Chapter 53: Moon’s Lament

Still playing the game, with fifteen minutes left, he chatted with Xu Youxiang.

“All those clothes in your wardrobe must have cost a fortune, right?” Xia Yu questioned how Xu Youxiang could have accepted ten thousand yuan to sell herself.

“They’re not valuable; they’re made from cheap fabric that I sewed myself,” Xu Youxiang replied.

Could she actually have such talent?

Considering the fashion and makeup bonuses listed in Xu Youxiang’s profile, Xia Yu’s surprise faded.

If it weren’t for her paralyzed legs, Xu Youxiang could definitely become the most beautiful female programmer.

What a pity.

He reached out and regretfully pinched his thigh; the sensation was faint.

He wondered when he would get another chance to retrieve a new body. Then he could select medical skills to see if he could cure Xu Youxiang’s legs and have her work for him.

With Xu Youxiang’s programming talent, even if she couldn’t match An Siyao’s godlike abilities, she would still be among the best.

He pinched his thigh again.

“Take your hand off me! Pervert!” Xu Youxiang shouted.

“No, that’s your hand,” Xia Yu replied.

Caught off guard for a couple of seconds by his response, Xu Youxiang resumed scolding him.

However, Xu Youxiang knew her limits—her words weren’t personal attacks.

Eight hours passed, and he returned to his own body.

It was four in the afternoon, time for work.

After playing the priestess’s dancer piece, Xia Yu whimsically wanted to play “Praise the Sun,” but he quickly realized his mistake and changed the song to “Gallery of Metamorphosis.”

He was pretending to be an ordinary level 3 player; playing “Praise the Sun” wasn’t something he should be able to perform.

That way, even if An Siyao felt his playing was somewhat familiar, she would be confused due to the differing skill levels.

After all, piano wasn’t guzheng; having a distinct personal style was quite normal.

After finishing on the piano, he picked up the violin.

At half past five, when work ended, Xia Yu approached the young shop manager.

“What, you can play guzheng too?” The young manager held his forehead.

“Yeah, maybe a little better than piano.” In reality, Xia Yu’s guzheng repertoire wasn’t as strong as his piano skills yet, but that wouldn’t last long.

He brought up the guzheng because he wanted to practice it during working hours.

Although he couldn’t play unfamiliar pieces, playing familiar ones was also practice.

By now, Xia Yu’s fingers still weren’t fully accustomed to guzheng techniques; accelerating his adaptation was crucial.

“It’s not feasible for you to play three instruments in one day,” the young manager scratched his head, getting an idea. “How about this: piano on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; guzheng on Tuesdays and Saturdays; and violin on Thursdays. We’ll adjust the schedule based on which instrument gets the best response.”

“So for guzheng…”

“Let me prepare. What brand of guzheng do you usually use?”

Different brands significantly affected the guzheng’s tone.

“Flower School guzheng; it might be a bit hard to find,” Xia Yu said.

“Flower School? Surprising! Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” the young manager patted his chest.

Having achieved his goal, Xia Yu left the café, took the subway, and arrived at Kong Hanyue’s house.

Today was Monday, and Zhong Yunze had already returned to school.

After ringing the doorbell, Kong Hanyue opened the door for him.

Unlike usual, Kong Hanyue didn’t rush into his arms today; instead, she looked dejected.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Yu asked after closing the door.

Prompted by his question, a wave of bitterness rose in Kong Hanyue’s heart. She hugged Xia Yu and poured out her troubles: “Xin Xin caused trouble at school and is facing expulsion!”

This sounded vaguely familiar?

Patting Kong Hanyue’s back, Xia Yu led her to sit on the sofa and asked what had happened.

“Xin Xin beat up a classmate in the restroom, stripped her clothes, ran away when the teacher went to find her, and now the school is warning that if she doesn’t improve, she’ll be expelled!”

Fighting in the restroom? Stripping someone’s clothes? Facing expulsion?

Thinking back, Xia Yu’s expression turned odd. Yesterday, while possessing An Siyao’s body, he heard the Feng sisters mention something like this?

“Does Zhong Yunxin attend Dongzhi Xiang?”

“How do you know? Has this already spread outside the school?!” Kong Hanyue panicked.

Without explaining to Kong Hanyue, Xia Yu first asked his question: “Is Zhong Yunxin nice to you?”

From what Xia Yu knew, Zhong Yunxin was a delinquent girl who must have given Kong Hanyue plenty of headaches.

If even her own daughter causing trouble made Kong Hanyue resentful, how could she care so much for a stepdaughter?

“He specified in his will that if Yunxin becomes a delinquent girl and Zeze can’t get into Donggong University, then the shares for my retirement will be gone!”

“…”

That was the truth.

Kong Hanyue looked on the verge of tears: “I called Yunxin, and she was even rude to me!”

Holding onto Xia Yu’s arm, she sobbed: “What should I do now?!”

Before marrying Xia Dongyang, Kong Hanyue didn’t care much about money. From this failed marriage, she learned one lesson: she must have money.

And now, she was about to face a financial crisis.

Although those shares wouldn’t be given to her until she turned fifty, the monthly income she currently received came from the dividends of those shares. If she lost the shares, her financial source would disappear.

“I’ll figure something out for you; don’t worry,” Xia Yu thought of An Siyao.

Since Zhong Yunxin attended Dongzhi Xiang Academy, he could intervene through An Siyao.

However, An Siyao’s intervention needed a good reason to avoid exposure.

If absolutely necessary, he could possess Zhong Yunxin’s body to discipline the girl.

If he possessed Zhong Yunxin, he would need to go to Dongzhi Xiang Academy, meet Zhong Yunxin, and use free selection. It wasn’t easy to enter the academy, and Zhong Yunxin wouldn’t willingly agree to meet him, making this approach highly suspicious.

It would be better to find a way to resolve this using An Siyao’s body.

“Really? Can you really solve this?” Kong Hanyue hugged Xia Yu’s neck, looking at him with hope.

“As long as Zhong Yunxin isn’t expelled outright within these five days, I can solve it,” Xia Yu said, looking into Kong Hanyue’s eyes. “Have I ever lied to you?”

Recalling Xia Yu’s past deeds, Kong Hanyue felt reassured. Although she couldn’t imagine how Xia Yu would solve this, from childhood to adulthood, Xia Yu had never failed to deliver on a promise.

“Just don’t let anyone else know about this,” Xia Yu added.

Xia Yu felt confident about Kong Hanyue’s discretion.

When they were young, he had found where Xia Dongyang hid his money and told Kong Hanyue. Relying on Xia Dongyang’s careless spending habits, they often took money to improve their lives. Once, when Xia Yu was away, Kong Hanyue took money herself and was discovered by Xia Dongyang. She cried but never revealed Xia Yu.

“Just don’t let her get expelled,” Kong Hanyue said, hoping Xia Yu wouldn’t be restricted in his actions.

“I know.”