Liu Manman still wasn’t listening to the guzheng seriously; she was pondering her unusual feelings.
When she had just arrived at District 232, this feeling hadn’t appeared yet. It only began to take shape the night they were at the beach villa, when Xia Yu, angry because of An Sixao, had been harsh with her.
Was it because she noticed the different treatment between An Sixao and herself that these feelings arose?
Liu Manman recalled scenes of her relationship with Xia Yu from when they first met until now.
She first learned about Xia Yu from her grandmother, who had praised Xia Yu as the successor to the Hua School of guzheng. Naturally competitive, she felt displeased, but after witnessing Xia Yu’s performance, she had no choice but to acknowledge the reality—Xia Yu was indeed more suited to the Hua School than she was.
Later, she used the excuse of participating in the Global Youth Performance together as a reason to visit Xia Yu. She found that Xia Yu was even more talented than she had imagined, and his musical skills had improved significantly. Because of Xia Yu’s immense talent, her affection for him had grown.
She had participated in the Global Youth Performance together with Xia Yu and An Sixao, further confirming Xia Yu’s extraordinary talent. At that time, their relationship was still quite simple and straightforward.
However, after Xia Yu performed his original guzheng compositions like “White Horse” and “White Horse in the Rain,” something inside her had changed, especially after her grandmother, Liu Ronglan, subtly suggested that she could try pursuing Xia Yu.
Then came the incident at the beach villa.
So, what should she do now?
Resting her chin in her hand, Liu Manman was thinking from multiple angles.
She knew she couldn’t compete with An Sixao. Even if she could win the person, without the heart, it wouldn’t be meaningful.
Perhaps she could develop a relationship? After all, it was common for people to have several lovers even after marriage.
Though tempted, Liu Manman, still far from marriage, didn’t yet have the courage to make a move.
For now, she could only indulge in fantasies.
“How was it?” Xia Yu had finished playing and asked.
“Eh, it was okay,” Liu Manman replied.
“Which part was okay?” Xia Yu noticed her insincerity.
“All parts were fine. That’s enough,” Liu Manman answered. Although she had listened, she hadn’t really paid attention and couldn’t remember anything.
Her expression didn’t fool Xia Yu. He placed his hand on the girl’s shoulder and asked, “What were you thinking about?”
Recalling what had been on her mind, Liu Manman dared not look directly at Xia Yu. She hastily stood up, “Anyway, that’s it. I’m leaving!”
With that, she ran out of the room.
Xia Yu scratched his head, puzzled, guessing that maybe she was having her period those days.
He carefully put away the guzheng and lay down on the bed.
An Tiansheng would arrive tomorrow, so he needed to rest well.
Pulling the blanket over himself, he accessed You Xue’s body.
You Xue was playing a video game in her room when Xia Yu shut it off and controlled the girl’s body, making sure she went to sleep before ten.
At 5:50 a.m., Xia Yu returned to his own body.
He got out of bed, opened the curtains, and stretched.
An Tiansheng would probably arrive around 8 a.m., and Xia Yu needed to catch the 3 p.m. high-speed train back to Zilang for the Lunar New Year’s Eve.
In other words, he would be spending five or six hours with An Tiansheng.
Xia Yu thought about what unexplored business ideas he might have and planned to use them to pass the time.
However, after ten minutes of sitting on the bed thinking, Xia Yu came up with nothing. It wasn’t that he had exhausted all business ideas, but rather that he couldn’t concentrate.
Realizing this, Xia Yu conducted self-reflection and quickly identified the problem.
A telepathic sense kept sending ominous signals, interfering with his focus.
Would his meeting with An Tiansheng encounter some obstacles?
Frowning, Xia Yu realized he wasn’t the only one here; Kong Hanyue and You Xue were still around. If something happened, it would worry them.
Xia Yu immediately changed his plan, deciding to send the two away first.
After thinking further, Xia Yu decided to discuss idol group business models with An Tiansheng, of course, only if the conversation could proceed.
After washing up, Xia Yu went downstairs to the dining room. The girls were already up and eating breakfast.
Liu Manman’s flight was at 8 a.m., so she needed to get up early, while Kong Hanyue and the others had gotten up to see her off.
Kong Hanyue and the others looked tired, while only You Xue, having been made to sleep early by Xia Yu, was energetic.
Xia Yu sat beside An Sixao, drinking hot porridge.
After breakfast, he said to Kong Hanyue and You Xue, “You two should go back home in the morning. I’ll leave alone in the afternoon.”
“Eh? Why?” Kong Hanyue asked, puzzled.
“It’s snowing outside. If something delays us, Grandpa and Grandma and Grandpa and Grandma on your mom’s side will have to spend the New Year alone,” Xia Yu answered.
“How could it be delayed? We’re taking the high-speed train, not a bus,” Kong Hanyue pointed out the flaw in his reasoning.
You Xue noticed something from Xia Yu’s expressionless face and pulled Kong Hanyue’s sleeve, signaling her not to ask anymore.
With You Xue’s intervention, Kong Hanyue stopped questioning and accepted the arrangement.
At seven o’clock, Xia Yu saw Kong Hanyue, You Xue, and Liu Manman off at the door.
The snow had stopped falling from the sky, and the weather was even colder than yesterday.
An Sixao was fascinated by the steam from her own breath, playfully blowing in different directions.
Seeing this, Xia Yu’s heavy mood lightened. Suddenly, as the girl was halfway through blowing upward, he reached out and covered her mouth.
Interrupted mid-play, An Sixao looked at Xia Yu with an innocent expression.
Xia Yu withdrew his hand, pinched the girl’s face gently, and smiled.
If it had been the old An Sixao, she would never have played like this. Even last night in the backyard, the previous An Sixao would have only run away from shyness instead of playfully resisting his kiss.
This was a positive change. If she could also correct their financial relationship someday, it would be perfect.
“Let’s go.”
Xia Yu held An Sixao’s hand, and the two returned to the villa together.
Once inside, An Sixao found she could no longer see her breath turn into mist and looked disappointed.
Xia Yu then led her to the fogged-up window and drew a Pikachu on it.
“This mouse looks strange,” An Sixao frowned.
“This is Pikachu,” Xia Yu replied.
“What is that?” An Sixao tilted her head and asked.
Xia Yu couldn’t answer. There was no Pokémon series in this world.
Perhaps he could create one himself? Pokémon games didn’t require high performance, they could run on smartphones, and this world even had handheld consoles more advanced than Earth’s Nintendo Switch.
Xia Yu pushed this idea aside. Now wasn’t the time to think about it. An Tiansheng would arrive in about an hour. He needed to focus on figuring out how to handle their meeting.
He looked at An Sixao drawing on the fogged window and asked, “What if your father doesn’t approve of our relationship?”
“Then I won’t need him anymore,” An Sixao replied.
Xia Yu smiled, ruffled An Sixao’s hair, and continued drawing on the window with her.
Time passed slowly. At 8:05 a.m., a car stopped outside the villa.
An Tiansheng stepped out, followed by his secretary. Together, they walked into the villa.
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