The back kitchen of Wanmin Restaurant.
Two pretty young women were whispering to each other, sharing the secret thoughts of a girl in love.
Hearing Keqing's encouragement, Xiangling felt a flicker of hope bloom in her chest.
Even so, there was still something hollow and uncertain lingering inside her.
"Keqing... do you think Ye Xi could ever like someone like me?" she asked quietly. "I'm nobody special. I'm just a cook..."
As the words left her mouth, Xiangling felt herself shrinking. Keqing was one of the Liyue Qixing — beautiful, capable, and powerful beyond measure. What did Xiangling have to her name besides a talent for cooking?
"What are you saying?"
"You're Madame Ping's precious disciple! You have an Adeptus as your master — doesn't that blow being a run-of-the-mill Liyue Qixing member completely out of the water?"
"Study the adeptal arts and become a legend in Liyue's history!"
Keqing meant every word of it. She was genuinely envious of Xiangling.
Madame Ping was a guardian Adeptus of Liyue! To be accepted under an Adeptus's wing and learn from her directly — what kind of extraordinary fortune did that take?
And who knew — with an Adeptus's legacy to inherit, Xiangling might one day live to a hundred. Or longer. She might even cultivate the adeptal arts and become an Adeptus herself.
Eternal youth. Eternal beauty. Never aging, never fading.
It was the dream of countless women. And Xiangling might actually have a path to it.
Keqing found herself with a small, bitter pang at the thought — imagining herself old someday, no longer doted on, while Xiangling still looked exactly as she did now. It stung, just a little.
Xiangling let out a sigh, her expression falling. "I'm only learning spear techniques from my master... actually cultivating the adeptal arts is something else entirely. That's incredibly rare..."
"Well — even setting aside the adeptal legacy!"
"You just saw it yourself," Keqing pressed on. "That guy went out of his way to bring you perfumed balm. Do you really think someone who does that hates you?"
At those words, Xiangling's eyes lit up. She nodded quickly.
It was true, wasn't it? Ye Xi had promised to bring her spices the last time — and today, he had actually followed through. And on top of that, he had brought her balm.
Didn't that say something? Even if it wasn't quite love yet, it certainly wasn't dislike. Nobody willingly brought gifts to someone they couldn't stand.
Keqing crossed her arms with a satisfied nod. "Besides, Xiangling — you're adorable, and your cooking is incredible. What do you have to be insecure about?"
"If you want to capture a man's heart, capture his stomach first!"
"With your skills, that's practically effortless."
"Hehe..."
Xiangling felt herself floating a little on the praise.
Ever since the Chefs' Championship during the Moon Festival, the two of them had become fast friends. So she knew — Keqing always said what she meant. Every word came from the heart, from someone firmly in her corner.
That warmth settled happily inside her.
"So... Keqing," Xiangling asked with a small smile, "is Ye Xi good to you?"
"Does that even need to be said?"
Keqing immediately planted both hands on her hips, radiating smug satisfaction. "Look at this — tell me what you think!"
She held out her hand — and there, resting in her palm, was a large, pale green orb.
Xiangling's eyes went wide. Her disbelief was written all over her face.
"Eh——!?"
"A Dendro Vision!?"
"Wait — that can't be right! Keqing, yours is Electro! You have an Electro Vision!"
As Keqing's best friend, Xiangling knew her elemental affinity by heart. There was absolutely no way she was wrong about this.
Keqing smiled — a sly, secretive little smile — and reached into her other pocket. "Were you talking about this one?"
And there it was, in her other hand: her original Electro Vision, plain as day.
A gasp rang out from the back kitchen.
Out in the hall, Ye Xi blinked, distinctly curious. What on earth were those two up to in there? Making food and shrieking like that?
"What in the world is going on!"
Xiangling stared, jaw slack, her mind completely blank with astonishment.
One person. Two Visions. How was that even possible? She had never heard of such a thing in her life.
Keqing gave her hair a little toss and planted her hands on her hips. "This is my second Vision. A gift from Ye Xi."
"Ye Xi gave it to you——!?"
"But only the gods can grant Visions!"
Xiangling stepped closer, turning the pale green Vision over in her hands, examining it carefully. It was unmistakable — identical to any ordinary Vision in every way. Not a single difference.
Her mind reeled.
Keqing lifted her chin, positively beaming. "And it's not just me — every single one of that guy's dear wives has a Vision."
"Every single one of them was given out by Ye Xi himself."
That only made Xiangling more confused. "But... Ye Xi doesn't have a Vision himself!"
"Exactly!"
Keqing gave a nod. "He's like the Traveler — he can use elemental power without one."
"The day he defeated Azhdaha, he used three elements — Electro, Dendro, and Anemo, all at once."
"Azhdaha?"
Xiangling blinked. "Who's that?"
"Azhdaha, he's —"
Keqing stopped herself mid-sentence.
A mischievous grin spread across her face. "Actually, the story of Azhdaha isn't the only one. There's also the story of how he became a hero in Sumeru."
"But if you want to hear those stories... you'll have to wait until that guy carries you home first. Then I'll tell you everything, nice and slow."
"Eh——!"
"Keqing, that's awful! You're just dangling it in front of me on purpose!"
Xiangling huffed and crossed her arms in protest — but her eyes were already shining with curiosity.
Keqing stifled a laugh and then put on a very serious expression. "I'll say one small, slightly mean thing about him, just between us — the man is absolutely a hopeless flirt with a wandering heart."
"But he dotes on every single one of us so thoroughly that I can't even find a reason to be jealous."
That was the plain truth.
No woman wanted to watch the person she loved getting close to other beautiful girls. But every time that little pang of imbalance crept in, Ye Xi's affection would come pouring in right behind it — and just like that, the resentment dissolved without a trace.
What replaced it was a deeper fondness. A growing, barely-containable urge to be even closer to him.
Collei and Ayexia had said something like this before. Keqing hadn't quite understood it at the time. But ever since last night — since she had given herself to Ye Xi — she had understood it more and more with every passing hour.
Watching the pure happiness on Keqing's face, Xiangling felt a deep longing stir inside her.
Just looking at Keqing, she could already feel it secondhand. That kind of expression only came from someone who had found something genuinely, deeply good. It wasn't performance. It was real.
Keqing leaned in with a coaxing smile. "So, Xiangling — you need to be a little more proactive!"
"If you come too, I'm sure you'll get a Vision of your own."
"And the atmosphere at home is wonderful — it's warm and relaxed and honestly a little indulgent. You absolutely won't regret it."
Faced with Keqing's relentless enthusiasm, Xiangling felt the strangest urge — to burst out of the kitchen, grab Ye Xi by the collar, kiss him straight on the lips, and just... go home with him then and there.
Fortunately, the last threads of her dignity and her sense of shame held her in place.
"I — I understand!"
"Just let me think about it a little more. I need to calm down first."
At that, Keqing patted her own chest confidently. "Alright — when you've made up your mind, come find me at Yuehai Pavilion!"
"I'll tuck you into a gift box and deliver you to that guy personally on the evening."
Keqing's words made Xiangling go crimson. "Absolutely not! I am not a gift!"
Just as they were talking, the back kitchen door was suddenly pushed open.
A voice drifted in, laced with exasperated amusement. "Excuse me, you two? What happened to cooking? When is the food actually coming out?"
"Eh!?"
The single question made both girls freeze on the spot, equal parts startled and mortified.
They had absolutely no idea how long Ye Xi had been standing there. Or how much he had heard. The guilt was written all over their faces.
"That's strange — why are you two looking so shifty?"
"We're — we're not!"
"Goodness, it's almost done! This is a kitchen — no unauthorized visitors, please!"
Xiangling huffed and hastily tied on her apron, turning to the stove.
Swish, swish, swish —
The cleaver flew. Ingredients became a blur, then a heap of perfectly cut pieces. Her focus was total, her movements practiced and sharp. There was something almost dazzling about watching her work.
In no time at all, every dish Ye Xi had ordered was plated and ready.
Xiangling packed everything carefully, one by one, and handed it all over to Ye Xi. "I made every single one of these with my own hands. Once you've eaten them, you have to tell me what you thought!"
"Be specific — which ones were good, which ones weren't."
"And if something wasn't good, tell me exactly what was wrong with it!"
The sheer earnestness on her face made Ye Xi want to laugh.
This girl was about as subtle as a thunderclap.
Even without Madame Ping saying a word, he had already figured it out. Even Keqing, standing off to the side, had buried her face in her hands.
Ye Xi smiled. "What's this — trying to learn my tastes?"
"Eh!? N-no! I'm not!"
Xiangling stammered, her eyes dropping to the floor, her cheeks burning red. Her thoughts had dissolved into a hopeless tangle.
She had absolutely no idea how he had seen through her.
Was I really that obvious?
The self-doubt crept in before she could stop it.
Seeing how adorable she was, Ye Xi gave a nod. "I can't tonight — I still have dinner with Ningguang."
"Oh, right..."
Xiangling had forgotten all about the banquet. The thought deflated her for a moment — but she rallied quickly, looking back up with fresh determination. "Then come back tomorrow! I'll make you something then!"
"Sure, sure."
Ye Xi smiled. "Then I'll head back for now."
With that, he picked up the packed meals and walked out of Wanmin Restaurant.
A long silence stretched in the kitchen.
"Stop staring — he's gone."
Keqing's voice snapped Xiangling out of her daze. She spun around, face immediately flushing red. "Keqing — was I that obvious just now?"
"Pfft —"
Keqing burst out laughing, throwing her hands up in surrender. "The way you were looking at him — I was starting to think you were about to strip right there in the kitchen!"
"I was not! Stop making things up!"
Xiangling clapped both hands over her face, thoroughly mortified.
"Alright, alright — go get Ningguang's order ready!"
Keqing put her hands on her hips, grinning. "Looking at you right now, I already know the answer."
"Make up your mind soon and come find me. I'll take you home myself."
Looking at Xiangling in this state — utterly, helplessly bewitched — the answer was plain as day.
And just like that, another precious Liyue girl had been found for Ye Xi.
Surely now he wouldn't be leaving Liyue anytime soon.
.......
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