On Monday morning, Liang Sheng yawned reluctantly as she dragged herself out of bed. Unbeknownst to her, another storm was brewing on the horizon.
As she pushed open the front door, she was met with the sight she both dreaded and secretly hoped for—three girls waiting outside for her.
She could understand Senior Sister Gu Yuqi and Song An’an waiting for her, but what was Senior Sister An Hua doing here, joining the party? And how did she even know where Liang Sheng lived?
“Hi~” Her voice trembling, Liang Sheng waved at the three girls from her doorstep, frozen in place and unsure what to do next.
Song An’an was the first to charge forward, latching onto Liang Sheng’s arm and refusing to let go, as if terrified the other two would steal her away the moment she did.
Gu Yuqi approached slowly from Liang Sheng’s other side, leaving An Hua to stand there awkwardly, already regretting her decision to come find Liang Sheng.
“Senior Sister An Hua, I was in the wrong yesterday. I’m sorry.” Liang Sheng bowed slightly.
“It’s fine, it’s fine…” An Hua mumbled, the words I’m actually really happy about it dying unspoken on her lips from sheer embarrassment.
“Then… Senior Sister An Hua, why don’t you walk with us? Would that be okay?” Spotting An Hua’s discomfort, Liang Sheng hurried to smooth things over.
An Hua nodded gratefully at Liang Sheng.
“Ding~”
Favorability increased.
“An Hua’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 25”
After a moment’s hesitation, An Hua sidled up beside Song An’an, though her gaze remained fixed on Liang Sheng.
Gu Yuqi wasn’t thrilled about the way An Hua was eyeing Liang Sheng. She reached out, clasped Liang Sheng’s hand, and intertwined their fingers. Raising her eyes, she shot An Hua a deliberate glance disguised as casual happenstance, but An Hua’s face remained impassive, betraying no reaction to the childish display.
Liang Sheng felt as though her life had hit its absolute peak—surrounded on both sides by beautiful girls, holding hands with them no less.
When they arrived at school, a red-haired senior sister suddenly dashed up to them, her face etched with anxiety. She grabbed Gu Yuqi’s hand, her words tumbling out in a rush. “Yuqi! The teacher’s calling for you—it’s about the Javelin Competition. You need to go right now!”
Gu Yuqi had been chatting animatedly with Liang Sheng, but her smile froze solid at the sight of the girl. She frowned, yanked her hand free, and demanded, “For real? You’re not pulling my leg?”
The girl bit her lip and replied earnestly, “Why would I joke about something like this? Go, quick!”
Gu Yuqi pondered for a moment, her eyes flickering with something unspoken. She let out a sigh. “Fine.” Turning back, she patted Liang Sheng’s head. “Liang Sheng, take it easy with them. I’ve got to run to the teacher.”
She paused, then added, “It’s about the Javelin Competition.”
Liang Sheng nodded, though she couldn’t shake the feeling that Gu Yuqi’s expression was off. Teasingly, she quipped, “Senior Sister, you report even this stuff to me? Turning into a total henpecked wife already?”
“Ding~”
Favorability increased.
“Gu Yuqi’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 50”
In a flash, Gu Yuqi’s cheeks flushed an impossible crimson, her expression brightening considerably. She pinched Liang Sheng’s cheek and leaned in close to her ear, her tone laced with playful mockery. “Mmm, wait for me at lunch, wifey~”
The warmth of her breath sent shivers racing across Liang Sheng’s ear, a tingling numbness spreading through her body like a swarm of ants devouring her from the inside.
“Bang!” Liang Sheng’s mind detonated in a haze of embarrassment, her face blazing red as though her brain might actually overheat and melt.
Gu Yuqi threw her head back in laughter and skipped off happily. Liang Sheng clapped her hands over her face and dropped into a squat, burying her head between her knees in a mix of mortification and frustration. How was she supposed to resist this kind of temptation? God, she just wanted to roll around in bed with senior sister, doing this and that and everything in between~
The other three girls all flushed beet red at the same moment—though theirs was pure anger.
Song An’an yanked viciously at the hem of her school skirt, glaring daggers at Gu Yuqi’s retreating figure. Lu Ziqing rolled her eyes and whipped her head away with a sharp “Hmph.” The red-haired messenger was no better off.
She fixed Liang Sheng with a gloomy, venomous stare for a long moment before turning on her heel and bolting toward the school building.
Senior Sister An Hua then slipped away toward the building without a word, but Liang Sheng paid it no mind. Women said one thing and meant another all the time, after all.
By now, a crowd of eyes had locked onto Liang Sheng. She puffed up with pride—from childhood to now, no one had ever paid her this much attention! It had to be her ravishing beauty (Nope, they just think your clownish antics are hilarious). She glanced left and right, scoping out everyone gawking at her.
Just as Liang Sheng’s smugness peaked—”When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a person”—the heavens apparently couldn’t abide it any longer. In deference to her status as the protagonist, they opted merely to “toil her bones and sinews.” The “great responsibility” plummeted from above, striking her square in the sweet spot. With a resounding “Bang!”, a basketball nailed Liang Sheng right in the forehead.
Liang Sheng crumpled to the ground in spectacular fashion. In the instant before unconsciousness claimed her, she mused: Why does every single novel’s heroine get beaned by a ball and knocked out? Ah, curse this blasted protagonist halo of mine.
Then blackness swallowed her. Truth be told, her skull bouncing off the pavement had caused the blackout—not the basketball in the slightest.
Gu Yuqi and An Hua, the muscle of the group, had already left, leaving the heavy lifting to Lu Ziqing and Song An’an.
Song An’an crouched down, ready to scoop Liang Sheng up, when Young Miss Lu Ziqing took offense. “I’ll carry Liang Sheng—you stay out of it. With your height, you think you can even budge her?”
Song An’an sprang to her feet. “Mind your own business! You, a pampered young miss too frail for a stiff breeze—like you could hoist anyone?”
Lu Ziqing’s temper flared hotter. The two devolved into a bickering match, hurling barbs back and forth and nearly escalating to blows.
Lying fainted on the ground, Liang Sheng: “…” Have you two forgotten something?
As it turned out, one pint-sized loli and one delicate young miss made a poor carrying team.
Lu Ziqing pursed her lips in distaste and prodded Liang Sheng’s cheek. “All her fault. Too damn heavy.”
If Liang Sheng had heard that, her fur would have bristled right up—she was a featherweight 42 kilos! Slim even for a girl!
“Um… do you two need a hand?” came a timid voice. They turned to see a pretty girl with a tomboyish haircut rubbing the back of her head awkwardly as she eyed them.
“Who the hell are you?” Young Miss Lu Ziqing raked her with a scornful once-over. The girl mumbled meekly, “Er… just p-passin’ by. Yeah, that’s it, haha…”
A shout rang out from the distance. “Hey! Yuzhe? Where’d the ball go? Dude, your arm’s a cannon—how’d you chuck it that far?”
A tall guy in a basketball jersey came jogging up. He took one look at the scene and faltered. “Yu… Yuzhe, you didn’t just nail someone, did you?”
Ye Yuzhe shot him an urgent look: Lie for me, quick!
Whether the big guy missed the signal or chickened out, he bolted like a shot, hollering over his shoulder, “Wasn’t me! Got nothing to do with me— all that idiot Ye Yuzhe’s fault!”
Ye Yuzhe: “……???” Some friend you turned out to be! Some friend!
“You—whatever your name is, Ze or something—don’t just stand there! Get this idiot you flattened to the infirmary, now!” Lu Ziqing barked.
“A-Sheng’s no idiot!” Song An’an shot back.
Lu Ziqing snorted, ignoring her.
Ye Yuzhe scooped Liang Sheng onto his back with effortless ease and broke into a jog toward the infirmary, the two girls hot on his heels.
They burst into the infirmary, where the Bald Uncle sat engrossed in some decidedly risqué video. The door flew open with a “Bang!”
Talk about a bald-faced moment.
The uncle hadn’t anticipated students barging in sans knock. He snapped upright, smoothed his white coat, and cleared his throat to salvage his dignity. At least the headphones had saved him.
“Ahem, what’s the matter with this girl?” As he spoke, he frantically buried his phone under a book.
Panting hard, Ye Yuzhe replied, “She… got hit by a ball.”
The uncle rose with grave professionalism—then ripped off his headphones.
“Mmm~ Oh yeah, ahh~” A chorus of moans blared into the room. The uncle went rigid in mortified panic; Ye Yuzhe’s face turned pink as he froze in place.
Damn it, forgot to mute the phone. The uncle smacked his gleaming forehead and spun to kill the video.
Lu Ziqing and Song An’an shuffled in just then, not dawdling on purpose but simply winded from the sprint. Or perhaps weighed down by certain burdens.
The unmistakable sounds hit their ears next. Both girls flushed crimson, their eyes raking over the School Doctor Uncle from head to toe.
Squirming under their stares, the uncle slammed the phone shut and ducked his head like a scolded child.
Ye Yuzhe eased Liang Sheng onto the bed. “Doctor, come check her out. She gonna be alright?” The question shattered the tension; the uncle shot Ye Yuzhe a grateful look before stepping over to examine Liang Sheng’s injury.
Song An’an watched anxiously from the side. “Doctor, is it bad? Any memory loss?” Perfect—if she forgets everything, I can tell her I’m her girlfriend and Gu Yuqi murdered her dad.
Meanwhile, in his office, Liang Wengao sneezed sharply. He rubbed his nose. Who was badmouthing him? His precious daughter missing Daddy, maybe? Heh heh.
The School Doctor Uncle’s mouth twitched. “Nah, she’s fine. Just a nasty bump to the head causing the blackout, is all.” He cleaned the wound and wrapped it snugly in bandages.
Ye Yuzhe exhaled in relief and pivoted to leave. “Hey!” Lu Ziqing snapped. “Where do you think you’re going? Stay put and watch Liang Sheng. When she wakes up, come fetch us.”
Ye Yuzhe protested weakly, “But she’s okay now…” Lu Ziqing leveled a ferocious glare. “Okay my ass! She’s flat on her back—that okay to you? Plant yourself here, or else.”
Ye Yuzhe hung his head. Couldn’t win this one. No way.
“I’ll get you excused from class. Just watch Liang Sheng.” With that, Young Miss Lu Ziqing stormed off briskly.
Ye Yuzhe gaped after her. Big sis… you don’t even know what class I’m in. How’re you gonna—
Sure enough, Lu Ziqing stormed back, cheeks pink. She demanded curtly, “What class?”
“Class 1-C…”
“Got it. You stay here and watch Liang Sheng. That’s an order. You’re responsible for her—this is your punishment.” She turned to go.
But at that moment, Song An’an suddenly piped up.
