Seeing her like this, Tan You felt she was rather pitiful. She sighed silently. "I usually don’t recommend people date or get married, but if you really can’t move on, why don’t you start a new relationship?"
Zhu Sha was tempted for a moment, but after some thought, she shook her head. "No. I feel like jumping into a new relationship before I’ve gotten myself sorted out would be disrespectful to the other person."
"I’ll adjust, little by little. Starting today, I’m going to get back everything I invested, piece by piece."
Tan You gave a perfunctory clap. "Go for it, though I don’t have much faith in you."
"Ms. Tan," Zhu Sha said, the corners of her eyes turning red with frustration. "I mean what I say. I’ve decided to be like you from now on—no more being conflicted, no more dragging my feet."
Tan You was very dismissive. "Alright. We’ll see how you do."
Zhu Sha huffed, "Ms. Tan, I won’t let you look down on me!"
Tan You ignored her. In truth, she hated discussing relationship problems with clients, finding all the drama of trivial romances tedious. And yet, this particular client, Zhu Sha, was terminally lovesick.
It was as if her brain was filled with mush; the only person she could see was Lu Mofeng. Even though Lu Mofeng was a complete and utter scumbag, she still couldn’t get him out of her head.
She talked about getting her feelings in order and learning not to drag her feet, but it wasn’t long before Zhu Sha dropped a bombshell that left Tan You reeling.
"What did you say? You’re going on a dating show?" Tan You eyed Zhu Sha suspiciously. "Aren’t you usually extremely private? Why would you consider joining a dating show?"
"Besides, didn’t you say you wanted to get your feelings in order before starting a new relationship?"
"The platform recommended it," Zhu Sha said, forcing herself to stay calm, but her composure quickly crumbled under Tan You’s sharp gaze. "Fine, I admit it’s hard for me to move on from the past on my own. Maybe if I get out more and meet new people, I’ll finally be able to let it go."
"Besides, it’s not like going on a dating show guarantees a relationship. I’ll just treat it as a chance to make some friends."
"Fine," Tan You said. Now that she had her answer, she didn’t press the issue. "I guess I’ll go with you and see what it’s about."
Zhu Sha was pleasantly surprised. "Ms. Tan, you’re coming with me?"
Tan You’s lips curved into a half-smile. "Like I said, your judgment of character is highly questionable. You think I can rest easy letting you go out there alone? I need to make sure the people you meet are decent."
"If you choose a good person, even if you’re not that close in the beginning, your life together won’t be too bad later on."
Zhu Sha pouted. "Alright, alright. You’ve got a whole lecture for everything, Ms. Tan. But between the two of us, who actually has more experience?"
Tan You was perfectly composed. "When you’ve lived long enough, you naturally come to understand certain things."
With Zhu Sha confirmed, the dating show was set to begin filming soon. Out of curiosity, Tan You did some digging on the other participants. She was a little surprised to see that Yun Lan was one of the female guests.
But with a moment’s thought, it made sense. The knockoff systems she’d encountered before involved clients bringing task-doers into this world. Yun Lan, however, was likely a native who had accidentally bonded with one of those knockoff systems.
That would explain why Yun Lan could continue with her life after the Cleaner Fish System had taken away that knockoff system. But did she know the system had ever existed? Tan You wasn’t sure about that.
Of course, Tan You had no intention of telling Zhu Sha about Yun Lan. Some things were better left unsaid.
The dating show was pre-recorded. The first day consisted of a preliminary online chat session, a way for everyone to test the waters and see if they could get along.
After the divorce, Tan You had changed Zhu Sha’s phone number and also registered a new WeChat account for her, which was the one she was using now. Her profile picture was a simple cartoon sketch, and her WeChat name was Zhu Sha.
The artwork was Tan You’s contribution, of course—a simple sketch of Zhu Sha herself. With just a few strokes, it managed to capture her gentle, shy demeanor, making it remarkably vivid and expressive.
In any case, Zhu Sha quite liked it. While Tan You had been in charge, she hadn’t deliberately expanded her social circle; as a streamer, all she needed to do was manage the account well. And when it came to her work, Tan You was self-sufficient and basically needed no one’s help.
Zhu Sha was the same way. She used to make her videos all by herself, handling everything from start to finish. So after she "woke up," Zhu Sha simply continued the lifestyle Tan You had maintained.
She was an orphan and had no living relatives. She had gotten to know a few of Lu Mofeng’s friends while they were together, but after the divorce, Tan You had unilaterally cut off all contact with Lu Mofeng and his circle.
Now, Zhu Sha had practically no friends. She didn’t feel lonely, though. On the contrary, she quite liked it.
Friends could be a source of wonderful experiences, but often, they also brought with them unspoken obligations and attachments.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Zhu Sha didn’t jump in, instead just observing the messages in the group chat. It was evening, so everyone was off work, and the chat was buzzing with activity.
Zhu Sha continued to lurk silently. Tan You hadn’t told her who the other guests were, so she could only make blind guesses.
"I think the female guests are probably ’Loves Fruit Tea,’ ’Chang’an’s Unfalling Snow,’ and ’Mumu.’"
"And for the male guests, ’First Awakening,’ ’The Other Person Is Typing...,’ ’Free,’ and ’Aurora,’ right? Ms. Tan, am I right?"
Tan You chuckled, her expression a little strange. "Yes, you got them all right. And the male guests are trying to guess who you are, too."
"Who do you think will try to talk to you? The guests only get one chance to chat with someone individually."
Zhu Sha scrolled through the group chat. "I doubt anyone will message me. Other than saying ’hi everyone’ when I joined, I’ve just been lurking. Guys like girls who are cheerful and bubbly, don’t they?"
The words had barely left her mouth when her phone chimed twice. They were both text messages.
One was from Aurora: [Hello. Looking forward to meeting tomorrow.]
The other was from First Awakening: [I hope you’re happy every day.]
Zhu Sha stared at the name "Aurora" for a long moment, then said softly, "I used to really want to go to the Arctic to see the aurora. They say it’s the most romantic thing for a couple to do together. Seeing that name... I can’t help but think about the past."
Tan You glanced at Zhu Sha but said nothing.
Zhu Sha quickly recovered and sent a polite reply to Aurora: [Hello. See you tomorrow.]
Her reply to First Awakening, however, was less perfunctory: [Thank you. I am very happy every day now.]
Zhou Jintang, a.k.a. First Awakening, chuckled softly and sent a reply: [I’m glad.]
Zhu Sha hugged her phone, leaning back on the sofa. "Ms. Tan, how about I just use my one-on-one chat with First Awakening? I’m not interested in Aurora."
Tan You glanced up. "Suit yourself."
Zhu Sha pressed her lips together and sent a photo to First Awakening: a picture of a bowl of beef noodle soup.
First Awakening’s reply was immediate: [Did you make that yourself? It looks delicious.]