The Real Heiress Has an Appraisal System

Gu Shengsheng finally voiced the question that had been puzzling her for a long time.

"Grandma, don’t you miss him? I’ve noticed you’re all pretty scared of him. I am too, though."

Lu Linlin and the old lady sighed.

Lu Linlin was the first to speak. "Well, it’s a long story. My brother... he was never one to smile or joke around. I was scared of him ever since I was little. Grandma would even hide from him when she was eating snacks. He was like a walking terror."

"Later, when he got older, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, Grandma tried to get him to date. He scared her so badly she didn’t dare bring it up again."

"Anyway, we were scared of him when he was alive, and we’re still scared of him now that he’s dead. For a while after he died, Grandma and I were sad, of course. But we also ate a few snacks every day and let loose a little. If he ever came back, the good times would be over."

Gu Shengsheng was suddenly at a loss for words.

All she could manage was a dry, "...He does sound... difficult to get along with."

"But, sister-in-law, if there’s someone you like, you should go for it. Don’t worry about this whole warding-off-bad-luck marriage thing," Lu Linlin said earnestly once again. "Just... if you get remarried, take me and Grandma with you."

The old woman and the young girl looked at her pitifully.

"...It’s fine. I’m quite happy with how things are now," Gu Shengsheng said.

"I’m not interested in men."

Lu Linlin looked at her and sighed. "I guess you’ll never understand its mysteries. My brother used to say ’I’m not interested in women’ all the time, too. If you were both alive, you might have actually been a perfect match."

The old lady was speechless. "This marriage was foretold by a fortune-teller! How could it be a bad match? You two are the most compatible pair!"

"..."

As the two of them bickered, Lu Linlin received a phone call.

Her expression changed, and she shot the old lady a look.

Then, the two of them made an excuse and went out.

Gu Shengsheng knew they were being secretive, but she couldn’t be bothered to follow them and find out what was going on.

She just lay down instead.

The house was equipped with a smart System that could not only monitor but also record audio. It was linked to Gu Shengsheng’s phone.

So, when they stood by the door to conspire, Gu Shengsheng saw it all just by opening the app.

"Grandma, did you order my sister-in-law’s birthday cake for tomorrow?"

"It’s all set. We’re going to make it ourselves tomorrow. She’ll like it better if it’s homemade!"

"Let’s go. We’ll go buy the ingredients now. Shengsheng’s grandma said we should also make longevity noodles."

Gu Shengsheng froze for a moment. ’A birthday...?’

She didn’t even remember.

She’d never really celebrated a birthday growing up, and the people around her had always been distant.

In the other parallel universe, she had lived a lonely life. Back then, she’d thought she was used to it; she even felt she didn’t need such useless emotions.

But now, being with them, she realized she was very happy.

It was the first time someone had ever said they wanted to celebrate her birthday.

Then she heard the voices outside suddenly drop to a whisper. "Our home System! If we stand here and talk, do you think sister-in-law can hear us?"

The old lady wasn’t sure either. "She can’t, can she?"

Lu Shijing, who lived across the hall: "..." ’This is their secret plot? My System across the hall can hear them.’

’It’s her birthday tomorrow. What should I get her?’

Lu Shijing also began to anxiously pick something out.

A moment later, Lu Linlin tentatively walked back inside.

Seeing Gu Shengsheng still lying down, she asked, "Sister-in-law, you... you didn’t hear what we were talking about, did you?"

"What were you talking about?" she asked, a look of confusion on her face.

Her acting skills at that moment were good enough for television. A primetime soap opera.

Lu Linlin let out a sigh of relief and happily ran back out.

Gu Shengsheng groggily fell back asleep.

—

The next day, she was woken up early in the morning by the incessant ringing of the doorbell.

She was a seriously grumpy person when she first woke up.

Even after pulling the covers over her head, she could still hear the commotion outside.

So, Gu Shengsheng threw on a jacket and stood at the door, her hair a messy mop.

It was a chef, carrying a huge pile of cake-making equipment and flour.

Gu Shengsheng: "...And you are?"

"You’re the one who ordered a custom cake for your family, right? It’s the scheduled time. We’ve been ringing the bell for a while. Sorry to disturb you."

Gu Shengsheng glanced around the apartment. The other two weren’t there.

She had no choice but to say, "Could you come back later? The two who ordered the cake went out to buy groceries."

The chef looked troubled. "I have another order after this, Miss. I’m sorry, but it has to be now."

"You can just make the cake with me. It’ll be quick."

"...Alright, then!" Gu Shengsheng nodded.

While the chef was unpacking his things in the kitchen, Gu Shengsheng washed up in two minutes.

Then she sat next to the chef, her mind a complete blank.

’My first birthday cake, made by me, as a surprise for myself. What a "surprise," indeed.’

Gu Shengsheng watched him prepare the cake and asked, "Do we need cream, too?"

"Yes, Miss. You requested hand-whipped cream and said you wanted to do it yourself."

Gu Shengsheng was petrified. ’It must have been Lu Linlin who wanted to try something new.’

But hand-whipping cream takes at least an hour of non-stop whisking!

And the cake itself still needed to be made. Fortunately, the chef was there, so at least he could share some of the work.

Just then, the chef comforted her, "Your family member will definitely be thrilled to know you’re putting so much heart into celebrating her birthday."

"Just hang in there a little longer, Miss."

Gu Shengsheng gave a wry smile and said nothing.

She was just thinking, ’Can I just... not celebrate this birthday?’

At that moment, Lu Shijing passed by the doorway. He deliberately paused for a minute or two to let Gu Shengsheng notice him.

Since Gu Shengsheng’s door was open, their eyes met, and she greeted him listlessly.

His long legs carried him inside.

"You’re making a cake by yourself?"

"Yeah."

"Let me do it." With that, Lu Shijing took the bowl of cream from her to start whipping. Now that she didn’t have to work and could just slack off, everything suddenly felt orderly and right with the world.

In a spare moment while he was busy, Lu Shijing sent a message to Lin Kai, telling him to keep the old lady and the young miss out shopping for a while longer.

And so, by the time Gu Shengsheng had finished the cake and the chef had left, the grandmother and granddaughter duo still hadn’t returned.

Lu Shijing then took a small box out of his pocket.

He said, "Happy birthday."

Gu Shengsheng took it, smiling wryly. "So you finally figured out it’s my birthday."

"And thank you for making the cake for me."

Gu Shengsheng looked at the box. It was exquisite and looked expensive at a glance.

She never expected that when she opened it, she would find... a screwdriver?

To be precise, it was a screwdriver.

Gu Shengsheng was a bit stunned. She looked him up and down. "Do you need me to fix something for you?"

"I’m good at restoring artifacts, I’m okay at fixing furniture, and I can even unclog a drain," Gu Shengsheng said with earnest honesty.

Lu Shijing seemed a little vexed. "It’s a gift for you."

"The screwdriver in your bag... you used it the day before yesterday, and it looked a bit awkward to handle. I made this one myself. It should be much easier to use."

He had spent all of last night at home grinding it down, even modifying it to be foldable for easy carrying.

At first, Gu Shengsheng was skeptical, but then she picked it up and tried tightening a fixing screw on a piece of a fragmented bronze jue vessel that was nearby.

She discovered that it really was incredibly easy to use.

She was instantly delighted, and Lu Shijing let out a sigh of relief.

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