"Fengyi, why are you back today? Wow, what a lavish breakfast!" Paimon and Lumine exclaimed in surprise as they emerged from their room to find Fengyi already seated at the dining table.
"Fengyi, good morning~" Lumine, still in her pajamas, rubbed her eyes and offered Fengyi a gentle smile and a morning greeting.
"Lumine, and Paimon, good morning. Hurry and wash up, then come and eat!" Fengyi urged, noting that the breakfast would get cold, and cold fried eggs were quite unappetizing.
"Fengyi, why do you smell so fragrant, like another woman's scent? Confess! Did you go messing around with some woman last night?" Lumine went to wash up first, while Paimon, with her hands on her hips, eyed Fengyi suspiciously.
"I went to study, not to mess around. Besides, why should I report my actions to you?" Fengyi grabbed Paimon's little leg and pinched her cheek. He couldn't help but wonder why this emergency food was acting like the mistress of the house. Who gave her such audacity?
"Lumine, help! Fengyi is going to eat Paimon!" Paimon cried out to Lumine while trying to resist Fengyi's wide-open mouth.
"Don't talk nonsense, I'm not that desperate for food!" Fengyi declared. With such a feast before him, he had no interest in emergency rations.
After his usual teasing of Paimon, Fengyi let her go.
"Hmph, I'll tell you without any modesty, I slept with Lumine last night!" Paimon huffed, though her eyes sparkled with boastfulness. "Lumine's tummy is so soft and comfortable to touch, hehe, what do you think, jealous?" Paimon giggled, recalling how thrilling it was to be held by Lumine all night.
"Really? Tell me all about it..." Fengyi beckoned Paimon over, offering her a piece of bread as a bribe, and asked with curiosity.
"Lumine's soft little tummy, it was like this and like that..." Paimon whispered into Fengyi's ear, spilling all of Lumine's secrets. She failed to notice Lumine, blushing furiously, standing behind them. Lumine quickly covered Paimon's mouth and gave both Paimon and Fengyi a knuckle rap. Paimon was truly an ungrateful wretch. She had kindly let Paimon sleep with her, but Paimon had sold her out for a piece of bread without a second thought! It was too much!
"Hey, hey, Lumine, don't be angry. You kept mumbling Fengyi's name all night. I thought you liked him..." Paimon said while massaging Lumine's arm, apologizing. Her words only made Lumine blush even more intensely. Lumine quickly stuffed a sandwich with fried egg into Paimon's mouth to silence her. After Paimon's antics, Lumine felt too embarrassed to look directly at Fengyi for the rest of breakfast.
The three of them then went to the tavern. Lumine finally let out a sigh of relief when Noelle called Fengyi away. She pulled Paimon aside and entrusted her with several important matters before feeling at ease.
Meanwhile, Fengyi had been led by Noelle to her doorstep.
"Fengyi, my room isn't very big, I hope you don't mind..." Noelle opened the door and invited Fengyi in.
"Of course not. A house doesn't need to be large, just sufficient. And seeing how clean and tidy you keep everything, I can tell you're a very disciplined young lady." Fengyi looked around the room and saw that even the table, stools, and fruit bowls were neatly arranged by Noelle, earning her praise.
"I'm so glad you like it, Fengyi. Please have some tea and rest for a while, and then we can bake a cake together?" Noelle's greatest joy was Fengyi's praise, which could keep her happy for days and make her diligent cleaning yesterday afternoon worthwhile. Noelle sat next to Fengyi, constantly refilling his tea. Compared to Fengyi's calm demeanor, Noelle appeared quite nervous.
"I can manage myself, Noelle. You should have some too," Fengyi said with a helpless smile. As soon as he finished his tea, Noelle would refill it. Her enthusiasm made him feel a little uncomfortable.
"Ah, okay, no problem." Noelle took the tea Fengyi offered and sipped it slowly. Gradually, her nervousness subsided.
"Fengyi, I've already prepared all the ingredients for the cake yesterday. Let's begin!" After drinking most of her tea, Noelle went to change into her apron and said to Fengyi.
"As expected of Noelle, truly reliable!" Fengyi gave her a thumbs-up. As the saying goes, Mondstadt's Noelle and Inazuma's Thoma are the two titans of housekeeping. Having either of them guarantees a life of abundance. Fengyi certainly preferred Noelle, after all, who could refuse such a diligent and capable maid?
"You flatter me, Fengyi~" Noelle smiled shyly, but she was ecstatic at Fengyi's praise and felt highly motivated.
"I'll handle sifting the flour. Noelle, could you please crack the eggs first?" Fengyi looked at the prepared ingredients in the kitchen.
"Mhm, no problem, leave it all to me!" Noelle and Fengyi worked together, cooperating in their preparations. After a period of busy work, they placed the semi-finished cake into the oven, and now they just needed to wait patiently.
Seeing that Fengyi had flour on his face and body from sifting, Noelle immediately took out her personal handkerchief, dampened it with water, and gently wiped the flour from his face.
"I can do it myself," Fengyi smiled. It was normal to get a little flour on oneself while baking a cake, so he reached for the handkerchief to clean himself.
"There's no need to be polite, it's my duty!" Noelle shook her head and continued to meticulously wipe the flour from Fengyi's face. How could she miss such an opportunity for close contact with Fengyi? While wiping his face, Noelle could feel the warmth of Fengyi's breath on her hand. This peculiar sensation filled her with emotion. Although her movements were slow and thorough, there wasn't much flour, and she finished quickly. Reluctantly, she smiled and stepped back from Fengyi.
"Noelle, thank you. Could I rest on the sofa for a bit?"
"Sleeping on the sofa is uncomfortable. Fengyi, you can sleep in my bed, it's fine!" Noelle led Fengyi into her bedroom and pointed to the cozy little bed.
"Ah~ Then I won't be polite. I'll just take a short nap. Wake me when the cake is done." Fengyi had been up all night fighting with Lisa and hadn't slept at all. Now that he was free, he felt an overwhelming wave of sleepiness. He took off the apron from his waist and handed it to Noelle, then lay down on the bed and was asleep within three seconds.