The professionals were right in front of me. Why waste extra time and effort?
I was a tourist. There was nothing unusual about enjoying a bit of local folk culture, was there?
As for what the others thought, Fu Qian ignored that concern.
"A dancer? Are you sure? You want to go now? They might not have a show this early..."
The group came to an abrupt halt. As everyone turned to look, even the female tour leader struggled to hide her surprise.
"Yes. I'm very interested. I can't wait."
For Fu Qian, who was skilled at asking questions in three stages, handling this was a piece of cake.
"All right. If you insist, you can give it a try. But the nearest venue is twenty minutes from here, and since it's not on our itinerary, I won't be able to accompany you."
Sensing his powerful determination to spend, the tour leader didn't try too hard to dissuade him. She quietly explained the limitations.
"That's fine. I remember that café."
Fu Qian remained unfazed, once again showing a resolve nothing could stop.
"All right... Just remember the most important thing: don't talk to strangers."
The tour leader didn't waste any more time. She gave him careful directions, even taking special care to explain the usual prices.
"And don't forget our meeting time. An hour and a half from now."
"Thanks."
Under the complicated gazes of the group, Fu Qian thanked her, then headed off in the direction she'd pointed, parting ways with them.
As for agreeing to meet up again, he hadn't just said it to humor her.
For one thing, the tour leader, who had been specifically mentioned in the mission briefing, did seem fairly reliable. For another, although the group was small, there were some interesting people among