"You were saying?" Xu Zheng prompted casually.
The middle-aged restaurant owner hesitated before leaning in, voice dropping.
"That blond guy who tried to steal my business—he's not just shady, he's got a bunch of thugs. If he finds out you helped me, I'm worried he might retaliate."
He wasn't using casual speech anymore. It was full-on respectful you-level honorifics now.
As a merchant, the man had a decent nose for judging people. And Xu Zheng? He gave off serious future-big-boss energy.
The man had even done a bit of digging.
What he found shocked him:
Xu Zheng = Ganyu's disciple = Not someone to mess with.
Xu Zheng waved him off. "Don't worry about me. Small fry."
The man's eyes widened. Damn. That calm confidence? This kid really was a big deal.
He knew for a fact that Blondie had a Vision—a Pyro Vision, no less. Anyone with a Vision had combat strength leagues above the average Joe.
The merchant quietly made up his mind: this was the thigh to cling to.
After sending him off, Xu Zheng headed to the kitchen to join Xiangling for a little culinary grinding.
Why?
Because today's daily quests were:
[Daily Quest #1: Cook three dishes.]
[Daily Quest #2: Conquer three people with your cooking.]
Xu Zheng checked the progress before starting—force of habit.
To his shock, the second quest was already marked complete.
Excuse me?
He hadn't cooked anything yet today. All the food from yesterday had already been eaten.
So the only explanation was…
The three people he "conquered" today must have already tasted his cooking in the past.
Candidates? Ganyu, Xiangling, Yelan, and Eula.
At least three of them were officially his food-addicted fangirls now.
Xu Zheng didn't overthink it.
Quest done = Primogems in hand = No complaints.
Meanwhile, at Wanmin Restaurant…
Ganyu sat all alone at the dining table.
Sad. Dejected.
Lonely crane energy.
Once upon a time, there had been a cute little kiddo sitting beside her. Her adorable disciple…
She used to eat alone all the time.
Didn't mind it.
But now, with Xu Zheng not by her side?
It hurt.
Suddenly, her expression stiffened.
Color rose from her neck to her cheeks in a fast, spreading blush.
She glanced at the kitchen.
Xu Zheng was back there with Xiangling, completely distracted.
Good.
Time for a tactical retreat.
"C'mon, Ganyu… You can do this…"
She pep-talked herself into leaving the restaurant and ducking into a secluded alleyway.
A dense wave of Cryo energy surged from her body, forming a thick, sealed ice dome.
A minute later, the ice vanished.
Out stepped Ganyu.
In her hand: a steaming, fresh bottle of coconut milk.
Mmph! She'd been snacking a little too much lately—production rate was climbing fast!
It wasn't even evening yet and she was already leaking.
Xu Zheng emerged from the kitchen, only to be hit with a now-too-familiar scent.
Coconut milk.
Ganyu was back at the table, sitting quietly, face flushed, clearly doing her best to shrink into the background.
Too embarrassing… Way too embarrassing…
She'd milked herself in an alley and then brought it back to the table. Sure, no one saw her. No one knew.
But still!
She wanted to bury herself in a Cryo abyss.
Xu Zheng looked at her expression and immediately guessed her inner monologue:
"No one could possibly know where this came from."
Of course he knew.
He just… wasn't gonna say a word.
Because if she ever found out he knew, Ganyu would probably relocate to a new planet.
"Master, can I have a sip?"
He threw himself into her arms and took a deep, exaggerated whiff of the milky fragrance.
His hand brushed something… and paused.
Wait.
The slime had grown.
Bigger.
Was that volume increase he just detected?
Ganyu melted on the spot.
She wrapped her arms around him tightly, her smile blooming like a frozen sunrise.
Suddenly, having high output wasn't such a bad thing after all.
Then she glanced toward Xiangling.
Her eyes sharpened.
Back off, stir-fry girl. This disciple is MINE.
"Of course you can drink it, sweetie~" she cooed, hugging him even tighter.
Xu Zheng briefly forgot what air was.
Moments later…
Ganyu stared blankly at the coconut milk bubble tea and coconut milk ice cream sitting on the table.
She'd given the milk to Xu Zheng.
But she never imagined he'd turn it into… this.
She'd never even considered turning her milk into tea or dessert.
What kind of brain did this child have?
She thought about how good his cooking usually was.
Which meant… these would be delicious.
But this was her milk.
Eating it again felt… wrong?
Her brain short-circuited.
Across from her, Xu Zheng had his own coconut milk tea and ice cream set.
He wished he had a camera. Her conflicted expression right now was absolutely priceless.
Ahem. Totally not doing this on purpose.
Totally not a perv. Just making good food.
That's it.
Simple.
Delicious.
"I mean, Ganyu… If you're not gonna eat it, I'll take it off your hands."
That woke her up instantly.
She fluffed up like an angry kitten and guarded her desserts like a dragon hoarding gold.
From the sidelines, Xiangling looked like she might cry.
She didn't get any! Where was her coconut milk deluxe combo?!
Some people died, but not completely…