Wu Yi was immediately sidetracked. "Sure! What are your plans? Or I could show you around. I’m a local, so I know a lot of little-known but gorgeous spots..."

Ji Li replied, "I’ll stay for another two days. By the way, are there any professional stage design companies around here? I want to get a stage design created."

Wu Yi thought for a moment. "I’ll ask around for you later. My cousin has friends in the entertainment industry. I can ask him for you."

"No, it’s okay. I don’t like troubling strangers." Ji Li immediately refused. "I’m asking you because we were classmates. But I don’t know your cousin, so I won’t bother him. It’ll just take me a little more time, but I can handle it myself."

"And I happen to have a lot of time."

Wu Yi stared at Ji Li for a while, then broke into a smile. "Alright, I won’t tell my cousin. You’ve always been like this, as I recall. Never wanting to trouble anyone, insisting on doing everything yourself."

"Because I only feel at ease with things I’ve achieved myself," Ji Li said faintly. "I never thought we’d one day be sitting face-to-face, drinking coffee and eating pastries, chatting about work, school, and life. I have very few friends, so this is a novel experience for me."

Wu Yi asked curiously, "Isn’t Wang Jue your friend?"

"Of course she is. But she doesn’t like coffee; we mostly meet at teahouses."

Thinking of Wang Jue, an unconscious smile appeared on Ji Li’s face. "She wanted to bring me along on her honeymoon. I was worried Teacher Xu would lose his cool, so I made myself scarce early on."

"You two are so close. And both so accomplished." Wu Yi laced her fingers and rested her chin on them. "That’s so nice."

"You’re very accomplished too," Ji Li laughed. "I remember back in school, you won the national scholarship every year. I couldn’t. I spent too much time on part-time jobs and could only manage a third-tier scholarship."

"That just means you had it harder." Wu Yi said firmly. "It’s really interesting talking with you. I hope I didn’t scare you by making such a scene yesterday. To make it up to you, let me treat you to dinner tonight?"

"Okay," Ji Li didn’t hesitate. "I saw a good place on a review site..."

Eating and drinking with a girl her own age was a novel experience, one that Ji Li certainly wouldn’t refuse. Besides, Wu Yi had a great sense of boundaries and never let the conversation cross any lines. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

In the days that followed, Ji Li and Wu Yi visited nearly every scenic spot in the area. They would check in at trendy, influencer-famous restaurants, but also unabashedly seek out all sorts of hole-in-the-wall eateries.

They also went to various exhibitions together. All in all, Ji Li had a wonderful time. Her plan to leave for the next city was delayed again and again. After all, she wouldn’t have such a great companion as Wu Yi in the next city.

One morning, Wu Yi brought over a few brochures. "These are some stage design companies I picked out myself. They have great reputations. Want to go take a look?"

Ji Li agreed instantly. "Yes. My fans have been flooding my DMs, and honestly, I can’t hold them off much longer."

Ever since she mentioned in the comments that she would perform a classical dance version of "Myriad Charms," her fans had been dying of anticipation. Now, seeing no updates on her account, they were naturally getting antsy and bombarding her with requests.

In fact, Ji Li had planned on looking for a stage design company that day anyway. ’Who knew Wu Yi would be so thoughtful?’

Both of them were decisive people. After visiting a few companies, Ji Li made her choice. How could she not? That place had its own dedicated stage. The lighting and sound engineers were incredibly professional, and it was the stage where Ji Li felt most comfortable.

"This place is great. Very professional. They’ve done stage design for a lot of celebrity teams," Wu Yi said with a smile. "But it’s usually hard to get a booking with them. I didn’t expect it to be so straightforward."

The person in charge smiled. "Miss Ji is an exceptional dancer. It is our company’s honor to handle your first stage production. We also have a professional team of stylists. If Miss Ji has any needs..."

Ji Li wasn’t one to be coy. Since she was spending the money, she naturally wanted the best of everything. And so, in less than two days, the dance Ji Li had promised her fans was finally online.

Wu Yi, holding her phone, was beaming with excitement. "I was watching from below, and my eyes were glued to the stage. This is definitely going to blow the fans away too."

Ji Li chuckled. "You’re exaggerating, right?"

"Am not! How could I be?" Wu Yi’s voice was a little loud. "You need to have a clear understanding of your own abilities! I saw your last dance, and I thought that was the peak, but now I know that limits are made to be broken."

Ji Li felt a sense of helplessness. ’Why does it feel like Wu Yi has become my personal hype woman?’

She just posted the video and that was it; she didn’t pay attention to the comments online. To be honest, Ji Li could accept this kind of solo performance video. But if she were asked to perform such a seductive dance on a professional stage, she would be truly embarrassed.

Ji Li didn’t read the comments, but other people always did. People like Old Wu, Zong Qi, and his friends.

Old Wu’s jaw nearly dropped. "I knew it! Wu Yi’s been all secretive these past few days. Turns out she’s been hanging out with Ji Li."

Zong Qi silently rewatched the video from the beginning. "It’s well-shot."

"Of course it is..."

"Wait, Third Bro, where are you going? I specially invited everyone to dinner to apologize, and you’re leaving now?"

Zong Qi just waved a hand, his back to them. "Some other time. I have something more important to do right now."

Tan You naturally saw this scene, and she certainly wouldn’t tell Ji Li. That was Ji Li’s life, and she wouldn’t interfere too much. As for herself, she had more important things to do.

Namely, studying hard and learning more about ancient times. According to the Beauty System, if the Ancient World was an intermediate-level task, then she undoubtedly had a lot to learn.

For one thing, in ancient times, there would be very few opportunities to display her particular talents. Moreover, winning favor with her beauty was something Tan You was strongly against. So, she would have to think carefully about how to survive in such a feudal society.

---

「Back from the mission world」

Tan You tapped the system. "Finalize the mission."

The Beauty System trembled, and soon an electronic voice sounded in Tan You’s ear: "Congratulations, Host, on completing the fourth beginner-level mission. Mission rating: S. You have received 5 base Energy Points. An additional reward is given for ratings of A or higher. System reward: 5 Energy Points."

"Client Ji Li has given a double-S rating. Main system reward: 2 Energy Points. Host’s available Energy Point balance: 26. Your current Energy Points support three ten-pull gacha draws. Would you like to draw now, Host?"

"No draws. Show me my status bar," Tan You refused crisply, picking up the glasses from her pillow and putting them on.

The Beauty System seemed a little dejected, but it still pulled up Tan You’s personal status bar.