Chapter 181: Tina

After the Zone Three people left, Grace felt relieved. She looked at Xia Yu with curiosity and asked, “You also know Russian?”

“I’ve learned a bit,” Xia Yu replied.

In reality, he had only learned a little—less than eight hours total—and even that was Russian tacked onto his English studies.

“If someone could reach that level with just a little learning, then I must be an idiot,” Grace didn’t believe him.

She stared into Xia Yu’s eyes, seeking an answer.

Since the truth wouldn’t work, he had no choice but to lie.

So Xia Yu said, “Actually, I have a net friend who’s from Zone Three.”

“Hey you, so you’re actually such a flirtatious person?” Grace half-believed but soon dismissed her suspicion.

Hooking her arm around Xia Yu’s neck, Grace leaned close to his ear, “Then, would you like to have dinner with me tonight and teach me some Russian?”

She spoke in English, which Liu Manman couldn’t understand. But just by watching their actions, Liu could sense something was wrong. She quickly pulled Xia Yu behind her.

Glancing at Liu Manman, Grace smiled at Xia Yu, “I don’t mind if all three of us go to dinner together, you know.”

“Better not,” Xia Yu shook his head in refusal.

Although Grace was a beautiful woman, Xia Yu wasn’t a casual man.

“What a pity then. If you’re ever free, feel free to call me,” Grace said, before leaving the venue.

Liu Manman eyed Xia Yu suspiciously, “What were you two talking about? You already have Xu Youxiang. If you mess around with other women, I’ll tell her!”

“Does ‘other women’ include you?” Xia Yu teased casually.

Liu Manman stepped back in alarm, “I’m not interested in men who aren’t faithful.”

“Then you can play by yourself. I’m going back to the hotel,” Xia Yu said, walking toward the hotel.

“Wait for me! You’re too realistic. Can’t you at least take me with you, just for the sake of our friendship? I don’t even speak English!” Liu Manman chased after him.

Xia Yu was only joking. He took Liu Manman along and they wandered around the nearby streets.

Liu took photos with her phone and even snapped a few of Xia Yu.

When they returned to the hotel, she sent the photos to Xia Yu, who immediately forwarded them to You Xue.

The next day of the exchange event, the three of them still skipped out. An Siyao returned to her room to practice playing the dizi, while Xia Yu and Liu Manman continued wandering the city.

When the day finally came when they could move freely, Xia Yu got up early, hailed a taxi, and headed toward the small town where Tina lived.

The taxi fare was expensive. Xia Yu could have rented a car, but he didn’t have a driver’s license, especially not one valid in Zone Two.

Three hours later, the taxi arrived in front of the town government office. Xia Yu got out there—Tina’s house was just down the nearby street.

Entering the street, he glanced toward Tina’s house in the distance before heading into a nearby supermarket.

To avoid being noticed, he had set up his current persona as an ordinary passerby just stopping by to buy something to eat.

The destination he had told the driver was another town ahead.

He would meet the white cat there, get into the car where the driver couldn’t see him, head to the next city, and then take another vehicle back to the original city.

In the supermarket, Xia Yu grabbed a bottle of water and three sandwiches, paid for them, and walked back with the items. He opened the game interface, ready to take over the white cat’s body and begin his plan, when he unexpectedly spotted someone.

It was Tina, holding the white cat. The girl had come to buy a bottle of soy sauce and had just stepped out of the supermarket.

“Meow!” The quiet white cat suddenly struggled out of Tina’s arms and ran toward Xia Yu.

Looking at the white cat rubbing against his pant leg, Xia Yu was momentarily startled, then relaxed.

The cat had telepathic abilities and had probably sensed something unusual about him.

Its behavior left Tina in a dilemma.

Looking at the stranger in front of her and the white cat at his feet, Tina hesitated.

“Meow?” The girl tried calling her cat back, but the white cat merely glanced at her before continuing to rub against Xia Yu’s leg.

Xia Yu crouched down and picked up the white cat.

“Hello,” Tina shyly greeted Xia Yu.

“Your cat is very cute,” Xia Yu approached the girl, handed the white cat back to her, and gently patted her head.

Her golden, slightly curly hair felt nice to the touch.

However, Tina didn’t give him the kind of comfortable feeling he usually experienced.

To her, he was a complete stranger, so naturally, she wouldn’t feel friendly toward him.

“Thank you,” Tina said, hugging the white cat, though she felt somewhat uncomfortable with Xia Yu’s closeness.

“You’d better not bring the cat out too often,” Xia Yu warned her. “If the cat gets startled or tempted, it might run off, and you’ll have a hard time finding it again.”

“Okay,” Tina looked at Xia Yu with her bright blue eyes.

Xia Yu understood the unspoken question in her gaze—was she allowed to leave now?

He withdrew his hand, said goodbye to her, and walked toward where the taxi was parked.

He had made his plan: once Tina turned the corner ahead, he would enter the white cat’s body and create the illusion of the cat suddenly running away.

He deliberately walked slowly to leave more time.

Tina had already reached the corner and was about to leave Xia Yu’s line of sight.

At that moment, Xia Yu suddenly had a strange idea.

He spent a second thinking.

After confirming it wouldn’t lead to any bad consequences, he turned his head and fixed Tina’s figure right in the center of his vision.

Then, he deleted the black cat’s interface, used the free selection option, and possessed Tina’s body.

He had thought it through thoroughly before making this decision.

If he used the game opportunity on Tina, he wouldn’t be able to take the white cat today, but he didn’t necessarily have to take it today.

The organizers covered accommodation and meals for five days, and he could easily stay longer himself, just needing to find a hotel and buy his own return ticket.

Using the excuse of sightseeing in Zone Two, his extended stay wouldn’t raise any suspicion.

Even if passing through this town a second time might seem suspicious, it would only be a suspicion. He could even avoid coming in person—remotely controlling the driver and using the white cat’s body to get into the car and leave.

However, all these thoughts merely convinced Xia Yu that this action wouldn’t cause troublesome consequences.

Just because an action wouldn’t cause trouble didn’t mean a person would necessarily do it. Sometimes, humans did things that could cause problems, simply because the decision to act or not was driven entirely by motivation.

Xia Yu’s motivation…

Maybe it was simply because Tina was cute?

After taking the white cat away, they probably would never meet again.

[…]

[Body Exchange Successful]

[Generating bonus based on the target’s body…]

[Bonus generation complete]

[Acquired Bonuses: Business Lv.1, Martial Arts Lv.1, Cute Acting Lv.1]