Noelle watched Feng Yi sleeping soundly on her bed and, on a whim, untied her apron and quietly lay down beside him.
This daring and shy act sent her heart racing.
"Duke of Zhou, look at this bun, so big and fragrant..."
Feng Yi, who was having a dream feast with the Duke of Zhou, rolled over and hugged Noelle.
"Ah..."
Noelle was about to cry out but then worried about disturbing Feng Yi's rest. She quickly covered her flustered mouth with her hand, feeling the strangeness of the situation and becoming incredibly shy.
Half an hour later.
"Huh? Noelle? Is the cake baked?"
Feng Yi woke up from his dream and asked Noelle, who was inexplicably blushing beside him.
He had just eaten many buns with the Duke of Zhou, large and soft, with a milky fragrance.
"It... it should be ready..."
Noelle stammered. She had been here the whole time and wasn't entirely sure about the cake's status, but judging by the time, it should be done.
"Feng... Feng Yi, please go check on the cake. I need to change my clothes!"
Noelle pleaded with Feng Yi, her hands covering her chest.
"Okay, I'll go to the kitchen and take a look."
Feng Yi didn't know why Noelle needed to change, but it was her private matter, so he should be sensible and leave.
After Feng Yi left, Noelle knelt on the bed and looked down at her chest. It was covered in Feng Yi's saliva.
'Feng Yi, you're quite restless in your sleep~'
Noelle smiled faintly and went to the wardrobe to find an exquisite outfit to change into.
Lisa, who felt a deep sense of understanding, quietly gave Noelle a thumbs-up.
When Noelle came out after changing, she saw Feng Yi already decorating the cake with fruits and cream.
"Feng Yi, I've changed. Leave the rest to me!"
Noelle prepared to help but was stopped by Feng Yi.
"Such an exquisite dress, it's hard to wash if it gets cream on it. Let me do it!"
Noelle, wearing a pure white, delicate dress, had a bridal aura that caught Feng Yi's eye.
However, considering the difficulty of cleaning such a fine dress, he stopped Noelle from helping.
"Is that so? Alright..."
Noelle suddenly regretted wearing this dress. She had only wanted to show Feng Yi her most beautiful side but had overlooked the difficulty of cleaning it.
Noelle: I should have just worn pajamas!
"Here, try it. This cake has your contribution in it too."
Feng Yi cut a small piece and handed it to Noelle, then cut a large piece for himself.
Eating too much cake leads to weight gain, so he would bear this sin.
Feng Yi: Let me perform for you, one slice of cake in three bites!
Noelle ate a small bite with her fork and smiled as she watched Feng Yi wolf down his piece.
"Pfft~ Feng Yi, your face..."
Noelle covered her mouth and giggled uncontrollably, looking at Feng Yi's cream-smeared face.
"What's wrong with my face?"
Feng Yi blinked blankly, then stuck out his long tongue, scooping the cream from his lips into his mouth.
"It's cream. Don't move, I'll wipe it clean for you."
Noelle picked up a handkerchief, sat beside Feng Yi, and gently wiped the cream from his face.
Looking at the dollops of delicious cream, Noelle, for some unknown reason, impulsively stuck out her tender pink tongue and lightly licked a small bit.
Feeling a sudden warmth on his face, Feng Yi stiffly turned his neck to look at Noelle beside him, catching sight of the scene.
Noelle's tender tongue made Feng Yi swallow involuntarily.
Perhaps realizing her lapse, Noelle switched back to using the handkerchief, which Feng Yi found quite regrettable.
After finishing the cake and helping Noelle clean up the kitchen, Feng Yi took his leave.
Noelle reluctantly saw Feng Yi off, inviting him to visit again sometime.
Back at the tavern, Feng Yi found that the poor ghost Venti was there to mooch food and drinks again.
"Eh heh, Feng Yi, Diona's cocktails are getting better and better!"
Venti, slightly tipsy, waved at Feng Yi as he entered.
"Diona isn't Feng Yi's! She just... she just temporarily agreed to work for him, that's right!"
Diona said with a hint of shyness and a touch of tsundere pride.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes. Here's today's dried fish."
Feng Yi was used to Diona's tsundere attitude and placed her wages on the counter.
"Wow, dried fish! Hmm? Feng Yi, do you want some too? You can only have half!"
Diona, thinking Feng Yi was eyeing her dried fish, reluctantly tore off half and grudgingly offered it to him.
"I appreciate the thought, but I'm not hungry right now. You eat it!"
Feng Yi pushed it back. He wasn't Diona, and dried fish didn't tempt him as much.
"Diona offered it to you, and you refused!"
Diona happily ate the half-piece of dried fish she had gotten back.
"Hey, Diona, have you ever thought that if you belonged to Feng Yi, you'd have endless dried fish!"
Venti grinned at Diona.
'Endless dried fish? What a... what a beautiful thought!'
Venti's words stirred up a storm in Diona's heart.
Sleeping on a bed piled high with dried fish every day, eating dried fish for every meal, achieving dried fish freedom.
Diona felt that nothing in the world could be happier than this.
She subtly glanced at Feng Yi not far away, and a bold idea began to sprout and grow in her mind.
"Venti, how much have you had to drink today? You're so drunk. Time to wake up and pay!"
Feng Yi walked up to Venti and spoke to the liquor-scented bard.
"What? You're treating? Thank you so much!"
Venti, not knowing what he'd heard, said happily.
Feng Yi: "..."
Seeing Venti pretend to be drunk and fall asleep snoring after speaking, Feng Yi helplessly took out the dragon scale that Teyvat had left behind earlier, infused it with magic, and dialed Teyvat's 'phone' (a telepathic communication method).
The message was roughly: Your master is drunk here. Hurry and bring Mora to redeem him, or your Anemo God will be washing dishes to pay off his debts.
"I'm sorry for the trouble. Here is some crystal ore, it should be enough to cover the cost of the drinks. Where is Venti? I'll take him away now..."
Shortly after, Teyvat, in human form, entered the tavern, handed Feng Yi a bag of crystal ore, and then took Venti away.
Since the toxic blood in his mind was cleared by Lumine last time, Teyvat had grown fond of taking human form, appearing as a male or female, old or young...
Teyvat's appearance this time was that of an elegant and refined elder sister, which was quite striking.