Watching the image of her past self in the video — looking at Gu Chen with such open expectation — Lumine felt her brain short-circuit for a moment.
Lumine, what is wrong with you?!
"Lumine," Paimon whispered, "you're not… falling for him, are you?"
"?"
Lumine shot her a sharp glance, shaking her head furiously. "Impossible. Absolutely not!"
What a joke!
She might look a bit air-headed sometimes, but she wasn't some clueless little girl!
[Transcendent Group Chat]
Yae Miko: My ~ a pure young girl about to lose her heart over a savior and a skewer of grilled fish. Has she already thought about what to name their future children?
Lumine: I'm not! I didn't!
Yae Miko: Oh? But I was talking about your past-life self. You didn't live through that one personally—how do you know you didn't fall for him then?
Kaeya: Hahaha, Lady Miko's angle is sharp—and actually quite reasonable!
Furina: Delightful! Delightful! The plays in my opera house aren't half as entertaining as this!
In the video—
After a bit of thought, Gu Chen nodded.
"Traveling together is indeed better than traveling alone. Having someone nearby means we can watch each other's backs."
"Hehe, Lumine, welcome to our team!" Paimon beamed, extending her hand.
"Why your team?" Lumine asked as she shook her hand, puzzled.
Gu Chen also looked confused.
"Hmph! Because Gu Chen's my savior! He's traveling across the Seven Nations, and I'll be his guide! Besides, he's such a good cook, hehe~" Paimon said, smiling sheepishly with her hands behind her back.
"I see," Lumine and Gu Chen said in unison.
"Then we're companions now."
Gu Chen smiled, glancing at the darkening sky. "Before it gets too late, let's find a safe place to rest. The wilderness in Teyvat isn't safe after dark."
"Mm!" Lumine nodded.
And thus, the three set out on their journey.
Amber: Helpful reminder! The wilderness of Teyvat can be dangerous at night—try not to travel after sunset!
Kaeya: Haha, ever the diligent outrider! Admirable!
Amber: Hehe, everyone here is from the Transcendent group, but I've already sent the same tip to the general group too!
Jean: Good thinking, Amber. Let's hope everyone in the general chat takes it seriously.
Hu Tao: Wait, wait—why did the video suddenly skip to the next morning?! What happened overnight?!
Kaeya: Yeah, did we just… skip an entire night?
Zhongli: If it showed every moment, this video would last for years, wouldn't it?
Yae Miko: Just like the "next day" line in a light novel~
Alhaitham: I'd wager that the irrelevant parts were cut intentionally—to avoid boring the audience and save time.
Lyney: Excellent! If it dragged on too long, I'd get so absorbed I might miss my next performance!
In the video, Gu Chen, Lumine, and Paimon had clearly washed up and continued down a path together.
Viewers could sense the passage of time within the footage—
In just a few minutes, three days had gone by for the travelers.
Lisa: Little Gu Chen is quite attentive, isn't he? He's taking very good care of the two girls~
Yae Miko: Ah, the keyword "the best travel companion" must refer to Gu Chen. The boy may do some surprising things now and then, but his attention to detail is impeccable. Look—our heroine's resistance is crumbling by the second~
Lumine: …No comment.
She truly didn't know what to say anymore.
In the video, Gu Chen was taking such good care of her past self that it was almost embarrassing.
Saying she lived a "hands-free" life might be an exaggeration, but whether it was blocking monsters, setting up camp, or managing supplies, he always seemed to shine.
In both the general and transcendent chats, Gu Chen was being showered with praise.
Except for one person—his single loud hater.
"Prince": Hmph, any man could do that!
"Prince": This is it? He takes the first half of the night watch, then makes Lumine take the second? Pathetic!
"Prince": Leaves monsters for her to fight, calls it "training"! Can't keep up but still pretends to be tough!
"Prince": And when it rains, he "accidentally" leans closer to her for warmth? Please! Pretending to be cold just to take advantage!
Kaeya: Dude, how are you working this out over a video?
Paimon: Yeah! It was Lumine who was cold, she leaned on him! Gu Chen just agreed!
Lumine: For the record, my past self has nothing to do with me—but Paimon's right!
Hu Tao: Hehe~ this "Prince" guy wouldn't happen to be Lumine's admirer, would he?
Barbara: Uh… that's actually possible…
Jean: People like that must be dealt with firmly. It's wrong to twist facts just because of jealousy. Gu Chen's clearly a good person!
Alhaitham: Honestly… he's just making himself look like a clown.
Venti: A clown? Hahaha, that fits perfectly!
"Prince": Hmph! What do you all know?!
Kaeya: Oh? Then you do know something?
"Prince": Haha, none of you understand my perspective!
Lisa: Such a unique "perspective"… Are you Lumine's brother, by any chance?
Lumine: @[Prince] ?
Aether's pupils contracted.
He hesitated for a moment—then started typing furiously.
Ayato Kamisato: Intriguing. Could he really be Miss Lumine's brother?
"Prince": Her brother? Don't make me laugh! If I were her brother, we'd have reunited long ago!
Heizou: That defensive tone… Classic sign of lying. Seventy percent chance he is her brother!
"Prince": ?!
"Prince": If I were Aether, I'd lick Gu Chen's shoes clean!
Gu Chen, watching the chat, froze.
He already knew exactly who this "Prince" was.
Considering that last message…
Wait—did my future brother-in-law just say he'd lick my shoes?!
Yae Miko: Oh? So he's not her brother after all?
Heizou: Case closed! Just a crazed admirer of Miss Lumine!
Hu Tao: Detective genius!
Navia: Detective genius!
Abyss Order Headquarters.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Aether slammed his fists against his throne until his knuckles turned blue, his face twisted with fury.
"Damn it!! My past self—what are you doing?!"
"Are you really going to just sit there and let your own sister fall into that man's arms?!"
His anger burned like wildfire. His precious sister was on the verge of falling into another man's "gentle embrace," and his past self wasn't doing a thing about it!
Around him, Abyss Heralds and Mages shrank back in fear.
Their prince looked like he was about to lose his mind entirely—
and they were genuinely worried for his sanity.