Just as Liang Sheng was flustered and at a loss for what to do, Su Ze walked in through the front door. When he caught sight of Liang Sheng, his steps clearly faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and strode calmly over to Lu Ziqing’s side.
“Ah, Su Ze, you’re here,” Lu Ziqing said, her happiness bubbling up inside her even though she tried not to show it on her face. Of course she was thrilled—the two people she cared about most were right there with her. One was the boy she had a crush on, and the other was her best friend. This birthday, she wouldn’t be spending it all alone. It felt wonderful.
“Happy birthday, Miss,” Su Ze said. He pulled a delicate wine-red box from his pocket, tied with a green silk ribbon. Red paired with green—Su Ze certainly had impeccable taste, Liang Sheng thought with an inward sigh of admiration.
Lu Ziqing took the box with obvious delight, her face lighting up in a smile she couldn’t quite hide. It was sweet and utterly adorable.
She opened it, and Liang Sheng leaned in for a closer look. Wow, Su Ze had really gone all out this time.
Inside lay a delicate pale blue diamond necklace, reflecting a soft glow that nearly blinded Liang Sheng with its brilliance. Heavens! Where on earth had Su Ze gotten so much money? Why did life have to be so unfair?
A flush crept across Lu Ziqing’s cheeks as she covered her mouth, looking every bit the overwhelmed young girl in the throes of surprise.
Su Ze smiled gently. “I thought this necklace suited you perfectly, Miss. It’s gentle and serene, just like you.”
He certainly knew how to talk. Lu Ziqing was so flustered by his words that she could barely think straight.
“Ding!” Favorability rose sharply.
“Lu Ziqing’s Favorability Toward Su Ze: 103”
Back over 100 again. Liang Sheng felt a pang of regret.
She sighed. If only she’d shelled out a little more for her gift—it was nowhere near a match for Su Ze’s. What a disaster. It was downright embarrassing.
“Um, Young Miss… about my gift. Sigh,” Liang Sheng hesitated. She’d been thoroughly defeated this time.
“My gift isn’t that great.”
Lu Ziqing rolled her eyes and held out her hand. “I… I want this one. Stop dawdling and hand it over. If you bought it for me, then it’s mine. Give me my present already.” Ah, the tsundere Young Miss Lu Ziqing was actually incredibly kind and innocent at heart.
Liang Sheng knew she was just trying to help her out of an awkward spot. With a sigh, she reluctantly pulled the gift she’d bought for the young miss from her bag and handed it over. It was a green box tied with a wine-red ribbon. Liang Sheng had no room to criticize Su Ze’s sense of style, after all—they were both hopeless when it came to color coordination.
Lu Ziqing took it carefully, her eyes brimming with anticipation. She slowly untied the ribbon and stared intently into the box, eager to see what was inside.
Liang Sheng couldn’t bear to watch. Her gift was far too cheap compared to Su Ze’s, and worse… it was a bit… ugly. Or rather, abstract?
What met her eyes was… what on earth was that? Lu Ziqing froze, clearly stunned. Was this seriously a birthday present? It looked more like a prank prop! Good lord, what the heck!
That’s right—it was the infamous goofy face pillow that everyone knew all too well. Those eyebrows and eyes were so ridiculously handsome, they could make anyone burst into laughter at first glance.
Liang Sheng covered her face, too afraid to look at Lu Ziqing’s expression right now.
Why on earth had she impulse-bought such a ridiculous thing? She was regretting it deeply now.
“Ding!” Favorability rose sharply.
“Lu Ziqing’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 85”
Huh? What was going on? Favorability hadn’t dropped—it had gone up! Liang Sheng stared at the young miss in shock, her face full of disbelief.
Lu Ziqing hugged the goofy face pillow to her chest, her cheeks rosy as she muttered softly, “This… this is the first gift from a friend. Mm, so cute.”
Liang Sheng could understand the first part—and it even tugged at her heartstrings with a mix of sympathy and warmth—but the second part… Was that thing actually cute? Oh heavens, a girl’s sense of beauty was growing more bizarre and terrifying by the minute. She just didn’t get it.
Liang Sheng also snuck a glance at Su Ze’s expression. He remained utterly impassive, giving nothing away. She wondered now if he could see the girls’ Heartthrob Values toward her, the way she could see their favorability toward him. Things were getting more complicated by the second.
“Come on, everyone, time to eat!” Lu Ziqing’s mother said cheerfully. She took Liang Sheng by one hand and Su Ze by the other, leading them to the dining table with a beaming smile.
The moment Liang Sheng saw the spread on the table, her mouth watered so much she nearly drooled a river. (Look at her, so utterly shameless.) It was ridiculously lavish. Totally worth it! A single goofy pillow in exchange for all these delicacies? What a steal!
Lu Ziqing sat in the middle, with Liang Sheng on one side and Su Ze on the other.
Liang Sheng knew how to play the room. She waited for Lu Ziqing’s parents to start eating before picking up her chopsticks. For her first bite, she grabbed a big shrimp and placed it in Lu Ziqing’s bowl, grinning as she said, “Young Miss Ziqing, shrimp is my absolute favorite—it’s so delicious. I haven’t even licked my chopsticks yet, so eat up without worry.”
“Ding~” Favorability rose.
“Lu Ziqing’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 90”
“Th-thank you,” Lu Ziqing murmured, head bowed in embarrassment. She was genuinely touched.
Su Ze’s hand paused mid-motion. He picked up a piece of fish and placed it in Lu Ziqing’s bowl. “Ziqing, I remember you like fish, right?”
Scheming guy! Liang Sheng cursed inwardly.
“Swoosh~” Favorability dropped.
“Lu Ziqing’s Favorability Toward Su Ze: 100”
Lu Ziqing bowed her head again and tossed out lightly, “I… I don’t like fish.”
Su Ze blinked in surprise, then gave an awkward smile. “Sorry, Ziqing. I got it mixed up. It’s my father who loves it. I try to remember everyone’s favorites—my parents’ and yours—but I get confused sometimes.”
“Ding~” Favorability rose.
“Lu Ziqing’s Favorability Toward Su Ze: 102”
Something wasn’t right here. Liang Sheng watched the exchange closely. This Su Ze definitely had some secrets he wasn’t sharing. She was more curious than ever.
For some reason, Ling Dang suddenly came to mind—her sea-blue hair, sea-blue eyes, and white dress, like a mermaid dwelling in the deep ocean.
There had to be some connection between Ling Dang and Su Ze. It was just a hunch on Liang Sheng’s part, a wild guess or theory.
Dinner ended, and Liang Sheng patted her full, rounded belly with a contented sigh. There was nothing quite like the bliss of eating your fill.
“Liang Sheng, come here for a moment,” Lu Ziqing’s mother called, beckoning to her.
Liang Sheng tensed up as she looked at Lu Ziqing’s parents, her body going rigid. She had no idea what was happening.
“Come on over. We just want to ask you a few things. It won’t take long,” Lu Ziqing’s mother said again, waving her over.
“Y-yeah, okay, sure,” Liang Sheng stammered, tripping over her own feet as she followed Lu Ziqing’s mother upstairs.
