Tang Coco wanted to walk home alone; she still meant to get some exercise. A baseball cap shadowed her eyes as she took the street toward home. The road unspooled like a quiet ribbon.
“System online. AI mode.”
Bored and restless, she decided to check her Anomaly Power, whispering the command inside like dropping a pebble into a still pond.
“Acknowledged. System is online.”
A woman’s AI voice bloomed in her mind, cool as moonlight on water.
“Explain what happened earlier.”
“Acknowledged. Logs show this system needs strong mental strength.”
“Check complete: the host’s mental power is severely lacking, with anomalies.”
“Compatibility with the Anomaly Power is seriously insufficient.”
“Any way to fix it?”
“Logs contain one instance of perfect operation.”
“Recommendation: recreate that scene and investigate.”
“Perfect operation? Was it the time I lost control?”
“What am I supposed to do now…”
Her heart sank like a stone in a well; she had no plan.
Beep-beep.
A car horn nipped at her heels. She turned. A silver Land Rover rolled up beside her. The passenger window slid down, revealing a boy’s face.
“Coco, why are you walking alone? Hop in, I’ll drive you.”
“Lu Kai? You’re not tailing me again, are you?”
Tang Coco shot Lu Kai a look like swatting a fly.
“No way. I’m heading home too, just happened to see you.”
“Oh. Then go on home. I don’t need a ride.”
“Hey, don’t be like that. Walking’s exhausting.”
“I want to. You, move along.”
“Then I’ll walk with you.”
“Are you sick in the head?”
She cut him off and kept walking, her temper simmering like a kettle. To her annoyance, Lu Kai parked and got out, trailing her like a shadow.
“System, I want to teach that guy a lesson. Any options?”
She thought the words, a spark under her tongue.
“Without deploying the Anomaly Power, success rate: under 2%.”
“With deployment: 97%.”
“Host blackout rate: 100%.”
“…Damn it, are you trying to piss me off?”
“I state only facts…”
The system sounded almost smug, like a cat lifting its chin.
“…”
“Coco, what do you like to eat? I’ll buy lots for you next time.”
“Coco, you haven’t eaten, right?”
“I know a new spot.”
“Want me to take you?”
Lu Kai kept chirping behind her, a sparrow that wouldn’t shut up.
“Coco, I remember—”
“Coco, Coco, Coco— Coco my foot! Aren’t you done? Want me to knock you flat?”
At last, Tang Coco snapped, like a string pulled too tight.
“Wow! Coco, you look so cute when you’re mad!”
“What the hell!”
“System, deploy the Anomaly Power! I’m going to kill him!”
“Recommendation: remain calm. Consider consequences.”
“Calm my foot! Since when are you this chatty? You weren’t like this before.”
“Given host’s unstable emotions, the system will enter emergency shutdown.”
“You—!”
“Coco, what are you thinking?”
Vroooom—
Just then, a white Maserati screamed to a halt beside them. A door swung open. A girl behind the wheel called to Tang Coco:
“Hey, get in.”
Tang Coco glanced at the driver, then at the pest beside her. She weighed it, then slid into the coupe. The Maserati streaked off like a white arrow.
“Huh? Isn’t that—”
In the car, Tang Coco took in the driver. A beauty—the kind that turned air into spring. Even a touch livelier than Ye Yiyi, with a different charm. She wore a black wide-neck hoodie that fell to mid-thigh, baring long, slender legs. Brown hair pulled into a high ponytail; uneven bangs added a playful note.
“Thanks.”
“Mm, no problem. Everyone deals with that kind of thing. Helping out’s only right.”
“Uh… it’s my first time dealing with it…”
She thought, a sigh like wind through bamboo.
“I’m Tang Coco. You?”
“Just call me Shirley.”
“Oh.”
Tang Coco listened, thinking that must be her foreign name. From her look, her family had money; a foreign name wasn’t surprising.
“How about… lunch tomorrow? You helped me today; let me treat you.”
“Really? I just got back to the country. I don’t know any good places yet.”
“Uh… bold girl.”
“Alright then. Noon tomorrow. To say thanks, lunch’s on me.”
“Great. Add me on WeChat.”
They added each other on WeChat. By then, they’d reached the Jinxiu Garden villa district.
“Here’s fine.”
“Alright.”
The car settled. Tang Coco popped her seatbelt.
“Really, thanks for today. See you tomorrow.”
“Sure. Bye~”
She answered with a smile and pulled away.
Tang Coco watched the coupe vanish down the street. Her smile faded like mist; then her lips curled.
“Hmph.”
She thought for a beat, then turned toward home.
About five minutes later, Tang Coco reached home. Li Muyan opened the door, then went back upstairs, busy with who-knows-what. Ye Yiyi was in the kitchen, making lunch; steam rose like soft clouds.
Seeing that, she remembered she’d basically forgotten her gig with Mu Qingcheng. She’d gone once, then trouble kept piling up like fallen leaves.
“Sigh… This week, I’d better just go to work like a decent person.”
She thought, letting her mood settle like dust.
