkward to Fang Xun.
He replied helplessly, "Ningguang, just keep calling me 'Brother.' I'm really not used to being called 'Mister.'"
Ningguang stuck out her tongue and said playfully, "I'm not used to it either. Then I'll keep calling you Brother. Brother Fang Xun~"
The little girl paused, then looked down at the schedule. "So, Brother Fang Xun, our first stop today is to hear Tian Tiezui tell stories..."
Before she could finish, Fang Xun interrupted her.
"Little Ningguang, I think we should change the location of our first stop."
"Change the schedule?" Ningguang blinked her clear, bright eyes in surprise.
Hadn't Fang Xun said the schedule looked fine before?
She didn't understand why he wanted to change it.
But Fang Xun was her boss now, so she had to follow his instructions.
Little Ningguang took out a sheet of paper, ready to write down what Fang Xun said.
She had no experience as a secretary, but she wanted to do everything as well as she could. She was already starting to look the part.
Seeing Ningguang's confused expression, Fang Xun nodded. "That's right. We're changing our first stop."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Ningguang's coarse cloth clothes and her bare feet.
"We're changing it to buying you clothes and shoes."
Ningguang's mouth fell open in surprise. "Eh??"
The little girl looked a bit dazed.
She still hadn't figured out what was going on.
By the time she came to her senses, Fang Xun had already brought her to a shoe store.
Ningguang looked up at Fang Xun beside her, then shook her head and pleaded, "Brother Fang Xun, this stuff costs a lot of money. Let's forget it."
"I think it's fine not to wear shoes. I've gotten used to it after all these years."
"Besides, you've already been so good to me. I can't let you spend even more money on me!"
Ningguang kept shaking her head, trying to tug Fang Xun by the arm and pull him outside.
But she was only a little girl who hadn't even finished growing up.
How could she possibly pull an adult like Fang Xun?
When Fang Xun didn't budge,
tears welled up in the little girl's eyes.
She looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment.
Looking at Little Ningguang's pitiful expression, Fang Xun didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He knew Ningguang was trying to help him save money,
which was why she didn't want to buy these things.
He'd expected this from the start.
So he crouched down and spoke to her earnestly. "Little Ningguang, as my secretary, you represent my image to some extent."
"It won't do for you to go out with me dressed like this, so I'm going to give you a makeover."
Fang Xun paused, then continued. "And don't put too much pressure on yourself. I'm not giving these things to you for free, and you don't need to repay me for them."
"I'll deduct the cost of today's shopping from next month's salary in advance. How does that sound?"
Other kids would cry and fuss because they wanted new clothes and shoes.
But this little girl was something else.
She was crying and fussing because she didn't want them, and even trying to drag Fang Xun out of the store.
She really was adorably silly.
As she listened to Fang Xun's reasoning, Ningguang slowly calmed down.
If the cost of the things she bought came out of next month's salary, then she could accept it.
Most importantly, Fang Xun was right.
Ningguang was his secretary now, and she'd be going out with him.
She couldn't exactly go around dressed like that.
When Little Ningguang stayed quiet, Fang Xun knew she'd given in.
He smiled, pinched her cheek, then took the little girl by the hand and led her into the shoe store.
"Welcome, you two. What can I help you find?"
The shoe store's manager was a woman dressed in a traditional blue Liyue qipao.
Fang Xun replied naturally, "Help my younger sister find a pair of shoes that suits her."
The manager saw that Fang Xun looked like he had money to spare, and immediately led Ningguang over to look at shoes.
When the little girl looked at shoes, the first thing she checked wasn't their appearance or whether they'd be comfortable.
She checked the price.
Having been poor for so long, she always chose the cheapest things when she went shopping.
Shoes were no exception.
In the end, Fang Xun had no choice but to ask the manager to hide the prices first,
leaving Ningguang to choose based only on the shoes' appearance and comfort.
When the clean, pretty shoes were on her feet, Ningguang felt something she couldn't quite put into words.
As far back as she could remember, she'd never worn shoes.
She'd spent all these years walking barefoot.
So this was what wearing shoes felt like. The ground felt soft beneath her feet, and she didn't have to worry about the stones hurting them.
Ningguang's beautiful eyes turned unconsciously toward Fang Xun, filled with gratitude.
She knew
that Fang Xun was the one who had brought these changes into her life.
This is my first time writing a Genshin fanfic.
There may be some problems in certain places,
so I hope everyone will share their suggestions. I'll write them down in my little notebook and fix them in the future.
I'm also incredibly grateful for everyone's love and support.
Your support is what motivates me to update every day!
This was definitely the work of a master.
After buying Ningguang a new pair of shoes,
Before you continue