“Why leave A-Sheng in the care of a stranger?” Song An’an asked, clearly displeased.
Lu Ziqing rolled her eyes again and sneered. “Are you an idiot? There’s a test today, and Class E is being proctored by your homeroom teacher, the Extinction Nun. Aren’t you going? Fine, I’ll get you a sick note.”
“Ah… um…” Song An’an backed down. She glanced back at Liang Sheng with reluctance, then slunk away dejectedly.
Ye Yuzhe was left alone, bored. He propped his head on his hand and watched Liang Sheng. Hmm, this girl’s pretty cute, but it’s too bad I don’t like girls.
—— —— ——
Liang Sheng slowly came to, her vision blurry as she stared up at the white ceiling.
Where am I? She turned her head, only to feel a stab of pain at the back of her skull. She winced and froze, not daring to move.
Who’s this? The light was a little blinding. She squinted at the unfamiliar face slumped over on her bed.
A data panel popped up, startling her. She hadn’t realized this person was one of the protagonists.
“Name: Ye Yuzhe
Age: 16
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 53 kg
Looks: SS
Favorability toward Su Ze: 0
Favorability toward Liang Sheng: -3”
Another one with negative favorability toward me? Liang Sheng rubbed her forehead.
Hm? Liang Sheng arched a brow. Wait—this name… He’s one of the two guys from the story. A total cross-dressing boss.
She didn’t have time to dwell on it before the pain at the back of her head assaulted her tear ducts, reddening the corners of her eyes. She reached out and nudged the sleeping Ye Yuzhe, hoping to ask what had happened.
Ye Yuzhe stirred awake. He blinked groggily at Liang Sheng before jolting fully alert. “You’re awake?” Then he noticed the redness around her eyes and the glimmer of tears. He grew anxious. “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”
Liang Sheng looked at him pitifully. “My… my head hurts so much, Big Sister.” She deliberately called him Big Sister, knowing he’d love it.
“Heh heh.” Ye Yuzhe preened, running a hand through his hair with a dopey grin. He didn’t deny it.
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Ye Yuzhe’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 2”
As expected. Liang Sheng smirked inwardly. I’m basically the queen of socializing.
Ye Yuzhe carefully helped Liang Sheng sit up, stammering through his explanation. “I… I saw you faint, so I carried you to the infirmary. No need to thank me.” Yes, he was lying again.
Liang Sheng nodded gratefully. “Thank you! You’re such a good Samaritan, a real live Lei Feng always helping others!” (Lei Feng: …Please don’t drag my name through the mud like that.)
Being praised like that left Ye Yuzhe guilt-stricken. He ducked his head, unsure where to put his hands.
Liang Sheng didn’t notice, her anger flaring up. “Which bastard was chucking that basketball around? If I catch him, I’ll tear him limb from limb and punt him like a football!”
“Gulp.” Ye Yuzhe swallowed hard, cold sweat beading on his palms. In a small voice, he mumbled, “I… I don’t think the guy meant to do it.”
Liang Sheng pouted. “I don’t care. He hit me, so he’s paying up!” Ye Yuzhe let out a quiet breath of relief. Money? That he could handle.
“Um…” Liang Sheng tapped her finger against her lips, pondering for a moment before speaking. “I’ve thought it over. I’ll take 200,000… No, that’s too low. Three hundred thousand. If he doesn’t pay, I’ll plant myself right here and not budge.”
Sister, that’s not even faking an injury anymore—that’s straight-up extortion in broad daylight! Ye Yuzhe’s head throbbed. How did he end up stuck with such a little terror?
Of the thirty-six stratagems, the best was to run. Ye Yuzhe edged toward the door as stealthily as he could. Liang Sheng’s sharp eyes caught him. “Where are you going?”
Ye Yuzhe flinched and launched into another performance. “I… I’m going to find those two girls you were with. They told me to let them know when you woke up so they could come visit.”
Liang Sheng thought his tone sounded off, but she didn’t press the issue. She nodded and let him go. Ye Yuzhe bolted from the scene.
He didn’t realize until he reached the sports field that he had no idea what classes those two girls were in… So he looped back to ask Liang Sheng.
As he glanced up absentmindedly, he spotted a shadowy figure on the rooftop—fiery red hair. Then… she climbed onto the railing. One foot was already dangling over the edge, suspended in midair. Was she about to jump?
Ye Yuzhe panicked and raced toward the principal’s office. Real or not, he had to report it first.
The infirmary was on the way. Liang Sheng had been staring blankly out the door when she saw him sprint past. Curiosity got the better of her. She got out of bed and called after him from the doorway.
“What’s going on? Why the rush?”
“There’s a red-haired girl on the rooftop—she looks like she’s about to jump!” Ye Yuzhe shouted over his shoulder before resuming his dash to the principal’s office.
Jump?! Liang Sheng’s eyes widened. Hold on—red hair. Wasn’t this the girl from earlier who had gone looking for Senior Sister Yuqi?
That’s right! Liang Sheng suddenly recalled the plot point: Wu Qian had threatened Gu Yuqi that if she wouldn’t agree to be her girlfriend, she’d jump right in front of her and make her regret it for life.
In the end, Wu Qian had jumped anyway. Gu Yuqi had agreed on the surface, only to back out at the last second. Wu Qian said she knew it was just a ploy to talk her down and jumped anyway, to make sure she’d be remembered.
No time to think. Ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, Liang Sheng bolted for the rooftop.
But in the original story, Wu Qian didn’t jump until after Gu Yuqi confessed to Su Ze. Why now? Everything was out of order—total chaos! Liang Sheng gritted her teeth and flew up the stairs to the rooftop.
“Huff.” “Huff huff.” She finally reached the rooftop, panting raggedly. The wound on her head burned like fire.
She peeked cautiously around the door and saw Wu Qian’s fiery red hair floating in the wind like scattered flames whipped by the breeze. Wu Qian was like those flames herself—wagering her body for a sliver of Gu Yuqi’s insincere love.
Hers was a scorching love that no one else could touch.
The flames of Wu Qian’s passion burned around Gu Yuqi, who had beads of sweat forming on her forehead. One droplet fell—“plip”—splattering on the ground and leaving faint watermarks that the blazing sun quickly dried away, leaving no trace. It was as if it foretold Wu Qian’s own fate.
“Classmate Yuqi, do you love me?” Wu Qian smiled wanly.
Gu Yuqi clenched her jaw and forced the words through gritted teeth. “What… exactly do you want?”
“Nothing much…” Wu Qian smoothed her hair with one hand while gripping the railing with the other. She gazed out at the building across the way.
She turned back with a smile, her lips twisting into something eerie. “Classmate Yuqi, let me be your girlfriend, okay?”
Gu Yuqi’s fists were clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. Her voice trembled. “Come… over here first.”
“No!” A shrill scream shattered the tense atmosphere, only making it thicker and more oppressive. Wu Qian tore at her hair, the red strands blooming like a wild rose. She covered her face and sobbed. “Just say you love me, okay?”
Gu Yuqi gritted her teeth. “I love you. Now come over!”
“Hahaha!” Wu Qian threw her head back and laughed, her eyes filled with desolation. “Keep saying it. Say you love me a hundred times, and I’ll come down.”
Gu Yuqi was on the verge of breaking. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she repeated the words like a robot. “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you…”
“Kneel,” Wu Qian demanded unreasonably. “Beg me to be your girlfriend—like a dog.”
Gu Yuqi’s knees bent slightly. She was actually about to kneel.
Liang Sheng watched the scene unfold, and a fire ignited in her chest. Wu Qian’s figure overlapped with a painful memory from her past. Enraged, she burst out from behind the door.
“Heh, go ahead and jump. You’ll die sooner or later anyway.” Liang Sheng sneered. This wasn’t reverse psychology—she genuinely hoped Wu Qian would jump. She despised anyone who threatened others with their own life.
“Liang Sheng!” Gu Yuqi cried out anxiously. “Don’t say things like that!”
“Senior Sister, hate me if you want, but she’s not worth saving.” Liang Sheng glared at Wu Qian and curled her lip in a cold smile. “Jump already. Don’t you want to die? Do it!”
“You!” Wu Qian’s pale face twisted into a snarl. She bellowed, “What are you doing here? Can’t you hear Yuqi saying she loves me?”
“Shut your mouth!” Liang Sheng glared at her viciously. “You don’t deserve to utter those words. You’re about to be a corpse—saying her name will only bring her bad luck!”
Wu Qian whipped her head toward Gu Yuqi. “Yuqi, do you want me to die too?”
“No, no! Come down!”
“Then…” Wu Qian seemed to mull it over. She tilted her head and smiled. “Slap Liang Sheng across the face until I’m satisfied.”
Gu Yuqi froze in place. She glanced at Liang Sheng, at a complete loss.
Liang Sheng’s expression had completely changed. She turned to Gu Yuqi. “Senior Sister, what do you want to do?”
What could she do? Gu Yuqi felt like an ant caught between millstones, struggling helplessly.
“I… I…” Gu Yuqi squatted down in anguish.
“Senior Sister, don’t you realize how pathetic you look right now? If she jumps from here, it’s not your fault. It has nothing to do with you. She’d deserve whatever happens to her.” Liang Sheng spread her hands, an exasperated look on her face.
Gu Yuqi stared at Liang Sheng in astonishment, as if seeing a stranger. Her tone grew strange. “This is a human life we’re talking about…”
Splash!!!
Favorability plummeted.
“Gu Yuqi’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 2”
“Do you really want to save her? I’m asking one last time.” Liang Sheng narrowed her eyes.
Gu Yuqi had lost all trace of her usual poised grace. She shot to her feet and roared at Liang Sheng. “It’s a human life! A living, breathing human life!”
Liang Sheng bowed her head, grinding her teeth. “Fine. I’ll help you out this one time.” But don’t come crying to me later.
She slowly raised her head, lifting her chin slightly as she looked at Wu Qian. “You love Gu Yuqi that much, don’t you?”
Wu Qian answered without hesitation. “I love her! Of course I do! I love Yuqi more than anyone! If it weren’t for you… if it weren’t for Liang Sheng, Yuqi would still be by my side!” She glared at Liang Sheng with venom, like a wolf eyeing its prey.
“Haha…” Liang Sheng smiled faintly, utterly unfazed. “You’d go splat when you hit the ground—reduced to a pile of meat paste. Tsk, what an ugly way to go!”
“Senior Sister Wu Qian, you pathetic little clown toying with your life like it’s nothing. Just sit tight and watch. Don’t get so worked up that you jump too soon!”
With that, Liang Sheng charged straight for Gu Yuqi.
