Mo Qingrou let out a sigh. “I’m not the type to smile, and besides, I can’t. Sorry if I’ve disappointed you.”
“No, no, no!” Liang Sheng waved her hands frantically. “Disappointed? Not at all! The Iceberg Beauty totally hits my type, okay?”
Ah, no—she shouldn’t be teasing people like this. Liang Sheng slapped her own cheeks a few times. “Pfft, pfft, pfft—forget I said anything.”
“Hmm hmm hmm.” Mo Qingrou let out a few chuckles, though only she could hear them.
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Mo Qingrou’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 20”
“My poker face wasn’t something I was born with.” Mo Qingrou suddenly opened up about her past. “It started back in middle school. For no clear reason, I just… stopped being able to smile. Some folks guessed it was nerve damage in my face. I tried forcing other expressions, but I couldn’t summon the strength.”
Ah…
“Why didn’t you get it treated?”
“Couldn’t be cured,” Mo Qingrou said, sounding puzzled herself. “Because it wasn’t nerve damage at all. The doctors ran every test and found nothing wrong—my body was perfectly normal. Actually, better than normal. Exceptionally healthy, even. Sigh. With all the advanced tech we have these days.”
Hm? Such a bizarre condition? Liang Sheng’s overactive imagination kicked in, and she suddenly wondered if Su Ze had something to do with it.
“Ding-dong~” The system chimed.
“Successfully unlocked the reward for Heartthrob Value Law Twenty-Three: Law Four activated. If the host hugs the target and whispers, ‘Forget it all after a quick nap,’ the target will forget everything they did in the previous half hour.”
Ha, that simple? Liang Sheng’s mouth twitched. Come on, Su Ze, you Big Pig Hoof—have some decency and stop screwing over innocent girls everywhere.
“It’s fine! With that aloof vibe of yours, Sister Mo Qingrou, you look like a celestial beauty even without smiling. Prettier than any ordinary girl!” Liang Sheng threw everything she had into comforting her.
Mo Qingrou shook her head. “The facial paralysis brought me so much pain. Back in middle school, kids laughed at me all the time. But… there was this one little boy. He told me I looked beautiful without smiling. That meant a lot. It comforted me more than I can say.”
“A little boy?” An ominous feeling stirred in Liang Sheng’s chest. “You never ran into him again after that?”
“Oh, I did. Quite the coincidence—he’s right here at this school.” Mo Qingrou smiled to herself.
Liang Sheng narrowed her eyes and checked:
“Mo Qingrou’s Favorability Toward Su Ze: 39”
Not that high after all. The Iceberg Beauty’s heart really was made of ice—hard to thaw.
“So, how did you recognize him, Sister Mo Qingrou? It’s been years; his looks must’ve changed a ton.” Liang Sheng probed.
Mo Qingrou paused, thinking back. “He recognized me first. I didn’t know who he was at the start. But then I saw the golden bell on his wrist. It was identical to the one that little boy wore back then.”
Just as expected—everything was part of Su Ze’s schemes. Liang Sheng gnashed her teeth, a flicker of worry creeping in for herself. If his Heartthrob Value System was that powerful, could her own puny Favorability System stand a chance?
“You know?” Kazuko asked.
“What?”
“Su Ze can only see the Heartthrob Values girls have for him. He can’t see theirs for you. But we can see both—their Favorability toward him and toward you. That’s gotta count for something, right?”
Kazuko pressed on. “Plus, they rely on raw power, while we play to emotional intelligence and real feelings. Which do you think wins out?”
“Raw power,” Liang Sheng replied deadpan.
“…”
Kazuko fixed her host with dead-fish eyes. “Can’t you give me one compliment without dying?”
“…”
Liang Sheng flashed a lopsided grin—things were definitely not looking good. “Sure I can.”
“Pipsqueak Little Loli is the GOAT! Too adorable, total GOAT!”
Good lord, talk about hitting Akino Kazuko right in her sore spot and tear ducts. “You…!”
“Oh, right—forgot to mention, flat-chested GOAT too! Steel Plate GOAT! Airport GOAT!” Liang Sheng burst out laughing. “There, feel praised yet? Eh heh heh~”
“Gah!” Kazuko nearly keeled over from sheer rage.
Right at that moment, Mo Qingrou was heading out to buy food. Liang Sheng tugged at her sleeve and asked her to grab a portion for her too. No way was she venturing out there to be gawked at like a sideshow freak—for free, no less.
Once Mo Qingrou had gone, Kazuko materialized, plopping down beside Liang Sheng with puffed-up cheeks.
“Aw, come on~” Liang Sheng reached over and ruffled her head. “You’re an awesome system. And my life’s pretty great right now. Everyone’s been so incredibly kind to me. Even if the mission goes south later and I end up dying horribly, I’m still one of the lucky ones. If I had to do it all over, I’d choose this path again—coming here, meeting all of you.”
“You…” Kazuko’s instincts screamed that Liang Sheng’s tone was all wrong. Hold up—this was a silly comedy harem novel! No sudden sentimental plot twists!
“The fuck are you getting all sappy for?!” Kazuko had meant to say something comforting, but that’s what tumbled out instead.
Liang Sheng blinked in shock, then a vein throbbed on her forehead. “Oh yeah? No m for you—today, I’m beating you to death! Damn it! You flat-chested deadpan loli!”
As the old saying goes: a beating means affection, a scolding means love. Liang Sheng grabbed her silly system by the hair—proof of how deep their bond ran.
“Can’t you talk like a normal person? Believe it or not, I’ll rip that little bitch mouth of yours right off!” Liang Sheng’s eyes bulged like ripe apricots, her face twisting into a wicked crone’s snarl as she viciously pinched the other’s chubby round cheeks.
“No more! I won’t do it again!” Kazuko wailed through tears, waving a tiny white flag in surrender.
After they’d tired themselves out horsing around, the food arrived. Three dishes and a soup: two veggie, one meat. It looked delicious—and nutritious to boot.
Whoa, her favorite fish balls! Liang Sheng hopped off the bed in excitement. Oops—careless move. Fresh blood trickled down. Her face flushed pink, and she settled back obediently. She walked over calmly, pulled up a chair, and dug in.
Mo Qingrou had slipped back into her usual tight-lipped mode, eating in silence.
Bored, Liang Sheng piped up again. “Sister Mo Qingrou, got any childhood photos? I’d love to see you smiling—it must’ve been adorable.”
Mo Qingrou said nothing. Instead, she pulled out her phone, opened the gallery, and there it was: a beaming little girl with light blue hair. So incredibly cute. Liang Sheng glanced up at the current Mo Qingrou—still gorgeous, but with that ever-present hint of aloofness.
“You’ve been beautiful from childhood right up to now, Sister Mo Qingrou.” Liang Sheng grinned, flashing eight pearly teeth.
