When Illustrious tried to say something unlucky, Ganyu blocked Illustrious's cherry lips with her own. After a long while, she separated from Illustrious and smiled as she said to her: "Alright! I believe you! Hurry up and get dressed!"
"O-okay! Help me get those clothes!" Illustrious covered her important parts with the quilt, saying shyly.
"Haven't I already seen everything last night? What are you still covering up for!" Ganyu took a white off-shoulder dress from the closet and handed it to Illustrious, looking a bit confused.
After taking the white off-shoulder dress, Illustrious didn't speak. She planned to explain to Ganyu after she got dressed. She hid under the quilt to change, remaining very vigilant of Ganyu the whole time.
After changing and having her clothes on, Illustrious finally felt safe. She said to Ganyu: "I was afraid that if you saw my body, you'd push me down again."
"Y-you, you think I'm a beast!" Ganyu said while crying. "W-who told you not to be proactive? Even though I had already made it very clear before, you didn't take any action at all."
"Alright, alright, alright! It's my fault! Happy now!" Illustrious said helplessly: "Okay, let's set off!"
"Okay! Then let's go!" Ganyu said with a happy face, clutching Illustrious's arm with one hand.
Watching Ganyu, who had been crying just a moment ago, suddenly turn into a happy face, Illustrious felt like she had been tricked by Ganyu. Her intelligence had been greatly insulted, but seeing Ganyu looking so happy, Illustrious couldn't say anything to her.
Illustrious and Ganyu went to find Xiangling together, but unexpectedly met her halfway. Illustrious smiled and said: "What the! We were just about to go find you, I didn't expect you to be up so early."
"That goes without saying, I'm a good girl who goes to bed early and gets up early every day." Xiangling said, putting her hands on her hips very proudly.
Xiangling looked at the two people in front of her. For some reason, she felt that Illustrious and Ganyu were acting very strange today. The most obvious thing was that Ganyu was holding onto Illustrious with a happy face, and Illustrious was not repulsed by Ganyu's behavior, but rather quite happy about it.
Xiangling bent over and circled around Illustrious and Ganyu, saying: "What's going on here? How did your relationship get so good overnight?"
"Eh! My relationship with Ganyu has always been like this! There's no change!" Illustrious had just said this when she suddenly changed her tune: "Ganyu is already my lover, our relationship is no longer what it used to be."
Illustrious kept frowning. It turned out that the soft flesh on her waist was being pinched hard by Ganyu. She knew she had said the wrong thing, so she immediately changed her words.
Hearing Illustrious change her words, Ganyu released the soft flesh on Illustrious's waist and warned her with her eyes: You think you can run after eating me clean? If there's a next time, you're dead.
Illustrious immediately understood Ganyu's look and shook her head, indicating there wouldn't be a next time.
"What! You're already lovers? How did you develop so fast!" Hearing Illustrious's words, Xiangling widened her eyes and said in disbelief.
Ganyu said happily: "It's not just that, we're holding our wedding the day after tomorrow. Xiangling, you have to come!"
"What, the wedding is being held the day after tomorrow?" Xiangling said with surprise again. The development between these two overnight was too fast! Or perhaps they had been secretly in love for a long time, just hiding it from everyone else.
Illustrious whispered to Ganyu: "I'm holding a wedding with you the day after tomorrow? How come I don't know about this? You made the decision on your own, what about my opinion!"
Ganyu glared at Illustrious, then whispered in her ear: "We have already become intimate, do you still want to shirk responsibility?"
As Ganyu spoke, she used her hand to pinch the soft flesh on Illustrious's waist again, even twisting it while pinching. It hurt so much that Illustrious's face turned pale. She immediately nodded gently and replied in a low voice: "Wife Ganyu, I was wrong. Holding the wedding the day after tomorrow, I have absolutely no problem with it."
After getting Illustrious's nod of agreement, Ganyu finally released her hand and took it off Illustrious. She said softly: "Hmph! You should have been the one to propose to me, but from getting to know your personality over these past few days, I feel that you are indecisive and drag things out. If I waited for you to propose to me, the cucumber dish would have already gone cold."
"Ehehe! I'm not as good as you say!" Illustrious scratched the back of her head and said very embarrassedly.
"I'm not praising you!" Ganyu said angrily.
Watching Illustrious and Ganyu whispering sweet nothings to each other, such a display of affection made Xiangling suddenly feel like a single dog. "Can you not whisper sweet nothings there! I know you two are very intimate, but please consider me, a single dog, and stop throwing dog food everywhere, okay!"
"We weren't whispering sweet nothings!" Illustrious and Ganyu said in unison.
"Still saying you weren't? You're even synchronized in your speech! Hmph! Seriously, Ganyu, you're not a good friend at all, hiding your relationship with Illustrious this whole time. Even if I knew, I wouldn't laugh at you, why didn't you say so earlier!" Xiangling turned her head away angrily and huffed.
"I'm sorry, Xiangling! If you want to blame someone, blame Illustrious. She said we could only tell people when the time was right, and it dragged on until now. How about this! When we hold the wedding, I'll let you be the bridesmaid, how about that?" Ganyu consoled Xiangling.
"That's more like it. Then today, after we kill the Cryo Regisvine, I'll give you the Prehistoric Boar we obtain as a wedding gift!" Xiangling blinked and said: "I will use the best ingredients to roast the boar for you. It will definitely make you drool. Alright, let's set off to kill the Cryo Regisvine!"
Illustrious and her group set off on their journey to kill the Cryo Regisvine. Xiangling walked in front, while Ganyu held Illustrious's arm and followed slowly behind.
With every step, Xiangling felt the people around them pointing at them and whispering something. Confused, she said directly to Illustrious and Ganyu behind her: "Say, don't you think the people of Mondstadt have been staring at us?"
"Maybe it's because Illustrious is very cute and beautiful! That's why they keep staring at our side." Ganyu looked at Illustrious, the more she looked, the more she liked her, so she answered Xiangling honestly.
"Not at all. My cuteness and beauty don't even amount to one ten-thousandth of yours, Ganyu. I'm not even fit to tie your shoes!" Illustrious said dismissively.
"Do I really look that cute and pretty in your eyes?" Ganyu asked happily.
"Of course you do! You are the most beautiful woman in this world. No one can compare to you. Even I feel unworthy to walk beside you. You are like a beautiful, lustrous flower, while I am merely the green leaf beneath, existing only to set off your beauty," Illustrious said with a serious expression.
Ganyu shook her head and said, "No! Illustrious, you are no worse than me. Even if everyone in the world said you were ugly, you would still be the most beautiful in my eyes."
Ganyu: "Illustrious!"
Illustrious: "Ganyu!"
The two called out to each other and then embraced tightly.
"Then let us be the most beautiful rose in the world together! Let everyone know how perfect we are for each other."
Xiangling slapped her forehead. She really couldn't stand this pair of foolish lovers. She said speechlessly, "Don't you feel cringey saying things like that? Don't you feel ashamed?"
"Perhaps it's because you act like this that passersby are pointing at us."
As for Xiangling's words, Illustrious and Ganyu acted as if they hadn't heard them, continuing to praise each other.
Furious, Xiangling walked up to them and yelled, "Did you hear me? We're being treated like weirdos! And I'm the only normal person here with you, yet because of you two, I'm being treated like a weirdo too!"
Xiangling's megaphone-like voice nearly deafened Illustrious and Ganyu. They immediately covered their ears with both hands and only let go after Xiangling finished yelling.
Illustrious was the first to speak, "My goodness! Why are you so fiery? Girls should be gentle and considerate. What kind of behavior is yelling like that? You should learn more from Ganyu. Look at Ganyu—she is gentle, virtuous, graceful, and quiet. Such a wonderful woman. Take my advice: if you keep going like this, no one will want you!"
"Oh, stop it! I'm not as good as you say!" Ganyu covered her face, shaking her head continuously, and said shyly.
Illustrious quickly held Ganyu's hand tightly and said sincerely, "Ganyu! Don't be shy. Everything I said is the truth. Anyone who spends a moment with you will acknowledge this, so keep your head held high."
"Let everyone see that you are not just a pretty face. Let them know that not only are you cute and beautiful on the outside, but your inner self is also perfectly flawless. Being so perfect, you should serve as a role model for women, so they can learn from you."
"I see. Don't worry, I will definitely be a good role model for women. How is this, then?" Ganyu struck a pose that looked gentle and graceful.
"That won't do. Chest out a bit more, and hips out more," Illustrious critiqued earnestly from the side.
"Like this?" Ganyu adjusted according to Illustrious, then asked her.
"Yes! That's it," Illustrious said, very satisfied.
Xiangling let her hands hang down, hunched over, and sighed, "Can you two please stop? I'm embarrassed to be walking with you."
"Oh no, why are so many people gathering around? Oh! I get it. It must be because your behavior is so strange that they've come to gawk at us. Everyone, listen! I don't know them! I'm not with them! Don't treat me like a weirdo!"
"Get out of the way! Don't block me from seeing the great hero of Mondstadt!"
"Great hero, could you please give me an autograph?"
"Ah! The great hero is so beautiful! I really want her to have my children."
"Get lost! With that face of yours, you want to touch the goddess? Only someone as handsome as me is qualified to be the great hero's man."
"In broad daylight, why are so many people daydreaming? Everyone, disperse! The goddess is pure. You guys who want to defile the goddess, die!"
"Great hero, where are you going? If you're heading home, please take me with you. I can be your maid. I can do laundry and cooking, and most importantly, I can warm your bed."
A crowd of Mondstadt citizens surrounded Illustrious, shouting incessantly. The situation spiraled out of control, which terrified Illustrious.
"Ganyu, what's wrong with them? Why are they so excited?" Illustrious asked, a bit confused.
Ganyu knew why. She smiled and said, "Have you forgotten? You defeated the Stormterror that was plaguing Mondstadt all by yourself. These citizens are very grateful to you and are treating you like a great hero!"
"Defeated Stormterror? Ah! That big lizard! Eh! I had forgotten until you mentioned it!" Illustrious said, suddenly realizing.
"So that's it! I thought we were being treated as weirdos and were going to be gawked at and laughed at," Xiangling said, patting her small chest in relief.
Looking at the dense crowd of people, Illustrious said directly to Xiangling and Ganyu, "Being blocked like this isn't a solution! I'll take you to the destination of the Cryo Regisvine using a faster method!"
"What faster method?" Xiangling asked confusedly.
"Are we going to ride horses together?" Ganyu said, looking excited. If they were to ride horses together, she could be pressed tightly against Illustrious on the same horse.
"Ride what horses? I have a faster way." Without waiting for the two to react, Illustrious grabbed their slender waists and, with a swoosh, flew up.
After flying to an altitude of one thousand meters, Illustrious maintained this height and flew forward rapidly like an arrow released from a bowstring.
"Ah! Wait a minute, be gentle! You're hurting me!" Ganyu said with a hint of complaint.
"Uh! Sorry, sorry! I was just afraid I wasn't holding you tight enough! We're at an altitude of one thousand meters! If you accidentally fell, you'd turn into meat paste!" Illustrious immediately loosened her right hand that was holding Ganyu a bit, then joked, "By then I'd have to call you Ganyu-chan."
Ganyu was very angry. She had originally thought she could ride on the same horse with Illustrious and then be able to hold onto Illustrious's body tightly from behind, but Illustrious had ruined her plan.
You actually didn't use a horse but flew instead. Ganyu was furious. She knew that holders of a gnosis could fly; after all, having worked by the Rex Lapis's side for so long, she had long known about this.
Ganyu thought discontentedly: I know you can fly, but if you were going to fly, couldn't you have waited? Why fly at this exact moment? Not riding a horse is one thing, but you actually dared to say I'd be meat paste. It seems you need... 'cough cough'... discipline.
"Ah! That hurts! I'm sorry, I was wrong, wife Ganyu." The soft flesh on Illustrious's waist was pinched hard by Ganyu again.
After pinching enough and seeing Illustrious admit her mistake, Ganyu let go and said, "That's what you get for having a loose tongue! And don't call me wife; I'm not your wife yet."
"Isn't it the day after tomorrow? Calling you that now won't cause you to lose a chunk of flesh," Illustrious murmured in a low voice.
Although Illustrious spoke very quietly, Ganyu still heard it. She said to Illustrious, "I am a maiden, and I haven't married into your family yet, so you cannot tarnish my reputation! Do you understand?"
"Understood, wife! Got it, wife!" Illustrious called out very seriously.
"You... Ah!..." Ganyu suddenly let out a cry.
Ganyu had wanted to say something earlier, but Illustrious didn't give her the chance and directly increased the flight speed, making it impossible for Ganyu to lecture Illustrious.
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