"Hey, hey, hey!"
Venti quickly waved his hands in front of him.
"How could I possibly bully her! Honestly, old man, stop resorting to violence so easily. And here I brought you a bottle of good wine that I'm reluctant to drink myself."
"Heh heh... Just a joke. Seeing the Traveler like this, you must have gone through quite a few setbacks recently, right?"
Ying immediately nodded vigorously.
"Mhm! It's so good to be back alive from Inazuma and see you all! (t^t)"
Venti, standing nearby, gaped at Zhongli's playful remark.
"Wow... you can actually joke with people?! This is even more surprising than the sun rising from the west..."
Zhongli smiled and shook his head.
"Indeed, but you, the poet, are still exactly the same as before."
"Heh heh ~ Thanks for the compliment ~"
Since they had come to visit him on their own, Zhongli naturally wouldn't let them just chat and leave.
"On this occasion of reunion, allow me to treat you both to a table of delicacies as a token of my respect."
Venti immediately raised his hands and cheered.
"Yippee ~ Old man, you're generous!"
Soon, the few of them arrived at a restaurant, booked a private room, and while eating, discussed the events of the recent past.
"So that's how it is. I didn't expect Inazuma to encounter such difficulties. No wonder a large number of Millelith were suddenly mobilized some time ago."
As he spoke, Zhongli looked at Ying with admiration.
"To be able to make Ei yield through force, and to voluntarily let go of the eternity for which she poured all her efforts, such courage and resolve have long surpassed ordinary people. Truly, a woman is no less capable than a man."
Being praised by Zhongli like this made Ying's cheeks blush considerably.
"Cough cough... Being complimented by you makes me feel shy..."
To this, Venti also agreed.
"Being praised by the Geo Archon like this is indeed something to brag about."
"Let me tell you secretly, the old man was incredibly imposing back then. Not only was he powerful, but his words and actions were on a completely different level from ours. I remember the first time I visited him, whoa~ the scene! I thought he was going to take care of me then."
As he said this, Venti shivered deliberately, as if to hint that he hadn't emerged from the shadow of that encounter.
Zhongli shrugged with a hint of helplessness.
"Who would have thought you were just bringing a bottle of wine then? I thought you had encountered something you couldn't resolve and had specifically come to me for help."
"Bringing wine is also a very important matter!"
Seeing the two of them exploring past events, Ying silently picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth, and savored it, while inwardly making a small complaint.
Zhongli seemed to have become much more cheerful after seeing Venti... and it wasn't surprising at all that Venti would do such a thing...
After some time...
Venti and Zhongli, who had changed quite a few of his habits, chatted for a long time. Only after recounting another past event did he pick up the wine bottle in front of him and drain it in one gulp, then happily punched Zhongli on the shoulder.
"Heh heh ~ The old man is much more likable now than he used to be ~"
Zhongli glanced at the pile of wine bottles that had almost formed a small mountain in front of him and rubbed his forehead with some helplessness.
"You poet, your drinking capacity hasn't changed at all."
As he spoke, Zhongli stood up and walked towards the front counter.
"I'll go get a few more bottles of wine. You two continue to enjoy yourselves."
"Old man, hurry back ~"
Venti waved with a smile and watched him leave, then immediately turned his gaze to Ying, who was happily enjoying the food beside him.
"Ying, won't you have a taste? Liyue's wine is no less inferior to Mondstadt's ~"
"Hmm?"
Ying looked up at Venti, swallowed the fish in her mouth, and after recalling her previous experiences, shook her head somewhat awkwardly.
"Uh... I think I'll pass. My alcohol tolerance doesn't seem to be very good..."
Upon hearing this, Venti put a finger in front of Ying's lips and said with a smile, trying to tempt her.
"It's normal. I couldn't drink much the first time either. Just consider it training your tolerance. Who knows, it might be useful later on ~"
Ying blinked, still a little hesitant in her heart.
"But..."
Seeing this, Venti immediately added another dose of reassurance.
"Don't worry, even if you get drunk, you don't have to worry. With the old man here, how could you encounter any danger? Besides, the old man is treating us today, so it's only right that you should offer him a toast later, isn't it ~"
Ying hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded slowly.
"Okay... okay... I'll have a little bit then..."
After all, with Zhongli around, she wouldn't be afraid of bad people... And if she only drinks a little, she shouldn't get drunk, right...
Thinking so, Ying picked up the wine Venti handed her and downed it in one go.
"Gulp—"
After some more time...
Ying rubbed her hazy eyes and looked at the countless Venti sitting opposite her, with a confused expression.
"Mmm... Why are there suddenly so many Venti..."
"Whoa... Really? You got drunk after just drinking this little?"
Venti's eyes widened in surprise. Although he had already anticipated that Ying couldn't drink, he hadn't expected this little one to get drunk after just a small cup.
"Venti... Venti! Let me fly!"
Seeing Ying already starting to talk nonsense, Venti scratched his head with some distress.
"Acha... Why are you all talking nonsense..."
"You... You're the one talking nonsense... I'm not... I'm not drunk!"
"Not drunk... not drunk... let's have more..."
Seeing Ying wanting to drink more, Venti immediately moved to take the wine bottle away from her, stopping her frenzied action.
"Alright, alright, you're not drunk, you're not drunk. Just stay here obediently. I need to hide for a bit, otherwise, the old man will come to kick me again when he sees you like this."
After saying that, with a gust of wind, Venti disappeared from Ying's sight.
"Don't go... go..."
The moment Venti left, Zhongli's voice, full of years and a sense of security, echoed.
"I'm back."
As soon as he entered the room, Zhongli noticed something was wrong with Ying.
"Hmm? The Traveler... is she drunk?"
Upon hearing Zhongli's voice, Ying immediately shifted her focus.
"Zhongli... Why are there so many Zhongli too? Can you do clones?"
"Clones? It looks like she's quite drunk..."
Zhongli put the wine down, moved to Ying's side, and after confirming she was alright, nodded with relief. Then, he subconsciously glanced at the spot where Venti had just been.
"Hmm... it must be the work of that poet..."
Looking at the increasingly blurry figure before her, Ying shook her head and rubbed her heavy eyes again, then suddenly exclaimed with surprised joy.
"Mmm... Lumine?! Why are you here too? Are you done fighting with that bad woman who only knows how to fight? Did you come to find me because you missed me? (✪▽✪)"
As she spoke, Ying suddenly threw herself into "Lumine's" arms...