The Beauty System was nearly dazed by Tan You’s barrage of flattery. It puffed out its little chest and confidently declared, "Host, if there’s any reward you want, just tell me beforehand! I’ll definitely help you draw it!"
Tan You smiled. ’That’s exactly what I was waiting for it to say! Speaking of which, what kind of rewards are even in this little system’s prize pool? Besides those useless beauty points?’
As soon as the "Strong as an Ox" skill was equipped, Tan You felt a change in her body. After spending so long on the Western Fantasy Continent, her understanding of her own body was almost obsessively precise.
The classic trope in many novels—accidentally breaking bowls, chopsticks, tables, and chairs after gaining immense strength—never happened with Tan You.
Her control over her body was meticulous, and that included adapting to this newfound power. At the very least, no one could tell that Tan You was now a hidden powerhouse.
Since the little system had given her special treatment, Tan You didn’t mind coaxing the little thing. For instance... by doing a task?
When Tan You offered to do a task, the Beauty System was overjoyed. "Host, are we doing an intermediate task this time?"
Tan You raised an eyebrow slightly. "Of course. There’s no point in just spinning our wheels in the beginner tasks. Let’s draw an intermediate one."
The moment she finished speaking, Tan You pressed the intermediate task button. The soul orbs for beginner tasks were usually white, so when she saw the deep gray soul orb that was spat out, she couldn’t help but be surprised.
"Are the clients for intermediate tasks... all this full of heaven-piercing resentment?"
Never mind Adina, whom she’d met before; just looking at the task she had just drawn, Tan You could feel the immense resentment radiating from it without even touching it.
Don’t ask how she knew. After keeping the Dark God company for over a thousand years and meeting many Divine beings, Tan You had naturally picked up a few abilities, even if they were a bit strange.
For example, she could sketch a person’s face just by looking at their skull. Or, give her a corpse, and she could tell you the exact time of death.
Anyone who’d stared at skeletons for that many years could develop such skills.
The Beauty System was also stunned. It blinked its big, dramatic eyes. "Host, I don’t know! This is definitely not normal! Intermediate tasks aren’t supposed to be this hard, are they?"
"This is almost as hard as the last task!"
"I... I’ll go ask around!"
Before Tan You could say anything, the little puppy closed its eyes, kicked its legs, and vanished. Tan You frowned slightly. ’Fine, let the little system go ask around.’ Truthfully, after surviving the Western Fantasy World, she suddenly felt fearless.
Her perspective had been broadened so much that perhaps only a cultivation world would make her even the slightest bit nervous.
Delicately picking up the deep gray soul orb, Tan You began to absorb the client’s memories. After a long while, she sighed softly. "Never waste your time on a man, never stick around while he’s ’growing,’ and certainly never help him get ahead. Don’t you understand the principle of planting a tree for someone else to enjoy its shade?"
"The current girlfriend can never compete with the one that got away."
"And selflessly raising his child for him? Even dumber."
Despite her words, Tan You wasn’t in a hurry to start the task. She planned to do some more research first. ’Even though it’s a modern world, it’s an *intermediate* modern world, and the client’s resentment is off the charts. I naturally have to be fully prepared.’
By the time Tan You had more or less finished her research, the Beauty System finally returned. Just one look at its drooping ears told Tan You that it hadn’t found out anything useful.
She was rather Zen about it; she hadn’t been counting on the little system anyway. ’But honestly,’ Tan You no longer thought the little system was useless at all. In a world without the internet, the little thing was incredibly handy.
Take Adina’s world, for example. If the little system hadn’t been there to keep watch for her around the clock, Tan You’s early stages wouldn’t have gone so smoothly. It was still fraught with danger, but at least she had a helper.
"Alright, we made it through the hell mode of the Western Fantasy World. This is just a modern world; we’ll find a way. Don’t forget, this is the age of the internet."
Tan You comforted the little puppy. The palm-sized pup hung its head, looking utterly pitiful.
The little puppy drawled, "Host, I find it strange. Why would a modern world be classified as an intermediate task?"
Tan You glanced at the densely packed task pool. "Modern worlds can be difficult too. It’s not classified simply by the type of world. Believe it or not, if you went fishing in there right now, you’d definitely find plenty more clients from modern worlds."
The Beauty System tapped its front paws together. "I can’t see the task information before the host draws it."
Tan You laughed. "Then let’s just treat it like a blind box. As the saying goes, when you meet your enemy on a narrow path, the braver one wins."
Despite her words, Tan You tossed the soul orb she had drawn to the Beauty System. After looking it over, the system blinked its eyes. "Host, I don’t understand."
Tan You asked softly, "What is it you don’t understand?"
"What exactly is love? Why is the client so obsessed with it? She knew he was always thinking about someone else, so why wouldn’t she give up?"
Tan You said with cynical amusement, "A lot of people convince themselves that if they just stay by someone’s side long enough, and give enough, they’ll eventually move the other person’s heart. But that’s just a form of self-sacrificing martyrdom. In the end, the only person they move is themselves."
"And the man? It’s not that he doesn’t see it. He just doesn’t like you, so in his eyes, all your efforts are superfluous. He doesn’t need them."
"That’s just human nature’s fatal flaw. You never cherish what you have, while the unattainable is always causing a stir."
"Zhu Sha and Lu Mofeng are a perfect example of this. The facts prove that Zhu Sha lost, utterly and completely. That’s why I say you should never waste your energy on a man or provide him with emotional value."
"If he’s down on his luck, so be it. The world doesn’t revolve around him."
"The only right thing to do is to live your own life well."
The Beauty System said, "If she could have figured that out, she wouldn’t be here."
Tan You said, "What surprises me more is that she actually put her heart and soul into being a stepmother to Lu Mofeng’s son. But did the kid appreciate it? Didn’t he run right back into his birth mother’s arms the moment she returned?"
"In the end, she successfully raised a scumbag and an ungrateful brat. Then, all the fruits of her labor, everything she struggled for alongside the man, was completely taken over by that same scumbag’s unforgettable first love."
"No wonder she’s filled with so much resentment."
"How tragic."
The Beauty System wagged its tail. "Host, you don’t like this client?"
Tan You replied, "It’s not a matter of liking or disliking. Since I’ve accepted the task, I’ll just focus on completing it to the best of my ability."