Haizhou Academy, one week later.
Lu Chen and Raiden Ei walked side by side along the tree-lined path, heading toward the music building.
Today marked Venti's third official day as a faculty member—and the scheduled day for Starlight Music to head to the coast for sound sampling.
When it was first proposed to involve students in recording a music album, the school had some concerns. After all, art exam prep was intense, and academic classes left little room in the schedule.
But with both teachers and students from the music department bursting with enthusiasm—and considering Starlight Music's stellar reputation plus the personal involvement of a renowned producer—the opportunity proved too tempting. For every aspiring music student, this was a rare chance.
A chance, some said, to polish their résumés with gold.
Most of them would go on to pursue careers in music, and some already had their sights set on the glittering world of pop. To record for a major label while still in school—that was no small thing.
By the time Lu Chen and Ei arrived at Venti's classroom, it was already packed.
It took some effort just to squeeze in. Venti was teaching snare drum technique, and the room was overflowing—not just with his own students, but others from the department who had shown up just to audit.
There was nothing on the blackboard, no lesson slides. Venti stood casually at the front, leaning against the desk with a drumstick in one hand, chatting animatedly with the students.
Lu Chen didn't know much about music theory, but the atmosphere was electric. Laughter filled the classroom like waves. If someone had walked in unaware, they might have thought this was a comedy show.
Where else could you find a teacher so unpretentious, so witty, so charismatic? Add in Venti's looks, and he was eye candy even just standing there silently.
Every student—boy or girl—had their eyes locked on Venti, completely captivated by this young, mysterious substitute.
Venti had become a sensation.
Lu Chen and Raiden Ei stayed through the end of class. When the bell rang, Venti addressed the students who lingered.
"All right, that's class! Those headed to the beach for the recording, stay behind—the bus is waiting at the school gate!"
As the room burst into chatter, Venti spotted Lu Chen and Ei and strolled over with a grin.
"Hello, teacher!" Lu Chen said with a wink.
"Teacher my foot..." Venti leaned in and whispered, "You got any alcohol? I haven't had a drop all day—I'm dying here!"
Lu Chen stared. "Are you out of your mind? You want to drink at school?"
"I'll be sneaky! No one will notice~"
Lu Chen waved him off. He wasn't a drinker—he didn't carry alcohol around.
And even if he did, no way he'd let Venti have it.
The guy had barely started working and already wanted to booze it up on campus. Was he trying to get fired?
Venti looked disappointed. "Boring… Maybe I'll hit the convenience store later…"
Lu Chen frowned. "You really don't care about being a bad influence on your students, huh?"
"Relax, relax! No one's gonna find out!" Venti said breezily. "Artists are like that. Alcohol inspires creativity! All the great compositions came from—"
Lu Chen tuned out the nonsense. Raiden Ei had already found a seat, so he sat beside her.
"So dull…" Venti muttered.
Since the students participating in the vocal sampling came from different classes, they needed to wait for everyone to arrive.
While they waited, something amusing happened.
A male student, urged on by his buddies, blushed bright red as he awkwardly approached Venti.
Seeing the look on the boy's face, Venti raised an eyebrow. "What is it, student?"
Laughter and teasing echoed through the room, and Lu Chen immediately guessed what was about to happen.
He nudged Raiden Ei with a grin—this was gonna be good.
The boy took a deep breath and shouted:
"Teacher Venti! I really, really like you! For you—"
"OHHHHHH!"
"WOOOOO!"
"AAAHHHH!"
The classroom erupted. All eyes turned toward the podium. The boy, clearly mortified, stared at his shoes and wouldn't look up again.
"Eh—?" Venti's expression was priceless.
"Pfft—hahaha!" Lu Chen slapped his thigh, nearly doubled over with laughter. He knew this day would come.
Raiden Ei smiled knowingly at the spectacle.
The girls in class laughed the loudest, teasing the boy as they cried out, "You idiot! Teacher Venti's a guy!"
"Huh?"
"EHHH?!"
"Teacher Venti is... a guy?!"
The world spun. The boy's vision darkened.
Mortified, he bolted from the room. Just before disappearing through the door, he shot a death glare at his friends who had egged him on.
"Hahahahaha..."
Not even knowing your teacher's gender—what a disaster. But after he left, several new female students suddenly looked thoughtful.
Teacher Venti's that handsome... Isn't it even better that he's a guy?
This was their chance.
When Venti gathered the students at the school gate for the beach trip, Lu Chen was still cracking up, wiping away tears over and over.
He figured he'd tease Venti about this for the rest of their lives.
When no one was watching, Venti shot Lu Chen a deadly glare.
He also made a threatening gesture—slashing a finger across his throat.
Say a word of this to anyone in Teyvat, and you'll feel the wrath of the Anemo Archon!
...
A Starlight Company bus had arrived to pick up the group. Producer Tony was already beside himself with excitement.
With the students aboard, the bus headed toward the sea.
The sky was a brilliant blue, clouds drifting by like cotton. Under this vast dome, the bus rolled forward.
Lu Chen and Raiden Ei sat in the back, windows down, the humid, salty tang of the ocean growing stronger.
Their destination was nowhere near the Slime-hunting grounds. On the coast, rows of fishing boats rested quietly, drying their nets in the sun. A long breakwater stretched into the sea, and in the distance, a white lighthouse marked the location they'd scouted.
After getting off the bus, the staff began setting up. In addition to audio gear, Lu Chen spotted a video camera.
Though the goal was to create real music, commercial appeal still mattered. Starlight planned to present Venti as a mysterious musician.
A face unseen. Hair caught in the wind. Fingers dancing on the strings of a harp. These were the images meant to evoke the untouched, pure spirit of an artist beyond worldly concerns.
Lu Chen had seen the proposal and approved it. He understood that Tony had his hands tied—after all, the company wasn't just his.
Here, the sea and sky met in an endless gradient of blue. The whole world felt like it had turned to water and wind.
The ocean breeze ruffled the white outfits the students had changed into. When Venti's harp began to play, Lu Chen's thoughts scattered like dandelions on the wind, drifting high across the sky.
"If you find yourself in a place where the wind does not blow…"
"Then fly—fly."
"Like a bird…"
"See this world for me."
"Take my heart to the skies above."