Chapter 81 – Invoking a Goddess, Becoming Another Person

Chapter 81 - Invoking a Goddess, Becoming Another Person

"Little An, do you have Aunt's picture? Send it to me, and also tell me her name, height, and age. I'll inquire around the neighborhood shops if anyone has seen her or knows where she went.

You're familiar with the area, so search nearby parks, malls, any flat and relaxing spots where they might be." Tang Fei needed information on Mother Shu for her visualization.

Moreover, she required a secluded place for fifty minutes to use the Goddess Invocation Card, hence the need to split up from the others.

Hopefully, other methods would prove more efficient than the Goddess Invocation Card.

Tang Fei glanced at the time. Zhou Weichuan followed, still holding the key to the Shu family's home.

Tang Fei said to Zhou Weichuan, "Boss, maybe Auntie just went out for a walk and will be back soon. Wait for Uncle and Auntie at Little An's place and help her call the police. It might speed up the search."

Assigning tasks, Tang Fei dashed towards the nearby McDonald's, while Zhou Weichuan caught up, slipping a power bank into her coat pocket. "Stay in touch. If there's any news, let me know immediately."

Tang Fei nodded appreciatively. "Thank you."

With Tang Fei taking charge, Shu Xiaoan felt reassured. Drying her tears, she followed Tang Fei's suggestion and began searching nearby public parks and squares. Zhou Weichuan, on the other hand, returned to Shu Xiaoan's residence.

Tang Fei entered McKinsey's and immediately rushed into their restroom, locking the door behind her.

Outside, this was the only place where she could find solitude.

She tapped on the slot, and a card radiating red light appeared before her eyes. It depicted a pair of chopsticks intertwined with a dragon and a phoenix pattern.

"God Card" "Activate"

The usage count on the card displayed -1. The chopstick pattern glowed, and Tang Fei fixated on Shu Xiaoan's mother's photo. The forty-year-old woman had a delicate appearance and gentle demeanor. In the picture, she wore a contented smile as she stood side by side with her daughter, their heads touching.

Ma Luhua, 43 years old, from Yuezhou, Hunan Province, settled in Star City. Husband: Shu Chengke. Daughter: Shu Xiaoan.

...

Tang Fei visualized Shu's mother's information, constructing an image of her in her mind, filling in the details of her life journey and moments. The mother's portrait in her imagination grew vivid and alive. The glowing light on the card slowly detached, as if the pair of chopsticks were reaching out into the air, grasping at threads of shadows from the void.

Tang Fei's eyes began to lose focus.

Her consciousness was being drawn away, leaving her with empty eyes, oblivious to the world around her.

After drifting through a dark void, her consciousness emerged, vaguely disconnected from her identity. When the light returned to her vision, she found herself as Shu Mu.

In this moment, she was not Tang Fei; she was Ma Luhuo.

It was the evening of February 17th, and the daylight outside was fading. Seated by the bed, she fed her husband a porridge of minced meat, cleaning up the mess he had regurgitated, unable to swallow properly.

Exhaustion weighed upon her, draining every ounce of strength from her body. Her muscles ached, her temples throbbed as if ready to burst, and her stomach churned with nausea. The sour taste rose to her throat the moment she stood.

Rushing to the bathroom, she vomited violently, expelling the vegetable and rice soup she had consumed, with traces of blood mixed among the bile.

She rinsed it away, her vision blurring.

If she too fell ill, who would care for her husband?

And if his condition worsened, how long could they afford the medical expenses?

Returning to his bedside, her husband mumbled incoherently, saliva dribbling from the corner of his lips. His mouth and eyes were askew, his head lolling backward, leaning against the headboard.

The despair that had taken root in her heart refused to dissipate.

"Old Shu, we've become a burden to Little An."

Struggling to lift her husband's leg, she pressed firmly on his atrophied muscles, her mind recalling the recent conflicts with her daughter.

Just a few hours ago, their disagreement had erupted when she insisted that her daughter marry the man from the arranged meeting.

"An An, I won't hurt you. I'm your mother. Just listen to me this once, please, for Mom's sake," she had pleaded desperately, her face possibly contorted, her eyes bulging as she prepared to kneel before her daughter, urging her compliance.

Shu Xiaoan sprang up, grabbing her. "Who I marry will determine the rest of my life. I can't be hasty about this. Mom, do you know? They want me to leave Star City and settle permanently in Guangfu or Pengcheng. How could I agree? I'm an only child; Dad and you still rely on me. Why are you forcing me to marry someone like that?"

"Mom and Dad will move to Pengcheng to be with you. That's not an issue." She seemed to have guessed the reason for her daughter's refusal – was it because they had become a burden to her?

No one could fathom the depth of pain her daughter's words had stirred within her numbed heart.

She truly couldn't bear to part with her daughter, to let her be alone in the world. She didn't want her daughter to face the world alone, desiring for her to have companionship. Even after she was gone, she wanted her daughter to have her own family, to live happily.

"Mom and Dad have become your burden," she whispered softly, as if all her strength had drained away with those words.

"Mom, what are you saying? How could you two be a burden? If my future husband dares to look down on you, then I won't marry him. I can support the family on my own, without causing trouble for others, can't I?" Shu Xiaoan's voice rose, as she yearned to stay close and take care of her parents. Why did it feel like her mother was pushing her away? Why did her mother seem to reject her being part of this family?

"Listen to me, that Little Sun, he didn't look down on us. He said he would take us in after a year of marriage," she argued in defense of her daughter's potential match.

"Well, then he's a liar. If he wants to take you in, what difference does it make between now and a year later?" Shu Xiaoan suddenly blurted out angrily. "Mom, why have you been pushing me to get married lately? Dad said I must choose my husband carefully, not just give away my happiness blindly. Even if I don't marry until I'm forty or fifty, he wouldn't be worried. He's happy just being with me."

"Dad... Mom, you're taking advantage of the fact that Dad can't speak to send me away." Tears welled up in Shu Xiaoan's eyes, and her mother's tears also cascaded down, stirred by these words.

How could she not know what would bring happiness? How could she not know how much her husband cherished their daughter?

Back then, they only wished for Shu Xiaoan to live comfortably and safely for her whole life, knowing they would always be there to support her.

But now, not only could they no longer provide that support, they had become the heaviest burden on their daughter, hindering her education and future happiness.

"An An, stop talking." She covered her face, realizing that no matter what she did, things couldn't go back to the way they were.

"Mom, we need to calm down to have a proper conversation. I have something to do today, so I'll leave first." Shu Xiaoan glanced at the message from He Zhou on her phone and slung her backpack over her shoulder. "I won't be back for dinner tonight, and maybe not for a few days. I won't go on any more blind dates, let alone marry someone I just met. Mom, no matter what you say, I won't agree. Give it up."

With a resounding slam of the door, the one person who gave her hope for a better life seemed to drift further away, leaving her alone in the cold, empty house.

She once had a blissful family, with a loving husband and a delightful, filial daughter who excelled in her studies.

Together, they rented a small stall in the marketplace to sell fruits. On that fateful day, for some unexplained reason, their business boomed, depleting their stock. In a hurry, her husband drove their van to replenish supplies.

Suddenly, the sky darkened, and a torrential downpour ensued. Her husband was involved in a severe traffic accident; the driver responsible perished on the spot, leaving them without any compensation.

From that day on, she was trapped in an endless cycle of despair and numbness.

Burdened by the overwhelming medical expenses, they sold their house, depleted their savings, borrowed from everyone until they were avoided, yet the financial abyss seemed bottomless.

Caring for her once jovial but now unresponsive husband, she became increasingly irritable whenever she saw his changed state, thinking of how her situation was dragging down her daughter's life. Gradually, the pressures of life sapped all her strength.

She performed the muscle compression for her husband mechanically, every passing day and night resembling a dark and interminable journey, leading perhaps only to more darkness.

"Why should we ruin Annie's life when ours is already ruined?"