Tan You covered her mouth with her hand and yawned. "Got it. Being a sitting duck isn’t my style. I’ll have to meet this Shen Mo. It’s not like I can go without eating or sleeping forever, can I?"
The Beauty System didn’t dare offer to help Tan You keep watch. ’In my current state, I’d just be serving myself up on a platter. I’d better just stay put and be a good little puppy for my host.’
"Host, Zhu Sha was a faceless food blogger. Are you going to continue her work as a blogger?" The Beauty System was a chatterbox; it couldn’t stay quiet for more than a few minutes before trying to start a conversation.
"Why not? Even though Lu Mofeng gave me a hefty alimony, you can’t ever forget how to earn your own money." Tan You arched an eyebrow. "Just sitting around and living off savings isn’t my style. But that’s not urgent. First thing tomorrow, I’m going to a Chinese apothecary."
The Beauty System understood but still had to ask with a bit of a pout, "You already have the strength of an ox. Do you really need those external tricks?"
Tan You replied, "You can never have too many tricks up your sleeve to survive. Never underestimate any enemy, especially when you don’t know the first thing about them. This is the first time we’ve faced something like this."
Lu Mofeng had no idea that in just a few short moments, Tan You had already clashed with Shen Mo, with Shen Mo coming out on the losing end. Seeing Shen Mo emerge from the restroom looking pale, Lu Mofeng frowned. "What’s wrong? You seem agitated."
Shen Mo looked up. "It’s nothing, Mofeng. About Chenchen... is he really going to be okay? He seems... a little strange."
’What experience do I have with children? Especially an autistic one, who’s even more peculiar. But the few times I met Lu Chenling before, I thought he was pretty docile. Why is he so different now?’
Lu Mofeng sounded frustrated. "All the audio files on his iPad are gone. He’s been falling asleep to those stories since he was a toddler. He can’t sleep soundly without them."
"I’ll have to find a child psychologist for him. He was just starting to make some progress."
Shen Mo was getting tired of listening. ’An autistic child... only Lu Mofeng and Zhu Sha would treat him like he’s some kind of treasure.’
"Why don’t we contact Zhu Sha?" she suggested, her eyes glinting. ’I took such a huge loss from Tan You; I have to get back at her. If Lu Mofeng can keep Tan You in line, then I’ll have ways to deal with her, too.’
Lu Mofeng’s expression darkened. "I already called. No answer. I suspect she changed her number."
Shen Mo sighed. "Then what do we do? Chenchen was raised by her, after all. She and you are divorced, but even if she’s resentful, she shouldn’t... she shouldn’t take it out on the child. He’s still so little."
As expected, Shen Mo’s subtle accusations caused Lu Mofeng’s opinion of Tan You to plummet. He adjusted his cuffs. "It’s not like we can’t manage without her. I’ll hire the best child psychologist for Chen Chen."
A satisfied smile touched Shen Mo’s lips. ’I’ve already been through this kind of small world twice. Every time, as long as I win over the man, everything else is smooth sailing.’
’As for the child... he’s just an autistic kid. I have my ways of dealing with him. If things get too difficult, I’ll just take his luck value and start over with a new target. It’s as simple as that.’
To be clear, Shen Mo never saw the people she encountered in her mission worlds as actual human beings. To her, they were merely vessels for providing luck value. Once a person’s luck value ran out, she would simply move on to someone new.
If someone rubbed her the wrong way, she’d just take all their luck value directly. After all, she was the host of a plundering system. She felt no guilt for her actions; on the contrary, she felt perfectly justified.
"Is Zhu Sha taking her anger toward me out on Chenchen? Maybe I should go and apologize to her... No matter what, the child is the most important thing." On the surface, Shen Mo had to keep up the act. ’Apologize to Tan You? As if I’d ever do that.’
How could Lu Mofeng possibly stoop to ask Tan You for help? He cut Shen Mo off. "There’s no need. She’s not a doctor, just someone who spent some time with Chenchen. We’ll leave the professional work to the professionals."
"I’ll find the best doctor for Chenchen. And from now on, don’t mention Zhu Sha’s name again."
Shen Mo was satisfied. "Okay, whatever you say. I’ll help you take good care of Chenchen. I’m his mother now. Of course I’ll be good to him."
Lu Mofeng patted her hand. "Chenchen can be a real handful. This will be difficult for you."
Shen Mo wasn’t concerned. ’An autistic child, and he’s already five. How much of a handful can he really be? If he proves to be too much trouble, well, then I’ll just have to resort to plan B.’
Tan You was completely unaware of what was happening at the Lu residence. She was simply living her own quiet life. She had changed her phone number, but she didn’t neglect the original owner’s online accounts, continuing to post daily updates.
She wasn’t worried about Lu Mofeng showing up at her door. The original owner, Zhu Sha, had been a streamer for three years, and Lu Mofeng had been completely oblivious. They had been living under the same roof, which just went to show how little attention he’d paid to Zhu Sha on a daily basis.
’And that’s why you should never waste your time supporting a man while he’s growing, and never invest all your energy into him. The original owner, Zhu Sha, did just that, and look where it got her.’
’Her family was shattered, the child she’d raised with her own two hands turned out to be an ungrateful brat, and then she died a miserable death after that plundering system stole all her luck. The original owner really had it rough.’
The Beauty System asked, "Host, when are we going to go after Shen Mo?"
’I can’t wait to see the host teach someone a lesson, especially taking care of that evil system. We can’t let one bad apple ruin the reputation of all systems!’
Tan You shrugged. "Then let’s do it tomorrow. There’s a charity gala. Lu Mofeng would never miss an event like that, one that’s so good for his corporate image. And it’s only logical that Shen Mo would be there with him."
As she spoke, she flicked a finger at the little system. "You’d better stick close to me. If you..."
The Beauty System eagerly pledged its loyalty. "This system will follow the host’s every step! I absolutely won’t wander off!"
Tan You smiled. "Alright. Then tomorrow, we’ll go and meet this plundering system."
The following evening, Tan You arrived at the banquet hall early. Once inside, she found an inconspicuous corner to disappear into, quietly waiting for Lu Mofeng and Shen Mo to arrive.
Around 6:50 p.m., her targets finally appeared. Hidden in her corner, Tan You watched Lu Mofeng lead Shen Mo around, socializing. Anyone who saw them would have remarked what a perfect couple they made—a handsome, talented man and a beautiful woman.
’Come to think of it,’ Tan You reflected, ’the original owner, Zhu Sha, had never appeared at an event like this. Lu Mofeng’s public image was that of a single man; he kept his marriage a secret. No one knew he was married; the outside world only knew that he had a son.’
’Thinking about it made Tan You feel indignant on the original owner’s behalf. ’Silly girl. A public relationship doesn’t guarantee he loves you, but keeping you a secret definitely means he doesn’t. How could you not understand something so simple?’
After the pair had finally completed a round of schmoozing, Shen Mo excused herself to the restroom to touch up her makeup. As Shen Mo headed for the restroom, Tan You set down her glass and silently followed her inside.