When there are more people, eating together feels more delicious.
Especially when someone is fighting over the food, even if it's not tasty, others will find it a bit more flavorful.
"Wait, don't snatch mine, Hu Tao!"
"Oh, Venti, aren't you drinking? You don't need to eat, right?"
"Damn it, even if I'm drinking, I need some snacks to go with it!"
"No, Venti, why are you drinking again? I don't remember ordering any alcohol!"
"Hehe, I secretly ordered this just now. A small drink shouldn't be a problem, right~"
...
The gathering was very lively and chaotic, and just one meal attracted countless people's attention.
Others had already finished two or three tables and left, but Xavier's group was still gorging themselves.
It wasn't that these people ate too much, but because there were too many people, the eating process became longer.
"Phew, finally finished~"
Xavier breathed a sigh of relief; finishing this meal seemed quite difficult.
This meal lasted from noon directly until evening; checking the time, it was already past five o'clock.
After dinner, Xavier led everyone to the top floor of the hotel.
This was a sky garden, offering a view of the entire city's nightscape.
Especially since this hotel was tall and located in the city center, the view from here was extremely beautiful.
Furina ran to the edge of the sky garden and shouted, "Wow, it's so beautiful!"
It was precisely when the sun was setting, and the sunlight bathed the entire garden, making one feel warm.
And when the orange sunlight fell, it made one feel peaceful, as if everything had slowed down.
Watching them play around, jumping and skipping, Xavier felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction in his heart.
Perhaps this was the life he wanted; every day was ordinary, but not peaceful.
"Shenhe, why aren't you going over to join them?"
Xavier saw Shenhe standing alone by the side, so he walked over.
Shenhe's eyes were filled with a bewildered expression as he said, "I'm just thinking about some questions."
"What questions?"
Xavier was a bit curious, wondering what kind of questions someone like Shenhe would ask.
"Just curious why everyone likes me so much. Am I really worthy of being liked by so many people?"
Shenhe turned his head, and the confusion in his eyes became even more apparent.
Xavier was stunned for a moment and retorted, "Why aren't you worthy?"
"Because I was born with the body of a solitary evil, even my father chose to abandon me."
"And even after I achieved cultivation, the friends I could make were very few. In Liyue Harbor, everyone still seems to regard me as an anomaly."
Shenhe looked up at the distant sky, probably not having felt this way in a long time.
"Anomaly? What counts as an anomaly?"
Xavier sat down on the edge, not at all afraid of falling.
Shenhe said without hesitation, "Different from others, different from this world."
"If that's the case, then we should all be considered anomalies, shouldn't we?"
"Look at Hu Tao."
Xavier pointed to Hu Tao, who was currently teasing Xiangling.
Xiangling was both annoyed and amused, unable to catch Hu Tao, because Hu Tao was circling Zhongli.
"Hu Tao can also be considered an anomaly, a synonym for being unique, but she still lives very happily."
Shenhe remained silent, because Xavier's words made a lot of sense. Hu Tao was indeed one of the most unconventional people he had ever met.
"Now look at that unlucky fellow." Xavier then pointed to Bennett.
At this moment, Bennett was struggling to breathe because he was wearing a mask and was wrapped up tightly.
Finally, he managed to catch his breath, leaning against the corner with his tongue out, feeling like he was about to faint.
Fischl was laughing nearby, while Amber and the others were handing him water and tissues.
"This unlucky fellow brings bad luck wherever he goes. To some extent, he's even stranger than Hu Tao, but even so, people are still willing to be his friends."
Shenhe nodded and said, "His constitution is the strangest I've ever seen. Why is he plagued by such misfortune...?"
Shenhe couldn't understand this question, and he guessed his master probably couldn't either.
"So, there's no such thing as an anomaly; everyone just has their own personality."
"If you feel like you can't fit in, it's because those people can't appreciate your beauty; your wavelengths aren't on the same channel."
Xavier enlightened Shenhe using his own method.
"Wavelengths and channels?" Shenhe clearly didn't quite understand these two terms.
Xavier thought for a moment and then said, "This is a saying on Blue Star. It's said that a scientist once proposed a theory of magnetic fields."
"Magnetic field theory, truly an unheard-of concept. Is there anything special about it?"
"Of course. If everyone has a magnetic field, then they would be like magnets. Some people would feel an immediate affinity upon meeting, like old friends who regret not meeting sooner, while if their magnetic fields don't match, they would dislike each other upon meeting."
"No wonder I feel so close to Traveler, even though we haven't even spoken..."
Shenhe recalled the first time he saw Traveler, passing by on the mountain. Although it was only a glance.
But he did feel a sense of closeness, making him unable to resist looking twice.
"What about me? What about me?" Xavier looked at Shenhe with expectant eyes.
Shenhe thought carefully for a moment and then gave a heartbreaking answer.
"No special feeling. At most, it's just not disliking."
Xavier was heartbroken. Was this how he appeared in Shenhe's eyes?
"However, I see many people find him very annoying, like that one." Shenhe pointed to Xingqiu to comfort Xavier.
Xavier gave an awkward smile. This method of comfort was quite unique.
"Ahem, anyway, don't treat your flaws as a big deal, because your flaws are also your strengths."
Xavier turned the topic back again.
"Flaws can be strengths?" Shenhe had never heard such a statement before.
Xavier said seriously, "That's right. Although Hu Tao likes to play tricks, her outgoing personality makes her friends feel happy, and those who truly like her won't dislike her because of it."
Shenhe felt it made a lot of sense, then pointed to Bennett: "Then what about his bad luck?"
Xavier: ...
He was somewhat silent at this moment. Although the flaw of bad luck wasn't brought about by Bennett's subjective will, it completely contradicted his theory!
"But he's optimistic! Even though he's unlucky, he's always smiling and positive. If he weren't positive, he would have probably kicked the bucket long ago."
Shenhe didn't understand the connection between the two, but it sounded quite reasonable!
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