Supper Baby

009 Tan Mo's Past

"Do superpowers really exist in this world?"

Tan Mo hesitated for a moment before asking.

"Take a guess." Huaisheng simply raised her hand, flicked her on the forehead, then stood up to leave. "Keep in touch, little sister."

Tan Mo wasn't quite used to that form of address. It was already the umpteenth time tonight she'd been called that. Huaisheng herself looked only about twenty-something—surely the age gap between them wasn't that big, right?

"I'm not a little sister," she protested.

Huaisheng glanced back. "You might be mistaken about my age, little sister."

Sure, this elder sister was undeniably cool, but flicking someone right on their wound like that—wasn't that going a bit too far?

Tan Mo touched her forehead. Fortunately, the scab hadn't split open from that flick.

But as her fingers lightly brushed the wound, several dry flakes of scab came off—without any pain.

She walked to the mirror and lifted the hair from her forehead, utterly stunned.

A wound that should have taken days more to heal had already closed up—like a miracle.

That meant she wasn't the only person in the world with superpowers.

8:00 PM, Jiangqi City Airport, waiting lounge.

Yuan Xing sat in a chair, one hand on his suitcase, the other supporting a drowsy man leaning against him.

A pair of gold-rimmed round glasses hung from the shirt pocket of the man's chest, swinging back and forth as he wobbled, searching for something to lean on.

"Hope the flight isn't delayed." Yuan Xing glanced at his ticket—thirty minutes until the departure time shown.

He opened his cellular data and clicked on his follow list.

Justice Avenger: Domestic abusers must face judgment! Preview date: Month X, Day Y. Stay tuned.

At first glance, such posts seemed a bit cringey. But the two previous targets—a fraudster and an unfilial son—had indeed died at the predicted times, just as foretold.

Both murders occurred in the victims' homes. At both crime scenes, no fingerprints or footprints were found. Surveillance showed no suspects of similar build—as if the killer could turn invisible.

This made it hard not to worry: would his next prediction come true?

They were heading to Chaizhou City precisely to investigate this. Since they couldn't find clues, their only option was to stake out and catch the perpetrator.

Just as his worry deepened, the airport announcement came through.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we regret to inform you that the flight to Chaizhou City will be delayed..."

This news was like adding salt to the wound.

"I'm going to sleep for a while, Xing. Wake me when the plane arrives." Upon hearing this, Zhou Aohai completely gave up struggling and collapsed into his chair, falling into a deep sleep.

Yuan Xing ignored his unsightly sleeping posture and pulled out his notebook.

Even if they couldn't get to the scene yet, he could still do some preliminary work.

Four hours later.

Zhou Aohai was shaken awake from his slumber.

"What, the plane..." He fumbled for his glasses and looked at the airport's large screen. "The plane hasn't arrived yet."

"The plane hasn't arrived, but death has." Yuan Xing handed him his phone.

As the "Justice Avenger's" Blog post had stated, that domestic abuser was found dead in his home at exactly ten minutes past midnight today. The body was still warm.

"Damn it, too late again." Zhou Aohai angrily punched the armrest.

"It's not entirely without gain." Yuan Xing turned his computer toward him. "Look into this. It might be useful."

In the Jiang family's temporary infirmary.

While watching over her daughter, Xu Piao received a phone call.

"Hello, Ms. X, this is Kevin. Regarding that girl you asked me to investigate, I've found some information." The voice on the other end belonged to a private investigator.

"And?"

"Not much to report. She never attended elementary school—went straight into ninth grade at Linjiang No. 7 Middle School. Average grades, no failing marks, but never scored above eighty. She stayed at the same school for both middle and high school. Her guardian was her older brother. No one knows where they lived. Her homeroom teacher and classmates don't remember her well."

The investigator relayed his findings one by one.

Listening to this information, Xu Piao merely sneered coldly.

So, this nuisance Tan Mo wasn't entirely invulnerable. At least there was still a small gap she could exploit.

"The detailed information will be sent to your email once Ms. X transfers the remaining payment into the account," the detective said before hanging up.

Xu Piao satisfactorily wired the money over and soon received the evidence the detective had emailed.

Just as he'd said, Tan Mo's middle school grades were utterly unremarkable—fluctuating between passing and average. No skipping class, no fighting, homework submitted on time, no leaving exams early.

As for her guardian, the information only showed a delicate-featured young man around twenty-five. His face looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite place where she'd seen him before.

Ordinary. Everything about it was too ordinary.

But from her interactions with Tan Mo these past days, the girl was as slippery as a loach—hardly someone who'd only manage passing grades.

"Could it be she's just not academically gifted?" Xu Piao couldn't come up with another explanation.

Just then, Tan Qi sat up in bed.

"Where is this?" She looked at the off-white walls around her. "Mom, why are you here?"

Seeing her daughter awake, Xu Piao quickly asked, "Qiqi, tell me—how did you end up taking that sedative?"

Who would do such a thing to her daughter?

Tan Qi stammered nervously, "I wanted to drug Tan Mo to teach her a lesson, but she outsmarted me..."

Her voice grew softer as she spoke, her head sinking toward her chest, afraid to meet her mother's gaze.

"You foolish girl. If you want to deal with her, there's no need for such underhanded tactics. Lucky for you, she remembered Grandfather's warning and didn't expose you—otherwise, tomorrow the entire Jiangqi social circle would be gossiping about your viciousness." Xu Piao's face darkened.

A lifetime of cunning, and she'd given birth to a daughter who hadn't inherited her wits—truly unfortunate.

"Mom, Mom, I was wrong." Tan Qi quickly admitted her fault.

"Alright. Listen to me. From now on, if you want to do anything to her, discuss it with me first before making a move." Xu Piao patted her shoulder. "When you get home, focus on your piano and your studies. That's where your strengths lie. She's just a foundling—she can't compete with you there. Understand?"

Tan Qi nodded.

That was right. The clothes Tan Mo had worn on the day of the accident were cheap street market stuff. How could she possibly compare to someone like her, raised with refinement from childhood?

Besides, Tan Mo would soon transfer to Chengye High School, where so many children from wealthy families had at least one or two talents they'd cultivated since childhood. Tan Mo, with her amnesia and no skills at all, would be ridiculed enough.

Seeing her daughter calm down, Xu Piao nodded with satisfaction. "Qiqi, that's right. No matter who your opponent is, you must be more composed than them. Think twice before acting, understand?"

Tan Qi simply nodded.

Since Xu Piao had to stay and look after Tan Qi, only Tan Mo returned home alone.

Looking at the two new friends in her phone, Tan Mo smiled slightly.

Next second, she couldn't smile anymore.

Jiang Tingfang Sharon: Remember to settle the bill for the flower pot.