Hu Tao X Reader || Business Meeting

Hu Tao x Reader || Business meeting

You woke up in a coffin. Again.

You racked your semi-conscious brain and put your hands to the top wall. With all your strength, you pushed the heavy oak lid up, and it wasn't until the deaf knock convinced you that your efforts weren’t in vain.

You closed your eyes when the bright sun struck your eyes. You felt like a vampire taken straight out of romanticism, but after a quick blinking, you got used to the brightness in the room.

"Hey, hey!” you were greeted by a joyful voice as you sat down. "Did you sleep well?"

You looked at Hu Tao, who as usual was dressed in her dark, official outfit. She tied her hair in two ponytails, and put her hat on her head, even if you two were in a room that always was more likely to not have sunlight than it was.

She bowed over the coffin and let you lean against her arm as you stand up.

"Like a dead," you replied with a heavy sigh. You could only guess that you fell asleep while working and by this, you exposed yourself to tricks from Hu Tao. By these pranks, workers either quickly quitted their job, or gained resistance to all obstacles and every joke "funny-until-you-are-victim".

She sent you a snappy smile.

"Excellent. Because today we have a small corporate mission!”

‏‏‎ ‎

Hu Tao has not particularly given you time to prepare.

Less than ten minutes after she disappeared from the vestibule, you were able to dress up for work, wash your face and correct your hair before she showed up again.

You've put up several posters promoting the wangsheng funeral parlor (which will be taken off again by the guards within hours), and palm business cards off on several passersby until you reached a remote building where a young woman was waiting for you.

She quickly signed some of the papers Hu Tao brought with her and promised to come to her in person later, to complete the formalities related to her cousin's death.

Hu Tao was far more relaxed after you left that house.

In the jumps she walked past you, wandering through the uncrowded streets, energetically talking about everything and nothing. Sometimes she got lost in her thoughts for a moment and smiled at her own ideas, which you started asking her about.

"Hehe~ Everything that's going on in my head is a mystery," she gently tapped her fingers about the roundabout of her hat.

As you passed restaurants and food stalls, you were overwhelmed by the smell of all the Liyue delicacies.

Something twisted in your stomach.

On a par with the loud sound your belly made, you realized that you ate nothing today. You left so quickly that you forgot about breakfast. Ha, you couldn't even drink anything!

"Ho, ho," Hu Tao sighed theatrically. "I see that we have to stop and eat something.”

You burned with a juicy blush.

"A-ah, no, no," you protested quickly. "Let's finish what we have to do first. I'll eat something when we're done with work.”

"Come on, it’s my treat!" she clung to your arm and forced you to follow her. "Or rather... I haven't had the opportunity to have someone as my official taster for a long time!”

You found yourselves in the kitchen.

Hu Tao, almost all in the flour, which she had been brushing off from her dark outfit for the last fifteen minutes, took the dumplings out of the oven. She had to be inspired by a dish from Wanmin Restaurant, but she made them far quicker than anyone else who ever prepared dumplings.

Several of them were put on a plate and with a loud "bon appétit!", she placed them in front of you.

"They look... suspicious,” you glanced at the dumpling and came to the conclusion that they all look... very pale, even for a dumpling.

"I'd like to say you don't have to eat it. But I want you to try them," she used the chopsticks to pick up a dumpling from the plate and pressed it into your mouth. She covered them with her hand so that you wouldn't spit it out and watch as you chewed her culinary work precariously. "And how is it?"

You grunted when you felt how an extremely slippery dumpling was being swallowed by you.

Although you could not say that it was so bad.

Something just... was off. Maybe not enough spices? Or some strange ingredient in the stuffing?

"It's good," you replied. "I guess.”

"You sound very convincing," she said, giggling quietly. She seemed very proud of these dumplings. "I see that cooking is another of my hidden talents.”

You didn't answer, but you smiled gently.

Being indifferent while spending some time with her was... impossible.

‏‏‎ ‎

On the table was placed a pot of hot black tea.

In addition to decorative cups with patterns that evoke plum flowers, the pile of cards grew on the countertop every minute. Soon Hu Tao threw the last card she had in her hands and smiled triumphantly.

"I won!" she scooped the cards off the table and deftly began to shuffle them. A few of them fell out of her hands, but she quickly collected them and began handing them out between the two of you.

This was the eighth round of the card game she presented to you less than two hours ago. Throughout the game she seemed to give you forums, but as soon as you got to the end, she showed her mastery skills and within minutes made up for what you collected the whole twenty minutes.

Although you'd like to win with her, you were not particularly angry with that. Because you two were talking a lot, you mostly didn't notice the key moves you could make. It wasn't until you put another card down that you noticed your mistake, and Hu Tao, with a too-sweet and teasing smile, reminded you that you can't undo your moves.

What a stupid game.

With resignation, you have brought together a newly shuffled card tray.

"So that's what your corporate meetings look like, hmm?" You asked, propping up your chin with your hand and browsing through your new options.

"That’s weird to call date a business meeting," she replied, throwing another card on the table.

"Huh?" you shivered, almost biting your tongue in surprise. "So, it was a date?"

"Wasn’t it?" she said surprised. "Don't think I treat every employee like that. You are the exception," she hesitated, and for the first time in a long time raised her eyes from above the cards and looked at you. You couldn't tell what feelings were painted on her face. Gratitude? Joy? Love? In any case, it made you feel such strange, pleasant warmth... “But if so... How about another "corporate meeting", [Name]? You know, you have to take care of your customers, but you need to take care of your loyal employees even more.”

You were sure she had invented it just now, but...

"I shouldn't say no to my boss, shouldn't I?" you answered with a smile that she returned with big grin.

"Surely!"

I love your writing so much and I need to thank you. Your "how to win the heart of" series actually helped me accept my crush on someone close to me and to build up the courage to confess. We are now a couple. Thank you a lot. I hope you do well in life.

Ohh—! Congratulations! I'm glad I could be a help (even if it was a type of passive help, haha!)

And, also thank you for sending this message—reading it was a striking experience in a very positive way. Very wholesome. Thank you!!

I wish you a great life!

Good things come to those who wait until midnight...

harfanfare · haru · idia shroud's ladylove · writer · twst and khr are messing with my heart since · · · forever · · ·

Status: Requests are closed, because Haru is crying over unanswered asks.

Requested: How to win a heart of: Lilia Vanrouge? Jade Leech? Ruggie Bucchi? Ace Trappola? Cater Diamond? Idia Shroud?

(masterlist under the cut!)

◇ ──── How to win a heart of series ──── ◇

Leona Kingscholar

Malleus Draconia

Floyd Leech

Jamil Viper

Riddle Rosehearts

Rook Hunt

Azul Ashengrotto

Trey Clover

Jack Howl

Vil Schoenheit

Epel Felmier

◇ ──── Twisted Wonderland ──── ◇

Unique Kisses: Heartslabyul! Savanaclaw! Octavinelle! Scarabia! Pomefiore! Ignihyde! Diasomnia! Rollo, Che'nya, Neige! Honest Fellow!

The ball at NRC || Vice dorm leaders

When your Prince Charming arrives || First Years

Pomegranate Rule || Idia Shroud

Snow White and Juliet || Neige Leblanche

Dense in love || Vil x Oblivious?Reader

Rhythm || Rollo Flamme

◇ ──── Genshin Impact ──── ◇

Target: Tartaglia „Childe” || Childe x Reader

Business Meeting || Hu Tao x Reader

Glaze Lilies || Aether x Reader

Heart Competition || Kaeya x Reader and Diluc x Reader

kofi · · · ?

Hi :)) i asked for the jack one and im fine with waiting, take the time you need 💖

Thank you so much!!

It puts a great weight off my heart.

I hope once I write your request, you will like it!! 💕

i like your writing a lot. the kaeya diluc one has really impressed me,, i hope to write like you some day

Oh, thank you for your kind words!

However, I believe - no, I know - that there is still a long way to get myself to the point where I would like myself to be. And I think you should be aiming higher as well!

I wish us both good luck and having fun with writing, Anon! ⭐

When your Prince Charming arrives || First Years x Reader

What if someone from RSA seemed to be your dreamed lover?

Ace Trappola

It isn’t easy to make Ace seriously worried, about something that wasn’t caused by his friends, wanting to get revenge on his poor—as they defined them—jokes.

From the first sight he knew, that a boy, who “accidentally” bumped into you, was a danger. Some kind of.

He seemed just… too perfect: tall, muscular, with beautiful hair and natural charm, charisma. His clothes complemented the colour of dark as cosmos eyes, and his manners were impeccable. Ace started doubting that even Vil Schoenheit himself could point out anything to him, but he wouldn’t bet on his arm.

With each trait, something was pushing Ace away from the boy more and more.

If he hasn't paid much attention to him, then you definitely did. By the time the day was over, you managed to tell him ten times how he helped you get up—"You fell because of him," Ace replied while rolling his eyes—and characterized the boy verbally, so that no teacher would complain about not enough words on your opinion essay.

“Agh, enough-!” Ace got upset when, even while playing cards, you didn't talk about anyone else but that handsome hero who helped you get up faster than Ace did. He got up from the floor. “Marvel at him in his face! He will certainly want to hear all these compliments in person.”

He stormed out of the room before you could stop him.

His arms were shaking once he got out of the dorm, to the Rose Maze. He emanated with anger and grief; he swore to himself, that he will kick this guy from RSA the time he sees him. Though he wasn't sure... would you be mad at him...?

“Wait, Ace!” you had to run as fast as you could to catch up with the boy and bump hard into him. You hugged his waist tight, worried that he would run away as soon as you loosened your grip. “Sorry. I really didn't mean to upset you.”

Ace turned around to see your eyes. The corners of his mouth quivered before twitched into a weak smile.

"It's alright," he said, but his voice slowly cracking. “The better one wins, right?”

"Of course," you tightened your embrace so that your cheek was pressed tightly against Ace's body. “I won't be with any guy who can't destroy a chandelier with friends.”

The boy took a deep breath before finally wrapping his arms around you.

The warmth he felt from you and the one inside him caused a strange feeling in his stomach and chest. He didn't know exactly what he felt, but he didn't mind at all.

“Out of my advantages, you chose this particular one?” He said, his face showing a mischievous, a bit mocking, but still friendly smile. "I guess it was at the top of such a long list as ‘Advantages of Ace’"

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎

Deuce Spade

Deuce didn’t know what feeling was responsible for twisting his stomach, once he saw you and a boy from RSA, introducing him to some NRC classes.

Does his dark, rebellious side finally want to see the light of day?

Not as much as he wanted to hit that boy, he’d rather preferred to take you somewhere far away from him. From everybody.

“Someone's jealous!” Ace laughed when Deuce told him about his worries.

“Again, why did I come to you with this...?” The dark-haired man sighed, placing his hand on his hair and tightening it tightly. "You really think I'm, uh, jealous?"

“And not?” Ace tucked his hair back, laced the fingers of his hands together, and blinked several times. “Oh! My hero!” He said in a squeaky voice. “I will have to give up my lovely Deuce for you because you helped me up. A~aah!”

Deuce snorted and slapped Ace on the forehead. He fell onto the bed. The redhead burst out laughing as he looked at the nervous, sulking Deuce.

“Go Deuce,” he said, sitting down on the bed, still with an amused sparkles in his eyes. “Fight!”

Without waiting for any further words of encouragement, Deuce ran out of the room, towards the school. He went through all important, busier spots in the school before he found you in the cafeteria.

Of course, with that RSA guy.

He felt his body tighten like a tight string as you spotted him between the heads of the other students and waved at him.

"This is Deuce, my boyfriend," you introduced the boy to your dinner companion, and the dark-haired man looked away. So what if you guys were dating for months? The title "boyfriend" always made his heart run wild. “And this is [Boy's Name], a student from RSA.”

"Nice to meet you." Deuce reached out his hand and squeezed the boy's hand. He did it with such force that you could almost hear the crunch of bones and a soft gasp as the student jerked his hand away. “Now, I'm so sorry, but I have to take [Name] with me.”

He felt a twinge of guilt as you walked away, and the RSA boy was massaging his hand. However, now-not-yours prince charming will definitely go to the nurse, and on the way, he will surely run into one of the most beautiful students in NRC. It’s always like that in fairy tales.

You have to fight for your true love, right? They both have to find and keep the love of their lives.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Epel Felmier

Just give him a chance, and he'll definitely try to kick that fop in the knee so hard he won't get up again.

"Fight fire with fire," Vil advised him during their usual dinner at Pomefiore. Even though Epel had said nothing about his worries, Vil could still sense a depressive aura from him that was definitely ‘not beautiful’.

The Pomefiore leader was also not very happy with the arrival of some students from the RSA. But until they were more beautiful than he was—not that anyone like that existed—their presence did not irritate them that much.

Of course, you didn't forget about Epel—you felt so drawn to your new acquaintance's aura that you sometimes lost track of time, but you make sure not to skip your meetings.

He felt like a pawn in a game of chess, not a player. He was attractively dressed, and now standing next to that RSA boy who had attracted your attention all too often. He took you with him a lot, that one day he almost offered to take you with him to the RSA. It would only require some paperwork, wouldn't it?

“[Name]” Epel turned to you, his voice trembling with anxiety and anger. He took a deep breath but didn't feel any cooling down. “The final decision will always be yours. But I want to say something about it here.” He pointed at the visitor and glared at him.

He felt a sudden need to straighten his hair and his clothes as silence fell around him. All the witnesses waited for his next move, and even though no one was saying anything, he felt like he was the new hot topic of gossips.

He went over to you and locked you in a hug as if he didn't want to watch all those onlookers.

"I know you may not believe me, but I really am not sure if he can bring you the happiness you expect," he blushed here. “I-I mean… I don't know if I can offer you a life only filled with happiness you want, but… I will try… So, uh, please don't go with him…!”

“Huh? There's no way I'm going with him,” you said, tearing away from him. "I'm addicted to apples and a certain apple boy, and I won't survive without this combination."

Epel breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his cheeks flush with shame, and memories of words that even sounded too serious for him.

Even though he felt terrible in this elegant garment, he couldn't think of it as his feelings exploded in his body.

Ah, yes. He couldn't want to love anyone else that much.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Jack Howl

Jack never wanted to stop at anything other than "true love".

When you two started dating, he saw no other way than planning his future with you... But this RSA guy was never included in your plans.

"He's joining us," you told your new friend, pointing at Jack. He had his arms crossed and he was at least a head taller than the boy, so the boy had to raise his chin to see Jack's ears. “He offered to help us with cleaning.”

"Ah, yes," [Boy's Name] cleared his throat, trying to remain indifferent. He felt overwhelmed by Jack's presence and Jack made no effort to make it easier for him. Because what was he supposed to do? Squat down so that he doesn't feel trapped like surrounded by tall rocks? "We'll definitely need someone strong."

Everything went very agile and neat.

Even if you and the RSA student previously thought it would take a long, long time, in half an hour you managed to do more than you were allotted to. Maybe it's because your loved one didn't allow too long conversations between you and [Boy's Name]?

It would certainly have been hours if the two of you were left for each other. Ideally, a lot of time to make another appointment, exchange phone numbers, cancel your joint vacation plans with Jack and change your school, right?

“Thank you for your hard work” you put the broom in the storage box. Cleaning with magic was definitely simpler and easier, but as long as you can clean, magic can feel a little sloppy while comparing the cleanliness of rooms.

"Thank you for your hard work," [Boy's Name] replied, dusting his hands of the fluff. "Maybe... you'd like to go together, just the two of us," he stressed the last words, "to the cafe?”

"I'm sorry," you smiled apologetically. You looked at Jack who was just coming back and started walking towards him with a smile on your face. “You may not see it, but this one needs a daily dose of hugs because later he will be very sad.”

Jack silently denied as he turned his head to the side out of intimidation as you hugged him tightly.

… For moments like this, the existence of people like [Boy's Name] is needed.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Sebek Zigvolt

“We need your assistance, [Name]” just after taking the left corridor, Sebek appeared in front of you and a student from RSA. The green-haired man had a stoic expression and his hands were behind his back, what made him seem much more composed than he thought himself. There was so much going on in his head that it would be easier to talk about what he wasn't thinking about. “It's urgent.”

Without further ado, he grabbed your wrist, knocking the RSA student's hand off your shoulder. He gave him a frightening look before he turned on his heels and you and you walked far, far away from this place.

"Hey, Sebek," you broke the silence that had been with you since you stepped out into the uncrowded corridor. “Something happened?”

“What do you mean?” He replied in a gruff voice and picked up the pace.

"For example," you panted, trying to keep up with him, "you're almost crushing my hand."

As if on cue, Sebek immediately let you go, doing it as quickly as if he had touched hot coal. With a surprised look, he glanced at your wrist, which turned slightly red from his tight grip.

"Ah, uh, forgive me," he muttered, rubbing his temple. "I still feel sick to see that human from the Royal Sword Academy."

“You mean [Boy’s Name]?” you asked, and Sebek made a face at his name. For him, this boy will always be "human" in the worst tone and sense of the word. "Some have described him as ‘so sweet that he is so bland’”

“It suits him.”

“You don't like him too? Too cute by Diasomnia standards?” you guessed jokingly. “Or were you jealous, hehe?”

“T-that's not the point!” He growled, feeling his face flush red. You looked at him in shock, now sure, you guessed it, and Sebek felt even more exposed by it. "It's just that this human looked at you so... so strange! I didn’t not like this.”

"There is a way," you said, smiling frivolously at him. “You can invite me to tea and vice versa, and then we will not see him anymore.”