Chapter 48: World Two [18]

“Hm? What did you say? You can become human?” After realizing what Jing Ke had said, Shao Qing was clearly stunned for a moment.

[Yes, didn’t I tell you before that my current reserve of power is sufficient for me to obtain a human body? If you need me to, I can have a human body very soon.]

With Jing Ke’s reminder, Shao Qing recalled the previous incident.

Jing Ke had indeed said something similar to her, but at that time, she was utterly convinced that Jing Ke was a ghost with special abilities, and she also believed Jing Ke’s motives for approaching her were impure. So, she hadn’t believed a single word of it.

“Then how will you obtain a body? Trade with someone? Find a terminally ill person and possess her? Or disguise yourself as human through other means?” Shao Qing’s imagination was quite vivid, and she instantly thought of many possibilities.

[Probably none of those. I suppose I’ll be making a transaction of sorts with an existence of the same dimension. I’ll give Her a portion of energy, and She will give me a good body and have that body leave traces in this world in a reasonable way.]

Jing Ke explained simply. She was essentially just making a deal with the World Consciousness.

But due to certain rules, Jing Ke couldn’t directly reveal the existence of the World Consciousness to a native resident; otherwise, the native would be targeted by it.

Shao Qing couldn’t imagine what it would be like for a person to just appear out of thin air, but sensing that Jing Ke was deliberately being vague about a certain existence, she didn’t press further.

“Okay, I think I understand. So, do I need to prepare anything for you?” Shao Qing asked.

It wasn’t about trust; it was just that Shao Qing preferred communicating with a person of flesh and blood over an intangible consciousness form completely parasitizing her own being.

Although this would cause some slight trouble in their future communication, the benefits for Shao Qing were greater. She would have more privacy and personal space, and she would feel more at ease.

[My primary area of activity will be within the country, so my identity will be that of a returnee who went abroad as a child and only recently came back due to some unforeseen circumstances. I have no living relatives or friends in the country. Only people near my registered residence will have a faint impression of me, remembering I went abroad very young.]

[If possible, I’ll need a stable and secure place to live. Aside from some necessary documents, I won’t be bringing anything, so I’ll also need some daily necessities.]

Shao Qing listened attentively. “Are you saying the body you get will come with its own documents? The kind that can be verified through official databases online?”

[Yes, I will have a legal identity and certain assets under my name. However, my fixed assets are generally abroad, and my cash flow isn’t overly extravagant.]

To the World Consciousness, giving Jing Ke an identity was effortless, and giving that identity some property was even more so.

Therefore, what Jing Ke meant by “cash flow not overly extravagant” was that it wouldn’t exceed that of the richest person in the world—an estimated one to two billion US dollars, give or take.

As for fixed assets being abroad, it meant companies, manors, and islands under her name were all overseas and couldn’t be liquidated in a short time.

But when these words reached Shao Qing’s ears, she interpreted them according to her own understanding.

Jing Ke having “certain assets” under her name meant she had a house or a shop somewhere abroad. “Cash flow not being extravagant” meant she didn’t have much ready money and might need her help.

“As long as you have legal identification, that’s fine. My Small Villa has two guest rooms; you can pick one to live in then. As for the daily necessities you need, you can tell me, and I’ll have my assistant prepare them. They can be ready by tomorrow at the earliest.” Shao Qing said understandingly, not pointing out the supposed predicament that Jing Ke would be short on money after becoming human.

[Thank you. Then I’ll come to see you as a human tomorrow?] Jing Ke’s tone sounded a bit cheerful.

Jing Ke could sense Shao Qing’s suspicion and distrust towards her. She had thought that after she had a human body, she would be arranged to stay in a hotel. She hadn’t expected to be allowed to live in the villa Shao Qing bought herself.

“Okay, what time will you arrive approximately?” Shao Qing asked.

[Hmm, shall I visit in the afternoon? I need to appear in a suitable place.]

“Alright. Once you become human, I’ll take you out for a meal,” Shao Qing said.

Truthfully, Shao Qing was also a bit unsure how to treat Jing Ke, so she simply decided to treat her like a friend with whom she had a good relationship.

Give her a guest room, invite her for a meal, and look after her in daily life.

–

The news that Jing Ke could soon become human relaxed Shao Qing’s taut nerves a little.

After washing her hands once more, Shao Qing opened the bathroom door and rejoined the lively banquet filled with clinking glasses.

The director in charge of female artists was somewhat displeased with Shao Qing’s temporary absence, but considering that the other party was likely to become the company’s new cash cow, he only sent a WeChat message with a few reminders, urging her to quickly add Mr. Yuan as a friend.

Shao Qing stared at the dialog box for several seconds. After a brief internal struggle, she didn’t give a forceful reply. Instead, she pretended not to have seen it, intending to send a casual reply after returning home.

Except for meeting Mr. Yuan, the latter half of the banquet was relatively uneventful. After taking the group photo, Shao Qing excused herself early, citing low alcohol tolerance.

Getting into the car driven by the Little Assistant, and timing it perfectly with the car radio’s 9 o’clock chime, Shao Qing smoothly returned to her Small Villa.

This Small Villa was bought by Shao Qing outright when she was twenty-four. The total land area wasn’t large; including the front and back yards, it was only about four hundred square meters.

The overall structure was quite regular: two-and-a-half floors above ground and one basement level, very suitable for a family living together.

When buying the villa, Shao Qing had actually thought about bringing her grandmother over to live with her. However, Grandma Shao was reluctant to leave the house she’d lived in for most of her life. She came for less than half a month and then went back.

“Right, a friend is moving in to live with me tomorrow. I’ll send you a list later. Try to finish the purchasing before tomorrow evening,” Shao Qing instructed the Little Assistant as the car came to a stop.

“Okay, Teacher Shao. I’ll get the things bought as quickly as possible,” the Little Assistant agreed immediately. Although he was somewhat curious about who this friend of Shao Qing’s was, he didn’t ask a single extra question.

To be a good assistant to an artist, it was definitely right to ask fewer questions and do more work. Learning to curb his own curiosity helped him better curb his urge to share.

–

From the moment Jing Ke said she would become human and come find her, a trace of anticipation and curiosity involuntarily bubbled up within Shao Qing.

Upon waking the next day and again at lunchtime, Shao Qing confirmed with Jing Ke the time she would arrive.

Jing Ke had said a little past three, but at a quarter to three, Jing Ke bid farewell to Shao Qing within her consciousness. Through a transaction with the World Consciousness, she transformed into a wealthy returnee who had just come back to the country.

The security at Shao Qing’s residential community was well done. Appearing out of thin air would require detailed surveillance forgery, so Jing Ke chose a subway station roughly three kilometers from the Villa District as her spawn point.

Carrying a suitcase, Jing Ke emerged from the subway station connecting directly to the airport. She then very adeptly opened her phone, set Shao Qing’s home as the destination, and hailed a ride-hailing car.

After dragging her suitcase to the security booth and simply registering her visitor information, Jing Ke followed the route in her memory and found Villa No. 6 where Shao Qing lived.

Pressing the doorbell outside, Jing Ke subconsciously straightened her posture, hoping to make a good first impression on Shao Qing.

Hearing the doorbell, Shao Qing, already seated on the living room sofa, immediately stood up and couldn’t help but jog to the door.

She took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

Confirming her state looked no different from usual, Shao Qing opened the main door with slight nervousness and saw a young woman standing outside the iron fence.

She looked to be in her early twenties. Her upper body was dressed in a simple t-shirt and a casual-style shirt, while her lower half wore coffee-colored casual pants.

The pants’ cut was somewhat loose, but at a glance, one could still tell this woman had an excellent waist-to-leg ratio, like a perfect clothes hanger.

At first glance, she seemed to have black hair and black eyes. But as Shao Qing approached, she noticed the other’s eyes were a beautiful amber color, and her hair wasn’t purely black, but a deep brown, making her look like she might be of mixed heritage.

“Shao Qing, hello. Let me reintroduce myself. I’m Jing Ke.” As the chest-high gate was opened, Jing Ke revealed a brilliant smile and proactively extended her right hand.

“Hello, Jing Ke.” Shao Qing extended her hand a beat later. Feeling the warmth of the other’s palm through their handshake, she felt a stronger sense of reality regarding Jing Ke’s existence.

Jing Ke, who once resided in her consciousness and was uncertain whether a High-Dimensional Being or a ghost, had truly become a living, breathing person. And she was standing right before her, about to be her housemate.

Half a month ago, Shao Qing could never have imagined such an absurd scene becoming reality, could she?

“Come in first, let’s sit down and talk slowly.” Shao Qing promptly collected her wandering thoughts and stepped aside to make way.

“Okay.” Jing Ke released Shao Qing’s hand and followed half a step behind her.

After sitting down in the living room, Jing Ke soon drank freshly squeezed juice made by Shao Qing herself and ate some freshly prepared fruit chunks.

Having not tasted food for a long time, Jing Ke gulped down half the glass of juice in one go, then used a fork to stuff fruit into her mouth, her cheeks quickly puffing up.

“Have you not eaten in a long time?” Seeing Jing Ke’s appearance, Shao Qing couldn’t help asking.

“Mmph, it has been a while, I suppose,” Jing Ke said somewhat indistinctly. “Or maybe it’s just because I haven’t had time to drink water since getting off the plane, so I need to replenish fluids.”

Shao Qing blinked slightly in puzzlement, waiting until Jing Ke had swallowed all the fruit in her mouth before speaking again.

“The daily necessities you needed were just delivered by my assistant. I’ve put them in the guest room you’ll be staying in. Would you like to go take a look now? If anything’s missing, we can buy it when we go out later.”

Jing Ke nodded, stuffed two more pieces of honeydew melon into her mouth, then stood up from the sofa, waiting for Shao Qing to lead her to the guest room.

The two-and-a-half-story villa didn’t have much idle space. Due to many functional rooms, the two guest rooms were on the 1st Floor and the 2nd Floor.

The one on the 1st Floor was occasionally used by the Little Assistant for a few days, so Shao Qing designated the 2nd-floor guest room as Jing Ke’s living space.

This guest room was very close to Shao Qing’s own master bedroom, separated only by a study of just over twenty square meters. If the doors weren’t closed, they could converse across the hallway just by speaking a little louder.

The Little Assistant had purchased things according to the list. From small items like toothbrushes and socks to larger ones like trench coats, everything was neatly placed on the desk and sofa in the room.

Jing Ke took a quick look. Confirming that pajamas and a change of clothes were present, she leaned her own suitcase against the wall and began organizing her things.

Shao Qing didn’t offer to help but stood at the doorway of the guest room, watching Jing Ke busily bustling around inside.

She sorted and folded clothes; her movements using both push-open drawers and folding hangers were very smooth.

And it was a sunny day. Whether it was just before entering earlier, or when she walked back and forth before the window, sunlight fell unreservedly upon Jing Ke.

Jing Ke, bathed in sunlight, showed no discomfort whatsoever. Instead, it made the color of her hair and eyes even more beautiful.

Good. It seemed the possibility of Jing Ke being a ghost could be completely ruled out. She really was a Higher-Dimensional Being.