By the time they returned to the city, it was already 3 p.m. on Friday.
The sky was a crisp, clear blue, and the spring breeze felt warm and gentle—completely different from the bleak, snow-covered mountains they'd just left behind.
Lu Chen looked out the window at the city's tall buildings, feeling like he'd stepped back into civilization.
More than anything, he wanted to go home. That modest four-bedroom apartment somehow gave him a sense of real belonging—like it was truly his home.
Raiden Ei wouldn't be out of school yet. She was probably still with the school team, prepping for tomorrow's match.
Thinking of her, Lu Chen pulled out his phone.
Teyvat's Most Handsome: I miss you~ ❤️
One minute passed—no reply.
Five minutes—still nothing.
Eight minutes...
That little heart emoji now looked embarrassingly lonely.
"..."
Maybe she was training? Or in class? Yeah... that had to be it. Lu Chen consoled himself.
Normally, Ei always replied the moment she saw his messages. So she must not have her phone on her right now.
Ten minutes later, his phone finally chimed. He opened the chat.
Ei: Just finished training, saw it now.
Ei: You're back? Mission complete?
Teyvat's Most Handsome: Of course! I personally took care of it! Qiqi's with us now.
Ei: That's great.
Teyvat's Most Handsome: Brought you a surprise too~
Ei: What kind of surprise? 🐱❓
Teyvat's Most Handsome: You'll see when you get home!
Ei: Okay then.
Lu Chen imagined her reaction when she saw the massive slab of frozen wild boar meat. Just picturing her surprised face made him grin.
...
Haizhou Academy, Gym Lounge
Raiden Ei was drying her damp purple hair with a towel, the corners of her lips curved in a faint smile.
He was already grown up and still loved pulling surprises like a kid.
Not that it was hard to guess—she already knew Lu Chen had taken down the giant boar. She just didn't feel like pointing it out.
After resolving the ley line anomaly, Ei had rushed back to school. The sudden drop in temperature had soaked her clothes and hair in no time.
Changing her clothes was easy—she had a spare set—but her hair was another story. It would take ages to dry properly.
"Hey, Ei, why's your hair wet? Did you take a shower or something?"
A female teammate glanced at her curiously as she sat in front of the mirror.
Ei shook her head slightly. "No."
She rarely spoke on the team, so although her teammate was curious, she didn't press and soon left the lounge with a puzzled expression.
...
Back at the apartment, Lu Chen had Qiqi sit on the sofa while he got a spare room ready for her.
Thankfully, there were four bedrooms. Any fewer and he wouldn't have had space for all these guests from Teyvat.
Still, as more characters arrived in the future, housing would become a real issue. He couldn't just have people sleeping on the floor...
Venti, having returned first, had already flopped onto the couch and was watching TV. Meanwhile, Lu Chen was wiping sweat from his brow, busy cleaning and setting up. Watching Venti lounge around like that was an eyesore.
So, without mercy, he snatched the remote and sent him off on a mission.
"To buy clothes? Me?" Venti pointed at himself. "You want me to go buy kids' clothes?"
"What's wrong with that? I've even bought women's underwear before!" Lu Chen waved him off. "Just go already! Pick something that fits a seven-to-ten-year-old. And grab a bottle of coconut milk while you're at it."
He paused.
"Actually, make that a whole box."
Qiqi's zombie outfit, with that oversized bead necklace, really stood out. When they got out of the car earlier, the moment they stepped into the community, a crowd of old folks had already gathered around to gawk.
They probably thought someone was filming an old-school kung fu zombie movie—Qiqi looked like she walked straight off the set.
It was fine at home, but now that Qiqi had joined the "Real Teyvat" household, he had to start thinking about things like going out in public.
Tomorrow was already the celebration barbecue for Ei's victory...
"Hmph. All you do is boss people around…"
Venti reluctantly dragged himself off the sofa, giving Lu Chen a deeply aggrieved look.
"Be good, and I'll buy you some wine."
"On it!"
He slammed the door behind him, suddenly in high spirits.
...
After setting up the room, Lu Chen returned to the living room and found Qiqi sitting quietly on the sofa, staring at the TV, motionless.
Her expression hadn't changed at all since earlier. It was hard to tell if she was actually watching or just... existing.
She seemed obedient and sensible, but Lu Chen couldn't shake the feeling that she might have trouble adapting to daily life.
He gave her a tour of the apartment. "There's food in the fridge—though I don't know if you eat... This is your room, you'll sleep here... And this is the TV. You can use it when we're off at school..."
Qiqi nodded after each sentence. But when they got back to the living room, she took out a small notebook.
"Qiqi... has a bad memory."
"Qiqi... needs to write things down."
She fumbled through her clothes, trying to find a pen.
"My pen... is gone..."
Lu Chen went to his room, grabbed a gel pen, and handed it to her.
Qiqi studied the pen with wide, curious eyes. Then, holding it like a calligraphy brush, she began writing in her notebook.
As she flipped through the pages, Lu Chen caught a glimpse of densely packed notes and strange symbols—likely her "edicts."
Qiqi was one of the rare zombies who issued "edicts" to herself. The entries were incredibly detailed, and toward the back, there were even mundane, everyday instructions.
To avoid forgetting anything, she had written out every little thing she needed to do.
Now, on a blank page, she was carefully writing down Lu Chen's name, as well as the locations of the fridge, AC, her room, and how to use the TV...
A pang of sympathy hit Lu Chen.
Qiqi might seem quiet and well-behaved, but living a normal life was probably incredibly difficult for her.
...
When Venti came back, he was lugging several shopping bags—and a whole box of coconut milk.
"You bought this much?" Lu Chen raised an eyebrow.
"I had no idea what size Qiqi wears, so I just bought them all. Not like it's my money."
Lu Chen wasn't worried about the cost. He was more curious how Venti managed to carry it all.
He sensed traces of Anemo—clearly, Venti had used elemental energy to help him bring everything back.
It was the kind of little trick that made life easier and didn't draw attention. Lu Chen let it slide.
After putting all the clothes in Qiqi's room, Lu Chen cracked open a bottle of coconut milk and handed it to her.
"Is this... coconut milk?" she tilted her head, eyes wide.
The way she asked—with that flat tone and blank face—actually made her look adorably innocent. Lu Chen chuckled.
"Yeah, it's coconut milk. Go ahead, drink up."
Qiqi nodded, holding the bottle with both hands and sipping it very seriously.
After a small sip, she looked up. A ring of white coconut milk clung to her lips.
"I like coconut milk... but I can't taste it."
"...Is that so..." Lu Chen didn't know what to say. So she really couldn't taste anything.
"Qiqi likes coconut milk," she said, looking straight at him. "So... Qiqi likes it here."