Afternoon.
Gu Chen and Paimon sat off to the side, discussing what groceries to buy.
With the whole family gathered today, Gu Chen would be doing the cooking himself—after all, his culinary skills were the best among them.
Paimon, being a glutton, wanted to eat everything. Recently, she'd met quite a few master chefs in the group chats, and through their introductions, she'd also gotten to know merchants who supplied fresh ingredients.
"This, this, and this… hehe~"
Just thinking about Gu Chen's cooking made Paimon giggle foolishly, practically drooling.
Meanwhile, Gu Chen sipped hot tea and privately messaged some important figures—like asking Ningguang for the finest ingredients from Xinyue Pavilion and Liuli Pavilion, or contacting Mondstadt for the freshest Windwheel Asters and mushrooms.
Everyone in the household had different tastes, so he had to cater to them all.
Before long, all the ingredients were ready.
"Let's go!"
Gu Chen patted Paimon.
She floated behind him excitedly. Even though she was about to help in the kitchen, she was thrilled—after all, helping meant she could sneak a taste in advance.
After several hours of busy work, evening finally arrived.
Including Gu Chen and Paimon, there were thirteen people in total. Thankfully, the house had a large table—otherwise, they wouldn't all fit.
Excluding Paimon, the "little steward," Gu Chen now had eleven wives without even realizing it.
Thinking about it, he silently concluded—
He really had become an emperor.
As the saying goes, as long as there's no grudges, one meal is enough to bring people closer together—let alone when everyone revolved around Gu Chen as the center.
Aside from little Furina, who wasn't one of the "video heroines," everyone else was.
But Furina wasn't envious. On the contrary, she felt proud—after all, she was the only real-life girlfriend of Gu Chen. That alone made her very happy.
[Extraordinary Group Chat]
[Paimon]: (Tentative family photo)
[Kaeya]: Wow, what a harmonious big family… wait! Paimon, calling this a "tentative family photo" feels a bit… suspicious, doesn't it? (Hu Tao · Smirk)
[Nilou]: Ooh~~
[Collei]: I get it! As more past-life videos come out, more people will be added! Until that series ends, it's all "tentative"!
[Azhdaha]: What is this? The Emperor of Teyvat dining with his harem?
[Mona]: That food looks amazing!! (Mona · Hungry)
[Amber]: Mona, stop starving—come to Good Hunter, Eula's treating! (Hu Tao · Wave)
[Eula]: Good Hunter, come quickly! (Eula · Time to eat)
[Mika]: (Eula · Invitation)
[Mona]: Kind soul! I'm coming right now!
[Venti]: I'm in Fontaine—anyone treating me to a meal? (Keqing · Question)
[Neuvillette]: That would be a no. (Furina · Laugh)
[Zhongli]: If no one is treating you, why don't you treat everyone instead, Venti? (Zhongli · Smirk)
[Azhdaha]: Good idea! Perfect solution to the awkwardness of no one inviting you! (Nod)
[Lyney]: It's dinner time for us too. (Lyney · Salute) (Photo of Arlecchino, Lyney, Lynette, Freminet dining together at the House of the Hearth)
[Tartaglia]: So everyone's eating with family, huh? (Annoyed) …Fine, cellmates count as family too. (Photo laughing while eating with fellow inmates)
[Tighnari]: It's already cold at night in the rainforest—Collei, if you keep staring at the chat and don't eat, your food will get cold!
[Collei]: O-Okay!!
By the time dinner ended, it was already past 8 PM.
Although it was winter in Liyue, the cold couldn't dampen the festive spirit. With the Lantern Rite approaching, the night was especially lively.
After assigning cleanup and dishwashing to Gu Chen and Paimon, Lumine and the others took Jean, Barbara, and the two Furinas out to explore the night market.
Watching them get along so well made Gu Chen feel relieved. Still, he muttered:
"Why does it feel like my status has dropped to the same level as yours?"
Paimon, scrubbing dishes under his supervision, looked indignant. "How is this 'same level' at all?!"
"Haha, just kidding."
With a wave of his hand, pure Hydro energy surged forth, instantly cleaning and organizing everything.
"You should go out too if you want," he added.
Paimon dried her hands and shook her head, looking at him sympathetically. "Nah, I'll stay and keep you company, you lonely man."
"What are you talking about!"
Gu Chen rolled his eyes. "They won't be back before midnight anyway. Want to make some late-night snacks?"
"Really?!" Paimon's eyes sparkled.
"Would I lie to you?"
"Yay! Let's do it!"
Sure enough, just before midnight, Lumine and the others returned.
Judging by the bags they carried, Gu Chen could guess what had happened.
Despite calling herself the "empress," Lumine had become less inclined to think since getting together with him. Most household matters were handled by Raiden Makoto and Buye'er.
The master bedroom wasn't big enough for everyone, so the other rooms in Gu Residence finally came into use.
As expected, after greeting him, everyone went upstairs to prepare rooms.
Paimon was called away briefly by Lumine. When she returned, she whispered mysteriously in his ear:
"From now on, the master bedroom is yours alone."
"…What do you mean?" Gu Chen leaned back slightly.
What was this? Did the girls grow closer and decide to kick him out?
"It means," Paimon said, blushing, "you're really being treated like an emperor now. Whoever you want to 'summon,' just say the word."
"Oh~"
Now he understood.
With this many people, everyone sleeping together like before was no longer practical.
This new method… was actually easier to accept.
Gu Chen patted his waist thoughtfully. "My wives are really considerate."
"Not exactly." Paimon shook her head solemnly. "Raiden Ei suggested it. She said the Shogun likes making her watch… if everyone stayed together, she'd go crazy watching all night."
"…Right."
Gu Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Still, that was Ei's own doing.
"Alright, Your Majesty," Paimon patted his shoulder. "Which 'names' are you picking tonight?"
Gu Chen stroked his chin, thinking seriously—then suddenly spread his hands.
"What do you mean picking? Let's make it exciting—draw lots!"
Paimon froze, stunned.
She already knew he liked to have fun—but this was on another level.
Pure randomness. Whoever got picked depended entirely on luck…
Her expression gradually turned to admiration.
"Leave it to me, Little Paimon," Gu Chen said, patting her shoulder before heading to the master bedroom.
"Hey! Don't call me that! I'm not some eunuch!" she stomped angrily.
After venting, she flew upstairs.
Once everyone finished tidying their rooms, Paimon explained the plan.
Their reactions were immediate—
"So novel?!"
Hu Tao clapped excitedly. "This is fun!"
"Alright, let's do it. No cheating!" Lumine grinned mischievously.
Paimon tore a sheet of paper into eleven pieces, wrote on three of them, mixed them up, and said seriously:
"Pure luck. No cheating."
Everyone drew one.
After checking, Paimon announced:
"The lucky winners are—Ganyu! Furina! Hu Tao!"
"As expected, my luck is great!" Hu Tao laughed.
Ganyu glanced at the two energetic girls and covered her face.
Hu Tao was already lively, and Furina seemed to be getting influenced by her… How was she supposed to keep up with them?
"Ahem." Lumine cleared her throat. "Alright, the lucky ones can go."
Then she placed her hands on her hips and grinned. "The rest of you sleep next to me!"
"Your Majesty, please show mercy~" Makoto said with a playful bow.
"Hehehe…" Lumine reached out with a wicked grin.
Focalors glanced around, then down at herself… then at the others…
Wait—why are they all so big?!
Was she undernourished?!
The next day.
After being thoroughly worn out, Hu Tao actually slept more peacefully—at least she didn't kick the blanket this time.
…Or so Gu Chen thought, before quickly reconsidering.
Hu Tao was sprawled out in a starfish position, the blanket only covering her upper body.
Furina's foot rested on Gu Chen's stomach, while she used Hu Tao's arm as a pillow.
On his left side, Ganyu slept quietly, her face nestled against his chest.
It was only 8 AM.
Just as Gu Chen was about to go back to sleep, Ganyu stirred.
Her thousand-year discipline meant she woke up at the same time no matter what.
She shifted slightly, yawned softly, and smiled when she saw him.
"You're awake too?"
"Not going back to sleep?" he asked.
Ganyu snuggled closer, her voice soft and content. "Then… I'll take a day off."
She rarely slept in—but the warmth in his arms compared to the cold outside was simply too comfortable.
Too comfortable to leave.
So she didn't.
Gu Chen, still energetic, checked the group chat and browsed the internet for a while.
Of course, accounts had to be split between main and alt—his main stayed silent and mysterious, while the alt was for chaos.
The Teyvat Internet had only launched yesterday, yet it was already thriving.
Short videos were emerging, and official websites for all seven nations had been set up overnight.
Scrolling through, he saw a post:
"Teyvat Follower Rankings"
1st: [Gu Chen V]—386,580,000
2nd: [Zhongli V]—269,820,000
3rd: [Gu Chen's Cute Furina V]—227,250,000
…
Furina's username was surprisingly adorable.
Her page was full of daily photos from yesterday.
Zhongli's page, meanwhile, was a chaotic mix of posts from accounts like [Barbatos V], [Rex Lapis V], [Venti V], [Wind Spirit V], [Dvalin V]—all sarcastic and bizarre.
Gu Chen's verdict:
Highly entertaining.
After browsing for a while, it was already past 10.
Furina and Hu Tao, full of energy, had woken up.
With Ganyu on his left and the two girls lying across his right side, the trio quickly got into lively chatter—one bold enough to speak, the other bold enough to listen.
Even Gu Chen and Ganyu struggled to keep a straight face listening to them.
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