Chapter Text
As Ganyu and Keqing rounded the final corner of the sidewalk, the bright lights of the restaurant flooded into view and painted the night sky around it with vibrant colors.
“Wow…” Ganyu said, mouth agape, “It’s… even more fancy than I imagined…”
“Well, yeah. My parents are all about first impressions, so they wanted to meet you somewhere special.”
Keqing said that as if it was supposed to be reassuring, but it frankly backfired. After being invited to dine in high society and cramming as much table manners with her Uncle Zhongli as possible, the last thing Ganyu wanted to hear was that Keqing’s parents value first impressions. She was already terrified of messing something up or forgetting one of the million rules about dinner etiquette, and now she was certain that even the smallest mistake would prove fatal.
“Come on,” Keqing said, “Let’s hurry inside where it’s warmer.”
Ganyu was helpless as Keqing dragged her across the last few steps of concrete before holding the door open for her. And if the outside was stunning, then the inside was nothing short of spectacular.
Ganyu had never seen so much gold-lined everything in her life. Not to mention the massive chandelier directly overhead, practically threatening Ganyu as if it would fall at any second.
The only silver lining Ganyu could think of was the dimmer-than-average lighting. A lot of it was lit by candle, so the ocean of people around the two of them felt a little less suffocating. Still, Keqing led Ganyu past most of them as they made their way over to a staircase off to the side of the main room.
“I’m flattered that your parents chose such a fancy restaurant, but are you sure it’s okay?” Ganyu asked, “I’d feel terrible if they spent so much money just for me.”
“Trust me, this isn’t anything out of the ordinary for them.”
That made Ganyu feel a little bit less concerned, but it raised another problem that she was still worrying about. If fancy dinners were normal for Keqing’s parents, then they’d pick up on every little mistake Ganyu was bound to make.
“Really?” Ganyu continued, “If you don’t mind me asking, how much does your mom make working for the publishing company?”
“She doesn’t work for the company. She owns the company.”
Ah.
See, there’s a notable difference between those two things, and Ganyu wished to have known that sooner. She wasn’t about to be dining with just Keqing’s parents, but also a super rich business owner that can casually afford seats at a restaurant that Ganyu never expected to step foot in.
Great.
“Oh! I didn’t know.” Ganyu was trying her best to not sound so caught off guard by Keqing’s clarification.
“Didn’t I tell you that?” Keqing asked.
“No. You made it sound like she was an employee, not the CEO.”
“My bad. It’s not too important though,” Keqing said as they both reached the top of the staircase, “Just relax, okay? I’m positive my parents will like you.”
Ganyu had to nod in agreement, if for no other reason than seeing that endearing, confident smile Keqing saved just for her.
Keqing led them along the upper floor pathway that overlooked the entire restaurant until she stopped at a table set for four. There were two women already sitting there, both of them perking up at the sight of their daughter.
“Moms, this is Ganyu. Ganyu, these are my parents, Miko and Ei,” Keqing said, gesturing to each of them as she said their names.
Miko, who was wearing a white pantsuit and a pink dress shirt that matched her hair, was the first of the two to speak.
“We’re so happy to finally meet you, Ganyu. Keqing has told us so much about you.” Miko smiled.
Ganyu politely nodded before shifting her attention over to Ei, who was wearing a cocktail dress sewn with the deepest purple that Ganyu had ever laid eyes on.
“Please, take a seat,” Ei warmly said, “We already asked the server to bring a bottle of their sweetest wine.”
“Thank you.” Ganyu found herself nodding again. Hopefully it wouldn’t be the only thing she ends up doing tonight.
Both Ganyu and Keqing reached for the chair in front of her, awkwardly starting a battle of tug-of-war as they each tried to pull.
“Ganyu.” Keqing hid her panic behind a forced smile as she kept fighting against the other’s grip.
“M-my bad!” Ganyu said, letting go of the chair and taking a step to the side so Keqing could move it for her. She sat down in her seat, patiently waiting for Keqing to push her back towards the table. But what she felt instead was the awkward nudging from behind as Keqing failed to move her.
“Remember, Ganyu.” Zhongli’s voice echoed in her head, “Don’t sit all the way down if someone is trying to push your chair in for you. Simply hover your body over the seat and let them move it until it reaches you.”
Ganyu silently cursed herself for already making a mistake and did as she was taught, balancing all of her weight on her feet so that Keqing could scoot the chair into place. Keqing then took her place in the adjacent seat, both of them trying to play it cool.
“So, Ganyu, tell us about yourself,” Miko started, “What do you do for a living?”
“I’ve been working as a secretary at Qixing Enterprise for the past few years now.”
“That’s actually how we met, funny enough.” Keqing added.
“Now that you mention it…” Ei said, “Isn’t she the secretary you used to complain about?”
“Mom!” Keqing yelled, trying her best to fight off the blush that crept across her cheeks.
“Oh that’s right, I remember now,” Miko said, “You would always vent about how ‘close-minded’ she was.”
“Mom!” Keqing repeated, this time with a voice crack.
The two older women only chuckled to themselves at the sight of their daughter’s overdramatic scowling.
“We’re sorry, we’re just having a little fun,” Miko apologized, “Please don’t feel offended, Ganyu. Keqing has said far more kind statements than rude statements about you.”
Ganyu forced herself to laugh along, trying her best to seem polite. She wasn’t really bothered by what the two were saying. If anything, it was nice to see someone else’s mom tease their daughter. She was far too familiar with her own mother telling embarrassing stories about her past to anyone who would listen.
The server arrived just in time to stop Keqing from leaping over the table in an attempt to keep her parent’s mouths shut.
“Does anyone need a moment to look over the menu while I pour the wine, or is everyone ready?”
Oh no, that’s right. Ganyu hadn’t even opened the menu yet. The last thing she wanted to do right now was hold up the rest of the table due to her own indecisiveness, but she couldn’t just pick anything either because of her strict diet–
“Actually, I think we’ll need another minute before ordering,” Keqing said.
“Take all the time you need.” The server smiled as she finished filling the final wine glass and left.
If the two of them weren’t sitting directly across from her parents, Ganyu might have yanked Keqing into a kiss right then and there as a thank you.
“That’s right, we’ll give you a second to look over the food. You both must be starving after such a long trip,” Miko said, her voice going higher as she mimed pinching Keqing’s cheek from the other side of the table.
“It wasn’t that long.” Keqing rolled her eyes.
“Well we’re both just glad that you two arrived safely,” Ei said.
“Does anything stand out to you, Ganyu?” Miko asked, “Feel free to pick whatever you’d like, it’s on us tonight.”
“I– uh, thank you. Very much.” Ganyu felt like she was being put on the spot again even from such a simple question. Truth be told, it was a hard choice. Even though she was limited to only the vegetarian dishes, there were still a lot of tantalizing options.
“Might I recommend the caprese salad to start?” Miko said, “They have vegan mozzarella if you’d prefer that too. Oh, and the creamy mushroom gnocchi is unlike anything you’ll find elsewhere.”
Ganyu could feel her tummy growling at Miko’s words. Hopefully it wasn’t loud enough for the others to hear.
After everyone had ordered, the server returned with their soup, signifying the start of the meal. Thankfully, out of all the types of food, soup has to be one of the easiest things to eat. There weren’t any extravagant rules to follow, other than using the designated soup spoon instead of, Archons forbid, the dessert spoon in its place.
“Which spoon is which?” Zhongli repeated back to Ganyu, “You don’t have to memorize the cutlery. Simply grab the utensil farthest from the plate and work your way to the center. The salad fork and knife are all the way left and right respectively, while the soup spoon is right next to knives. By the time dessert is served, the only ones you’ll have left are the ones you need.”
Afterwards came the starter. Ganyu followed Miko’s advice and ordered the caprese salad, which arrived soon after the server left with their empty plates. It tasted amazing, even for something as simple as cheese and tomato.
And all the while, Ganyu’s practice for table manners was paying off. It felt a little weird to watch one of her forks and knives leave with her empty appetizer plate, but she had to remind herself that the remaining silverware was on the table for a reason.
For her main entree, Ganyu decided on the ravioli pomodoro, which consisted of tofu filling topped off with the dish’s signature sauce and fresh basil.
It was to die for.
Ganyu could hardly hold back a smile as she took each bite, enamored by the creamy goodness.
Finally, dessert and coffee came to signify the end of the meal. Ei and Keqing each ordered a slice of tiramisu, like mother like daughter, while Miko settled with an espresso.
Ganyu chose the peach cobbler with vegan ice cream, not knowing it would be her downfall after a nearly flawless dinner. It tasted wonderful, just like everything else she’s had tonight. But she absentmindedly wiped the leftover crumbs off her lips with her napkin instead of lightly dabbing it like how Zhongli taught her. Ganyu could only stare at her napkin in horror, realizing that the bright red stain she left on it meant that her lipstick must be ruined.
Ganyu started to quietly panic in her seat. Would it be rude to excuse herself to the ladies’ room right now, or was she supposed to wait until the server took the final empty plates? She racked her brain to try and remember everything that Zhongli told her in preparation for tonight, except it was all turning into an indiscernible mush of do’s and don’ts that she couldn’t keep straight in her own mind.
“Ganyu.” Miko started.
And here it was. Keqing’s incredibly wealthy CEO of a mother was about to call her out for messing up something as simple as using a napkin. It was the end of everything.
“Do you need a makeup wipe? I have a spare if you’d like one.”
Ganyu froze as she stared at the hand reaching out to her, gently holding a little cloth like an offer of salvation. She moved her own hand to take it from Miko, hesitantly grabbing it as if this was another test she had to pass.
“Thank you.” Ganyu finally spoke after cleaning the streak of lipstick that smeared onto her cheek.
“No worries.” Miko’s smile was genuine, which washed away the lingering doubt in Ganyu’s mind that she was waiting for her to mess up.
“Was the food as good as Keqing promised?” Ei asked, “This place has always been one of our favorites to go to as a family, and we’re glad you were here to join us.”
“Yes,” Ganyu said, “Everything was amazing. Thank you for inviting me.”
“Next time, let’s pick somewhere a little more casual, okay?” Keqing said, directing it mostly at her parents.
They both looked back at her, a little confused as to why she felt the need to specify.
“We don’t mind where we go to eat,” Miko said.
Ei nodded, “Yeah, we only come here because the food is good. The atmosphere isn’t the important part.”
“Then how about Ganyu and I choose where we meet next time?” Keqing asked.
“Of course, we’ll look forward to it.” Both Ei and Miko smiled.
Ganyu felt a massive weight leave her shoulders. Not only did Miko and Ei not seem bothered by any of the mistakes she made throughout dinner, but they weren’t anything like the wealthy elite she imagined them to be.
They just picked this restaurant because it was their family favorite, and now Ganyu was included in that family.