"How is it? How does it taste?"
Xiangling and Hu Tao looked at Fang Qiu with anticipation and asked.
"It's delicious. Much better than that Mondstadt shop's," Fang Qiu praised sincerely.
Moreover, the flavor of this cake was apple.
Thinking back now, no wonder they kept dragging her to that Mondstadt cake shop before; it turned out they were testing her taste preferences.
Combined with what Hu Tao said earlier about being warned by the Millelith for setting off fireworks outside, the two of them had really done a lot to give her a surprise.
Whether it was the fire butterflies, the Jumpy Dumpty plushie, the cheongsam and Silk Flower balm prepared by Sister Ying'er, or this exquisitely crafted, delicious cream cake before her eyes.
Without exception, all required a large amount of time.
That they were willing to prepare for her birthday a month in advance was truly touching.
"That's good," Xiangling smiled and said. "I spent a lot of effort to eliminate the greasy feeling of the cream."
"Thank you for your hard work. I'm really happy," Fang Qiu said.
"Alright, let's eat," Xiangling said with a beaming smile as she cut a slice for Hu Tao and Guoba as well.
Besides the cake, Xiangling had also prepared chilled fruit juice.
They chatted about recent interesting events while eating cake and drinking juice.
It had to be said, the cream cake without the greasy feeling was simply too delicious. Plus, since she hadn't eaten a meal, she ate five or six pieces in total and drank two cups of juice; her flat lower abdomen even bulged slightly.
It wasn't that she could see her own lower abdomen, but rather that she felt the tightness coming from the cheongsam.
Chatting for a while longer, Fang Qiu suddenly felt her head becoming a bit heavy and groggy...
This feeling was somewhat like the symptoms when she had a fever that day... However, there were no pathological phenomena like a headache.
"Fang Qiu, when your new book is wrapped up, let's go... Eh? Fang Qiu, are you okay?"
Halfway through her sentence, Hu Tao noticed that Fang Qiu's condition wasn't quite right; her pretty face was completely flushed red, so she hurriedly asked.
"I feel... a bit... dizzy," Fang Qiu's eyes were a bit glazed over, and she spoke intermittently.
"Dizzy?" Hu Tao froze, looking at Xiangling with some confusion.
"Uh... could it be because of the apple cider and wine added to the cake?"
Xiangling froze at first, then reacted, speaking somewhat awkwardly, "Previously, when I was researching cakes, I found that eating too much cream cake gets very cloying. So I was constantly researching how to resolve this richness. I tried for a long time and found that apple cider plus wine could solve this problem."
"Moreover, apple cider and wine can stimulate the flavor of the fruit jam. So I added apple cider to the cream and jam. You don't feel much when just drinking apple cider and wine, but the aftereffects hit after a while."
"But I controlled the amount within a range that even people with weak bodies should be able to withstand. How could she get this drunk?"
"That's strange then."
Hu Tao looked puzzled and analyzed, "With your culinary skills, Xiangling, you should have controlled it perfectly. How did this happen?"
"Maybe it's because I... have been relatively tired these past few days, and my physical condition... isn't too good. Plus, I've never drunk alcohol..." Fang Qiu's pretty face was red, her head resting on her arm, trying hard to keep herself awake as she spoke.
"Ah? Fang Qiu, I'm sorry, I didn't consider that," Xiangling said with a face full of apology, looking somewhat downcast.
"Wu."
Guoba jumped down from the chair and gently patted Xiangling's back, as if comforting her.
"Xiangling, this isn't your mistake. It's caused by my own... staying up late and overworking," Fang Qiu shook her head gently and said.
"Yeah, yeah, it's not your fault," Hu Tao also chimed in.
"Anyway, I'll pay attention next time," Xiangling said. "However, I originally planned to tell that Mondstadt cake shop about this recipe. It seems this recipe still has major flaws; I have to research it properly again."
"But, now that Fang Qiu is drunk, what do we do about our subsequent plans?" Xiangling asked.
"Then we can only disperse for now..." Hu Tao spread her hands and said. "Those processed ingredients, I can only trouble you to take them back first, Xiangling."
"Alright." Xiangling sighed slightly, her mood a bit low.
"Xiangling, it's fine. I'm already very happy. Thank you all so much, and you too, Guoba."
Fang Qiu exerted force to prop up her body, forcing herself to cheer up, and said with a smile.
"Wu, I understand." Xiangling nodded and said, "Wait for me to improve the recipe properly, then I'll make cake for you to eat again."
"Mhm." Fang Qiu nodded gently.
After speaking, Xiangling and Guoba began to pack up their things.
"Then, Hu Tao, I should also..."
Fang Qiu also struggled to prop up her body and stood up. However, she had only taken one step forward after standing up when her body went soft, and she fell towards the ground. Hu Tao hurriedly grabbed Fang Qiu and pulled her back.
"Don't move around if you've drunk too much," Hu Tao said.
"Mhm."
Fang Qiu nodded. Although she had drunk too much and her consciousness was a bit blurry—she didn't feel fear or shock from falling—she also knew that taking a fall would definitely hurt like hell. She might not even be able to make it to Bubu Pharmacy to report tomorrow. So, she stopped moving around and obediently leaned weakly into Hu Tao's embrace.
At this time, Xiangling and Guoba finished packing up.
"Fang Qiu, you're this drunk, don't go back today. Stay at Hu Tao's house," Xiangling said after looking at Fang Qiu, whose pretty face was glowing with an alluring red flush, and thinking for a moment.
"But..."
"No buts. Look at you like this; it's hard to say if you can even walk out of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, let alone go back," Hu Tao said.
"Alright."
Fang Qiu helplessly succumbed.
Hu Tao made a lot of sense.
Moreover, she discovered she was still wearing the cheongsam Sister Ying'er picked out... She didn't want to walk on the main street wearing this outfit.
As for changing clothes... She couldn't even stand steadily now, let alone change clothes...
Unless Hu Tao and Xiangling helped her take off her clothes... That would be too shameful. It was better to stay at Hu Tao's place... Use stay one night, it wasn't a big deal.
However, why did Hu Tao's words sound so weird?
A bit like what those villains in her past life's TV dramas would say.
Today, I won't let you walk out of this Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!
Or perhaps: Today, there is absolutely no possibility you will walk out of this Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!
Thinking of this, the corners of Fang Qiu's mouth couldn't help but curl up into a smile. Subsequently, a wave of alcohol potency surged up, and her consciousness became quite a bit blurrier again...
Speaking of which, in her past life, she didn't seem to be able to hold her liquor well either...
The type to drop after one cup of beer...
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