The system scanned the store in 0.5 seconds, and contrary to its worn-out signboard, the bookstore boasted a remarkably rich collection. It not only had a large number of new books but also many rare secondhand titles. However, the owner had clearly neglected the store, resulting in a musty smell permeating both the new and used books.
The bookstore owner was an elderly woman wearing reading glasses, dozing off in her chair. She didn't even notice Shang Yechu entering.
103 noticed that Shang Yechu's face showed a strange expression when he saw the old woman. Upon analysis, he found it to be a mixture of sadness, joy, and nostalgia.
Human emotions are truly complex, System 103 thought.
Shang Yechu stepped forward and tapped on the table.
"Hmm?" The old lady woke up with a start. "Oh, oh, young lady, what do you want to buy? Pick it yourself."
"I'm not here to buy anything," Shang Yechu said with a smile. "Grandma, I want to work here."
Half an hour later.
103 asked, "Host, did you know the shop owner in your previous life?"
"You noticed," Shang Yechu said as she strolled around the film studio. "Artificial intelligence is really perceptive."
"I could tell when you walked into that bookstore. Would you mind telling me about your relationship?"
Shang Yechu revealed a nostalgic expression: "That shop owner's surname was Hu. In my previous life, I called her Grandma Hu."
“In my previous life, I left home much later than I am now.”
"However, just like now, I'm penniless. I got lost in the big city and stumbled upon this bookstore."
"Grandma Hu took me in for a month until I got my first bit part job at the film studio."
"I received my first paycheck and wanted to use it to repay Grandma Hu's living expenses."
“She refused. She said, ‘Everyone has their share of troubles, and you’re just a small-time actress. Earning money isn’t easy. You can pay me back when you become famous.’”
At this point, Shang Yechu closed her eyes. After a long while, she continued, "I remembered those words. After a very long time, when I finally managed to gain some fame, I returned here."
"But Grandma Hu's bookstore is gone."
“I asked around everywhere, but all the old neighbors on this street had already moved away. After asking around for a long time, I finally found out her whereabouts from the owner of the barbecue stall on the street corner.”
"Grandma Hu was diagnosed with a terminal illness, but her son and daughter-in-law refused to treat her. A perfectly healthy old lady just died like that."
"After she died, the bookstore was sold."
Shang Ye opened her eyes.
That's how the story ends.
In her previous life, Grandma Hu was one of the few people who had ever shown her warmth. She was the first bit of kindness she received in this unfamiliar city.
However, reality is not a fairy tale, and good people don't live long. On the contrary, that bunch of heartless merchants benefited a lot from Shang Yechu's past life.
"I see." The system couldn't understand human emotions, but Shang Yechu was clearly in a bad mood, so it hesitated and said, "Host, please accept my condolences."
Faced with this situation, wouldn't most people say the same thing?
"Pfft." Shang Yechu couldn't help but laugh out loud. "What's the point of mourning? What's the point of adapting to change? Grandma Hu is still perfectly fine. This time, I won't let her suffer that fate."
She met Grandma Hu beforehand, and Grandma Hu took her in.
Just now, she reached an agreement with Grandma Hu. From now on, she can live in the bookstore. Grandma Hu will look after the bookstore during the day, and Shang Yechu will look after it after eight o'clock in the evening.
Grandma Hu won't pay Shang Yechu a salary, but she can provide meals. Since food and lodging are included, it's not considered working for free.
Shang Yechu had no objection to this. Grandma Hu's bookstore wasn't doing well, and customer traffic was low. There was really no need to hire her as a waitress. She kept Shang Yechu purely out of kindness.
After finding a place to stay, Shang Yechu skillfully located the film studio.
She first went to the Actors Guild and spent ten yuan to get an actor's certificate. Thank goodness, it wasn't years from now. In a few years, getting an actor's certificate would be extremely troublesome; you'd need not only an ID card and bank card, but also to scan a QR code to join a group. In that case, Shang Yechu would be completely lost, because she didn't have a mobile phone.
The deep sleep system 103 produced was truly amazing. Despite being on a train, the quality of his sleep was better than Shang Yechu's combined sleep in both his previous lives. Shang Yechu felt refreshed and relaxed, more comfortable than ever before.
Shang Yechu stretched and suddenly thought of something.
"System, what are my current stats?"
The system silently retrieved the numerical records.
Name: Shang Yechu
Age: 20
Weight: 51kg
Height: 155cm
IQ: 138 (Excellent)
Beauty rating: 0 (You wouldn't stand out in a crowd)
Health score: 41 (Sub-healthy)
Combat strength: 0
Temperament: 0
..."
It seems that even without exchanging weight for beauty, losing 120 pounds will significantly increase one's beauty stat. Although it's just going from a negative number back to 0, Shang Yechu is still quite happy.
System 103 added: "The host's original health value was 30, and after losing weight, it rose to 41."
This is a really good deal, practically buy one get two free. Shang Yechu was very satisfied.
Shang Yechu looked down and was surprised to find that there were several more values. She couldn't help but ask, "Why weren't these values there yesterday?"
103 said, "Because with the host's intelligence yesterday, it was not enough to understand the meaning of these values."
Shang Yechu: "..."
After getting her actor's certificate, Shang Yechu strolled around the film studio a few more times. Although she had just had a deep sleep and had lost a significant amount of weight, she still felt tired very quickly.
Shang Yechu yawned and slowly shuffled back to the bookstore.
Grandma Hu's bookstore is located on a pedestrian street near the film and television city, and Shang Yechu arrived quickly.
When they arrived at the bookstore, Grandma Hu was reading a book while wearing her reading glasses. Seeing Shang Yechu return, she couldn't help but smile and say, "You're back? I saved some food for you."
When Shang Ye first looked at the food, there were two steamed buns, a bowl of sauerkraut and pork stew with vermicelli, and a bowl of watery soy milk, probably leftovers from the breakfast shop next door. Although it was leftovers, it was still steaming, so it must have just been heated in the microwave.
Shang Yechu fell silent, as if she could see Grandma Hu trembling as she went to the breakfast shop next door to ask for the leftover soy milk. After getting the leftover soy milk, Grandma Hu shamelessly asked the breakfast shop owner to heat up the food in the microwave.
These scenes appeared clearly in Shang Yechu's mind. Not scenes from this life, but scenes from the previous life.
Grandma Hu's bookstore business is bad. Although she has a pension, most of it is taken by her good-for-nothing son. He's already struggling to make ends meet; why treat her like this?
Grandma Hu smiled and said, "It's good that you're back. I'm going home now. Let's eat dinner while it's hot."
After saying that, he pointed to the innermost storeroom of the bookstore: "I got you a set of bedding from home and left it there. Go to bed early after you finish eating."
Shang Yechu gave a muffled "Mmm": "Thank you, Grandma."
Grandma Hu thought the little girl was very outgoing, but she didn't think much of it and happily walked away with her cane.
Shang Yechu watched her trembling figure from behind and did not see her off.
She knew that Grandma Hu's house was not far from this street. Grandma Hu lived with her son and daughter-in-law. Because she had a pension, she wasn't mistreated, but she wasn't exactly respected either.
If Shang Yechu were to take Grandma Hu home and that gossipy daughter-in-law saw it, who knows how much trouble it would cause Grandma Hu.
Shang Yechu sat down, lowered her head, and took a big bite of the steamed bun.
The steamed buns were soft, fragrant, and steaming hot, with a wonderfully chewy texture. Shang Yechu lowered her head and chewed slowly.
Suddenly, 103 noticed a drop of water on the snow-white steamed bun.
"Grandma Hu," Shang Yechu whispered between bites, "I'm going to become famous. I'm going to become very, very rich."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
