"Did something happen?"
Seeing the furrow between Gong Qu's brows, Keqing couldn't help but grow concerned.
"It's nothing—actually, you could call it good news. Right now, our world is set to Peace Mode. No monsters will appear in the wild for the time being, so we can focus on development."
"But," he added with a touch of regret, "if it stays stuck on Peace Mode and we can't unlock higher difficulties, our progress in advancing this world will be agonizingly slow. Opening the portal to the Genshin multiverse might be a long, long way off."
"There's hope, and that's enough," Keqing said gently. "Whether it's Teyvat or Liyue, none of it feels more real to me right now than you, Ah Qu. As long as you're here, I don't need anything else."
"You're right," he replied. "The future can wait. What matters is the now."
With a sigh, Gong Qu closed the system interface in front of him—the source of his unease—and reached for Keqing's hand. This was what deserved his attention in the moment.
The forest cabin came as part of Gong Qu's starter kit, based on a simple blueprint from a Blue Star mod pack. It had everything one would expect from 21st-century living: kitchen, fridge, electricity. The kind of home that, if not for the voxel art style, might have been mistaken for something real.
Like the tea set he'd found on the coffee table on his first day.
Of course, it still had its Minecraft quirks—like the stove that worked by tossing in a single piece of coal.
"Ta-da! Braised eggplant, ready to serve!" Keqing sang from the kitchen.
Wearing the standard-issue apron, her hair tied in a low side-ponytail resting on her shoulder, she looked every bit the adorable homemaker.
Unlike her, Gong Qu didn't have the benefit of a Vision to summon clothes. Still in his black shirt and summer-weight pants, he'd managed to rinse off and dry quickly after his shower.
"Alright, no need to make more. Come sit and eat," he said.
"What? No way! Only three dishes and no soup? That's not nearly enough!" Keqing glanced at the table—vivid colors, savory aroma, mouthwatering presentation. No, this first meal together had to be perfect. She was determined to leave a good impression as a capable wife-to-be.
Gong Qu chuckled, then gently pressed her shoulders down into a chair. "You've been at it long enough. Let me handle the soup, okay? I've lived alone for over two years—at least let me contribute my one culinary specialty."
"Alright then."
Ten minutes later, a simple tomato and egg soup was served at the center of the table.
Fsshh—
The sound of clinking metal broke the quiet. Two cold beer cans from the fridge tapped together.
"Cheers!" they said in unison.
The Next Morning
Lying in the soft bed, Gong Qu was woken by a stir in his arms.
A fuzzy head poked out from beneath the blanket, revealing a delicate and beautiful face.
"Mmm... morning, Ah Qu," Keqing murmured, rubbing her eyes.
"Morning," he answered groggily.
Well-fed and well-rested, it was only natural they had ended up sleeping together. After a night of passionate effort—even Keqing, who was usually a tireless workaholic—had slept in. Let alone Gong Qu, who never even got up early on weekends.
Seeing his lazy response, Keqing puffed out her cheeks in protest.
Then, with mischief brewing in her eyes, she reached up from where she lay on his chest and plucked a strand of his hair, brushing it teasingly against his nose.
"Ah—!" Gong Qu twitched at the ticklish sensation, jolting awake. He opened his eyes to find Keqing's peach blossom eyes brimming with playful energy.
Sleep fled in an instant.
With a push from his waist, he flipped her beneath him. Her bare back was exposed to the morning air.
Thump thump—
Her heart pounded. "W-What are you doing?! Get off!"
But Gong Qu, half annoyed at being woken and half playful in revenge, didn't let her escape. And since Keqing wasn't really resisting...
He leaned down and captured her lips—soft and sweet like a pudding dessert.
"Mmmph...!"
Half resisting, half yielding—they replayed last night's scene all over again.
An hour later, the bashful sun hid behind the clouds, and the once-bright sky took on a cool, gentle light.
Fully dressed, Gong Qu glanced at the quartz clock on the nightstand.
"It's already 1 p.m."
"Your fault!" Keqing huffed. "Wasting so much time... if we'd gotten up earlier, we could've finished two full iron armor sets by now!"
"No rush. We're in Peace Mode—no monsters, no urgent need for ore. Oh, by the way, Keqing... do you know how to fish?"
"Are you really underestimating a native of Liyue Harbor?"
Right. As someone from a port city, even if she hadn't fished herself, she'd certainly seen it enough to know how.
"Perfect. I found some rods in the recreation room yesterday. Let's use those."
"You mean those tiny sticks under a meter long? What could they possibly catch?"
"You'll see. Those rods are the pinnacle of modern science and civilization!"
"Somehow I doubt that the pinnacle of human advancement is... a fishing rod."
By now, Keqing had come to learn one thing: Gong Qu had a habit of going off on tangents whenever he got excited about something. And she had no intention of letting him off easy.
She rolled her eyes and took on the role of designated snarker, roasting him without mercy.
Ten minutes later, the two of them—armed with rods and a plastic bucket—set out from the forest cabin.
Unlike yesterday, today's journey felt more like a picnic.
With the confirmation that they were in Peace Mode, both of them had relaxed significantly.
"By the way," Gong Qu said, "I remember you being pretty good at grilling fish?"
"Let me guess. You got that from your precious Genshin Impact, didn't you?"
"Yep."
"Tch. It's like I have no secrets left in front of you. Totally unfair!"
He poked her puffed-up cheek with his index finger.
"Want me to tell you a story about how I wet the bed as a kid?"
"Idiot! Who wants to hear that kind of secret?!"
"You said it wasn't fair—so what kind of secret do you want?"
"How many girlfriends have you had?"
Her tone suddenly shifted, and she gave him a death stare.
"Let's see... 25 years old, lived alone, all-boys high school, engineering major in college, construction site grunt after graduation, Genshin nerd, and in love with a 2D character named Keqing!"
His answer came out rapid-fire, full of conviction.
Keqing didn't quite understand all the terms—high school? engineering?—but she could sense one thing loud and clear: this man... had been very alone.
"You... you've really always been on your own?"
For single guys in the 21st century, getting emotionally wrecked often happened just like that—in a single sentence.
Gong Qu had no words.
"Ah—um! Right! I am really good at grilling fish! I'll prove it later!" Keqing flailed to change the subject, realizing she'd stepped on a landmine. She didn't want to hurt his fragile little heart.
Gong Qu chuckled, amused by her awkward pivot, and flicked her nose gently. "Alright then, I want three fish!"
Keqing, infected by his bright grin, smiled back. "Leave it to me!"
Two hours later...
Gong Qu stared at the bucket of pufferfish they'd caught... and fell into deep contemplation.