With two new guests in the house, Lu Chen found himself once again faced with the problem of room assignments.
The villa was spacious, but it only had seven bedrooms. Since he was currently sharing a room with Ei, that left only one empty room upstairs.
Naturally, the remaining room was given to Barbara, who was still glued to the TV, completely absorbed in an idol variety show. Lu Chen called out to her, and only then did she reluctantly make her way upstairs.
"This is my room?" Barbara looked around the neatly cleaned space.
The modern furnishings piqued her curiosity. She wandered around like a curious kitten, inspecting everything and touching this and that.
"That's right," Lu Chen replied, glancing at her outfit. While not as over-the-top as some of the others, walking around in a Mondstadt priestess' long dress during the height of summer still attracted attention.
So, he brought Barbara to knock on the room next door—Miko's.
After briefly greeting her new neighbor, Miko had gone right back to sleep. Lately, she had been sleeping constantly—day and night—even putting her beloved light novels aside.
Lu Chen shook his head with a wry smile. Ever since that nightmare incident, Miko hadn't had a good night's sleep.
"Who is it—ugh!"
A sleepy, muffled voice came from inside the room.
But she made no move to open the door.
"It's me..."
Lu Chen knocked again. This time, he heard the sound of a fox's fur standing on end.
"Do you mind? I'm catching up on my beauty sleep..."
"..."
There was no messing with a grumpy fox. Lu Chen looked helplessly at Barbara, who asked cautiously, "Maybe we shouldn't bother Miss Miko after all...?"
"No way!" Lu Chen shook his head firmly. Only Miko, the fashion guru herself, could help with this.
So, steeling himself against the threat of murder-by-fox, he kept knocking.
"Ughhhhhh—!"
Miko was clearly at the end of her patience. Lu Chen heard rustling from inside.
The door creaked open slightly, and a very annoyed Miko peeked out in her pajamas, staring daggers at Lu Chen.
"What do you want?"
Her hair was a mess, a stray tuft sticking out at the top. Lu Chen almost reached out to fix it, but decided against it under the weight of her murderous glare...
Instead, he gave an awkward smile.
"Barbara just got here and doesn't have any suitable clothes. Can you help her pick something out?"
Miko's eyes shifted to Barbara, who was standing sweetly by his side. Her expression softened immediately.
"Give me a minute!"
The door slammed shut, and a series of bangs and clatters rang out from inside.
When it reopened, the ever-beautiful, ever-elegant Yae Miko had returned—now in a fashionable, fresh outfit and even lightly made up. Lu Chen couldn't help but marvel at how fast she'd transformed.
Miko looked Barbara up and down, then turned back to Lu Chen.
"You're not just asking me to pick out an outfit, are you?"
"As expected of the Guuji—you see right through me!" Lu Chen snapped his fingers and pointed to Barbara. "I need you to give her a full makeover. She's got to look perfect on camera! Clothes, styling—at least on your level!"
"You want her to become a campus idol, right?" Miko narrowed her eyes, examining Barbara carefully as if contemplating what aesthetic would suit her best.
"Exactly!" Lu Chen nodded immediately. "I'm taking her to Starlight's auditions in a few days. Our Barbara has to outshine every other contestant. I'm counting on you!"
Miko looked at Barbara, eyes sparkling now. The idea of transforming someone into an idol superstar seemed genuinely entertaining.
Barbara stood nervously between them, clutching the hem of her skirt, completely unsure of what was happening.
Lu Chen couldn't shake the feeling she was a lamb surrounded by wolves.
"Hehehe, let's get started!" Miko grabbed Barbara and pulled her into the room. Her startled cry echoed behind the closed door.
"Ah—!"
The door shut with a bang, followed by loud rummaging sounds, likely from Miko raiding her wardrobe. With a bit of anticipation, Lu Chen left the second floor.
...
Downstairs, Tony Wang was about to return to the company—he said he needed to begin prep work for an idol project.
With his and Venti's status, bringing a newcomer into the company would've been easy. But after hearing Barbara's healing vocals, Tony's sharp instincts as a music producer kicked in.
With the strength Barbara showed, she wouldn't be lost in the star-studded entertainment world. She might even become an overnight sensation.
Before leaving, he gave Lu Chen a complicated look and asked if there were any more hidden musical prodigies in the house.
After all, this family was ridiculously talented—each one seemed like a once-in-a-century genius. Maybe the rest were just as gifted.
He even pointed at the old man sipping tea and said he looked like someone who'd be perfect for serious dramas, and then at Diluc—who was mixing drinks in the kitchen—and said he had that idol-drama aura.
After finally getting rid of the talkative Tony, Lu Chen actually took a closer look at Diluc.
No need to even talk about his looks—his cold, distant gaze and commanding presence were a perfect match for the classic domineering CEO archetype.
Lu Chen's lingering stare made Diluc frown. He put down the cocktail shaker and gave Lu Chen a questioning look.
"Nothing, nothing," Lu Chen chuckled and walked over. "How's it going?"
Diluc had taken off his black coat and was now dressed in a vest and shirt, mixing drinks behind the home bar like a professional bartender.
"This Slime Condensate can't be used in the winemaking process—it would just ruin the quality. So I'm trying to see if it works better in a cocktail."
He poured a small amount of Slime Condensate into a shaker, sealed it, and gave it a professional shake.
He wasn't showing off—just doing it efficiently. After a few shakes, he poured the strange-colored liquid into a glass and pushed it toward Lu Chen.
"Here. Try it."
Lu Chen hesitantly accepted the green-and-blue drink, holding it up to the light to inspect it.
The Slime Condensate clearly hadn't fully dissolved, making the drink murky. Its color tried its best to cover up the mess…
Diluc crossed his arms, watching Lu Chen wrestle with visible reluctance.
"I've done what I could. To fully dissolve the Condensate, we might need other steps. I don't have a solution for now."
"Wait... is this actually safe to drink?" Lu Chen asked seriously.
Diluc nodded. His expression was so solemn, Lu Chen had no doubt he was being honest.
"You really can drink it!" Venti chimed in from the bar. "I already tried it—it's got a strange taste, but it's drinkable."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously!" Venti nodded earnestly, full of conviction.
Looking at Venti's enthusiastic face, Lu Chen suddenly had second thoughts.
He remembered that time he pranked Venti into eating the first bowl of noodles Ei ever cooked...
The consequences were dire.
What if this was Venti's revenge?
"If you're not gonna drink it, I will!" Venti reached for the glass.
Lu Chen quickly shielded it.
Diluc wouldn't joke about this. Judging by his dead-serious demeanor, this cocktail was legit.
With a deep breath and a pinch of his nose, Lu Chen downed it in one heroic gulp.
Afterward, both Diluc and Venti watched him closely.
"Well? How is it?"
Lu Chen set the glass down, savoring the aftertaste. Slowly, his brows relaxed.
"…It's actually not bad?"
Sure, the texture was a little weird—kind of gooey, like jelly—but the flavor wasn't bad at all.
Lu Chen gave Diluc a big thumbs-up. "You really pulled it off. Turning something this nasty into something great? That's talent."
Looks like the "Mondstadt Special Drink Project" might really work out after all.
...