Little did Ma Xiaoli expect that before she could even finish packing her bags to leave, the real estate agent had already reached out, saying that three sets of clients were ready to come view the apartment.
However, Ma Xiaoli was still in a rush to leave with her grandmother, so she simply created a small group chat, letting the agent deal directly with the property manager regarding the viewings.
Her grand-aunt’s family had lived in the neighborhood for years and had caused no shortage of trouble.
When the property manager had previously heard that she was going to remove the grand-aunt’s family from the resident system, he was so overjoyed he nearly jumped for joy on the spot. Now seeing her eager to sell the apartment and having them liaise directly with the agent, he felt a bit uneasy and privately asked a few caring questions. Upon learning that she was in a hurry to take her grandmother to the hospital, he actually fetched a security guard to help. They carried her half-unconscious grandmother outside the neighborhood and even accompanied them into the rideshare car.
After hauling her electric scooter into the trunk of the car, Ma Xiaoli repeatedly expressed her gratitude to the manager and the guard. She then wrapped her arms around her drowsy grandmother and left in the rideshare.
Yet, the destination of the ride was not the hospital, but directly to her father’s home two blocks away.
Seeing her supporting her half-unconscious grandmother outside the front gate, her young stepmother, Ye Huiling, froze with a rigid expression: “Xiaoli? Why are you here? Ah, what happened to Mother-in-law?”
“Taking care of the elderly is a child’s responsibility. When Grandmother is unwell, shouldn’t a son and daughter-in-law take care of her?”
Ma Xiaoli forcefully escorted her grandmother inside while holding her. After Ye Huiling awkwardly dragged their luggage in, she said, “Xiaoli, Grandmother can’t stay like this, she must be sent to the hospital. Help her to the sofa to rest first, I’ll go get some ice to help cool her down.”
Although Ye Huiling was a wealthy heiress who looked particularly delicate, her words were clear and logical at this moment.
“No need, Grandmother has already seen a doctor. Is there a guest room where she can rest?”
Setting aside the fact that the hospital was the most dangerous place, ever since she walked into this home with her grandmother, the system had been making snide, sarcastic broadcasts: [Deepest condolences! 5 humans were targeted by the Grim Reaper. Due to the host’s warning, their deaths were averted. The Grim Reaper is furious and sucked away 5 of the host’s Luck points!]
Following the familiar dramatic pause, it continued: [Due to the host’s act of kindness, 1 person and 4 people were saved in 0 days and 3 days, respectively. Extra reward: Draw Fate Card * 5 times. The merciful God rewards the host with 5 Luck points. Accumulate 10 Luck points to unlock 1 chance to draw a Mystery Box!]
She couldn’t help but suspect that the system was referring to her grandmother, her father, and her stepmother Ye Huiling.
But here came the question: who were the extra two people?
Just as she was pondering, she was led by Ye Huiling to a second-floor bedroom.
When the door was pushed open, what met her eyes was surprisingly the cozy decor of a children’s room.
The study desks were a pair, as were the beds and wardrobes.
Seeming to notice her astonishment, Ye Huiling gently stroked her lower abdomen and smiled slightly: “Xiaoli, the cleaning lady is off today, but she’ll be here tomorrow. Before the guest room is cleared out, I’m afraid you and Mother-in-law will have to make do staying in your younger brother and sister’s room.”
So the two extra people turned out to be…
In that instant, Ma Xiaoli felt a surge of mixed emotions.
Ye Huiling seemed to be paying close attention to her mood all along, and suddenly spoke up: “Actually, your father and I have always hoped you would move over to live with us. Your room on the third floor is ready too. If you’d like to see it, I can take you upstairs, okay?”
Ma Xiaoli still remembered the scene when her parents divorced—both with their necks stiffened, pointing fingers at her, saying they didn’t want a burden like her!
Hearing this, she merely offered a cold “No need,” then helped her grandmother into the bedroom and shut the door behind them.
Ye Huiling seemed to want to say something more, but a loud “bang” cut off everything.
The room prepared for the twins was decorated very warmly; every sharp edge that could cause bumps was wrapped in soft padding, and all the furniture chosen was made of eco-friendly materials…
Every detail demonstrated the parents’ eager anticipation for their birth.
Ma Xiaoli quietly settled her grandmother into bed, tucked the corners of the blanket tightly, and only then pulled out the Jade Buddha from inside her clothes.
Biting a small cut onto her index finger, she dripped her blood onto the Jade Buddha.
The instant the crimson bead of blood landed on the Jade Buddha, it was absorbed completely in a split second.
In the next moment, she seemed to see a beam of white light violently burst forth from the Jade Buddha, swiftly sinking into the space between her eyebrows!
It felt as though her head had been pierced by something!
A mystical feeling spread through her heart.
Right after, Ma Xiaoli clutched her throbbing head; the bones across her entire body felt as if they were forcibly shattered in an instant, then welded back together by a miraculous force.
Rattling and cracking sounds echoed continuously inside her body.
It was as if something was restructuring, or regenerating.
It was precisely at this moment that the system’s alarm rang out: [Warning! Unknown error detected, executing immediate correction…]
After a dramatic pause, the system declared: [Correction of unknown error failed! Host, please reflect deeply on yourself! An Unlucky Chieftain fate should know its place and stay well-behaved. Why must you lay hands on a god-tier item that doesn’t belong to you? Look, everything is fate—the SSR rating has suffered a catastrophic crash! Jade Buddha final evaluation result: Scrap! It doesn’t even deserve to touch the edge of an R-rank!]
Amidst the system’s snide mocking, Ma Xiaoli was still enduring the excruciating pain of her body restructuring. She clutched her swollen, aching head and shook it fiercely—why did it become a million-stockpile space in Luo Xiaoxiao’s hands, but turned into scrap when it reached hers?!
Ma Xiaoli gritted her teeth: “It becomes scrap the moment it lands in my hands?! Ridiculous! Then I’ll make sure you become absolute scrap!”
With bloodshot eyes, she violently ripped off the Jade Buddha necklace, picked up a white jade brush holder beside her with trembling hands, and prepared to smash it down toward the Jade Buddha—
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
A sudden change erupted!
The plants in the garden suddenly began to grow insanely and wildly!
In the blink of an eye, the bright glass window was covered entirely by creeping vines.
The system’s panicked screams sounded as well: [Wait! What is going on?! Plants growing wildly?! Detected that the host has awakened the first ability—Plant Type!!]
[Plant-type ability index is soaring! Th-this… is actually the work of that trash Jade Buddha that doesn’t even qualify as R-rank?! Preposterous! Absolutely preposterous! Can an Unlucky Chieftain strike dumb luck too?!]
The system’s continuous screams made Ma Xiaoli’s raised hand freeze mid-air: [What dumb luck?]
In the next instant, as if realizing its own loss of composure, the system put on its sarcastic front again: [Host, your bad luck trait isn’t built in a day; it’s the true, unadulterated color of an Unlucky Chieftain! Downgrading an SSR to trash… no, R-rank, is merely a drop in title. However, with its functions fully restricted, there’s little difference between using it and not…]
Seemingly out of fear that it might trigger her to go crazy, the system forcibly modified its previous “trash rank” judgment into “R-rank.”
[In the end, it’s still to blame on your aura of bad luck being too strong. It suppressed the SSR so much that it didn’t even have the face to stay in its original rank, becoming a dignity-less scrap item—it isn’t wronged at all. However… you can barely be considered to have struck dumb luck. The timing of awakening your first ability, Plant Type, was just too good—it actually generated some kind of unknown resonance with the Jade Buddha item, unlocking a Growth Buff!]
Ma Xiaoli urged impatiently: [Get to the point!]