Seeing that Liang Jin was unharmed, Liang Sheng suddenly remembered Song An’an, who was still unconscious. She walked over to the girl, squatted down, and gently patted her cheek. In a soft voice, she called out, “An’an? An’an? Wake up. Open your eyes and take a look—see where we are.”
After calling for what felt like forever, Song An’an still didn’t stir. Liang Sheng felt a fresh wave of fear. Could it really be this girl, who looked perfectly fine and barely injured, who was in serious trouble?
“An’an? An’an!” Liang Sheng propped Song An’an up and started shaking her.
“Mmm…” Song An’an was jolted awake. She blinked her eyes open and immediately spotted Liang Sheng’s left hand raised high in the air.
“Ah! A-Sheng, what are you doing?!” That gesture alone was enough to snap Song An’an fully alert.
Liang Sheng had nearly slapped her. She’d shaken Song An’an for ages with no response, and in her panic, she’d figured a smack might jolt the girl’s brain into action (complete nonsense, of course).
Before her hand could come down, though, Song An’an woke up. Liang Sheng awkwardly lowered her arm.
“A-Sheng, you’re not hurt anywhere, are you?” Song An’an threw her arms around Liang Sheng in excitement.
“No, no, no—my arms and legs are sturdy as can be. I could tumble ten thousand more times and be fine. Don’t worry about me.” Liang Sheng waved her hands frantically, trying to reassure the girl.
By now, Liang Jin had managed to stand. She hobbled toward her big sister and made it just to Liang Sheng’s side before her legs gave out, sending her toppling toward her.
Liang Sheng caught her just in time, draping Liang Jin’s arm over her own shoulder. Then she turned to Song An’an, who was standing nearby. “An’an, my little sister’s leg got badly pinched in that door. Help me out—support her from the other side, okay?”
Song An’an took one look at Liang Jin’s leg, which was swollen high with a nasty bruise, and any trace of jealousy or fussing vanished. She obediently hurried to Liang Jin’s other side and mirrored Liang Sheng’s hold, slinging the girl’s arm over her shoulder.
In their concern, the three girls completely forgot about Su Ze and the poor Driver Uncle.
Wait a minute—Liang Sheng glanced at their current setup. There was no way they could go anywhere like this, and even if they could, they wouldn’t be able to climb up. She craned her neck and looked around. They were halfway down the hillside.
The taxi was a mangled wreck. With guardrails everywhere, how the hell had they plunged into this ravine?
What a disaster. Liang Sheng couldn’t bear to look.
“You two are hurt pretty badly, so stay put right here. I’ll scout around and check out the terrain.” Liang Sheng addressed Liang Jin and Song An’an.
Song An’an nodded obediently, but Liang Jin wasn’t having it. “Sister Liang Sheng, what terrain is there to scout? It’s all rocks and trees. Don’t go falling yourself—that’d be a real loss.”
Hearing this, Song An’an caught on too. She nodded vigorously in agreement and joined in, urging Liang Sheng not to bother.
Liang Sheng paused to think it over. Fair point—the woods were dense. What if some venomous bug bit her? Better to stay put and wait for a car to pass overhead so they could call for help.
“Hey, where’s my phone?” Liang Sheng started patting her pockets. Maybe she could try calling the cops.
She searched for ages but came up empty. Reluctantly, she turned her gaze to Song An’an and Liang Jin. Song An’an’s phone was missing too. Liang Jin found hers, but it was smashed.
Liang Sheng sighed. This really was the world of some trashy romance novel—every cliché in the book.
She bowed her head in dejection and spotted something dark poking out of the grass. Squinting, she walked over, bent down—and gasped in delight. It was her phone!
She snatched it up, but a nagging feeling told her things wouldn’t be that easy. Sure enough, her phone was busted too.
See? The universe doesn’t just close a door on you—it deadbolts it too.
Just as the three girls were feeling utterly helpless, a noise came from inside the car.
Had Su Ze woken up? Liang Sheng hurried back to where Liang Jin and Song An’an sat and squeezed in between them.
Su Ze cracked his eyes open and flashed an evil grin. Showtime—he was about to shine and win the girls’ hearts all over again! He flung the car door open with gusto and stepped out with one leg. His head swiveled, only to find the three girls on the ground staring at him in stunned silence.
Was his grand entrance off somehow? Su Ze blinked in confusion. Hold on—why had they woken up first? Well, maybe it wasn’t so bad. He steadied himself. Wakako was dormant anyway, and he’d scheduled this ability for today. Everything was perfect… until Liang Sheng showed up and ruined it.
Su Ze exited the car with feigned calm, even straightening his clothes for effect.
“So, we’re trapped down here, huh?” That was his opening line.
Nice try, Liang Sheng thought with a snort. Playing dumb when you know damn well. She ignored him.
Song An’an, ever the sweet and simple soul, just hummed in response.
Unfazed, Su Ze put on a show of surveying the terrain.
After a long look, he clapped his hands with smug confidence and announced to the seated girls, “It’s not that high. I’ll get you all up there.”
Liang Sheng blinked in surprise. She stood and walked to where Su Ze was, peering up. Whoa—those sheer walls. How did he plan to climb that? Beam up Scotty or sprout invisible wings?
Catching her skeptical stare, Su Ze smirked. Underestimate me? How do you think I’ve survived this long?
He rolled up his sleeves and started scaling the slope.
Liang Sheng’s jaw dropped. Okay, fine—she’d underestimated him. The guy had gecko skills for real. Did he have suction cups on his belly, hands, and arms or what?
With an easy leap, Su Ze hauled himself onto the road.
“Here—I’ll toss down a rope. Tie it around yourselves, and I’ll pull you up!” He beamed that sunny, boy-next-door smile, the picture of a caring guy.
“Ding~” “Ding~” Favorability rising.
“Song An’an’s Favorability toward Su Ze: 55”
“Liang Jin’s Favorability toward Su Ze: 42”
Damn it, Liang Sheng sighed. But what could she do? If she didn’t know this “accident” was Su Ze’s doing, she’d probably feel grateful too—and her favorability would tick up.
“Sister Liang Sheng, you go first.”
“A-Sheng, you should go first.”
Liang Jin and Song An’an blurted it out at the same time.
94. Playing It Safe
Liang Sheng shook her head and pointed at the taxi. “That driver’s hurt bad. Let’s send him up first.”
Only then did Liang Jin and Song An’an remember the Driver Uncle who’d tumbled down with them.
The three girls scrambled to lift him. Song An’an took one look at his blood-smeared face and screamed on the spot. Liang Jin shuddered too—but not from the driver. It was Song An’an’s groundhog shriek that got her.
The noise woke the Driver Uncle. He pried his eyes open to a world of crimson. Only one eye could make out the road ahead.
“Uncle, you’re awake?” Liang Sheng noticed. “Don’t move. Your eye must’ve been cut by glass shards—it’s all blood. I’ll pull you out. We can’t get back in the car anyway.”
The Driver Uncle nodded. It was done—nothing he could say would fix his damaged eyes. And deep down, he blamed himself for the crash, dragging these young passengers into it.
Once they had him out, Liang Sheng eyed the rope Su Ze had thrown down. She asked suspiciously, “This rope sturdy enough, Su Ze?”
“Absolutely,” Su Ze nodded vigorously, all earnest. “Go ahead and let him climb. If he slips, I’ll haul him right back up.”
Liang Sheng stepped back and eyed the slope again, grudgingly admitting he had a point.
“Go on up, Uncle. Should be safe.” She patted his back encouragingly.
The Driver Uncle made it up smoothly, and Liang Sheng’s tension eased. Maybe Su Ze wasn’t all bad.
“Huh?” A thought struck her. “Su Ze, what about your phone?”
Su Ze’s gaze flickered. He pulled his phone from his pocket—and “accidentally” dropped it on the ground.
“Whoops, my phone!” He yelped, crouching down with a heartbroken look at the shattered screen. “It’s toast.”
Seeing that, Liang Sheng’s mouth twisted in fury. What a werewolf—this guy would smash his own pricey phone just to play the everyman.
No choice—she turned to the Driver Uncle. Now up on the road, he’d overheard talk of “phones” and slapped his forehead. “Little miss, mine’s in the car. See if it’s still good.”
Hope flared. Liang Sheng clambered into the wreck to check.
“It’s smashed…” She sighed.
Su Ze let out a heavy breath of relief.
“Sister Liang Sheng, your turn—hurry up.” Liang Jin nudged her big sister.
Liang Sheng shook her head. “No, you first. You’re hurt worse.”
Liang Jin didn’t argue. She tied the rope around herself, struggled for a bit, and finally made it up.
Liang Sheng eyed the empty road above and sneered. So many people come this way—where are the cars now? Even if they got up, they’d have to hike out on foot. Su Ze, with his stamina, would no doubt offer to carry limping Liang Jin or delicate Song An’an, racking up more favorability.
“An’an, you go ahead. I left something in the car. Head up, and I’ll follow in a bit.” Liang Sheng turned and ducked back into the taxi.
Song An’an had no idea what Liang Sheng was up to, but she obeyed and climbed up anyway. Morning or night, she’d make it. Besides, she’d checked—Liang Sheng was unscathed.
Inside the car, Liang Sheng stealthily powered on the Driver Uncle’s phone. No lock screen—jackpot! Grinning, she skipped the 110 app and dialed her mom instead.
“Hello, Mom…” Hearing Zhong Wen’s voice, Liang Sheng’s eyes welled up. Suddenly, she felt utterly wronged. Of course—who wasn’t a kid in front of their own mother?
In just a few words, Zhong Wen understood the situation completely. Without any unnecessary chatter, she decisively hung up the phone and set about making preparations. Her own daughter couldn’t be allowed to suffer even the slightest grievance.
Besides Zhong Wen’s number, the only other phone numbers Liang Sheng had memorized were Gu Yuqi’s and Hana’s. The reason she remembered that yandere’s number was a little embarrassing, Liang Sheng reflected. It was for moments like this, when she was in danger, so she could call Hana—after all, that yandere’s fighting strength was far beyond the ordinary.
But now, Hana was no longer in the city. She had already returned to her hometown with her parents, so Liang Sheng had no way to summon her.
She glanced at the string of digits for Gu Yuqi’s phone number displayed on her screen. Liang Sheng lowered her long lashes, hesitating slightly as her hand hovered in midair, reluctant to press down.
Senior Sister Yuqi probably doesn’t even remember me anymore. Would she really come to help?
She had to try… Liang Sheng drew in a deep breath and tapped the call button. In that instant, a wave of intense nervousness washed over her.
“Hello? Hello, may I ask who you’re calling for?” The familiar voice emerged from the phone, and Liang Sheng’s hand trembled. Senior Sister Yuqi was still so polite—boo-hoo-hoo.
“S-Senior… Sister, it’s me,” Liang Sheng said, her voice tentative. She was a little scared. If Senior Sister Yuqi didn’t recognize her voice, it would be so awkward.
“You are…” Gu Yuqi found the voice familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it right away.
The silence on the other end made Liang Sheng deflate like a punctured balloon. She slumped completely in the car.
“Ah, Liang Sheng!” Gu Yuqi suddenly remembered.
Why was this girl calling her out of the blue? They hadn’t seen each other since their last parting—it had been so long. She felt a twinge of longing, actually quite a strong one. At the thought, Gu Yuqi brightened up. Was Junior Sister Liang Sheng calling to ask her out?
“Senior Sister…” Hearing her own name spoken aloud made Liang Sheng’s grievances surge anew. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “S-Senior Sister, I, I…”
“What’s wrong?” Gu Yuqi had been lying in bed, but at those words, she tensed immediately and sat bolt upright.
“Boo-hoo-hoo…” Liang Sheng burst into loud sobs. “Senior Sister, Senior Sister, I’m trapped on a mountain. I was in a car accident, and it hurts so much, boo-hoo-hoo…”
What? A car accident! Gu Yuqi shot to her feet. “Liang Sheng, Liang Sheng, tell me clearly—where are you? I’ll come find you right now! Don’t cry, don’t cry, just explain it properly.”
Sobbing and sniffling, Liang Sheng finally managed to convey her location. Gu Yuqi kept comforting her all the while, frantically pulling on her clothes.
“Liang Sheng, I’m hanging up now. Don’t cry, and don’t be scared—I’m coming to find you right away!”
