“Alright~ Senior Sister is amazing! I’ll come find you next time!” Liang Sheng cheekily stuck out her pink little tongue.
Gu Yuqi covered her face, realizing the other girl was just teasing her, and decided it was time for some payback.
“Yeah, sure.” Senior Sister Gu hooked her arm around her junior sister’s neck. “Next time, you can try it out on my bed. I guarantee it’ll feel way better than now—pure ecstasy!”
“Pfft—cough cough cough!” Liang Sheng coughed far harder than Gu Yuqi had earlier.
“You perv!” Liang Sheng wriggled, trying to pry open the arm looped around her neck. “What the heck? I meant your motorcycle skills were great! What did you twist that into? Seriously, Senior Sister, your mind is in the gutter!”
Gu Yuqi tightened her hold around the girl’s neck and leaned in close to her face. “Uh-huh~ But Junior Sister Liang Sheng, didn’t you say all that hoping I’d misunderstand? Otherwise, how could I tease you just the way you want?” With that, she blew a puff of air right at her.
“Ah!” Liang Sheng shoved Gu Yuqi away—or rather, Gu Yuqi let go.
“S-Senior Sister, don’t say stuff like that anymore—it’s so misleading!” Liang Sheng huffed, her cheeks puffed out in feigned annoyance. Deep down, though, she was thrilled, even if she had to put on a show of propriety.
“Hahaha!” Gu Yuqi raised both hands in surrender. “Hurry inside already. It’s super late—don’t oversleep tomorrow.”
“Mm-hm!” Liang Sheng started climbing the ladder to get back into the courtyard.
Wait—she hadn’t said goodbye to Senior Sister Gu yet! Liang Sheng turned back and called softly, “Senior Sister Yuqi~~~”
“Hm?” Gu Yuqi looked up.
“Mwah~” Liang Sheng blew her an air kiss. “Bye-bye, Senior Sister Yuqi! I’ll think of you every single day!”
“Mm-hmm, and I’ll think of you every single day too.” Gu Yuqi was over the moon, waving nonstop at Liang Sheng.
Liang Sheng slipped into the courtyard, casting one last lingering glance at the wall. She knew her senior sister was still out there, waiting until she got safely inside. This sweet, clingy feeling was just like a pair of lovers reuniting after a long separation. Liang Sheng hurried down to the room below.
Hold on—what about all these clothes, pants, and boots? Liang Sheng tugged annoyedly at the big padded jacket Gu Yuqi had given her, unsure what to do with it.
Since it was from her favorite senior sister, she had to treasure it properly, of course. Liang Sheng looked around, racking her brain, and finally decided to just leave it here for now. She’d pick it up in the morning, hang it in the closet, and keep it as a memento.
Decision made, Liang Sheng stripped off the jacket, pants, and boots, piling them on the ground. Shivering, she steadied the ladder and began climbing up.
Seriously, Liang Sheng couldn’t help grumbling to herself. It felt just like a cheating lover sneaking out after an affair, leaving their clothes behind in the other woman’s house with no idea where to hide them.
She pushed open the window, her body already stiff from the cold, but she forced herself to move slowly, holding her breath as she slipped inside bit by bit. It was her own room, yet she felt like a thief in the night. Liang Sheng muttered under her breath.
Once fully inside, Liang Sheng quietly closed the window behind her. Then she stepped over the soundly sleeping Song An’an, sliding into the warm bedcovers like a nimble eel—whoosh!
“Eek, so cold!” Liang Jin suddenly yelped beside her. Liang Sheng’s hand had accidentally brushed her thigh, and Liang Jin happened to be wearing a nightgown.
“Sister Liang Sheng, why are you freezing like this?” Liang Jin cried out.
“Mm… What happened?” Song An’an jolted awake from Liang Jin’s commotion, sitting up with bleary eyes.
Liang Sheng lied quickly. “Oh, uh, I just went downstairs to use the bathroom.”
“Huh? Did you go out just now, A-Sheng?” Song An’an was still half-asleep.
“Yeah, I really had to go.”
Liang Jin asked suspiciously, “But I didn’t feel a thing—no noise at all.”
“You sleep like a dead pig—no waking you even if someone shoved you—and you have the nerve to say that?” Liang Sheng teased her cousin, then added, “Besides, in the middle of the night like this, where else could I go?”
“True…” Liang Jin mumbled. Had she really slept that deeply?
“Yeah, yeah, back to sleep then.” Song An’an couldn’t fight the drowsiness and flopped back onto the bed, out like a light in seconds.
Whew—crisis averted. Liang Sheng let out a breath of relief. With the two girls quiet again, the room fell silent, save for the clock’s steady tick-tock.
Mm… After all that fuss, Liang Sheng felt sleepy too. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she drifted off into a deep slumber.
She slept straight through until noon. When Liang Sheng finally stirred, Liang Jin and Song An’an were already gone from the bed.
Sporting a wild bedhead and yawning hugely, Liang Sheng shuffled downstairs and bumped into Zhong Wen, who was just heading out.
“Mom~” Liang Sheng threw herself at her, hugging Zhong Wen’s arm. “Where’d Song An’an and Liang Jin go?”
“What time is it, Little Dumb Pig?” Zhong Wen tapped her daughter’s forehead. “Look, it’s already twelve-thirty in the afternoon. Those two went home ages ago. You think everyone’s like you, a little lazy worm?”
“Hmph~” Liang Sheng pouted, pretending to be mad. “I’m not a dumb pig or a lazy worm! Hey, Mom, where are you off to? It’s almost New Year’s!”
“Almost doesn’t mean it’s here yet.” Zhong Wen smiled helplessly. “Someone reached out about a design job. I’m heading over to talk it through. See the grind of adult work now? Study hard, sweetie.”
At the mention of studies, Liang Sheng perked up smugly. “Your daughter’s top of the grade now! Pretty impressive, huh?”
“Yes, yes—very impressive. You’re Mommy’s pride and joy.” Zhong Wen ruffled Liang Sheng’s hair.
“Mm-hm, go on then, Mom.” Liang Sheng released her hold on Zhong Wen’s arm.
Zhong Wen stepped out the door, a smile on her face. Her daughter had really grown up overnight—sensible, low-maintenance, even helping with chores and cooking. Her grades had skyrocketed too. Zhong Wen felt deeply gratified. Even if Liang Sheng hadn’t changed, she’d still spoil her rotten.
“Woo-hoo~” Liang Sheng spun in place, dashed to the living room, and flopped onto the sofa.
Kazuko materialized out of thin air. “Any plans for today?”
“Today?” Liang Sheng lazily snatched the remote and flicked on the TV. “Obviously, kicking back after surviving a close call. Yesterday scared the life out of me.”
Kazuko sighed in exasperation once more. “Is that all you’ve got? No big ambitions?”
Liang Sheng chuckled and started up a romance movie. “Life’s just about having fun. I nearly died yesterday—gotta relax today, right?”
