"There's an event? Then we should drink even more. Without a full belly... where will the strength come from?"
"Ah, this..."
Feng Yi thought about it and realized it actually made sense, so he ordered a few specialty drinks and drank with Venti.
After three rounds of drinks...
"Hey, Venti, look at that person sitting over there. Why are they talking to the air?"
Feng Yi, half-drunk and half-awake, noticed a patron at the next table talking to themselves and thought he was drunk.
But after using his magic to expel the alcohol from his body, he found that the man at the other table was still saying something to the air.
"What's so strange about that? Having an imaginary friend is pretty normal, isn't it?"
Venti, slurring his words, waved his hand and smiled, indicating it was nothing to be surprised about.
"Imaginary friend?"
*Hiss*
Feng Yi's first thought wasn't of Venti's story quest, but of a romantic comedy film from the "Sakura Country" that was doing quite well, also called "Imaginary Friend."
Calming down, he thought, Guan Gu had an imaginary friend named Mario, and Zi Qiao also had an imaginary friend named Mu Feng...
They were all the result of deep-seated thoughts, generally most likely to occur in pure children.
After all, children's minds are simple and prone to wild fantasies. For instance, a child named Nobita Nobi, who was rather useless, always fantasized about having an all-powerful robotic cat friend.
Adults, having been dyed by the world, no longer have pure thoughts and rarely engage in such simple fantasies.
"Here, this is for you. If you want to see, go ahead and look..."
As he spoke, Venti handed Feng Yi a crystal-clear lens.
"This is something Lisa has been tinkering with recently. She said it's very interesting and specially made it from a batch of dangerous materials brought from Sumeru..."
Venti grumbled as he drank.
Lisa had outsourced this experimental task to him and also asked him to write a 3000-word analysis paper afterward.
Thinking of this, Venti's head began to ache, and he quickly took a sip of wine to soothe himself.
If it weren't for the hundreds of thousands of Mora, he wouldn't have taken on such a thankless job.
Feng Yi took the transparent crystal, which looked like a monocle, and held it up to his eye, looking towards the next table.
As expected, the drunken man at the next table also had an imaginary friend, who appeared to be a gentle lady with a serene demeanor. She sat opposite the drunken man, patiently listening to his incoherent complaints.
This lens was quite interesting. Feng Yi tried using it to look at Venti, who was sipping his wine by his side.
Who would have thought that Venti also had an imaginary friend beside him?
It was a young boy who looked very similar to Venti, perhaps eight or nine tenths alike, but with slightly different attire. He was silently playing a lute.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew, and the phantom of the young boy disappeared. No matter how Feng Yi tried with the lens, he couldn't see him, as if it were a mere illusion.
Feng Yi knew that was likely Venti's companion.
Venti winked at Feng Yi and then raised his cup to invite him for a drink, a gesture that seemed to be trying to hide something.
Feng Yi didn't mind. He picked up his wine glass and clinked it against Venti's, acting as if he had seen nothing. If Venti wanted to talk about it later, he would listen; if not, he wouldn't press. After all, it was Venti's secret.
Venti's slightly drunk eyes flickered. Drinking was more important now. He'd tell his story another time if the opportunity arose.
As evening fell and the tavern closed, Feng Yi bid Venti farewell and walked towards Eula's residence.
The pale red sunset painted the sky, and the wind today was a little boisterous.
Feng Yi knocked on Eula's door.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Feng Yi."
"Please wait a moment..."
A moment later, Eula, wearing an apron, opened the door. There were traces of flour on her face and clothes, suggesting she was preparing dinner.
Without her combat uniform, Eula seemed less cold and more intellectually gentle.
"Eula, are you making dinner?"
Feng Yi followed Eula inside and closed the door behind him.
"Yes, I haven't cooked in a while, so my skills might be rusty..."
Eula wiped her nose with her wrist, saying somewhat sheepishly.
"I know a bit about cooking too. How about I help you?"
Feng Yi followed Eula into the kitchen.
"Then I'll leave the dough kneading to you. I'll prepare the sauce..."
Cooking together with Feng Yi, Eula thought, would be a wonderful experience.
Eula readily agreed, entrusting the troublesome task of kneading dough to Feng Yi while she went to prepare the Lawrence family's secret sauce.
*Thump*
Feng Yi placed the kneaded dough on the cutting board and then turned to admire Eula's busy figure.
Eula, who was always efficient and calm in battle, seemed a bit flustered while cooking.
"Phew, Feng Yi, help me taste this sauce. Is it salty enough?"
Eula scooped a small spoonful of the freshly made secret sauce, blew away the scalding steam, and carefully brought it to Feng Yi's lips.
"Hmm... it's a bit bland."
Feng Yi frowned as he tasted it carefully. Trying this strange flavor for the first time, he wasn't sure how to describe it.
Although the heat control wasn't perfect, it was quite tasty.
"Is it? Let me try..."
As she spoke, Eula was about to scoop another spoonful from the pot, but Feng Yi grabbed her hand.
"No need to trouble yourself..."
Feng Yi lifted Eula's chin and fed her the remaining half-spoonful of sauce.
"Mmmph..."
Eula's body trembled, and she instinctively let go, the small spoon dropping to the floor with a *clatter*.
Gradually, Feng Yi's hands began to grow restless...
"Feng Yi, we haven't eaten dinner yet..."
Eula indicated that there was no need to rush, that after dinner and a bath would be fine.
"Dinner? You are my best dinner!"
Feng Yi...
*The indescribable events in the kitchen.mp4*
Feng Yi had often watched such things in Japanese adult films in his previous life, and today he finally had the chance to experience it firsthand.
He had to say, the environment being different made the mood and rhythm of the act vastly different.
Half an hour later, the scent of "stenophyllus flowers" wafted from the kitchen.
Entering a post-coital haze, Feng Yi let Eula go wash up while he took this time to finish the remaining tasks for dinner.
The dinner Eula had prepared was simple: pan-seared steak and a pasta-like dish.
Pouring the secret sauce Eula had made over the cooked noodles, and adding wine, steak, and candles...
The ambiance was instantly elevated.