Chapter 721: Jiaojiao 1
"Okay, okay, okay, I’ll be sure to be more careful next time." The Beauty System’s almond eyes looked at Tan You, trying to curry favor. "Host, this client’s daughter... is an actress."
Tan You’s eyebrows slowly rose. "A daughter? An actress? The client is this actress’s mom?"
"Not her mother." Seeing that Tan You wasn’t so resistant, the Beauty System quickly pushed a dim orb of soul-light in front of her. "Host..."
The sight of such a dim orb of soul-light gave Tan You an ominous premonition. "It’s not the actress’s mother... The client can’t be a man, can he?"
The Beauty System gave a weak nod. Obviously, Tan You was right.
Tan You was incredibly weary at this point. "Tongtong, I don’t think we can’t afford the Energy Points. Even for systems, we can be flexible. Being laughed at won’t kill us..."
The Beauty System’s two little paws suddenly clasped together, as if it were clutching its coin purse. "Host, I need to save up Energy Points to buy an Elf skin! I’ve only saved one percent so far."
"If I don’t have any Energy Points... then Host won’t have any either."
Tan You almost laughed out of sheer exasperation. "And didn’t I give you those Energy Points?"
"What’s given to me is mine," the Beauty System refused to budge. "Host, please, please go! Being a man will be a novel experience... Please go..."
It snuck a glance at Tan You. "Host, just think about it. Weren’t you always wondering what a good father is like? They say that in healing others, you heal yourself. Maybe if you choose to become a father, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the role."
Tan You had to admit the little system had read her mind. After experiencing so many worlds, she had met several fathers. She’d come to a conclusion: good fathers always seemed to belong to other people.
Then again, she had also encountered her share of scumbag dads. For instance, in her life as Liuu Yuming, Liuu Min’s father was no good. And in Lu Wen’s life, Lu Wen’s father wasn’t much better.
But the little system had indeed hit the nail on the head. Because she had so rarely experienced direct fatherly love, the possibility of becoming a good father... didn’t seem so bad, did it?
At this thought, Tan You put down her pen. "Let me see the mission?"
The Beauty System’s ears perked up instantly. "Once you look, you can’t refuse."
Tan You shot it a sidelong glance. "What’s the alternative? You’re going to fork over the Energy Points and then go write a self-criticism report for the high-end systems?"
The Beauty System clung to Tan You’s arm, shaking its head like a rattle. "I don’t want to."
"Let me take a look. I’ll mull it over," Tan You said, not intending to depart right away. "After all, I’m supposed to be someone’s dad. I need to think hard about how to be a good one."
The Beauty System was delighted. "Take your time reading, Host. I won’t bother you."
It zipped away in a flash. Tan You, however, stared at the dim orb of soul-light for several seconds. A few moments later, she crushed it, and the client’s life story—one that could only be called dull and tedious—unfolded before her.
After skimming through the stagnant, lifeless memories, Tan You propped her head on her hand, lost in thought. ’A regular blue-collar worker and a daughter who’s a future star actress... The difference is pretty stark. It feels rather disjointed.’
Technically, completing the mission wasn’t hard. The client only requested that his daughter, Chen Jiao, have a happy marriage; he just wanted her to have a companion in life.
However, Tan You held herself to a higher standard. She never felt that a woman had to get married or that she must have someone by her side. As such, Tan You’s personal philosophy clashed with the client’s request.
Thus, despite it being a beginner-level mission, Tan You was already getting a headache, to say nothing of the fact that she was also supposed to experience being a man in this life.
「After thinking it over for two full days, Tan You finally set out on the mission.」She just never expected to arrive at a point in time after the original host had gotten into a car accident and become comatose. By then, the client had already been lying in bed for three years.
「Late at night, in the hospital room.」Tan You stood beside the bed, looking at the man hooked up to a ventilator. She felt a strange mix of emotions, unsure whether to be pleased or regretful.
’Pleased that I don’t have to be a man, or regretful that I didn’t get to experience what it’s like?’
The Beauty System perched on Tan You’s shoulder. "Host, what do we do now? Play ghost?"
Tan You said, "What other choice do we have? His body doesn’t even have its own consciousness, so how can I control it? Just let him lie there."
The Beauty System tapped its little paws together. "Host, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault for drawing this mission."
"It’s fine. There’s no need to keep blaming yourself; I know you didn’t do it on purpose." Tan You wasn’t one to hold a grudge. She rubbed the little system’s head. "Let’s go. We’ll go see Chen Jiao."
Even though it was just a beginner-level mission, Tan You had no intention of doing a half-hearted job. That was her personality: either don’t do it, or do it well.
Following the thread of kinship between the client, Chen Qing, and his daughter, Chen Jiao, Tan You easily found Chen Jiao, who was currently filming on a set.
Although Tan You truly didn’t want to take on any more missions related to the entertainment industry, she thought about the client, the mess the Beauty System had made, and the unconscious Chen Qing lying in his hospital bed. She could only shake her head.
𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Entering the entertainment industry hadn’t been Chen Jiao’s original intention; she was just desperate for money. Chen Jiao was only nineteen years old, while Chen Qing had already been in the hospital for three years. All of his medical expenses over those three years were earned through Chen Jiao’s painstaking work.
So, even if Tan You didn’t approve of Chen Jiao working in the entertainment industry, no one could criticize her filial piety. Who didn’t know that the entertainment industry was a quick way to make money? But that was only for those who made a name for themselves. For those who couldn’t break through, even supporting themselves was a struggle.
Clearly, Chen Jiao had managed to make some waves. At the very least, after Chen Qing’s hospitalization, she had shouldered the family’s heavy burden all by herself, and she later managed to keep him hanging on in the hospital for nearly ten years.
Pondering the work ahead, Tan You and the Beauty System sat down on Chen Jiao’s little chair in a corner of the set, watching her film under the director’s guidance. After just a few moments, Tan You yawned.
The Beauty System said, "Host, this director’s skill level... is not up to par."
Tan You laughed, amused, and flicked the little system. "And what do you know about ’not up to par’?"
"I have my own aesthetic standards! Anyway, he’s bad, not as good as you, Host."
Tan You replied, "My directing skills... are just so-so. Seventy out of a hundred at most, not a point more."
The Beauty System replied, "I think you’re just being modest, Host. Beauty isn’t created out of thin air; it always takes a concrete form. Host, you’ve seen and experienced so much. I’m sure you could create an exceptionally good film."