Scared, aren't you? Even someone like Venti, the Anemo Archon, should be a bit unnerved. In the storyline, he never showed interest in anyone, and there's no way miHoYo would pair him up with someone. Regular characters don't get pairings, let alone gods.
In Teyvat, everyone's orientation is pretty standard.
It's time to show you the terrifying side of male love.
Shen Xing nearly choked on his laughter.
Suppressing his amusement, he kept a straight face and said, "Aren't you going to let go of me?"
Venti released his grip, hesitating. "You... like the Anemo Archon?"
"So what if I do?" Shen Xing tilted his chin slightly, as if daring Venti to do something about it.
Venti blinked in confusion, disbelief written all over his face.
This couldn't be. They used to be friends, and now they had just met. How could he like him?
Seeing the young man who seemed quite serious, Venti fell silent, processing this information.
Seizing the opportunity, Shen Xing decided to push Venti away further. He didn't care about his pride anymore; he couldn't let Venti really latch onto him. Otherwise, how would he write his novel? With this in mind, he put on an annoyed expression and said:
"Even though what happened yesterday was an accident, you stole my first kiss. I wanted to save it for Lord Barbatos, and now it's gone!"
Venti: "..."
"You, a bard, are really shameless. You must have done it on purpose."
"Although I am indeed quite handsome, the line of people who like me stretches from Liyue to the farthest mountain. You don't even make the cut!"
Shen Xing's shameless self-praise was so cringe-worthy that even he couldn't stand it. Surely, Venti wouldn't want to get close to him now.
Feeling he'd done enough, he quickly wrapped it up: "But I can't be bothered to hold a grudge. You said you'd treat me to a meal, so let's call it even. I'll pretend nothing happened."
"After this apology meal, let's not see each other again. We'll go our separate ways."
"Hey, don't say that," Venti disagreed. "How can we not meet again? We just met."
"I want to be friends with you."
Shen Xing: ... Damn it, I've said so much, and he still won't back off.
Venti, all smiles, didn't back away as Shen Xing had hoped. "Being friends with me means you'll have someone to chat and drink with anytime, anywhere. I have a wide circle of friends, and I play the lyre beautifully. There's no tune I can't play."
"Not only that, but I know all the stories that circulate around this continent. Telling them to you might be a good way to pass the time."
Shen Xing's eyelid twitched.
Venti chuckled, hinting, "And I'm Anemo too. I feel like we'll get along well."
Shen Xing: ...
Sorry, I don't think we will.
They had arrived at the Hunter's Restaurant. Shen Xing sat down while Venti called Sara to order. He secretly observed this Anemo Archon known for his carefree ways.
Were the flowers on his hat real or fake? Glancing at Venti's green hat, Shen Xing then looked at his hair, noticing the gradient braid. His gaze moved down to Venti's long, white legs, which nearly blinded him.
"..."
He quietly averted his gaze.
But he met Venti's eyes, who also looked down at where Shen Xing had just been staring, then looked back up with a questioning expression.
Shen Xing: "...Nothing."
At the table, Venti's mouth never stopped. Shen Xing listened to him chatter non-stop, unable to create an awkward silence. He truly was a social butterfly.
They drank and ate heartily, and it was quite enjoyable.
Except—Shen Xing was dumbfounded, staring at Venti, who was now red-faced and babbling nonsense at him. Wait, is he really drunk?
He couldn't believe it.
Shen Xing suspiciously eyed the person suddenly slumped over the table, calling out to him a couple of times. Venti only responded with a hum, then went quiet. It wasn't until Sara came to settle the bill that Shen Xing realized, oh boy, this must be a late realization that he had no money and was pulling a fast one on him.
Truly worthy of being the Anemo Archon, not a single Mora to his name.
After paying the bill, Shen Xing walked over to Venti, gave him a light push, but got no response.
Could he really be drunk?
Impossible, the so-called God of Wine can't handle his drink better than me.
No matter how much he called, Venti didn't respond. Shen Xing stared at Venti, who was breathing steadily with his face buried in his arms, and after some thought, reached out with a mischievous hand.
He grabbed the flower petals on Venti's hat and pinched them.
Turns out they were real flowers, yet they didn't wither. Could it be maintained by divine power?
After touching the flowers, Shen Xing took off Venti's hat, glanced at the cowlick on top of his head, and then put the hat back on with satisfaction.
As expected, there's a cowlick. Perfect for writing material.
After tugging at his little cape, Shen Xing withdrew his hand, looking at Venti in a dilemma. He couldn't just leave Venti here, so he decided to use the most primitive and brutal method.
"Venti!!! Wake up—"
Shen Xing propped him up, holding his shoulders and shaking him vigorously.
Venti opened his eyes.
Shen Xing was overjoyed.
Venti was awake for barely two seconds before he leaned forward, resting on Shen Xing's shoulder, closing his eyes again, and went silent.
Shen Xing's smile froze.
Excuse me? What are you doing?!
Venti quietly leaned against him, breathing evenly, as if asleep, his cheek pressed against him, and the leaves on his hat kept poking Shen Xing's face.
He pushed him, trying to make him sit up straight, but Venti didn't last a second before leaning back towards him.
Sara spoke up then, "You two, I'm closing up here."
Shen Xing had no choice but to help Venti up and support him as they walked.
In the game, Venti didn't have a place to stay, probably just finding a spot to rest wherever. Shen Xing couldn't really leave him on the street, so he grudgingly headed towards the inn where he was temporarily staying.
Maybe he shouldn't have had that meal.
Why did it feel like he was being clung to?
He's a god, the Anemo Archon, yet he wasn't light. Logically, wind should have no weight.
Never mind, he managed to get into the game world, so he shouldn't dwell on these setting issues. Maybe after taking human form, he's no different from humans.
Panting heavily, Shen Xing half-carried, half-dragged Venti into the room. Once inside, he dropped Venti onto the bed. Venti didn't make a sound. Shen Xing looked him up and down, still not believing he was really that drunk.
No defenses at all? How could that be?
Shen Xing grinned, picked up a glass of water from the table, and gulped it down, then went downstairs to ask the innkeeper to open another room.
No way he was sharing a bed with this guy. What if he woke up and accused him of taking advantage of him while drunk? Other gods might not do such a thing, but the Anemo Archon... it seemed like something he might do.
After Shen Xing left, Venti quietly opened his eyes, his emerald gaze clear with no hint of drunkenness.
He thoughtfully observed the room, and upon hearing footsteps, Venti quickly closed his eyes again.
With a new room key in hand, Shen Xing dragged the person sprawled on his bed up, carried him to the room next door, unlocked the door, kicked it open, and tossed Venti onto the bed, pulling up a thin blanket to cover him before closing the door and leaving.
The whole process was done in one smooth motion.
The room fell silent.
Venti: "..."
In the darkness, Venti sat up, contemplating, and chuckled softly.
Meanwhile, Shen Xing, brimming with inspiration, was furiously writing, his eyes gleaming, the flame patterns in his pupils almost burning.
Perhaps it was the personal interaction with the protagonist of his novel, or maybe it was the alcohol, but his inspiration flowed endlessly.
With a strange smile on his lips, he scribbled away, losing track of time until dawn was about to break.
Finally finishing his thoughts, Shen Xing, with dark circles under his eyes, put away the manuscript and collapsed onto the bed like a ghost.
His day-night reversed schedule had been rare since his transmigration. At Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, he didn't dare leave the lights on at night. What if Mr. Zhongli found out he wasn't sleeping and came to check on him? Facing Mr. Zhongli's gaze, Shen Xing always felt he couldn't lie.
In Liyue Harbor, he wrote during the day and slept on time at night.
Now, in Mondstadt, with no one to watch over him, he indulged himself. After waking up, he felt even more exhausted. Struggling to get out of bed, he realized it was already afternoon.
Shen Xing: ... If this continues, I'll end up like my previous life, dying suddenly.
Next time I sleep like this, I'm a dog!
After swearing to himself, Shen Xing, with a determined look, opened the door, his stomach growling, ready to find food.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw Venti waiting for him.
"...?"
"Bang!"
The door was slammed shut immediately.
Venti, with a smile frozen on his face, knocked on the door, "Shen Xing?"
With his forehead pressed against the door, Shen Xing took a deep breath, wearing a bitter expression. No! Why is he still here? Shouldn't he have left on his own after waking up?
He quickly checked the table, relieved to find no manuscript there, remembering he had put it away before sleeping. Developing this good habit was necessary in Teyvat.
Shen Xing opened the door again, and Venti immediately put on a smile, making Shen Xing speechless, "Why haven't you left yet?"
Venti, as if it were obvious, said, "I'm waiting for you."
"Aren't you a bard? Don't you have work to do?"
"A bard's work schedule is very flexible. Missing a day or two is fine~" Venti said naturally, "Spending time with friends is the priority."
Hearing the implication in his words, Shen Xing felt conflicted. Could it be that he's really clinging to me?
He walked out.
Venti followed closely by his side.
Shen Xing was not happy.
Venti noticed his expression, "Didn't you rest well last night? You have dark circles under your eyes."
"Yeah, I dreamed all night," Shen Xing replied.
It was true; he really did dream all night. In his dreams, there were burning fires, and wine barrels turned into spirits chasing Venti, leaving him restless and unable to sleep well.
After buying a Mora Meat and ordering an Apple Cider for Venti, earning a good person card from him, Shen Xing started filling his stomach.
Seeing that he was indeed not in good spirits, Venti suddenly stood up. Before Shen Xing noticed, he was already holding his lyre, plucking a soothing tune.
"I have a relaxing melody here. See if it makes you feel better."
The melody was soothing, and it was indeed quite pleasant to listen to.
After the tune ended, Shen Xing did feel better. At least his temples weren't throbbing, and he felt a bit more energized. He thought to himself, as expected of the Anemo Archon. After all this, he had shown goodwill, and it wouldn't make sense not to accept it.
Shen Xing actually liked this carefree and free-spirited Anemo Archon. The reason he had been avoiding Venti since arriving in Mondstadt was because he felt guilty!
He wrote a novel about him, how could he not be scared?
Previously, he wrote about humans, even if they were Harbingers, they were still ordinary people. But now, it was different; he was writing about a god.
And now, with Venti sticking to him like this, Shen Xing feared Venti would find out. Otherwise, why would he follow him?
It seemed he couldn't write his novel during the day anymore.
To protect his secret identity, Shen Xing took out the map he had drawn, determined to stick to his story about finding the Anemo Archon, even if it meant crying.
Venti leaned over to look, surprised, "What's this?"
"After eating and drinking, it's time to get to work."
Shen Xing walked to the city wall, starting a thorough search, "Lord Barbatos, where are you—"
Fortunately, there was no one around. It was embarrassing, but it was all for show for one person (god).
Watching the young man searching high and low, Venti slowly blinked.
Could it be that he was telling the truth?
He really came to Mondstadt to find him.
Venti joined in the search with a grin, even mimicking Shen Xing by asking around, leaving Shen Xing with a face full of black lines.
"Tired?" After a long while, Venti asked.
"Not tired."
"...You really like him." His gaze fell on Shen Xing.
Shen Xing responded smoothly, "Ask any Mondstadt citizen, and there's no one who doesn't like him."
Shen Xing said this and then asked, "Don't you like him? You're a Mondstadt citizen too."
The topic suddenly turned to himself, and Venti paused, then smiled, "I like him. But their liking is different from yours. Your thoughts are too dangerous; it's almost blasphemy."
When he said the last word, Venti noticeably paused, his tone somewhat meaningful.
Translating these Novels take alot of time and effort support me and get early chapters on
p@treon(.)com/rosavyn , As Without some money how will I Keep translating