Chapter 25: Miss Annie, it is time for you to rise.

During their meal, under Xiao Yu’s personal guidance, Lu Xing reviewed the interpersonal relationship map she had sent him the previous night. It totaled over twenty people, not including her various business associates.

Lu Xing’s own social circle was far simpler: three roommates, his counselor, and a few high school classmates who attended the same university. Lu Xing was currently teaching her how to read his course schedule so she could attend classes in his stead when the time came.

"I have a question." Lu Xing looked at her.

"Ask." Xiao Yu kept her head down, blowing on a piece of vegetable held by her chopsticks.

"Do you know anything about computer science? I have a midterm exam in a month."

"I hold dual master’s degrees in Law and Economics," Xiao Yu said, her tone tinged with a hint of pride. "A month is more than enough time to handle your exams. But I think what you should really worry about is how to teach the Ice Fairy and the noble lady how to solve advanced calculus problems and write English essays within a month!"

"Ugh!" Lu Xing felt a headache coming on. How was a cultivator and a magic-user supposed to master advanced calculus and English?

Seeing his reaction, Xiao Yu covered her mouth to hide a laugh.

Lu Xing suggested, "How about I find a way to bring back the proof of the Goldbach Conjecture from the future, write it as a paper, and get appointed as a full professor immediately?"

Xiao Yu stared at him, stunned, before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. She teased, "If you published a mathematical problem of that caliber, it would certainly attract the attention of global mathematicians. You’d definitely be invited to top-tier conferences to give presentations, and they would question you on the spot. Tell me, how would you handle that?"

Lu Xing chuckled and replied, "Then I’ll just be the next Ramanujan."

"Ramanujan was also a top-tier mathematician; he could solve general math problems, too."

"It seems I’m destined to be a prophet then—a prophet leading all of humanity toward a bright future!"

"I think you’re just a charlatan."

After teasing him, Xiao Yu offered a solution: he could come work at her company. Lu Xing felt a wave of relief; he decided that tonight, he would start living off the success of a wealthy, overseas-educated beauty!

Between the banter, their meal lasted an hour. When they finished, Xiao Yu elegantly wiped her moist, crimson lips with a napkin and said to Lu Xing, "I’ll have my assistant drive you back. Next time, you’ll likely have to become Annie, and the day after that, it will be my turn. But let’s get one thing straight: I am not staying overnight in your dorm!"

The remark was highly suggestive. Unfortunately, the reason for the ambiguity was that Xiao Yu would have to inhabit Lu Xing’s body and thus be forced to stay in the men's dormitory.

Lu Xing held back a laugh. "What’s the big deal? Don't worry, there are no gay men in our dorm!"

Xiao Yu glared at him. "Last time I got off the bed, I had to use your sheets to cover myself. Who else but you would run around the room naked?"

Lu Xing countered, "Don't you sleep topless too?"

"Don't you dare say it!"

With a flushed face, Xiao Yu stood up, grabbed her bag, and walked out. Lu Xing followed, amused.

The assistant naturally handled the bill, and Lu Xing rode their BMW back to campus. Upon returning to the dorm, Qi Wenyu asked, "Out on another date with the beautiful older sister?"

"What date?" Lu Xing realized only then that he had just had a meal with Xiao Yu. Even though they hadn't labeled it as such, was it half a date?

Recalling the moment, Lu Xing asked Qi Wenyu, "Tell me, if I go for a psychiatric evaluation, would I get diagnosed with something?"

"Guaranteed!" Qi Wenyu nodded vigorously.

"I’ll go ask Director Li."

Lu Xing went downstairs to the counselor’s office to consult with Director Li.

"You want to move out?" Director Li quickly understood his intention and said, "You don't need to get a psychiatric certificate. You're a junior now; the school isn't as strict with management as it is for freshmen and sophomores. You're allowed to rent an apartment off-campus. Just submit an application to me. Of course, if your condition is truly severe, you should still see a doctor! We can figure out the money situation later."

"Thank you, Director Li!" Lu Xing let out a sigh of relief. He had solved the problem of Xiao Yu not wanting to stay in the men's dorm. Although their swaps hadn't lasted a full day yet, it was better to be prepared.

On his way back to the dorm, he sent a message to Xiao Yu.

"Good. I’ll have my secretary find an apartment near your school." Xiao Yu’s reply was characteristically swift.

"No rush. We can wait until you're forced to stay overnight in the dorm."

"No. I have a hunch that the apartment will be put to use very soon."

Lu Xing had nothing more to say; money made people willful.

That night, lying in bed, he opened the exchange game interface. His attributes remained the same as before, with one exception: he now had seven hundred experience points.

"I’ll save them for now and wait until I finish the beginner quests."

"It’s a pity I couldn't ask the fairy for her name. Next time I go back, considering she ate half a bag of my biscuits, she should at least tell me, right?"

Lost in thought, Lu Xing slowly drifted off to sleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he felt someone gently shaking his shoulder. A soft voice whispered in his ear, "Miss Annie, it is time to wake up. Annie..."

"Quiet, don't bother me!" Lu Xing turned over and pulled the blanket over his head, subconsciously assuming it was one of his roommates waking up. He reached up to run a hand through his hair, only to realize his hair had grown long and turned gold.

"Miss Annie, are you trying to sleep in again?"

The maid shook his arm harder, kneeling onto the soft bed of the noble lady and leaning over him.

Lu Xing opened his eyes, turned his head, and saw the maid’s beautiful emerald eyes and exquisite features. His own eyes widened in shock.

The head maid frowned slightly and stepped off the bed with a composed expression. "Miss Annie, are you awake now?"

"...Yes, I am awake."

Lu Xing remained in bed, trying to figure out how to handle the situation.

Suddenly, the head maid held out a letter with both hands, the seal embedded with a white rose. "Miss Annie, as you instructed, every morning when you wake up, I am to present you with the letter you placed inside last night!"

"Oh?!" Lu Xing’s eyes lit up. Realizing what this meant, he quickly reached out. "Let me see it!"

Only then did he notice that Annie’s arms were slender and fair, her five fingers small and rosy—cute and beautiful, just like Miss Annie herself.

The head maid looked at him deeply and said softly, "You should say 'please,' or 'may I see it, thank you,' or address me by my name."

Lu Xing was speechless. Why did the mistress of the house have to say "please" to her own maid?

As a noble lady, etiquette was of the utmost importance. Last time he had dinner with the Duchess—Annie’s mother—he had been corrected twice: once for forgetting to pray to the Goddess before and after the meal, and once for not gracefully dabbing the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief after a single sip of soup.

"You are not Annie."

The head maid uttered these words through tight, crimson lips, standing by the bed with her emerald eyes fixed on him. Behind her stood a line of maids holding clothes, jewelry, and washing water.

If it were Annie, she would have covered her ears the moment these etiquette rules were mentioned, not wanting to hear a single word.

Lu Xing was silent for a moment before replying, "What are you talking about?"

The head maid remained silent.

Lu Xing reached out again. "Give me the letter first."

If he didn't find a way to resolve the identity issue, he wouldn't be able to survive here!

This noble lady, Annie, was surrounded by too many maids, and this head maid—with her exquisite makeup and cold, elegant demeanor—served her personally. For Lu Xing to pull off this deception was harder than pretending to be an AI in a virtual world!

After all, Annie was a lively and adorable noble lady. For a male college student like Lu Xing, wearing a pink dress, skipping around, or acting coy while holding someone’s arm was more painful than death!

Fortunately, the head maid handed the letter to his fair, delicate hand.

Even more fortunately, the first sentence Annie had written to him in the letter was:

*Mr. Lu Xing, greetings. Under the guidance of the Goddess, I have returned to the North. Through the Goddess’s revelation, I know you are not a bad person. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lu Xing. My name is Annie.*