“First off… then… next we’ll… and finally… to wrap it up with the ending. Got all that?” Liang Sheng rattled it off in a flurry of coded whispers.
He Wennuo looked half-understanding. “I guess… I get it?”
“If you still don’t get it after I spelled it out that clearly, then you’re totally hopeless.” Liang Sheng’s mouth had gone dry from all the talking, and his blank reaction instantly irritated her.
“Got it, got it, got it. I’ll ask Ye Yuzhe to meet up again right now.”
After hanging up, Liang Sheng muttered to herself, “This Ye Yuzhe really is blind. He’s the least ambitious one in that whole harem! Why can’t the others be as clueless as him?”
Akino Kazuko chimed in supportively, “That’s all because our super pretty and flirty host won them over~”
“Since when did you start sucking up to me like that?” Liang Sheng teased, though she secretly loved it. That was probably the classic tsundere thing—talking smack while loving every second.
“Anyway, these two are dating, and you want to meddle?”
“Damn right I do!” Liang Sheng struck the pose of a fretful mother hen. “Since I can’t bring myself to go after Ye Yuzhe, I’m sure as hell not letting that big scumbag Su Ze have him. Since I can’t boost Ye Yuzhe’s favorability toward me too much, I’ll tank his heartthrob value for Su Ze until it’s too low to even check. And since he won’t fall for me romantically, I’ll become his bestie confidante!”
Liang Sheng had blurted all that out in one go and was left gasping for air. She drew a few deep breaths before continuing. “Sometimes, the favorability between besties can even beat out what they feel for their boyfriend—but it depends on the people involved. For this kid Ye Yuzhe, if he can’t be my lover, I’ll bend over backward to become his soulmate bestie! So step one: help him see the scumbag’s true face!”
“Then what?” Akino Kazuko asked eagerly.
“Hold on, let me grab some water.” Liang Sheng glugged down half a glass with loud gulps, wiped her mouth, and continued. “Then, when he’s heartbroken from the breakup, I’ll comfort him a little. Next, He Wennuo swoops in to console him too. Boom—two birds with one stone. It builds up bestie vibes and favorability for me, while making Ye Yuzhe like He Wennuo more and dropping his heartthrob value for Su Ze even lower.”
Akino Kazuko playfully punched her host’s shoulder. “Damn, Liang Sheng, you’ve got game.”
“Of course! Don’t you know who I, your father, am?” Liang Sheng puffed out her chest proudly, looking all the prouder for it.
Akino Kazuko’s attention gradually drifted to an inappropriate spot. She glanced down at her own chest fat, her lips twitching in dissatisfaction as she smacked them. “Why is it that even though I’m taller than you now, mine still aren’t as…”
“As stacked as mine? Ahahaha!” Liang Sheng burst into maniacal laughter. “In this world, out of all the girls I know, only Teacher Dong Yue, the Young Miss, An Hua, and Hana have bigger ones than me. Nobody else does!”
“What’s there to brag about?” Akino’s voice dripped with sourness, like she’d choked down fifteen pounds of lemons.
Liang Sheng rolled out of bed and started changing. “No more yapping. I’m heading out to check on Ye Yuzhe and He Wennuo. Their meetup spot is a hike from my place.”
“Don’t screw it up by accident.”
Liang Sheng tossed her hair with supreme confidence. “Who am I? I’m the master flirt Liang Sheng! My apprentice He Wennuo can’t suck that bad!”
“I seem to remember that most of the time, you’re the one trembling and freezing up when girls flirt with you,” Akino Kazuko reminded her helpfully.
Stung right in her sore spot, Liang Sheng snarled viciously, “Shut your trap!”
On the way, Liang Sheng called He Wennuo again to confirm Ye Yuzhe was definitely showing up.
When she got there, she spotted the slim and tall Ye Yuzhe standing with He Wennuo, who was still channeling that domineering CEO vibe he loved.
“Hey~ Long time no see~” Liang Sheng jogged over, waving enthusiastically as she greeted them.
“Long time no see.” Ye Yuzhe waved back, flashing a shy smile.
He Wennuo slicked back his bangs in a cool pose. “Long time no see, Miss Liang Sheng. You’ve gotten even prettier.”
Liang Sheng’s mouth twitched violently. She ground her teeth and squeezed out, “Who the hell taught you to be so damn sleazy…”
“Huh? What was that?” Her mutter was too quiet; neither of them caught it.
Liang Sheng shook her head frantically. “Nothing, nothing! Let’s grab some desserts. Right, Yuzhee? You like sweets too?”
Ye Yuzhe nodded.
Liang Sheng had deliberately picked a dessert shop running a couple’s event. She’d never seen ones like this in real life, but this novel was full of them. That was probably the charm of a Mary Sue novel.
“This place. Their cakes are killer—you guys will love them.”
Ye Yuzhe and He Wennuo walked shoulder to shoulder behind her. Liang Sheng pushed the door open first and held it for the two guys.
Ding~ Favorability increased.
“Ye Yuzhe’s favorability toward Liang Sheng: 82”
Sigh. Probably just the polite kind you have for classmates.
Once inside, Liang Sheng stared expectantly at the service staff behind the front desk, hoping he’d announce the couple’s event.
But… nothing. He just handed over menus for them to order.
She waited a bit longer, but still zilch. No choice—Liang Sheng had to bring it up herself. “Hey, handsome, doesn’t your shop have that couple’s event going on?”
The service staff nodded. “Yes, miss. You and…?”
He glanced at He Wennuo and Ye Yuzhe, sensing something off. These two guys…? Hang on, the one with pink hair—is that a boy or a girl? Either way, neither looked like they were with this green-haired girl in front of him.
Ye Yuzhe was dressed pretty masculinely today, making it hard for anyone to peg his gender at first glance.
“Nah, it’s these two—they’re the couple~” Liang Sheng pointed right at them.
The service staff scratched his head. He wasn’t picking up any pink romantic bubbles between the pair, but he could tell the blond short-haired guy might be simping hard for the pink-haired one.
With that, he shot an inquiring look at He Wennuo and Ye Yuzhe.
Ye Yuzhe overheard the exchange and started to wave it off in denial, but Liang Sheng grabbed his hand. “Hey, hey, Yuzhee—come here with me for a sec.”
Ye Yuzhe docilely let her drag him aside.
“You don’t even know what the prize for this couple’s event is, do you!?” Liang Sheng said mysteriously.
Ye Yuzhe blinked his eyes. “No clue…”
“Feast your eyes on this.” Liang Sheng whipped out her phone, scrolled through it frantically, then shoved the screen right up to the little trap’s face. “Ta-da! This is it!”
In an instant, Ye Yuzhe’s eyes sparkled.
