What does "mess with" mean in this sentence?

It means she was doing a lot of things on the computer, trying to look like she was doing important work or like she was looking up certain information, but it is probable that she was just pretending; she was trying to look busy, as if she were doing some work. "Mess with" implies that what she was doing wasn't cer

Thank you. But it doesn't seem to be the answer I want. I will provide another context that continues the above passage. You may have a look at it.

Finally, after about ten minutes,she said.“Oh,that’s why I can’t find it in our system.You should have received a phone call a few days ago that your layaway was paid off by a secret Santa.”I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! This ki

zuotengdazuomessing with the computer

working at the computer

She was typing a lot of commands, trying various ways of interrogating the database in an effort to find the relevant information, which seemed to be missing.

CJ

CalifJim zuotengdazuomessing with the computerworking at the computerShe was typing a lot of commands, trying various ways of interrogating the database in an effort to find the relevant information, which seemed to be missing.CJ

Thank you, Jim. Could I ask one more question? Can I say "she kept messing with the computer in case

zuotengdazuoCan I say "she kept messing with the computer in case something was wrong"?

Yes, you can, but in the situation described, it's more likely to say "She kept messing with the computer because something looked wrong". "in case" looks to the future, and the description makes it sound like she already knew that something might be wrong.

Thank you, Jim. But I still have my doubts because I have already brought up the question to another native teacher, who told me that only "as if" was correct because she couldn't be checking the receipts because she is "messing with" the computer. So I begin to wonder the reason why I stick to "in case" is that I misunderstand the phrase. Now I know it means do a lot things on the computer, which

zuotengdazuoDon't you think it's more likely she is checking the receipts as a precaution to avoid taking false receipts than she is checking whether the receipt information is in the system?

Before she can check the receipts, she has to find them in the system. It seems from the story that she found the customer's account information but had trouble finding

Thank you. I think I have understood why the thing that is wrong doesn't refer to the receipts. I think it's because it is mentioned in the passage that she is worried that the layaway might be misplaced, which is what she thinks goes wrong. So she couldn't have thought that there was anything wrong with the receipts. This is my understanding.

Thank you. I think I have understood why she couldn't have thought that the cashier was checking the receipts. I think it's because she was worried that her layaway might have been misplaced, as is mentioned in the passage. That is what really bothered her. Whether the receipts were genuine has nothing to do with her worry. So she would have speculated that her layaway might have gone wrong rather