In Mondstadt, the warm afternoon sun made everything feel lazy.
Inside the workshop, Lumine was grinding her teeth in frustration.
"What kind of person is this?! What kind of boss is this?! A complete heartless capitalist!"
She was furious.
It was clearly lunch break, yet Cao Zhong had gone to sleep while making her stay behind to run the shop.
And his excuse?
"Employees should treat the company like their home!"
Even worse—
Paimon, who was supposed to be her companion, had run off to nap comfortably.
Traitor!
Just as Lumine had nowhere to vent her anger, the chat suddenly lit up.
Jean: @Cao Zhong, are you there?
[Kaeya]: Hmm… rekindling old feelings?
Jean: Kaeya, can you just disappear?!
Lumine hesitated.
Should she wake him up?
Then she remembered what Cao Zhong had said before going to sleep:
"Don't come near me while I'm sleeping."
Naturally, she didn't take it seriously.
So she replied in the chat.
[Lumine]: He's asleep.
That single sentence exploded the entire chat.
[Kaeya]: Damn, Cao Zhong really deserves to die!
[Venti]: Why him? What does he have that I don't?!
[Hu Tao]: @Lumine, sister… you've made a mistake!
[Barbara]: @Lumine, what did you two do?! Tell me!
[Eula]: @Cao Zhong, I'm going to end you!
[Amber]: @Lumine, what did you promise me?! How could you… shameless!
[Zhongli]: From a rational standpoint… young people nowadays are quite bold.
Lumine instantly woke up from her daze.
What did I just say?!
She hurried to explain.
[Lumine]: No, no! It's not what you think!
[Barbara]: I'm not listening!
[Amber]: sob sob
[Eula]: @Lumine, such tactics… you are not worthy to be my rival!
Jean: So I was wrong after all…
Lumine was completely stunned.
How did things escalate like this?!
Meanwhile, in the Abyss—
Aether was studying the chat system carefully.
Unknown things could affect their plans.
But when he saw Lumine's message—
He froze.
Then instantly became furious.
"My sister—!"
He was about to respond aggressively when an Abyss Herald quickly stopped him.
"My lord, stay calm!"
"Calm?! How am I supposed to stay calm?!"
Aether was on the verge of exploding.
Back in Mondstadt—
Cao Zhong finally woke up, feeling refreshed.
Walking into the shop, he saw Lumine sitting upright at the counter.
He nodded approvingly.
"As expected of Teyvat's hardest worker. Even capitalists would cry seeing this work ethic."
But as he got closer—
He froze.
Lumine looked completely drained, like her soul had left her body.
Seeing him, her eyes lit up slightly.
Maybe… he could fix this.
"Help me!"
Cao Zhong: ???
After reading the chat, he finally understood what happened.
He looked at Lumine strangely.
So now people are dragging me into drama even when I'm asleep?
"Well… I can help you. But you have to agree to one condition."
Lumine immediately nodded.
"Anything! I'll do anything!"
Paimon protested, "Hey! Don't say something so extreme!"
Cao Zhong smiled slightly.
"Be my informant. If Amber says anything about me, you report it."
Lumine hesitated.
"You want me to betray my friend?"
"If not, then explain everything yourself."
He shrugged.
"…Fine. I'll do it."
Cao Zhong then sent a message in the chat.
[Cao Zhong]: @Lumine, are you trying to stir up drama? With your build, do you really think I'd fall for you?
[Cao Zhong]: Look at the people I'm rumored with—
[Cao Zhong]: Some people really will do anything for attention.
The chat suddenly went quiet.
Then—
It exploded again.
[Kaeya]: Case solved—Cao Zhong has unusual tastes!
[Venti]: Why wasn't Barbara mentioned?
[Barbara]: ?
[Cao Zhong]: Of course I like Barbara too.
[Kaeya]: Your nonsense is on another level.
[Venti]: I understood that way too quickly… I'm no longer pure.
[Barbara]: ?
[Hu Tao]: ??