Ganyu gave Xu Zheng a tender look, then reached out to squish his absurdly squeezable baby cheeks.
"Hang tight, little one," she said warmly, taking a deep breath like she was bracing for war.
Then she turned and headed into that little side room.
Xu Zheng knew this routine by heart by now.
Every time Ganyu went in there, she came back out with a fresh cup of coconut milk. Her special recipe.
Tonight marked the third night in a row. If he drank this last cup, he'd complete the "Evening Coconut Milk x3" side quest. And that meant… 150 Primogems.
Couple that with what he'd already saved up, and boom—he'd have enough for two pulls.
Everyone knows 1 + 1 > 2 when it comes to gacha luck.
Moments later, Ganyu emerged, cheeks flushed, collar slightly undone, and traces of mysterious droplets still clinging to her clothes.
She held a warm cup in her hands. "Here you go, little Xu Zheng."
Xu Zheng accepted it reverently. The warmth seeped into his fingers—and honestly, his heart.
Master really did treat him well.
Coconut milk? It had to be the Ganyu Brand. Best served hot and fresh.
He drained the entire cup in one go, a bit of milk lingering at the corners of his lips like a trophy.
[Mission Complete]
[150 Primogems have been delivered to your mailbox. Please check promptly.]
Nice.
Time to roll the gacha soon.
Ganyu, watching her disciple drink with such enthusiasm, smiled gently. "Looks like someone's nice and full now, huh?"
Right on cue, several glowing lines of text popped up in Xu Zheng's vision:
[Option 1: Say you're full and thank Master. Reward: 1-star item – Girls' Clothing.]
[Option 2: Say you're 70% full and want a snack. Reward: 3-star accessory – Useless Bracelet.]
[Option 3: A real man isn't satisfied so easily! Shout 'One more cup!' and successfully drink it. Reward: 10 Primogems.]
Xu Zheng squinted at the options… then looked at Ganyu.
Hmmm.
Option 1? Forget it. He'd already worn Ganyu's childhood clothes once, and that was purely out of emergency. Never again. He wasn't that kind of baby.
Option 3, though… that sounded great. Easy primogems.
But… Ganyu had already worked hard today. Morning milk, lunch milk, and dinner milk. She'd been very productive.
Would asking for another be too cruel?
Xu Zheng pondered deeply.
Then selected Option 3.
Because he was long-lasting. Powerful. Built different.
Naturally, he stood tall and shouted: "Master! I'm still hungry! Can I have another cup?"
Ganyu blinked.
Excuse me?
Since when did kids eat this much?
Sure, Xu Zheng had always been… special. But this was pushing it.
Back when she was his age, she barely ate half this amount—and she was half-Qilin.
And Xu Zheng? Ate like a grown man and didn't gain an ounce.
For a second, Ganyu felt irrationally jealous.
Then she remembered: she'd been eating like crazy too, lately.
Yet the only thing that seemed to shrink was… well, her slime.
Because most of her nutrients were being converted into—you guessed it—coconut milk.
She sighed and turned away, checking herself discreetly.
If she really tried, maybe… just maybe…
A few extra minutes passed.
When Ganyu finally returned, she looked exhausted—and in her hands was only half a cup.
Xu Zheng stared at it like a villain in a moral crisis.
"Ah… this feels illegal," he muttered, accepting it with both hands, his guilt rising fast.
He drank it anyway.
Then:
"Ah this… ah this… ah this—!!"
He ate his guilt, drank his sin, and still got another popup:
[Option 1: Say you're full and thank Master. Reward: 1-star item – Girls' Clothing.]
[Option 2: Say you're 70% full and want a snack. Reward: 3-star accessory – Useless Bracelet.]
[Option 3: Real men go for thirds. One more cup! Reward: 10 Primogems.]
"…Huh?"
Xu Zheng rubbed his eyes.
Was that… the same prompt? Again?
He quickly double-checked his inventory—yup, the last option's reward had gone through.
So what the hell?
Was the system bugged?!
Could he… infinite loop this?!
Endless coconut milk. Endless Primogems. An exploit!
He glanced at Ganyu with a dangerous gleam in his eyes.
And she immediately backed away, whispering like a bug in the wind:
"…Really… there's not even a drop left…"
Xu Zheng chuckled darkly.
Of course he'd never actually do that. He wasn't that shameless.
Plus… Ganyu was starting to look a little drained. Even her slime was visibly deflated.
That image hit him like a truck of shame.
"…Master," he said softly. "Tomorrow I'll cook for you. Something good. Something nourishing."
He meant it from the heart—he really did want to treat her to some delicious veggie dishes from Earth.
But when the words reached Ganyu's ears…
"Master, you're too dry. I'm not full. Tomorrow, I'll fix you. Make more."
Ganyu's pupils shrank in terror.
He knows? she thought in panic. Does he know how it's made?!
Her body tensed.
Xu Zheng, meanwhile, was squinting at her with suspicion.
Was it just him… or did Ganyu seem like she was breaking a little?
He decided not to bully her any further today.
"Seventy percent full," he said. "Just craving a little snack."
Ganyu exhaled in pure relief. Thank the Archons—it was just snacks.
[Option Complete. Reward: 3-star accessory – Useless Bracelet delivered.]
Xu Zheng immediately opened the item details:
Name: Useless Bracelet
Quality: 3-star
Description: Absolutely useless. But full of potential.
Note 1: Yes, we know it's trash. Complain and we'll kill you.
Note 2: Forged by Master Artisan Alice, after studying under a different Alice—the traveling witch, not that other one.
Note 3: Originally mocked as a 1-star joke. Alice carved a complex rune into it to allow it to "grow." It's now 3-star, but still does nothing. Patience, young one.
Wow. That was a lot of notes for a useless item.
Also—Traveling Witch Alice? That name sounded familiar… He was pretty sure she was a lore NPC back when he played Genshin on Earth.
But whatever. That was a question for another day.
Because now—he had all the Primogems he needed.
He opened the system's Wish screen, hovering over the sparkling button.
"Confirm pull."
Because—