Chapter 352: An Siyao: Boyfriend and Best Friend

The post revealed the truth of the matter, and the truth was exactly as described. More importantly, there was evidence to back it up.

There was a video testimony from the director and other staff, and an actor who initially supported Bao Huijia ended up exposing how the other side used money and career prospects to threaten and entice people.

After closing the post, Xia Yu thought for a moment. Instead of going to An Siyao’s place, he headed to Wen Ziying’s.

It would be better to visit the person directly to see the effect, and perhaps trigger some unexpected events.

Upon reaching Wen Ziying’s body, Xia Yu found the girl wasn’t particularly happy—she even seemed somewhat depressed.

“Thank you,” Wen Ziying said first, expressing her gratitude.

Xia Yu responded with a simple acknowledgment and began to search for the reason why Wen Ziying wasn’t happy despite seeing her enemy’s downfall.

He soon found the answer on the desk.

It was a letter, filled with criticism towards Wen Ziying. It must have been sent last night, before this morning’s twist of events.

“Did someone find out where you live?” Xia Yu asked in surprise. Usually, the residence of a young, well-known figure like her would be kept confidential.

After all, she wasn’t like those older, less popular predecessors. It was easy for incidents to occur.

The media in this world had a strong sense of professional ethics. Even if they had obtained Wen Ziying’s address, they wouldn’t spread it without her permission.

“No,” Wen Ziying replied.

Then it must have been someone close who knew her address.

Xia Yu looked to the end of the letter but found no signature. He then picked up the envelope from the floor. It had no stamp—clearly, it had been hand-delivered.

“As long as he still has common sense, you’ll receive his apology letter tonight,” Xia Yu comforted her.

“Mm,” Wen Ziying’s tone slightly brightened. “Someone else also wrote me a letter of encouragement.”

Xia Yu had already noticed that letter. He picked up the envelope and, after Wen Ziying silently gave her permission, opened it to read.

The letter seemed to be from one of Wen Ziying young fans. Half of it was comforting Wen Ziying not to worry about the failure of her TV drama, and the other half talked about her new book and asked when the next one would come out.

“She’s a pen pal since my first book,” Wen Ziying briefly introduced, clearly showing that she valued this pen pal.

After folding the letter neatly and putting it back into the envelope, Xia Yu couldn’t help but sigh—how cultured people still communicated by letter in this day and age.

Xia Yu then brought up Bao Huijia, hoping to trigger something, but found nothing.

Eight hours later, at 4 p.m., Xia Yu returned to his own body.

Unfortunately, there was a class during the last period of the day, so Xia Yu was still attending class.

If it was an ordinary class, it wouldn’t be a big deal. At Hu University, using phones during class was normal. But the seat that Tuo Gu Yu had chosen for him was just too good.

It was right in the center of the first row, directly under the teacher. Besides him, there were only two other people in the first row.

The other two were diligent students, while Xia Yu just wanted to slack off.

He somewhat regretted not working harder when he obtained the “slacking off” bonus to develop a proper “slacking off” skill.

He used the technique of “mind wandering” to alleviate his boredom. After a while, someone knocked on the classroom door.

The teacher at the podium opened the door, and outside stood Shen Shengsheng.

Shen Shengsheng waved at Xia Yu.

Xia Yu stood up and followed Shen Shengsheng outside the corridor.

He thought, there was only one possible reason for Shen Shengsheng to come.

Sure enough, Shen Shengsheng took out his phone and showed Xia Yu an invitation email: “Xia Yu, are you going to the New Year performance? It’s on CCTV. Would you represent our Sheng Music Department?”

Xia Yu shook his head: “No, I’m not interested in these competitions.”

He would rather spend time with An Siyao or Xu Youxiang.

Actually, agreeing once wouldn’t be a big deal, but once he agreed once, Shen Shengsheng would keep trying for a second and third time, especially since he had directly approached him on behalf of the Sheng Music Department this time.

Shen Shengsheng wasn’t particularly eloquent. He sighed and asked again: “What if it’s guzheng? Would you go then?”

“No, I won’t go,” Xia Yu replied.

“Really not going? Just say the word and I can secure a spot for you,” Shen Shengsheng looked at Xia Yu doubtfully.

Just to be safe, Xia Yu asked first: “Liu Manman isn’t going, right?”

“Liu Manman? No way. Even if we wanted to pull strings, she’s way too far behind,” Shen Shengsheng shook his head repeatedly, then added, “And Liu Ronglan doesn’t have a spot either.”

Xia Yu was then reassured. Since Liu Manman wasn’t going and Liu Ronglan didn’t have a spot, no one else would invite him.

He firmly said: “I really won’t go.”

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Shen Shengsheng scratched his head, puzzled.

He felt that Xia Yu had participated in two school activities before and had rekindled his passion for music. It was understandable that he refused the Sheng Music Department, but now he was even refusing guzheng. What was going on?

Had he overlooked something?

In his mind, he recalled Xia Yu’s participation in the Mid-Autumn Festival performance and the composition competition.

Xia Yu had played guzheng in one and piano in the other. If there was any commonality between them…

A sudden realization flashed through Shen Shengsheng’s mind.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival performance and the composition competition, Liu Manman had been there.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival performance, they had performed together, and during the composition competition, she had been sitting in the audience.

And that piece, “Princess Serenity,” was clearly a song filled with romantic implications.

Plus just now, Xia Yu had specifically asked about Liu Manman.

Shen Shengsheng felt he had pierced through the illusion and discovered the truth!

He looked at Xia Yu:

You’re not passionate about music—you’re just craving your fellow musicians’ bodies!

Shen Shengsheng’s heart was in pain, never expecting that the only person capable of carrying the torch for Sheng Music would be such a guy.

He needed some time to calm down.

“I’ll find you again in a few days,” Shen Shengsheng turned around in a daze and walked downstairs.

Xia Yu had originally wanted to skip class with Shen Shengsheng but didn’t feel comfortable asking after seeing his state.

Returning to the classroom, he continued his class, pondering how Shen Shengsheng didn’t seem ready to give up and would approach him again in a few days. How could he make Shen Shengsheng understand that he didn’t want to become a professional musician?

All he needed to do was show interest and potential in other fields, right?

Duan Yi’s mobile game development would be completed in about a month. The license had already been secured with the help of Yu Liang. Once the game was released, he could become a successful entrepreneur—well, maybe not a “black-hearted” one.

After finishing his thoughts, he looked at the clock on the wall, waiting for class to end.

The night passed, and it was December 6th, Wednesday.

Both teachers who had class today were on business trips. Xia Yu took the black cat and went to An Siyao’s place to try out his previous idea, but unexpectedly, Liu Manman also followed.

To prevent Liu Manman from asking about that custom-composed piece, Xia Yu couldn’t implement his black cat experience plan.

Liu Manman didn’t mention the piece but instead brought up another matter.

“Tomorrow, I have a friend coming over. Do you want to meet her?” she whispered excitedly in Xia Yu’s ear.

“What friend?” Xia Yu kept his eyes on the black cat, which was lying on An Siyao’s lap, enjoying the stroking.

“Your former goddess!” Liu Manman excitedly patted Xia Yu’s shoulder.

Xia Yu thought for a moment, watching the black cat as he cautiously asked: “Xiaolongnü?”

“Not an animated character!” Liu Manman grabbed Xia Yu’s face and turned it toward her. “It’s Ning Qiuer!”

“Oh,” Xia Yu freed his face from Liu Manman’s grip and continued watching the black cat.

Liu Manman couldn’t accept Xia Yu’s indifferent response: “What do you mean ‘oh’? It’s Ning Qiuer! You didn’t get to meet her at the Mid-Autumn Festival last time! And this is a private meeting! Maybe you two could even develop a relationship!”

An Siyao, who had been petting the cat, looked up upon hearing that.

Pushing Liu Manman away, Xia Yu said helplessly: “Do I look like that kind of person? Besides, she’s just a pop star. Why should I be excited about meeting her?”

Faced with Xia Yu’s calmness, Liu Manman’s enthusiasm gradually faded.

Right now, she felt like she had just won a million dollars and excitedly told her friend, only for the friend to reply, “A million? That’s nothing. Don’t act like a poor guy, okay?”

Her heart was hurt.

“That’s right. Even Ning Qiuer, despite her fame, is just a pop star. You, as a world-class musician, naturally wouldn’t care about her.”

Liu Manman began to indulge in self-pity, saying things like, “You, a rich guy who owns several buildings and collects rent, naturally wouldn’t care about a million.”

Her mood sank further as she rolled on the carpet: “Ahhhh, why do I have to have two world-class friends? I’m just an ordinary person!”

“Damn it, if Ning Qiuer hadn’t suddenly retired, she would be world-class too. Only I’m a loser!” Rolling around, Liu Manman rolled under the desk and hit her head on the desk leg.

Holding her head, Liu Manman quieted down.

An Siyao, who had been stroking the black cat, set the cat down, walked over to Liu Manman, crouched beside her, and turned her over from her lying position. Seeing that Liu Manman’s eyes were still moving, she felt relieved and went back to continue petting the cat.

“Damn it, rub my head! Can’t you two care a little more about me!” Liu Manman protested.

Neither Xia Yu nor An Siyao paid her any attention.

After struggling on the floor for a while, Liu Manman stood up and lay on An Siyao’s bed, reflecting on her tragic life.

Xia Yu, who had been watching the black cat, glanced at Liu Manman on the bed and saw that the girl was genuinely feeling down. He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Liu Manman had always been troubled by her lack of musical talent. Xia Yu had previously wanted to go to her place to check what her talent was, but couldn’t because all the slots were occupied.

Now, besides the newly added black cat slot, he had one empty slot left, which allowed him to put this idea into action.

He walked to the bed’s edge, placed his hand on Liu Manman’s forehead, and activated the “comfort” ability.

Liu Manman quickly fell asleep.

“I’m going to her place. Have the driver take my body home,” Xia Yu instructed An Siyao before activating the “body exchange” ability.

Arriving in Liu Manman’s body, Xia Yu knew that Liu Manman had also woken up due to his consciousness.

But that wasn’t a problem. As long as Xia Yu didn’t leave any necessary evidence, Liu Manman would probably just think it was a dream.

Yes, just to be safe, he shouldn’t speak or move.

Opening his eyes, Xia Yu looked at Liu Manman’s bonus panel, visible only to him.

There were three bonuses listed:

[Easygoing Bonus Lv.1, Wind Instruments Bonus Lv.1, Shooting Bonus Lv.1]

Seeing the “Easygoing” bonus, Xia Yu wasn’t surprised at all. Whether it was grabbing his hand upon first meeting or becoming physically affectionate after just a few days of knowing him, it proved that Liu Manman was a bold and carefree girl.

The second “Wind Instruments” bonus let Xia Yu understand why Liu Manman couldn’t become a good guzheng player.

The guzheng was a plucked instrument.

The third “Shooting” bonus brought Xia Yu great surprise, like finding treasure without effort.

Firearms relied most heavily on shooting skills.

He immediately used the accumulated bonus points to solidify and transfer the shooting bonus into his skill slot.

Then, he closed his eyes, letting Liu Manman think her body was still asleep.

Xia Yu sensed Liu Manman’s emotions. At first, she felt fear, then relaxed, probably truly believing she had just been dreaming.

Xia Yu strongly resisted the urge to get up and tease Liu Manman. Although Liu Manman didn’t seem particularly smart, it was better to be careful. He didn’t want a repeat of the incident with You Xue.

He used the “comfort” ability on himself and successfully fell asleep.

On the other side, An Siyao, who had sent Tuo Gu Yu home with the driver, sat by the bed looking at the sleeping Liu Manyu, somewhat troubled.

What kind of situation was this—her boyfriend using her best friend’s body to sleep in her room?

She placed the black cat next to the pillow and also got into bed.

Hu Lianglu, who was playing with her phone, sensed an opportunity and followed as well.

At 5 p.m., eight hours later, Liu Manman woke from her sleep.

Opening her eyes, she saw An Siyao hugging one of her arms and Hu Lianglu hugging An Siyao and lying on top of her.

I was just lying on the bed for a while, how did I fall asleep? And how did there end up being two more people on the bed?

She pushed Hu Lianglu off and pulled her arm out from An Siyao’s embrace.

Moving her slightly numb muscles, Liu Manman looked at An Siyao beside her, thinking that she hadn’t realized before that An Siyao was actually more aggressive than her.

After thinking for a while, Liu Manman lay back down.

That guy Xia Yu really had good luck, she thought.

At this moment, Xia Yu was at home, practicing shooting with a trash can.

The space in the room wasn’t very large, so Xia Yu went to the living room, placed the trash can on the balcony, held a notebook in his hand, tore off a page, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it toward the trash can.

Originally, he had planned to develop a “firearms” skill and go to a shooting range for practice, but the unexpected acquisition of the “shooting” skill from Liu Manman had broadened his options. Throwing paper balls like this was also a form of shooting, as were many other actions.

For a man, shooting could be the most romantic thing.

However, there was also a problem: the “shooting” skill only covered the shooting part, not the usage of firearms. He still needed to spend time familiarizing himself with various firearms.

Putting aside this consideration for now, he began to think about how to guide Liu Manman to discover her talent.

After all, having taken a shooting skill from the girl, Xia Yu felt he should treat her a bit better.

“Easygoing” wasn’t useful. The remaining were shooting and wind instruments.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through Xia Yu’s mind.