After everything had settled down, on a bright and sunny morning, Lu Chen heard the familiar system notification sound.
[Let the Wind of Mondstadt Blow Here: Help Venti's album "Ode to the Sea" become a bestseller, remaining in the top three of the charts for three consecutive weeks]
[Task completed. Reward: 3,200 Primogems. Real-world currency reward: 3.2 million yuan]
[You have obtained a special real-world skill. Please choose one of the following. The selected skill will take effect immediately]
[1. Free-Fighting Master; 2. Outdoor Fishing Expert; 3. Horticulture and Floral Cultivation; 4. Soul of a Popular Novelist; 5. Makeup Master]
Without hesitation, Lu Chen chose [Soul of a Popular Novelist].
In that moment, it was as if something had awakened in his mind. While his body showed no changes, his thoughts suddenly felt sharper, more expansive.
He looked around at the quiet classroom, at those purple eyes silently watching him, and at the white clouds drifting past the window, brushed by the morning breeze...
Seagulls soared over a schoolyard full of youthful energy. Haizhou Middle School was lush and green.
What a beautiful world. Lu Chen felt an overwhelming urge to write...
Suppressing his excitement, he flipped through his chemistry textbook and found a discarded draft with just forty characters.
Then, he began to write.
This was what it meant to be flooded with inspiration. Lu Chen felt like he was gazing down at the world from above, seeing things with newfound clarity. Ideas and imagery surged, begging to be captured by his pen.
Stories of joy and sorrow on the land of Liyue from centuries past—he felt them all as if they were his own.
...
When class ended, Raiden Ei rested her chin in her hand and curiously watched Lu Chen scribbling furiously.
"Ei... please don't distract me..."
"I..."
"I'm almost out..."
Almost out? Why did that sound so strange to Raiden Ei?
Especially with Lu Chen's tense expression, his heavy breathing, and taut muscles...
The more she looked, the weirder it seemed. The more it resembled... something else.
"..."
Ei suddenly blushed.
Why did it remind her so much of... ugh, never mind.
She realized Lu Chen was rubbing off on her—in the worst way. Why did her thoughts always go in a dirty direction now?
Still, she didn't interrupt him. Her gaze passed over the page filled with writing—he was clearly caught up in the moment.
It really was unusual. Normally, when Miko asked him to write, he could barely squeeze out a paragraph in an hour. Now he looked like he wished he had eight hands.
"This is too slow!"
Lu Chen pulled out his phone—clearly something his homeroom teacher would've banned—and his fingers flew across the screen.
He was typing so fast it left afterimages, leaving Kenshin Zhou, who had been about to flirt, completely stunned.
"Holy crap, that's Quantum Wave Speed Reading, Version 2!"
"Quantum Wave Typing!"
Lu Chen had no time to respond. His mind was brimming with ideas—he had to get them down before they disappeared.
Of course, everything came at a cost.
His brain was on overdrive, and the more he wrote, the more exhausted he felt. If it weren't for the 6-point stamina buff, he might've passed out already.
Which was why, after school, his first move was to beg Ei to take him to a dessert shop.
Lu Chen held his forehead, feeling dizzy. His brain needed sugar—fast.
"Lu Chen, are you okay?" Ei looked at him with concern. She could see the red veins in his eyes.
"I'm fine, really..."
He waved her off. He knew it was just mental fatigue. "Give me something sweet. I need dessert! Take me to that dessert shop you always go to!"
Ei couldn't help but laugh. Lu Chen—who normally hated sweets—was finally sharing her taste for once.
After leaving school, Ei took his hand and led him to the dessert shop she often visited when skipping class.
They ordered two milk teas and two macarons, then sat by the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Ah—"
"So good!"
Lu Chen let out a satisfied sigh as he set down his half-finished milk tea. Across from him, those purple eyes sparkled with laughter.
For some reason, he found himself smiling too.
"I never realized how amazing sweets could be..." Lu Chen chuckled, lowering his head to look at the macarons in front of him.
The colorful little pastries sat on a white porcelain plate, round and delicate. The setting sun streamed in through the glass, making them look even more vibrant and cute.
"Ei~" Lu Chen dragged out her name.
"Hm?" Ei looked over, chin still resting on her hand.
"For the great mission of reopening the gates of Teyvat and reviving Inazuma, I have sacrificed myself, nobly and heroically. As the supreme ruler of Inazuma and one of the Archons of Teyvat, could you comfort this fragile, wounded heart of mine?"
Ei blinked. Her brain stalled for half a second after hearing that long and ridiculous speech.
Then she rolled her eyes.
"Speak like a normal person!"
Lu Chen grinned. "I'm tired. Feed me!"
Ei stared at him, expressionless.
Lu Chen immediately slumped in his chair, acting like he couldn't lift a finger.
"Ah, how heartless of you, Ei. Seeing your beloved work himself to the bone for our cause, and you won't even show a little affection?"
Silence.
One second...
Two...
Several seconds passed with no reply.
Lu Chen couldn't keep up the act anymore. He cracked an eye open for a peek.
He caught Ei with her hand over her mouth, clearly holding back laughter.
Still, she didn't feed him.
"Oh..." Lu Chen pouted and sat up. "Fine, I'll eat by myself..."
But before he could, Ei snatched his macaron, leaving him with nothing.
"Hey, come on!" Lu Chen protested. "That's just mean! Can't I even eat it myself?"
To his surprise, Ei picked up a pink macaron with her fork and smiled sweetly as she held it up to his mouth.
"Ah—"
Lu Chen stared at the pink pastry just inches from his face, then glanced at Ei's teasing smile.
He was sure she was going to pull it away at the last second.
Sneaky Ei! Hmph!
Still, she looked way too cute—like she was teasing a kitten.
Even knowing it might be a trick, Lu Chen couldn't resist. He opened his mouth.
But the prank he expected didn't come. Instead, the soft, sweet cake touched his tongue.
His mouth filled with sugary goodness. Normally, he'd complain something like this was way too sweet.
But today... it tasted amazing.