What It's Like Being a Vampire

Chapter 649: Chapter 649: The Worries of an Elementary School Student (Part 2)

Ever since Liu Shiling started elementary school, she has always been the focus of attention among teachers and students. Even though she is low-key and not as sociable, she still stands out like the brightest star in the night sky. She simply can’t hide her extraordinary and outstanding qualities.

In a strict sense, even before she started elementary school, when she was in her final year of kindergarten, she was already the most distinctive and popular child among her peers.

Liu Shiling’s ranking isn’t just based on her excellent academic performance, or her extensive knowledge across subjects ranging from plants, animals, astronomy, and electrical appliances. She also possesses core capabilities in other regards that others do not.

From origami and coin flipping in kindergarten, to the improvement of skills in drawing, singing, dancing, magic, to DIY electric toys, DIY computer equipment, then to the repair and transformation of devices such as smartphones, smartwatches, VR/AR glasses, home gaming machines, etc., her array of “skills” have been continually advancing with age.

Many of these “skills”, are not only unattainable by her peers, but even by the elementary school teachers, who sighed in awe and admiration.

For instance, once when the school’s multimedia room had just procured a new type of holographic projection equipment, it malfunctioned during its initial use. Just as the teachers were planning on getting in touch with the manufacturer’s after-sales service and the technical support department, Liu Shiling, who was only in the fourth grade at the time, volunteered to take a look. Without even waiting for the teacher’s approval, she went up on the stage, unscrewed the device panel with a multi-functional screwdriver from her stationery box, fiddled around for half a minute, rebooted it, did some operations and it started running normally again.

Liu Shiling even explained the instruction manual to the awestruck teacher, teaching her how to operate the device quickly and simply, and fix minor faults. When asked how she was so familiar with this newly marketed holographic projection equipment, she nonchalantly answered that she had a set at home too, leaving everyone both amazed and shocked.

Of course, if they knew that the core technology of this projection equipment came from the commercially available holographic projector of QianKun Technology, and that Liu Shiling had already encountered more than five engineering prototypes during the development phase, they would be even more astounded.

Later, when the school’s database was hacked and the broadcast content was tampered with for a prank, Liu Shiling, who was in the fifth grade at that time, resolved the issue swiftly and even managed to identify the culprit; a middle school student who had graduated from their elementary school and was seeking revenge on a teacher through this method.

Liu Shiling also helped the school to improve the basic network protection function, introduced a more reliable service provider to the school, and taught the teachers some basic knowledge about network security.

Liu Shiling participated in various national-level elementary school physics and astronomy knowledge competitions and always achieved good rankings.

Regardless of whether they had taught her or not, the leaders and teachers at the school all knew about this all-rounded prodigious young girl.

Generally, students who are loved by the teachers and have outstanding results don’t easily win the majority of their classmates’ affections, but Liu Shiling was an exception.

Both boys and girls liked her – the boys didn’t just like her because she was cute and beautiful, they liked her more because she always knew about the latest electronic products, tools, and information about the latest games from top brands. Moreover, her DIY skills were admired by the boys, rendering her an “idol-like” character in their eyes. Everyone would want to consult her about the selection of the latest gaming consoles, VR devices, smartwatches. She was always able to point out the issues with the devices just by asking a few questions; it was miraculous.

Liu Shiling not only possessed an array of “skills” and “talents”, but she would also often bring the latest electronic products to school to share with everyone so they could “try” them out. She would frequently procure the trial codes for many major game producers and then distribute these codes to her classmates for free via the student chat group.

Apart from spending a lot of time with Zhang Xiaoyan, Liu Shiling maintained a polite but distant relationship with everyone else. Unless there were school-arranged activities or tasks, she would go home right after school, and only occasionally play online games with her classmates. So for most students in the same school, Liu Shiling was shrouded with an unapproachable veil of mystery.

After leaving the school gate, Liu Shiling and Zhang Xiaoyan got into a rather unremarkable black sedan parked by the roadside. This car is a new affordable model by an independent automotive enterprise invested in by “QianKun Technology”. However, this car is far from being as ordinary as it looks, it’s far more different than the mass-produced models.

As soon as she stepped into the car, Zhang Xiaoyan greeted the driver, Yang Zhen’er, “Hello Sister Zhen’er!” As a child from a single-parent family, her mother often had to work and couldn’t pick her up on time. Hence, at Yang Zhen’er and Liu Shiling’s insistence, whenever Zhang Xiaoyan’s mother couldn’t pick her up, she would catch a ride with Yang Zhen’er.

In fact, given their circumstances, Liu Shiling and Zhang Xiaoyan could have travelled home on their own by bus. Safety wasn’t an issue for them, but they were resolutely rejected by Yang Zhen’er.

“Xiao Lingdang, are Xiao Mei and Da Lu coming over tomorrow? Where are you guys planning to go out and play? I can give you a ride,” said Yang Zhen’er.

“No need, Sister Old Fairy, I’ll take them to play myself. We’ll be in town, so there’s no need to worry,” Liu Shiling replied. In fact, not long after she started elementary school, she tried to start calling Yang Zhen’er “Sister Zhen’er”. But after some time, Yang Zhen’er asked her to go back to calling her “Old Fairy Sister”. It felt more familiar and affectionate to her.

“That won’t do. Xiao Lingdang’s friends are my friends, Xiao Lingdang’s guests are my guests. As the hosts, the ‘Zhen’er-Ding-Dang-Xiaoyan’ trio must be present all together!” Yang Zhen’er declared.

Zhang Xiaoyan softly interjected, “Sister Zhen’er, I’m going out with my dad tomorrow.”

“Ah, then I certainly can’t be absent!” Yang Zhen’er firmly stated.

However, the next day, Yang Zhen’er was absent, not because she overslept or forgot about it, but because she and Tang Baona, and Xiao Pingguo were assigned a special task that required them to take a trip to Europe. As she had never had a “mission” before, Yang Zhen’er, upon hearing this news, was immediately excited and jumped at the absence of this opportunity. Therefore, the task of looking after the children today had to be delegated to a female assistant from her company.

In fact, Liu Shiling didn’t need anyone to supervise her. Even if we don’t take her own strengths into account, with Alice omnipresent, there was nothing on this planet that could pose a threat to her.

But the reason why Xiao Mei and Da Lu’s parents were assured of sending their kids over by themselves was the guarantee given by Shiling’s Mom, Yang Zhen’er, and Tang Baona. So, it was necessary for an “adult” to be present.

So when they picked up Xiao Mei and Da Lu at the airport, and had a video call with their parents to confirm that the children had been received, Liu Shiling secretly got Alice to imitate a call from Old Fairy Sister, telling her that another person had come to take over, and to return to the company.

Following Yang Zhen’er’s instructions, the female assistant dropped off the three girls in an old city district and then left.

Liu Shiling skillfully took her companions through the narrow lanes of the old city, taking shortcuts and quickly arriving at an old, inconspicuous shop in a remote location.

The shop was a dessert store. It may not have caught the eye, but there was a long line at the entrance, indicating a thriving business.

Liu Shiling bypassed the queue and walked through a side door with Da Lu and Xiao Mei into a kitchen, where a bustling old lady was arranging soup preparations. Smiling, she enthusiastically greeted Shiling, “Oh, Xiao Lingdang, how did you manage to find the time to visit your grandmother today? Are you on holiday?”

“Yes, we just finished our final exams yesterday and don’t have classes these two days. Granny Qi, I brought my friends to try your soup.” replied Shiling with a grin.

“Very well, you go and sit first. Granny will personally make it for you. Is the flavor the same as before?” The old lady happily asked, “Where are your other nice sisters? Why didn’t they come? I haven’t seen them for a long time; I’ve missed them.”

“They’re on trips. I’ll bring them next time. I’d like the usual flavor for my bowl, one similar to mine for my friends, and another without mango pieces.” said Shiling, who then found a spot to sit with her companions and ordered three different snacks.

Xiao Mei sat on a small bench, knees together, tapping her toes on the ground and lightly playing on the table with her hands like a pianist, clearly eager to taste the forthcoming delicacies. Conversely, Da Lu was busy capturing moments with her camera.

The two friends she had once met in Star City had initially shown Shiling some friction and conflict, but now, after undergoing a series of adventures, they had become her best friends outside of the ‘Super sensory Item System’.

Together with Zhang Xiaoyan, who joined in the third grade, they created a QQ group named “Custard Pie Protection Association”, where they regularly laugh and gossip, plan game nights and share homework — of course, it was mainly Zhang Xiaoyan copying Shiling.

Once they received their soup and snacks, Xiao Mei couldn’t wait and dug in immediately, prompting Da Lu to put away her camera and join in. Shiling started eating a little later, delightedly watching her friends savor the food she had recommended — she loved seeing the amazed expressions on their faces from the delicious food.

“Xiao Lingdang, how do you always find these amazing restaurants?” Xiao Mei asked admirably. Each time she and Da Lu came to visit Shiling, they would be led to various delightful foods, tasting delicacies from at least five different restaurants each day, and each time it was a different place with rarely any repeats.

“The most incredible thing is, even when we go to Star City or Ye City, she still takes us to find food.” Da Lu also joined in the conversation, laughing. Xiao Mei still lived in Star City, while Da Lu now lived with her uncle in Ye City; Both have visited Shiling there.

“Hehe, you cannot let down good food and friends.” Liu Shiling giggled.

During the years when “Uncle Bald” was away, Shiling and her sisters first learned how to cook delicious meals together. However, after tasting a host of failed experiments, they began to opt for a machine that could cook automatically, designed by Alice, which could mimic some of Uncle Bald’s characteristic dishes.

However, after several attempts, even the “all-powerful”, “invincible” Alice failed — although she had a comprehensive understanding of Xiang Kun’s various cooking recipes and details, the food made by the cooking machine was always missing that indescribable touch.

So Liu Shiling and her sisters started to explore the city’s diverse food scene. Every time Yang Zhen’er, Tang Baona or Xiao Pingguo took turns to pick her up from school, they would hunt down the best places to eat.

If they found a place with good flavors, they would try different ways to ask the restaurant to improve, refining it towards their preferred taste. They would then use various ways to help promote the business, providing all kinds of assistance. As long as they made a promise, the business would surely boom because creating online hype and crafting internet-famed foods posed no challenge for Alice.

For this reason, Liu Shiling and her sisters would receive warm service from these “marked” restaurants, getting the VIP treatment, not needing to queue, and having their own exclusive “secret menu”.

After finishing their soup and snacks, Shiling led her companions through several shortcuts to an anime store, hoping to find merchandise related to Xiao Mei’s two favorite animations. They also went to view some new gaming peripherals from “Teng Jiao Entertainment” — Although Shiling could get firsthand development information, shopping with friends and checking out the actual product offered a unique experience.

After exploring the anime city, they visited an electronic city nearby to check out various photographic equipment and a range of expensive lenses. These were things Da Lu loved; she was especially keen on photography and used these pictures as her drawing reference library. Nowadays, her paintings and Shiling’s represented two extremes— Da Lu’s pieces were increasingly realistic, while Shiling’s were more and more fantastical, full of things not seen in the real world. However, the quality of their art was always high, which made Xiao Mei — who always struggled with art and considered herself clumsy — extremely envious.

After they finished shopping in the Anime City and the Electronic City, they only bought four matching phone cases, and didn’t buy anything else. They simply enjoyed window shopping and it was just pure fun for them.

At noon, they went to a fancy looking Western restaurant for lunch. Xiao Mei and Da Lu were a bit worried about the potential expensive bill, but Shiling simply waved her hand and said, “Don’t worry, this restaurant belongs to Sister Xian.”

The reason why Sister Yang bought this restaurant in the first place was straightforward: they proposed some friendly suggestions and expected some customized dishes, but the restaurant, taking pride in its high standards, refused to cooperate. They even threatened to ban them from eating there. This irritated Yang, who responded by purchasing the restaurant and had it tailor its cuisine to her specifications.

As it turned out, this change boosted the restaurant’s reputation, significantly improving its business.

When she heard her friends praising the quality of the food, Liu Shiling gazed at the food in front of her with a trace of melancholy. Although the taste was adjusted according to her and her sisters’ preferences and was much better than before, it still fell far short of Uncle Bald’s cooking.

It was 2025 already. When would Uncle Bald finally come back?