you heard footsteps approaching from the hallway were you previously entered the cozy living room from. hu tao heard it too and casted her gaze to the door, waiting for it to open.

the door handle got pulled down from the other side and the door got pushed open, revealing a taller male with and elegant and form fitting attire. his outfit consisted of a beige dress shirt, a brown and amber waistcoat, and black gloves with twin silver archer rings on the thumbs

"good evening." he said as he opened the door fully and stepped into the living room. you could immediately see that he was a calm, reserved and polite man by the way he spoke.

his bright amber eyes landed on you and they slightly narrowed, as if he realized something. "a guest? he questioned as he tilted his head from you to hu tao.

"yea! this is y/n." hu tao spoke for you as you had darted your eyes from the taller male to hu tao while she spoke. her smile remained as usual on her face, as if it was a permanent feature.

you looked back at the man and gave him a simple wave as you spoke up, "nice to meet you." you simply said.

the male nodded and folded his arms in front of his chest, his stare remaining on you, "you may call me zhongli." he spoke sternly.

the first thing you noticed was how different he was from hu tao, his expression was more stoic and seemed more mature.

'so this is the man that aether and paimon would meet.' you thought to yourself and remembered.

you nodded at his words, zhongli spoke up again, "it is indeed nice to have guests once in a while." he said as he turned to the opposite side of the living room, making his way to the kitchen.

he stopped as he stood at the counter, his back facing you as he grabbed a nearby book and opened it to read it.

turning around, he leaned his back against the counter and started reading, his eyes glued on the words inside as he held the book with one hand, "please do not mind me, continue if you must." he said in a low voice, reffering to the fact hu tao and you were talking not too long ago.

hu tao didnt hesitate for a second and turned her head straight back at you, speaking up, "what do you want for dinner?" she said as she inched herself a bit closer to you on the opposite couch of where you sat.

"dinner?" you repeated her words and slowly realized what she meant. you furrowed your brows and spoke up, "i dont think i can stay that long." you said as you sheepishly smiled at her.

hu tao cocked her head to the side and gave you a sad look, "aw, then another time maybe?" she said and slowly regained her usual smile again.

"of course, i would love too." you politely replied to her in an instant. the moment she heard you words was the moment you saw sparkles in her eyes, she gave you a closed eyed smile and spoke up too.

"just let me know whenever, ill be working here untill i die!" she said without much bother. you got used to her dead jokes now and smiled with her.

her eyes shot open and she opened her mouth once again, "oh before you go, i have to show you something! she said excitedly, putting emphasis on the word 'have'.

she jumped up from her seat and stood straight in front of the couch, turned to the door and skipped to the hallway, leaving you and zhongli alone in the room.

the moment hu tao dissappeared into the hallway was the moment you heard a book shut, you looked where the sound came from and saw zhongli with a closed book in one hand.

the males eyes remained low and he brought his hand with the book to the counter, laying it down safely.

his bright diamond shaped pupils landed on you, he straightened his stance and slowly made his way to where you sat as he spoke up. "you and i have a contract." he said in a low voice.

the confusion hit you like a truck, you managed to speak one word, "what?" you said as you furrowed your brows, not having an idea of what zhongli was saying.

your fatui instinct kicked in and you were immediately on high alert of this man approaching you. putting both feet steady on the floor and the palms of your hands beside you on the couch, you were ready to run if needed.

he noticed your difference in expression and stance while you remained seated and spoke up, "fear not, i will not bring harm upon you." he said to you, giving you the smallest convincing smile.

you were still alert but contemplated if you should trust him. zhongli made his way to where hu tao was previously sitting and took her seat, now sitting in front of you.

you studied his movements and spoke up, "a contract?" you questioned his words and wanted him to explain what he meant.

"you are from the fatui, are you not?" he said and kept his eyes on your features. you knew beter than to panic at his sudden confrontation but were still shocked nonetheless.

all kinds of thoughts wandered through your mind, questions like 'how does he know?' and 'what is his motive.' putting the thoughts aside, you inhaled deeply and spoke up in your usual calm tone.

"what do you mean?" you said and kept your eyes on him, acting innocent for the sake of your privacy.

he let out a soft laugh and opened his mouth up, "it is okay, childe has told me about you." he said simply, as if it was nothing.

now wondering why childe would tell him something like that, you remained silent and kept your innocent act.

"please fear not, i have my ties with the fatui, y/n." he said in a reassuring way, looking from his body movements and the way he talked, it didnt seem like he was lying.

you remained silent just in case, it wasnt everyday you were suddenly confronted with your secret identity. he sighed and spoke up once more, "i know you are the twelfth of the fatui." he spoke, trying to convince you.

now it was your turn to sigh, "what kind of contract would i have with you." you said in a way of keeping your identity unrevealed but still getting to know more.

"i have made a contract with the tsarista herself." he spoke as he leaned back into the couch, his back hitting the soft material behind him.

it seemed ridiculous to you, that a random male from a funeral parlor was able to approach the cryo archon, let alone make a deal with her highness.

a small smile made its way to your face as you tilted your head to the side, trying not to laugh at his unrealistic attempts of uncovering you, "yea, sure." you said unconvinced, your tone dripping from sarcasm.

zhonglis face remained the same, he had expected this response already. his hand made its way into his pocket, he fiddled with something in his pockets and soon revealed a small tiny piece of some kind of metal to you.

he held the object between his index and thumb, his index finger on the top of the golden rectangular piece and his thumb on the bottom of it, holding it vertically.

"do you know what this is?" he said in his usual calm voice, his eyes darting from the piece in his fingers to you.

you tilted your head back and looked at what zhongli was showing you, your eyes shot open as you noticed what he was holding.

now looking at it with more interest, you noticed it was a chess shaped piece with the geo symbol marked on it.