Chapter 212: What Did She Miss

Chapter 212: Chapter 212: What Did She Miss

The only time they had met was when Chang Mu unexpectedly ran into Lu Shixu at a private restaurant.

She had originally thought that would be the start of her mission.

In reality, however, the bigshot remained as elusive as ever, and she suffered one setback after another.

But now she was hearing that—

Lu Shixu had helped Nan Zhi, and was even taking good care of her?

’What a joke!’

’How could the cold, aloof bigshot from the original story suddenly transform into a Good Samaritan?’

’Was that really something he would do?’

The only explanation was...

"Could it be that they knew each other before?"

For once, Chang Mu was sharp enough to guess the truth.

The system, which had been lurking in the background lately, finally appeared:

[Yes. They are ex-boyfriend and girlfriend.]

Chang Mu’s face darkened.

"Don’t tell me, Nan Yi is Lu Shixu’s..."

[Please investigate for yourself.]

How could the system’s feigned mystery fool Chang Mu?

Having been bound to the system as a Tactician for so long, she had figured out some of its patterns.

For example, when it came to important secrets, the system’s refusal to answer was tantamount to a yes.

’Chang Mu was about to lose her mind!’

’If I’d known Nan Zhi was Lu Shixu’s ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child, why would I have gone through all that trouble finding other ways to approach him? I could have just shown up at his door with the kid!’

’But because my understanding of the plot was incomplete and my intel on Nan Zhi’s identity was off, I completely missed this golden opportunity!’

Chang Mu clutched her head in devastation, muttering regretfully,

"No wonder you kept reminding me..."

In truth, Chang Mu really wanted to complain and blame the system.

It was in her nature to do so.

But her fear of the electric-shock punishment was greater, so she swallowed her anger and her mind began racing to come up with a plan.

’No, I can’t let this go on. If I let things continue between them, what if their old feelings resurface...’

’And Nan Yi!’

’Even when a couple divorces, a child is an unbreakable bond between them!’

Chang Mu certainly didn’t dare underestimate the role Nan Yi played between Lu Shixu and Nan Zhi.

Her mission as a Tactician was on the line; Chang Mu couldn’t afford to ignore it.

Just as she was about to ask the system what her next step should be,

The usually cold and merciless system spoke hurriedly:

[The assistance this system can provide is limited. The Host must complete the mission on her own.]

And then it went completely silent.

Chang Mu seemed to sense a hint of panic in its hurried tone and called out to it several times.

The system didn’t respond at all, as if it had entered sleep mode.

Chang Mu knew that the system occasionally entered a dormant period.

According to the system itself, this was due to insufficient energy, and it had to enter a dormant state to recover.

’So did the system’s sudden disappearance now also mean it was low on energy?’

Chang Mu became suspicious.

But she had no time to dwell on it. The immediate priority was to figure out what was going on between Lu Shixu and Nan Zhi.

And Nan Yi.

Suddenly, Chang Mu opened the system panel that only she could see and located the Nightmare Editor.

A crude pop-up window floated before her, still showing the familiar [Manual Edit] and [Auto Edit] options.

Before, Chang Mu had thought she understood Nan Yi well enough, so she had confidently chosen [Manual Edit].

It had been completely useless.

Nan Yi’s mental state was normal, his condition excellent; he wasn’t plagued by nightmares in the slightest.

It only made Chang Mu and the system’s methods seem even more ridiculous.

Later, it wasn’t that Chang Mu hadn’t swallowed her pride and tried the [Auto Edit] function.

But she was then informed that each use of [Auto Edit] cost points.

Her points were already at zero; she had even acquired the Nightmare Editor through an overdraft of points.

Unsure of the side effects of overdrafting points, and given that the Nightmare Editor hadn’t worked at all, Chang Mu was unwilling to keep throwing points into a bottomless pit. Thus, she had hesitated to use the function.

Now, with a crisis right before her, she had to try, even if it turned out to be useless.

Chang Mu decisively chose [Auto Edit]!

-

「Town Hospital.」

The older woman in the next bed, who was hospitalized all by herself, was very envious of Nan Zhi, who was surrounded by her husband and child, each more attentive than the other.

One asked if she was thirsty, the other if she was hungry.

The little one had just fluffed her pillow and tucked her in when the big one brought a warm towel to wipe her face and hands.

...What a warm and happy family!

A pity, then, that Nan Zhi herself wasn’t enjoying it in the slightest. In fact, she found it all overwhelming.

’Being cared for so much is a kind of pressure, too!’

She could still refuse Lu Shixu.

But what about Yiyi?

’I can’t just throw my own baby’s kind intentions back in his face, can I?’

With no other choice, Nan Zhi used sleep as an excuse and quickly lay down.

The exhaustion from the high fever washed over her, and before long, Nan Zhi really did fall asleep.

She lay on her side, slightly curled up.

They say that sleeping in such a position is a sign of insecurity.

Lu Shixu watched quietly for a moment, then moved to tuck her in...

A pair of small hands beat him to it.

To top it off, Nan Yi shot a triumphant look at Lu Shixu.

’As if to say—*I’m* the one who’s Mom’s real comfort!’

Lu Shixu asked him:

"Aren’t you sleepy? You barely slept all night."

Nan Zhi’s fever had been very high last night; at first, even an injection couldn’t bring her temperature down.

Lu Shixu and Nan Yi had watched over her together until the early hours of the morning, when they finally saw her temperature drop.

Lu Shixu was an adult with a strong constitution; missing a night’s sleep was no big deal for him.

But the same couldn’t be said for Nan Yi.

Even though Nan Yi had told Nan Zhi he’d slept last night when she asked...

But Lu Shixu had seen it clearly: just a moment ago, Nan Yi had yawned more than ten times in five minutes!

Nan Yi said, "I’m not sleepy... YAWN!"

Another yawn.

Lu Shixu said nothing, just walked to the side and unfolded the caregiver’s cot.

The small cot was just the right size for Nan Yi.

Nan Yi’s gaze was uncontrollably drawn to it.

But he was too stubborn to admit it.

"I’m wide awake!"

Lu Shixu said flatly,

"When she wakes up, are you going to yawn in front of her?"

It was a fatal blow.

However unwilling he was, Nan Yi had to admit Lu Shixu had a point. He obediently went over and lay down on the cot.

Almost as soon as Nan Yi closed his eyes, a heavy wave of sleepiness washed over him.

Before long, Nan Yi’s breathing became even and deep.

He was fast asleep.

Lu Shixu had expected this and reached out to pull the blanket up for Nan Yi.

Nan Yi seemed to sense an unwelcome presence and immediately rolled over, turning his back to Lu Shixu.

Lu Shixu’s expression didn’t change as he covered him with the blanket again.

It wasn’t that he was particularly kind or concerned about Nan Yi.

Lu Shixu simply understood—

To Nan Zhi, Nan Yi was more important than anyone else.

’So, if I want to get closer to her, I have to make Nan Yi accept my presence.’

’It’s just that Nan Yi himself doesn’t seem to see it, always so insecurely trying to please Nan Zhi.’

’Did something happen between mother and son in the past?’

Lu Shixu was lost in thought.