Seeing Ganyu too embarrassed to respond, Lucas quickly interjected, "We were just having some breakfast milk!"
"Hmph, do you really think I'm stupid?" Xianyun shot Lucas a disdainful look. "Do you think I can't tell when my own cabbage has been nibbled on?"
"Master..." Ganyu's face turned even redder, wishing she could just disappear into the ground.
The scene felt like a newlywed couple waking up and being affectionate, only to remember that the mother-in-law was still staying over.
"Alright, enough. You're young and full of energy, so it's not surprising you'd do something like this," Xianyun said, surprisingly understanding. "But don't get too carried away. Ganyu is half-adeptus, so she can handle it, but you're just a human... your body might not hold up."
"Th-thank you for the advice, Cloud Retainer."
Although her words were well-meaning, Lucas couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed.
It felt like he was being looked down on.
"By the way!" Ganyu quickly changed the subject. "Did you come to see me this early for something?"
"A guest came to visit, and I answered the door," Xianyun replied. "She's waiting in the reception room now. She said she wanted to see both of you. Her name is... Yelan."
Yelan?
Hearing the name, both Lucas and Ganyu were slightly surprised.
Ganyu was surprised because she knew Yelan's identity. This elusive employee of the Ministry of Civil Affairs was rarely seen and kept a low profile. Why would she suddenly come to visit?
Lucas, on the other hand, was surprised because just a few days ago, he had "punished" her in the back kitchen of Wanmin Restaurant. Had she figured out his identity and come to cause trouble?
Both had their own concerns, but Ganyu nodded and said, "Alright, we'll be there soon."
"Don't rush," Xianyun raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want to meet her looking like that?"
Ganyu suddenly realized her current state was quite disheveled, especially her black bodysuit, which was now stained with obvious white marks. She quickly said, "I... I'll change my clothes and be right there."
"Mm," Xianyun nodded, turning to leave while muttering, "This outfit is a bit outdated. I should design a new one for these two sisters soon..."
Once Xianyun was gone, the two let out a sigh of relief. They glanced at each other, and the atmosphere became awkward again as they recalled what had just happened.
"S-sorry..." Lucas said sheepishly. "I couldn't control myself. It's just... the fruit was too tempting."
For some reason, hearing Lucas say this made Ganyu feel three parts shy and seven parts secretly pleased. She shook her head and said, "If it helps relieve your stress... once in a while is fine..."
"Really?" Lucas was overjoyed. "Once a day is fine too?"
"D-don't push your luck! I said once in a while!" Ganyu puffed out her cheeks, her eyes looking innocent. "Once a day? Do you think I'm a coconut sheep or something..."
"Still, thanks to your 'comfort,'" Lucas stood up, a bright smile on his face as he straightened his posture. "I feel so much better now."
"If... if you really become the Tianshu..." Ganyu blurted out without thinking, "I... I'll give you a 'special comfort.'"
"Special comfort?" Lucas was puzzled. "What's that?"
"I-it's... um..." Ganyu hadn't expected to say something so bold and was now flustered and embarrassed. She stuck out her tongue and made a nonsensical but adorable sound: "Lululululu!"
Then, she pushed Lucas out the door, saying, "I... I need to change!"
Standing outside the door, Lucas was still dazed by how cute Ganyu had just been. He muttered to himself, "Well, for that 'lululululu,' I guess I have no choice but to become the Tianshu."
---
Now, let's rewind to an hour earlier.
Jade Chamber.
Ningguang's sleep quality had always been excellent, but today, she woke up in the early hours of the morning and couldn't fall back asleep.
The reason, of course, was the same as the other "victims" who had experienced the simulator's dreams.
Her dream had ended abruptly at the moment of her death from old age.
Though it was just a dream, it had spanned her entire life.
Yet, many of the experiences in the dream felt so real that even after waking up, Ningguang found it hard to calm down.
Especially when she saw the unfinished calligraphy on her desk, she couldn't help but shiver.
In her mind, she recalled the moments when the "Tianshu" had "taught" her calligraphy.
That's right—the "Tianshu" in her dream looked exactly like Lucas!
Given Ningguang's cautious nature, she wouldn't let a strange dream affect her real-life decisions.
But many aspects of the dream were incredibly appealing to her.
Whether it was uniting the seven nations to form the Seven Sacred Alliance centered around Liyue or expanding the Jade Chamber to cover all seven nations, these were dreams Ningguang had been striving for her entire life.
However, she knew that with her current abilities and lifespan, achieving these goals would be extremely difficult.
Just like in the dream, even though Ningguang had methods to maintain her youthful appearance, she was still human and couldn't escape the inevitability of aging and death.
The reason she wanted to support Yelan during this Tianshu election was to increase her influence within the Liyue Qixing, hoping to strengthen Liyue's national power within her limited lifespan.
But in the dream, Lucas had seemed like Rex Lapis himself, propelling Liyue to the pinnacle of the seven nations with unstoppable force!
Perhaps he was the one destined by fate?
So, Ningguang decided to take a gamble.
Unlike Yelan, Ningguang didn't like gambling. She preferred to rely on her own abilities rather than luck.
But this time, she wanted to trust her intuition. She reached into her coin pouch, pulled out a Mora, and muttered to herself, "Let Rex Lapis decide. If it's heads, I'll choose Lucas."