Liang Sheng turned around and glanced at Su Ze through the glass window. By this point, Su Ze had surely noticed her staring at him from outside. He flashed a provocative smirk.
Liang Sheng forced a grin and let out a couple of insincere “heh heh” chuckles. Then she slowly raised her hand… flipping Su Ze the middle finger (struck through), or rather, offering him the international gesture of friendship. Su Ze froze for a moment, his face flushing with rage. He slammed the table and shot to his feet before… returning the international gesture of friendship right back at Liang Sheng.
Little Fatty, swinging his legs and munching on his burger nearby, nudged the Glasses Little Shota beside him. “What game are this auntie and that uncle playing? Wait, no—(since the auntie bought us yummy food, we should call her big sister.) What are this kindhearted big sister and that uncle up to?”
Little Shota adjusted the glasses perched on his nose and replied with dead seriousness. “Flirting, obviously. Can’t you tell?”
“Hah?” Liang Jin jumped to her feet at those words. She stormed over to the kid with a fierce glare. “Hey, kid, watch your mouth! Sister Liang Sheng only flirts with her little sister!”
Song An’an had already been bristling at the kid’s chatter, and Liang Jin’s remark only made it worse. She marched over to the kid as well, though it wasn’t clear if her words were aimed at Liang Jin or the child himself.
“The only person allowed to flirt with A-Sheng is me. None of those big sisters, little sisters, upperclassmen, or underclassmen get to.”
“Hah?” Liang Jin caught the implication. Was that “big sisters, little sisters, and the rest” aimed at her?
Oh no. Song An’an clapped a hand over her mouth. How could she snap at her future little sister like that? She deserved a good slap. A-Sheng’s cousin had probably only said it because she adored her big cousin. She was just a cousin—why get so worked up? Song An’an bowed her head in regret. Right now, the top priority was cozying up to A-Sheng’s family. That way, she could infiltrate the inner circle and claim her A-Sheng in one decisive swoop!
The two of them went back and forth like that, leaving the kids utterly dumbfounded. They just sat there in stunned silence, nibbling on their dry burgers, at a complete loss for words.
Liang Sheng knew the avalanche wasn’t coming after all. She felt refreshed and utterly innocent now, so she stopped tormenting herself in the cold. She started to rise and head back into the Kendeji restaurant.
But then, through the glass, she spotted the kids blissfully devouring their burgers. Hot tears welled up and streamed down Liang Sheng’s cheeks. She buried her face in her hands and turned away, not wanting anyone to see her crying. She didn’t want to seem like some weak woman. Ah… those young lives. Heh heh… Yeah, right.
Her money… down the drain. It hurt. It hurt so much!
“Sis, I want more…” Little Fatty had polished off his burger and fries. He wiped his mouth—a greasy, tangled mess—with the back of his hand, shoved the door open, and toddled out to Liang Sheng. He reached up with his oily little paw and grabbed at her army coat.
Still covering her face, Liang Sheng wailed in a tearful voice, “No more. Scram.”
Little Fatty blinked in shock. “Uh… waaah~”
Damn it? Bear child, huh? Won’t buy you more, so you’re gonna cry at me? Who are you crying for? Biting the hand that feeds you? I’m no relation to you—I treated you to a meal, and that’s plenty. Now you’re pushing your luck? Fine, you’ve got some nerve! Liang Sheng scanned the area. No security cameras outside the shop, and no one inside paying attention.
“Sis, you’re bullying…” The words barely left his mouth before Liang Sheng seized Little Fatty’s arm. She jammed his little hand against her army coat, leaving two smeary handprints on the fabric.
With a thud, Liang Sheng plopped down onto the ground.
“Wah—huh?” His crying cut off abruptly. Little Fatty stared in bewilderment at the sight of her sitting with elegant poise in the snowdrift, tears now tumbling from her eyes.
“My leg… my leg hurts so much,” Liang Sheng said, her face twisting in agony as if it really did. Trembling, she reached down and prodded her leg. “Aaaah! It hurts! It hurts so bad! Is my leg broken?!”
Little Fatty was utterly terrified. What kind of twisted stunt was this?
Suddenly, the people inside Kendeji heard a horrific scream echoing from outside—shrill as a pig being slaughtered (struck through).
Song An’an was the first to leap up. She knew her A-Sheng was out there, and that soul-piercing wail? It had to be Liang Sheng’s (or so she thought). She’d never actually heard it before, but it sounded familiar from her dreams (spring dreams?). Either way, she knew it crystal clear!
