“Sigh, I’m only seventeen, Sister Bai Zhen!” Liang Sheng gazed at Bai Zhen’s grave expression, unsure what had gotten into her. “Puppy love and all that—it’s no good.”
Bai Zhen nodded absently, her mind preoccupied with her own worries. To her, Gu Yuqi was her biggest romantic rival. After all, soft, delicate girls like Liang Sheng were always drawn to cool, handsome big sisters.
Bai Zhen and Gu Yuqi were somewhat similar in type, but Bai Zhen was even more masculine, and she wasn’t as pretty as Gu Yuqi. Nor did she have Gu Yuqi’s exquisitely refined features.
Once they finished the cake, they should have headed home, but Liang Sheng wasn’t ready to call it a day.
For one thing, Ye Yuzhe’s attitude toward He Wennuo hadn’t shifted much. For another, her favorability with Bai Zhen and Ye Yuzhe wasn’t high enough to satisfy her.
“Hey, we’re on break right now anyway. Why don’t we… all go out and have some fun?”
“Where to?” the siblings asked in unison.
Where to? That stumped her. Liang Sheng racked her brains but came up empty.
“How about… the haunted house?” Liang Sheng blurted out the obligatory haunted house plot from every cheesy drama.
She shot He Wennuo a meaningful glance, hoping he’d get the hint: step up in the haunted house, protect Ye Yuzhe, and show off some boyfriend vibes. To her surprise, the blockhead caught on instantly this time.
“Yeah, the haunted house sounds fun. Right, Yuzhe? You wanna go too?”
Bai Zhen saw right through his little scheme. “Fine. I don’t have any work today anyway. Let’s do it.”
“And you, Yuzhe…?” Liang Sheng looked at Ye Yuzhe expectantly.
Ye Yuzhe, sweet and guileless as he was, had finally made a friend who shared his views in Liang Sheng. Of course he was eager to tag along. He agreed on the spot.
“I don’t have anything else to do either!”
Perfect!
If she’d known who she was about to run into, though, she wouldn’t have been smiling.
They hadn’t gone far before reaching the nearby amusement park, where Liang Sheng spotted a familiar figure.
“Ghost!” she hissed through gritted teeth.
Not a ghost—just Su Ze, that persistent tag-along.
Liang Sheng grabbed Bai Zhen’s arm and spun to flee.
But Su Ze’s eyes were sharp. She’d barely touched Bai Zhen when he spotted them.
“Hey, Liang Sheng! What a coincidence!”
That officious tone was back.
“Yeah, total coincidence!” The kind you put in quotes, Liang Sheng spat, practically grinding her teeth.
Su Ze didn’t bat an eye or mind the humiliation. He sidled right up. “You guys here to play? Perfect timing—I’m by myself. Mind if I join?”
“No way—” He Wennuo beat her to it, blurting out half his refusal before freezing. He glanced at Ye Yuzhe’s face beside him and swallowed the rest.
Tch, what an idiot, He Wennuo is. Liang Sheng peeked at Ye Yuzhe too and didn’t dare turn Su Ze down outright. She was terrified of shattering the “revolutionary friendship” she’d just built with him.
Sigh. Life was tough these days—juggling romance and friendships, playing both sides without dropping the ball. “Jack of all trades” was a label she’d never shake.
“Fine…” Liang Sheng shot Su Ze a venomous glare.
Su Ze flashed a triumphant grin.
That was misfortune number one. Number two was on its way.
She ran into Ni Sihan again.
Unlike with the system, Ni Sihan had purely stumbled upon Liang Sheng while heading out. She’d quietly trailed her into the dessert shop and taken a seat not far away.
So, her whispering with He Wennuo, the kiss with Bai Zhen—Ni Sihan had seen it all. And snapped photos.
“Heh heh…”
Ni Sihan figured that if she showed those pics to the other girls, Liang Sheng’s favorability would tank. This little outing was a goldmine.
Later, when they headed to the amusement park, Ni Sihan followed again. She looped around and waited up ahead, staging another “chance encounter.”
“Hey! Liang Sheng, what a coincidence!”
Liang Sheng: “…?” Did you all train at the same boot camp? Even the greetings are identical. How is this even real?
“Yeah! Super coincidental!” Liang Sheng laughed in sheer exasperation.
Poor Green-haired Girl had no idea she’d been secretly photographed.
“I’m here all by myself—no one to hang with. Can I play with you guys?” Ni Sihan batted her eyes, pulling what she thought was an adorable face.
Look at that—the second line was verbatim too. Definitely boot camp alumni.
As if I can say no after that. Liang Sheng covered her face, inwardly whining, but agreed. “Sure, tag along then…”
“Yay!” Ni Sihan beamed with feigned delight and hooked her arm through Liang Sheng’s. “So, where are we headed?”
Liang Sheng pointed ahead. “The haunted house.”
“Eek!” Ni Sihan clapped a hand over her mouth in mock terror, her face shrinking into a timid pout. “I’m so scared of that stuff.”
Liang Sheng perked up instantly. “Then how about you wait outside while we go in?”
No way. Ni Sihan quickly countered, “Nah, I’ll go with you guys~ We’re here already; might as well try everything together.”
Liang Sheng deflated.
At the haunted house entrance, Liang Sheng steeled herself and eyed the fake skull overhead. Suddenly, memories flooded back: freshly transmigrated into this book, Young Miss Lu Ziqing had dragged her to an amusement park. The terror of that haunted house had dominated her.
Gulp. She swallowed hard in secret, desperate not to let anyone see she was scared—a total chicken.
But perceptive Bai Zhen noticed. She squeezed Liang Sheng’s hand tight and murmured, “Don’t worry. I’m right here.”
“I-I’m not scared…” Liang Sheng’s voice lacked conviction.
The six of them approached the entrance. After chatting with the staff and hearing the safety rundown, they were waved inside.
“Whew~”
A blast of cold air hit them the moment they stepped in. Liang Sheng shivered and hunched over, like a kitten facing danger.
Deeper in, there were no real scares—no ghostly staff jumping out. It was just chillier and dimmer than outside.
Bit by bit, Liang Sheng relaxed. She even mustered some bravado. “This isn’t scary at all. What a rip-off…”
She feigned deep disappointment, as if her name were “Fearless Liang” and nothing fazed her.
Big mouth bragging brought swift karma.
“Rawr!”
A costumed staffer burst from a picture frame, right in Liang Sheng’s face.
“MOMMY!!!” Liang Sheng leaped three feet in the air.
Ni Sihan jolted too but recovered fast. Still, she shrieked dramatically and whirled to dive into Bai Zhen’s arms.
