She had ear-length, jet-black hair that stood in stark contrast to her snow-white skin.

She was speaking Russian on the phone, a glass of champagne in her hand.

"Dad, I really don’t want to go to some homecoming dance. I have nothing to talk about with these guys," she complained, taking a sip of champagne. "...This champagne is as weak as water... Can you believe that when they found out I’m from Moscow, their brilliant icebreaker was asking my opinion on the stylistic differences between Dostoevsky and Tolstoy? What a bunch of pansies."

"...I know, I know, I know," she retorted impatiently, as if getting a lecture from the other end of the line. "But you know what’s even more ridiculous? Last semester, a guy in my class confessed to me. I told him I only like girls. So, when school started this year, he announced he was taking birth control pills and that he’s a girl now... Right? How insane is that? These Americans are all a little crazy."

"I know I shouldn’t have put him in the hospital..." she continued with a frown, "but do you know what he did? He tried to follow me into the women’s restroom."

Hearing that, Li Wei almost burst out laughing. He quickly coughed a couple of times to maintain his composure.

"No... you don’t need to send two more bodyguards from Alpha Squad. New York is pretty safe," she said, glancing back at Li Wei with a strange expression. "I’m doing fine here, don’t worry. Aunt Tatyana has been taking great care of me... Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll try to get along with them."

She tapped the side of her earpiece to hang up. Then she turned to Li Wei and looked him up and down, her disgruntled expression softening slightly.

"You understood that?" she asked in Russian. "You don’t look Russian."

"I understand a little," he said.

’Actually, as of a week ago, he could already gossip with Emma in Russian. He wasn’t at a native level, but he had no problem with listening or speaking.’

The girl’s face flushed slightly when she realized Li Wei had understood everything.

She studied Li Wei for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

"Are you an influencer or something? You look kind of familiar."

"Uh... I’m a high school football player, so I guess you could say that," Li Wei said, a little taken aback. "You’ve probably seen one of my videos."

"Ah, I knew it!" The girl pulled out her phone and tapped on it, studying the screen. "I have seen you before. You’re from Franklin High School, right?"

She watched the video intently. Li Wei glanced over and saw it was the same one Arthur Wens had been watching—the clip of him hurdling a defender.

"Hmm..." She watched it one more time, then turned to Li Wei. "So you’re a football player? You must be in great shape, then."

"I’m alright, I guess," Li Wei said modestly.

"Your Russian is good," she said, raising her champagne glass. "Here’s to you."

Then she frowned, looking at Li Wei’s empty hands. "You don’t drink?"

"Uh... I was about to ask you the same thing," Li Wei said, gesturing to the champagne in her hand. "You’re not 21. How did you get a drink from the server?"

"Oh, this?" she said with a mischievous grin. "Watch and learn."

As Li Wei watched, she swaggered over to a server, brazenly took two glasses of champagne right off his tray, and handed one to Li Wei.

"I just took them," she said, her expression triumphant. "I told him if he had a problem, he could sue me. Just make sure to send the bill to Moscow."

With that, she clinked her glass against Li Wei’s.

"Weird country, isn’t it?" she said after a sip of champagne. "Can’t drink if you’re under 21, but you can do drugs."

She seemed unusually chatty, perhaps because she’d met someone her own age who spoke her native language in a foreign land.

"Plus, they allow homosexuality and support being transgender," Li Wei added with a shrug. "You can even define your own gender."

"Exactly!" The girl burst out laughing. "If that happened in Moscow, he’d be arrested the next day."

’Her laugh wasn’t elegant in the slightest, but it was far more beautiful than the stiff smiles of those stereotypical socialites.’

Just as the two were chatting, the glass door to the balcony slid open and a figure stepped inside.

The newcomer had the appearance of a biological male, but was wearing feminine makeup.

"Anya, I think we need to talk," he said. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

"Please, Alex, I’m begging you," Anya sighed. "I really don’t want to break three more of your ribs."

"Oh, my dear Anya," Alex said, "I haven’t harassed you today. This is just a chance encounter. And if you were to attack me for no reason at an event like this—attack a transgender person—do you think that might cause trouble for you and your father?"

Another dialog box popped up in Li Wei’s vision:

[You have encountered a ’Heretic’ for the first time.]

[You have received a quest: Banish the demon-possessed Heretic.]

[Heretic! A man! Yet he claims to be a woman! He wears women’s clothes and uses women’s accessories! This is heresy! This is the work of a demon! Banish him! Or purify him!]

[Banish him and make him leave this place, or drive the demon from his body.]

[Quest Reward: Highest Attribute +0.1]

Anya frowned at Alex’s words and was about to leave.