Lin Xiaolu's "Plot"

"So, I'm sure all of you team members have already figured out one of today's main tasks, right?"

Standing in the open kitchen of the cottage, hands resting on the counter, Lin Xiaolu struck what she thought was a rather imposing pose and said, "Before Larkspur returns, we need to spend the entire day making all the desserts we need! Are you confident?"

"... Yes, I guess so?" Xia Liang gave a weak, forced smile.

"Yes!" Bai Jingxuan enthusiastically chimed in.

It was already the next day. After buying chocolate ingredients and magical items the previous evening and hiding them from Larkspur Que for a night, the three of them could finally discuss the matter openly again.

Larkspur set off a little later than the day before. She spent the morning urging her three juniors to review for the written exam, and then spent a long time at her desk tapping on her phone before finally saying, "I'll be back a little late tonight, so you guys should go to the restaurant earlier," and leaving Rainbow Cloud Wetlands.

Although this arrangement meant that the three of them only had one afternoon and one evening to prepare, it clearly did not dampen their enthusiasm.

They dragged the things they had bought in advance out from under the bed—these were things Xia Liang had secretly hidden while Lin Xiaolu was fooling around when they came back. Among them were magical props from the dessert restaurant that were known as the "all-purpose dessert machine," and several raw material packages that were tightly wrapped in sealed packaging.

"Fruit flavor, royal flavor, classic flavor..."

Lin Xiaolu carefully examined the text on the sealed packages, stacking them one by one on the kitchen counter. Finally, she pulled out a package from the deepest part of the bed that was made of materials quite different from the others.

Unlike the raw materials of chocolate, this package is not only more airtight, but you can also feel the coolness emanating from it, as if some technology is used to maintain a constant internal temperature.

Its outer packaging uses the same font but contains text completely different from the other packages:

--Fresh Flower and Fresh Milk Crepe Cake

Yes, this isn't chocolate, but a packet of ingredients used with the cake-making tools.

The reason she bought this package of materials was simply because yesterday in the store, Bai Jingxuan secretly asked Lin Xiaolu a question:

"Sister Xiao Lu, aren't you going to deliver something to Uncle while you're at it?"

"My dad? Why?"

Lin Xiaolu, who was choosing a dessert machine at the time, didn't understand Bai Jingxuan's intention and just looked at her with some doubt. "Didn't the store say that this holiday is Valentine’s Day?"

"Ah, no, I wasn't talking about Valentine’s Day..."

Bai Jingxuan waved her hand, then hesitated before saying, "That's right, tomorrow is Uncle's birthday, isn't it?"

"... ha?"

My dad has a birthday? I have absolutely no recollection of that.

This was Lin Xiaolu's first reaction.

Oh, my mom was there then. They were probably enjoying their Valentine’s Day alone, so I had nothing to do with it.

This was Lin Xiaolu's second reaction.

So my dad didn't just spring from a rock?

This was Lin Xiaolu's third reaction.

Thoughts raced through her mind like lightning, a thousand ideas swirling within her. Lin Xiaolu felt her brain had never functioned so rapidly. Then, at the end of the three layers of reaction, she reached the true other side of thought:

"How did you know?"

Yes, this is the question Lin Xiaolu ultimately posed.

She genuinely couldn't understand why her teammates on the same team knew her own father's birthday, something she herself didn't even know.

"Um... that's what my uncle told me before." Bai Jingxuan lowered her head.

"Why would he tell you this?" Lin Xiaolu's eyes widened even more.

Bai Jingxuan did not answer.

However, her silence didn't mean Lin Xiaolu couldn't guess the answer. She actually remembered the mess she'd made at the end of last year, including but not limited to advocating for her father to remarry Larkspur Que, adopting Bai Jingxuan and even Xia Liang. This would have turned the Fangting City Squad into her own Fangting City sisterhood, making her the legal eldest among the three, wielding immense power... However, because recalling it now was too embarrassing and shameful, she had decided to seal those memories away.

In her memory and from her perspective, the whole process was actually just her making a mess of things. Theoretically, the other two teammates only heard her boasting and shouldn't have been deeply involved...

Is it right?

Lin Xiaolu suddenly remembered the Bai Jingxuan often pulled out of her pockets, candies that seemed to come from nowhere. Because they tasted really good, she often tried to steal a couple from Bai Jingxuan to eat.

The truth about the origin of these candies came to light on New Year's Eve when she went to her own father's office at the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau. She discovered that Bai Jingxuan had actually taken the candies from her father's office.

This wasn't the first or second time Bai Jingxuan had taken out this kind of candy from her pocket. In fact, even yesterday when she went to register at the Examination Institute, Lin Xiaolu saw her secretly tear open a package while queuing, clearly afraid that she would try to steal it. However, Lin Xiaolu was magnanimous and didn't make a fuss.

Combined with the fact that Bai Jingxuan knew her biological father's birthday, the whole story is self-evident.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiaolu reached out and pinched Bai Jingxuan's cheek.

"I really do have a 'good little sister' who knows how to be affectionate..."

She grabbed Bai Jingxuan's face with a forced smile and pulled it from side to side.

"Waaah..." Bai Jingxuan knew that what she had done was not so proper for Lin Xiaolu, her "own daughter," so she didn't dare to put up any strong resistance.

"Well."

However, Lin Xiaolu didn't go too far. When she noticed that Bai Jingxuan's eyes were filled with tears, clearly indicating that she was genuinely feeling unwell, she took the initiative to let go of her hand and sighed.

"If I had really had a younger sister like you, I probably wouldn't have had any standing in the family within two years."

"Uncle still really likes Sister Xiao Lu."

Bai Jingxuan, feeling as if she had been granted a pardon, took two steps back and rubbed her face. "He often asks me about you."

"... I know."

Lin Xiaolu stopped bothering Bai Jingxuan and instead of choosing a dessert machine, turned her head to look at another shelf near the door. There, she saw raw materials for making other desserts besides chocolate.

The three of them had already browsed the shelves when they entered the store, but since they had limited pocket money and were only thinking about chocolate, they didn't take anything from there.

"How about we make a cake?" she suggested to Bai Jingxuan.

"Making a cake... why?" Bai Jingxuan, somewhat bewildered.

"Of course it's for my dad's birthday celebration! After it's done, I'll video call him and we'll wish him a happy birthday together," Lin Xiaolu said matter-of-factly.

"But if that happens, Uncle won't get to eat the cake, will he?" Bai Jingxuan asked hesitantly.

"Eat, eat, eat! All you ever think about is food!"

Lin Xiaolu crossed her arms. "Listen up, the most important thing about birthdays is the blessings and celebration, not just eating cake! After we celebrate for my dad here, we can always send the cake back to the Material Realm by courier."

"... The cake would have spoiled by now." Bai Jingxuan was still concerned about whether Lin Yun would actually get to eat the cake.

Lin Xiaolu was immediately speechless.

Afterwards, the two consulted with the shop assistants and confirmed that the Kingdom offered similar services. Because the desserts of the Magic Kingdom have always been renowned in many realms, they are often exported to the Material Realm. To ensure its reputation, the Kingdom even has a special cold chain logistics system for transporting desserts, ensuring that these pastries are delivered to the tables of outsiders in relatively perfect condition.

In this way, the technical problems were also solved.

"You mean, tomorrow is Uncle Lin's birthday, so you're planning to bake a cake and video call him to celebrate?"

Xia Liang was the last to learn about the plan. Unlike Lin Xiaolu and Bai Jingxuan, she was slightly surprised when she learned it was Lin Yun's birthday, but that surprise quickly disappeared. Instead, she had a strange expression of trying not to laugh, yet also enjoying it.

"Pfft... Isn't this great? I think it's fantastic!"

She half-covered her mouth, looking like she was about to burst out laughing.

"Let's do it this way. Give the young seniors chocolates and bake a cake for Uncle Lin. I believe they will be very touched."