After waiting a few minutes, Su Ze lost his patience and shouted down below. “Liang Sheng, where are you? Why haven’t you come up yet?”
Liang Sheng poked her head out from the car and yelled back up at him. “Almost, almost! Just wait a second longer. I’m nearly done—I haven’t found it yet. This thing is super important to me!”
Su Ze relaxed upon hearing that. After all, both girls were up top now, so he could cozy up to them however he pleased. Keep searching down there, Liang Sheng—the longer you take, the more time I have to chat with them. Su Ze smiled faintly, confident of his victory.
Go ahead and smile all you want. Liang Sheng rolled her eyes.
“What do you think of Liang Sheng?” Su Ze was clever about these things and knew exactly what kind of “person” these two girls liked.
At the mention of Liang Sheng, the two girls perked up instantly, buzzing with excitement as they launched into a torrent of praise.
“Sister Liang Sheng is so pretty and so sweet. She’s especially, especially, especially good to me!” Liang Jin said in a cheerful tone.
“Yeah, yeah! A-Sheng is pretty and cute, with such a sunny personality. She doesn’t even get mad when people tease her (isn’t that just being thick-skinned?), and she’s super kind. Plus, A-Sheng is really smart—always in the grade’s top ten on exams. That’s something I could never dream of!” Song An’an chimed in, her eyes shining with admiration for Liang Sheng.
Is Liang Sheng really that great? Su Ze frowned slightly.
“Ah, Liang Sheng sounds amazing—a real heartthrob girl.” Su Ze piled on the praise.
Hm? Song An’an’s Heartthrob Value actually ticked up by one point. Su Ze, who hadn’t earned any in ages, was thrilled and decided to double down.
“Can you tell me more about Liang Sheng? You three seem to have such a close bond.”
Liang Jin cleared her throat, suddenly beaming with pride. When it came to time spent together, no one beat her—she and Liang Sheng had been playmates since childhood.
“Sister Liang Sheng was adorable as a kid. The apricots on the tree were still green and unripe, but she got greedy and had to try one. She picked it, took a bite, and it was so sour she burst into tears on the spot.” Liang Jin recounted, laughing all the while.
Song An’an couldn’t hold back. Hearing about A-Sheng’s silly childhood mishaps had her giggling right along with Liang Jin in fits of “hehehe.”
Su Ze didn’t see the humor, but to win over the girls, he forced a laugh—though it came out strained.
“Let me tell one, let me!” Song An’an jumped in. “One time, I made a big batch of little snacks for A-Sheng and packed them in a small backpack. During break, we munched on them together.”
“And then?” Liang Jin prompted. It didn’t sound like much so far.
“And then…” Song An’an lost it first, cracking up before she could continue. “A-Sheng was scarfing them down like a wolf, while I couldn’t eat too many and just chatted with her instead. She wasn’t even looking at what she grabbed—just yanked something from the bag and shoved it in her mouth. Guess what it was?”
Liang Jin grew impatient and urged her on. Su Ze wasn’t all that interested but played along.
“Hehe, it scared me half to death! I just pointed at A-Sheng’s mouth, too stunned to speak—scared and dying to laugh at the same time. That’s when she finally realized something was off. She spat it out… and there was a wad of toilet paper.”
Laughter exploded from the road above, leaving the stunned Liang Sheng below wondering if they were trash-talking her.
The drive from home took at least half an hour, and ten minutes had already passed. If she stalled another twenty, her family and Senior Sister Yuqi would arrive by then, and she could head up. Liang Sheng already had her plan all figured out.
Poor Driver Uncle had slipped into unconsciousness.
Ah! Liang Sheng suddenly slapped her forehead, remembering the injured driver. She hurriedly dialed 120 again. She trusted they’d get there faster than a regular ambulance.
After dragging her feet for another ten minutes or so, Su Ze finally snapped. He wanted to sweet-talk the girls on the drive ahead. But with Liang Sheng refusing to budge and the two insisting on waiting for her, their chats had only netted a measly two or three Heartthrob Value points—not even enough to pick his teeth.
“Liang Sheng, come on up already!” Su Ze shouted again. His mind raced, and from the corner of his eye, he spotted the unconscious driver. “Hey, if you don’t hurry, we won’t make it in time—Driver Uncle’s gonna kick the bucket!”
The words hit Liang Sheng like a punch. If she still didn’t climb up after that, what would Liang Jin and Song An’an think? They’d peg her as cold-blooded, and her Favorability would nosedive like snowflakes in a blizzard.
“Coming, coming!” Liang Sheng grumbled reluctantly as she crawled out of the car.
That’s when Liang Jin noticed something was off. She scanned the empty road and frowned. “At this hour… it’s three in the afternoon. There shouldn’t be zero cars around.”
Su Ze’s eyes darkened as he muttered, almost to himself, “Yeah… probably a car wreck or something blocking the way.”
Liang Sheng’s sharp ears caught every word, and sudden realization dawned. A chill ran through her too— just how powerful was Su Ze’s System…?
Liang Sheng dawdled for another five minutes before finally getting ready to climb.
With the rope tied securely around her waist, Liang Sheng still felt uneasy.
“Su Ze, is this rope sturdy?”
Su Ze let out a laugh, laced with something ambiguous.
“I’ve already told you it is, haven’t I, Liang Sheng?”
Tch, that tone. Liang Sheng’s unease deepened. Would this jerk just let go?
“Hey, you’re not gonna let go, are you?” She blurted it out straight.
Su Ze hadn’t expected her to be so direct. Of course, he had no intention of doing so.
“Of course not, Liang Sheng—so many people watching and all.” His smile stretched a bit too wide.
“Fine…” Liang Sheng saw right through his scheming and called up to the others. “An’an, Little Sister Jin, I’m heavy—don’t wear out your Brother Su Ze. Come help him hold the rope!”
The two girls rushed over at once and grabbed hold.
Only then could Liang Sheng relax a little and begin her ascent.
Liang Sheng’s body was nimble, and with their help pulling from above, she quickly scaled most of the slope. The light was just ahead when Su Ze suddenly called out, “Liang Sheng, careful!”
Think that’s all there is to it, Liang Sheng? Su Ze smirked again.
The warning startled her. She glanced up, missing her footing below—and slipped backward.
With a sharp snap, the rope frayed and broke clean in the middle. Liang Sheng’s pupils contracted in shock.
