Life Simulation World
Chef Mao blinked, suddenly finding himself standing at the doorway of Wanmin's kitchen.
He looked around in confusion.
Before he could piece anything together, Xiangling turned around from the stove with a stern look.
"Huh?"
Why did Xiangling look… different?
She seemed taller, older… more mature.
"Dad! Didn't Mr. Baizhu tell you last month? Your health is bad, you need rest! Why are you in the kitchen again? You'll choke on the fumes and start coughing nonstop! Go to the backyard and rest!"
Chef Mao wanted to argue that he was fine. He'd spent his whole life breathing cooking smoke—how could it suddenly become a problem?
But as soon as he opened his mouth, he broke into an uncontrollable coughing fit.
His lungs felt itchy and painful.
"See? I told you!" Xiangling snapped, then turned to the little boy beside her. "Take him to the backyard to rest!"
"Okay."
The boy helped Chef Mao out of the kitchen.
Chef Mao tried telling himself it was just Xiangling's words affecting him psychologically.
He had always been healthy. How could a bit of oil smoke cause such a reaction?
And why did he feel so weak?
Just walking from Wanmin to the backyard left him breathless.
The boy settled him down.
"Master, rest here. Wanmin is full of customers right now, so I need to get back to work."
Chef Mao coughed for a long while until it finally stopped.
He looked around the backyard.
Something felt wrong.
Things had changed.
There were many objects he didn't recognize.
His eyes landed on a shrine placed in the most prominent spot in the living room.
What was this…?
Chef Mao walked over.
A spirit tablet rested on the altar.
Carved into it were the words:
"Beloved Son, Kael."
His breath caught.
And beside the tablet was a portrait.
The portrait was… the same young man Xiangling had brought home today.
---
Back in reality, Chef Mao stared at Kael's warm hands in stunned silence.
Suddenly, he slapped himself hard across the cheek.
The crisp sound echoed through the room.
Kael panicked and grabbed his arm. "Dad! What are you doing?!"
Feeling the sharp sting on his face, Chef Mao's tears immediately overflowed.
"It's not a dream… thank the gods, it's not a nightmare…!"
He clung to Kael's arms with desperate strength, terrified of letting go.
Kael could even feel the pain from how tightly he held him.
Chef Mao sobbed uncontrollably. "My boy… you're alive! Thank goodness… you're alive…!"
Now that he knew Kael wasn't a lingering spirit, the tears he'd held back for years finally fell.
He had been afraid.
He remembered what Director Hu Tao had once told him.
He had been terrified that if he cried in front of his son's spirit, Kael would be too heartbroken to leave, staying behind to suffer in the human world.
Only now did he finally let everything out.
Kael felt the tidal wave of emotion pouring from Chef Mao's trembling body, and his own eyes reddened.
He patted Chef Mao's shaking back gently, even as his lips trembled.
They said losing a child was the most devastating pain a person could endure.
A wound that never truly healed.
The only way to ease Chef Mao's suffering…
was to show him his son was still alive.
And living well.
Once Chef Mao calmed a little, Kael finally spoke.
"After I died, I don't know why, but I ended up in this world. It's just like the one we lived in before. There's still Liyue. There's still you and Xiangling. Dad, I'm doing great here. You don't have to worry about me anymore."
"Good… good… good…"
"As long as you're alive, that's enough. No matter where you are, it doesn't matter. Just stay alive."
Chef Mao looked at Kael's strong build and handsome face, tears streaming down as he smiled with relief.
If his son was healthy, nothing else mattered.
"Kael, take care of yourself. If something happens, don't act recklessly. Come back to Liyue and ask the Millelith for help, you hear me? Don't go running into dangerous places like before."
Chef Mao spoke quickly, knowing he wouldn't remain in this world for long and wanting to say everything he needed to before time ran out.
Kael hurriedly took out the three Visions he carried and showed them. "Don't worry, Dad. I have three Visions here. I can protect myself."
"Even if you had a hundred Visions, you still can't let your guard down."
Chef Mao fixed him with a serious look. "I told you before, being a man means having responsibility. But now… now I don't care about that. As long as you live. If things get dangerous, don't be ashamed to back down. Keeping yourself safe is the only thing that matters."
Kael could only nod. "Alright, I understand."
"And if you don't want to take over Wanmin, that's fine. In this world, go do whatever you love. Live happily."
"When you're far from home, remember to send word back often. The me in this world must be worried sick wondering how you're doing."
"And also…"
Chef Mao kept talking, giving advice after advice, unable to stop.
Kael listened quietly and nodded again and again.
When Chef Mao finally ran out of things to say, Kael suddenly remembered something.
"Dad, how's your body in that world now?"
Ever since he saw how healthy Chef Mao looked in reality, he had worried nonstop about the frail, gray-haired version Chef Mao.
Last he saw, the Chef Mao from the simulation had aged terribly and even been exposed to Karmic Debt.
Who knew if he was okay now?
Chef Mao laughed heartily. "Of course I'm fine! I've been a chef for decades, constantly working. How could my body be bad? Now that Xiangling is strong enough to stand on her own, I'm planning to stay in Liyue and let her open a branch in Mondstadt! I want all of Teyvat to know about Wanmin!"
"In any case, everything at home is good. So don't worry. As long as you're safe here, Dad can relax."
After saying that, an overwhelming drowsiness washed over him.
He struggled to keep his eyes open, murmuring, "Kael… live well… okay? Knowing that… in another world… we can still be father and son… Dad is… really… happy…"
In reality, Kael and Chef Mao weren't related at all. They had only met today.
But Kael still answered softly, "Dad, I'm happy too. You and Xiangling both need to live well. Don't worry about me anymore."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chef Mao collapsed onto the bed, a faint smile on his lips, tears still clinging to the corners of his eyes.
He fell into a peaceful sleep.
[Chef Mao's Pain Value -90. Current Pain Value: 10.]