In front of the cabin nestled in the woods
Just as the two were about to step inside, they both halted at the same time.
Not out of politeness.
But because after a long day of mining and goofing around, they were now completely filthy. It felt almost sinful to track all that dirt into their brand-new home.
"Should we wash up in the backyard first?"
"Yeah, I'm all for that!"
With that, Gong Qu and Keqing turned around and circled the cabin, heading for the open-air pond behind the house.
"This place is actually pretty nice. Didn't expect you to have an eye for architecture."
Coming from the Director of the Liyue Bureau of Natural Resources, and a member of one of the city's most prominent real estate families, such praise carried real weight. She'd been steeped in design aesthetics since childhood.
"I'd love to take the compliment," Gong Qu said, "but to be honest, it was auto-generated from a blueprint called 'Forest Cabin.' All I did was move my finger."
"C-Cabin?!"
Keqing couldn't help blurting out in disbelief. It reminded her of that Traveler's teapot realm, absurdly massive despite the name.
Gong Qu simply spread his hands with a helpless look, silently admitting he'd once had the same reaction. Then he walked to the edge of the pond and, without hesitation, stripped down to just his boxer shorts.
"I'll just wash up here by the bank. Won't take long. If you feel like that's not enough, wait till I'm done and hop in yourself."
He squatted down, back to Keqing, and began scooping water to rinse the grime off his body.
But Keqing didn't respond.
Beneath the splashing of water, there came a much softer sound, the subtle rustle of fabric against bare skin.
He waited.
Gong Qu's hand stilled mid-scoop. He didn't dare turn around. A ridiculous idea had taken root in his mind.
Until... a bare, mud-dappled foot stepped into his field of vision.
His eyes moved involuntarily over the dainty, bud-like toes, up the veined instep, past the slender ankle, tracing the faint blue veins beneath translucent skin... until all was hidden beneath a pair of black-violet Teyvat-style lantern trousers.
"Seen enough?"
Her voice trembled ever so slightly. Keqing looked off into the distance, arms crossed over her chest to shield what her thin camisole could not.
"Guh~"
Gong Qu tried to speak, but his dry throat betrayed him. Only after swallowing hard could he form words.
"I could never get enough!"
"What kind of answer is that?" Keqing huffed, cheeks flushed. "Forget it, just come in with me already!"
She gave the pond a sideways glance, her posture coyly inviting yet teasingly reserved, like a siren tempting one into sin.
Gong Qu realized he had grossly underestimated the power of a maxed-out affection bar.
Her love was practically spilling from her eyes.
"Hoo"
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down.
Splash!
The two plunged into the water together.
But the cold pond water did little to extinguish the heat in Gong Qu's gaze. Keqing's neck turned visibly red.
She couldn't calm down at all!
The rippling water carried a quiet, dreamy mood with it.
For the first time, Keqing untied the traditional topknot on her head, letting her long hair fall loose.
Since they were floating close together, a lock of her hair drifted into Gong Qu's reach.
He gently caught the strand and drifted toward her.
Keqing shot him a glance but didn't stop him. Instead, she began splashing her face with water, as if cooling herself down, waiting.
The distance between them shrank.
Twenty centimeters... ten...
Thud!
A dull sound echoed from beneath the water.
Keqing felt a strong, unfamiliar yet not unwelcome embrace wrap around her from behind. Like a kitten curling into a cozy spot, she shifted slightly, settling into the warmth.
"Aqing..."
Soft fragrance and tender warmth in his arms, Gong Qu narrowed his eyes and whispered her name.
Resting his chin on her shoulder, he breathed in the faint floral scent from her damp hair.
"Mm... I'm here."
Keqing was utterly flustered now. Her voice came out in shy murmurs as she tried to answer, all while feeling his breath against her cheek, while listening to him start recounting the life he'd lived before.
"I was born into a time of material abundance but spiritual emptiness. I went through compulsory education, got decent grades, made it through college the normal way... and died in the end while trying to save someone. Boring, huh? That first half of my life, or previous life, I guess, sounds pretty dull, right?"
Unnoticed, Keqing's hair had nearly dried as she listened quietly.
"Dull? Maybe. But I could hear the fondness in your voice."
"Well, I did spend 25 years in that world. A bit of nostalgia is only natural."
"And now?" Keqing asked. "Do you... feel spiritually fulfilled?"
"I do, but it's still not enough. Just spending half a day with you felt like reuniting with a longtime friend. You've brought back so many pieces of joy that the old world had worn away."
Her smile faltered, suddenly turning melancholy. "...Just a friend?"
Gong Qu chuckled. "How could I forget my Aqing is the straightforward type? No need for subtlety, then."
He raised his head. With the hand resting on her waist, he gently turned her to face him, their foreheads touching.
"I like you, Keqing. Let's be together."
"Okay!"
Keqing answered in a flash.
They looked into each other's eyes and smiled.
Then they closed the last bit of distance, sealing the promise.
Smack~
…
Night fell.
Stars twinkled faintly in the sky.
Across the open plain, only the forest cabin glowed with firelight.
In the front yard, the pair, having spent a bit too long washing up, were now preparing ingredients for dinner.
"Aqu, this red one, this isn't your world's Jueyun Chili, is it? It looks super spicy."
"That's a facing-heaven chili. One of the spicier types, yeah. Great for stir-fry."
Keqing noted it down seriously.
After confirming their relationship, she quickly stepped into her rightful role as the main heroine. Kamisato Ayaka, Yoimiya, Nilou and the rest? No longer a threat.
But as she glanced up at the black, empty expanse beyond the yard, a trace of unease crept in. It felt like monsters were lurking just out of sight.
"Aqu, didn't you say monsters come out at night? Why haven't we seen any?"
Gong Qu plucked an eggplant and followed her gaze toward the horizon.
"MC has several difficulty modes, Peaceful, Easy, Normal, and Hard. I'm not sure which one I'm in right now. Also, our cabin is covered in torches. Hostile mobs won't spawn near decorative light blocks like these."
As he spoke, Gong Qu opened the main system interface of his MC world.
Sure enough, tucked in the top right corner was a gear icon.
That was hidden well. Not even a hint?
Clicking the gear, a full menu of settings appeared before him.
Keqing paused her chopping to peer curiously over his shoulder.
[Difficulty: Peaceful (Locked) – No permission to modify]
[Game Mode: Survival (Locked) – No permission to modify]
[Mods Installed: Simple Blue Planet Architecture, Maid Contract, Adventurer's Toolkit, Farmer's Delight (Part of Dragon Adventure Pack – Not Loaded), Ice and Fire (Part of Dragon Adventure Pack – Not Loaded), Starfall Magic...]
[Shaders: Default]
[Alternate Worlds: Nether (Locked), The End (Locked), Genshin (Locked)]
[Other Settings]
"The first three mods correspond to the forest cabin, your presence, and the two-colored potions I used earlier," Gong Qu explained. "The ones below are part of the Dragon Adventure Pack, which isn't currently active."
"The Nether and End are accessible with their respective portals. As for the Genshin world, it got unlocked because of you, but there's no info on how to access it."
"No permission for game mode changes... So maybe if I meet certain hidden conditions or defeat the Ender Dragon, I could unlock GM authority and switch to Creative Mode?"
"The real 'My World,' huh..."
Instead of answers, the interface only gave Gong Qu more questions.
Unfortunately, this version of Minecraft had no instruction manual, no quest tracker.
Only one way forward, trial and error, one step at a time.