Lucy Daniel looked at her somewhat aging face, then at the very old-fashioned house she now inhabited. Perceiving that all her cultivation was gone, she remained calm, composedly walking outside to survey the modest surroundings.
The three-room, one-hall house was visibly aged, but she quickly located the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, she pulled out an egg and a stick of ham. With practiced ease, she stir-fried a simple yet satisfying meal of ham and egg fried rice, then sat down to leisurely enjoy her food.
As she slowly savored her meal, she turned her attention to the trembling sphere in her mind.
"Speak up. What actually happened? Why is my cultivation sealed? How am I supposed to beat up the male lead now?" she asked, her tone indifferent but carrying an underlying edge.
The sphere hesitated before replying, "Boss, since you always end up beating the male lead to death quite violently, the main system has issued a directive forbidding us from undertaking any tasks related to beating him up. Instead, we are now assigned to the 'Twilight Years' group, which specializes in missions related to elderly individuals. The most important thing is—you can’t beat up the male lead anymore! I repeat, you can’t beat up the male lead! Did I mention it three times?"
This boss was terrifying. If she wasn’t beating up the male lead, she was beating up the female lead. And when there was no one left, she even challenged heaven itself. That was precisely why the main system had sealed her cultivation, forcing her into a category meant for saving the old, weak, sick, and disabled.
"Hmm?" Lucy responded faintly, "Continue talking. Did I beat them up, or are they just too weak?"
It’s not my fault they can't withstand a beating.
"Anyway, boss, you really can’t beat up the male lead anymore. We just need to complete the tasks properly. After all, there’s no male lead right now, don’t you agree?" the sphere cautiously added, trembling slightly in fear of Lucy’s strength.
"Alright, let’s hear the task requirements and the plot for transmission." Lucy continued eating her fried rice, exuding an air of serene indifference.
"Our mission is to fulfill the Host's desire, and it's up to the Host to judge if they are satisfied or not. Once we’ve gathered the cultivation of a hundred satisfied bosses, we can return. What do you think? Does that work?"
"Well, hurry up with the plot transmission. What are you waiting for?"
"Right, right!" The sphere, resembling a small dango, hastily began transmitting the plot, fearful of displeasing its formidable boss.
The original host was an elderly woman, fifty years old, who had devoted her life to raising her only son. Having lost her husband in middle age, she single-handedly invested everything into her child's future. Yet, her sacrifices seemed to have been in vain.
Her son, an 18th-tier actor, married a woman fifteen years his senior. Though she was somewhat famous and lifted his own profile slightly, she refused to have children, much to the distress of the old mother.
Every visit to her son's home was a painful experience. She would see her son doting on his wife while treating his own mother with growing indifference. He stubbornly refused to let his wife spend a penny while continuing to leech off his own mother’s resources.
To make matters worse, the actress wife was a top-tier manipulator, expertly driving a wedge between mother and son. Soon, the once-strong maternal bond eroded, replaced by coldness and resentment.
And then came the final betrayal.
Her son, eager to maintain his rising public image, forced her into a reality show titled "Living with Mother-in-Law." The show’s narrative painted her as the villainous, domineering mother-in-law, while her son and his wife were portrayed as a loving, persecuted couple. The nation turned against her. Her sacrifices, her years of hardship, all amounted to nothing.
Her greatest wish was simple: she didn’t want to be demonized anymore. She didn’t want a son who publicly shamed her. She wanted to disown him—to finally let go of the pain of unreciprocated love.
After processing the story, Lucy's mouth twitched in amusement.
Did you really treat your mother this way after using her resources?
Did you forget the promises you made in childhood—to respect and cherish her? Instead, you pushed her into public disgrace, laughed as she was vilified, and abandoned her after she had given you everything.
This was the classic case of an ungrateful child.
Luckily, the original host didn’t wish to reconcile with her son. Otherwise, Lucy wasn’t sure she could resist the urge to discipline him in her own... effective way.
For now, the son hadn’t contacted his mother in a year. Yet, the first time he reached out was to ask her to participate in a variety show.
When the Whatsapp video call came through, Lucy lazily glanced at the screen before answering.
On the other side, the couple sat intimately together, their affectionate display sickeningly deliberate.
Lucy smirked. They were clearly doing this on purpose, knowing the original host disliked their excessive intimacy. It was nothing more than a power move, an assertion of dominance from the wife, Magaret Harry.
"Mom, it's Magaret ," the woman said with a sickly sweet smile. "As you can see, we’ve already arrived in Cloud City and are waiting for you. When are you coming to our place?"
She had prepared extensively for this call, covering the house in pristine white decor, feigning helplessness in anticipation of an unclean and unwelcome guest.
Her expression carried a subtle implication—painting the original host as an intrusive, unsophisticated old woman.
Even Moses Ben, the biological son, nodded in agreement. After all, if one's own son said such things, the public was bound to believe him.
Lucy chuckled darkly.
"Look at how high-minded they are," she mused. "That's their own home and has absolutely nothing to do with me."
Then, her smile sharpened. "Oh, wait. You're wrong. That house is mine. I bought it with my own money, it’s registered under my name. How exactly did it become yours?"
The original host had been a savvy investor, securing a home in Cloud City for herself long ago. She had feared that if her son and daughter-in-law divorced, he would be left with nothing.
Ironically, in the original timeline, she had declared it to be her son's house, reinforcing the narrative that she was a meddling, overbearing mother.
But why shouldn’t it be hers? She had paid for it. She had earned it.
This time, things would be different.
And Lucy was more than ready to make sure of it.