With debt collectors on the verge of storming her house and smashing the door, Ni Sihan figured she’d better get out and lay low for a while, leaving her parents behind to weather the storm.
She was strolling down the street when suddenly her head grew hot, and she collapsed right there on the pavement.
“Ding-dong~”
“Adoration Value System”
“Binding successful~”
When she came to, she was in a hospital bed, utterly bewildered.
She looked up and spotted Akino Hoshiko floating in the air, grinning down at her.
“Aaah!?” Ni Sihan nearly tumbled right off the bed.
“Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!” she wailed like a banshee.
Akino Hoshiko grabbed her wrist. “Why the crying and screaming? Being chosen by me is your greatest stroke of luck~”
Ni Sihan’s body trembled as she kept her eyes down. “Please, just let me go. Please, let me go.”
Akino Hoshiko grew increasingly impatient with her attitude and released Ni Sihan’s wrist. Smack! She delivered a sharp slap across the girl’s right cheek.
Ni Sihan was stunned into silence, lifting her head in a daze.
“Do you want to get rich? Do you want to live like the wealthy elite? Do you want to buy all those designer bags?” Akino Hoshiko coaxed her, zeroing in on the temptations that would hook her deepest desires.
“I…” Ni Sihan froze.
“I know. I know it all~” Akino Hoshiko slipped behind her and draped an arm around her shoulders. “You’ve got those shady loans hanging over you, and now they’re coming to trash your house. Do you really want your reputation ruined? Do you really want to sell your body to pay them off? Or would you rather live like this forever?”
Ni Sihan was swayed. She slowly turned her head, mustering the courage to meet Akino Hoshiko’s eyes. “I… Is that all true?”
“Absolutely true~” Akino Hoshiko’s eyes narrowed.
Truth be told, she regretted her impulsive decision. Why had she let her head get turned by a girl with the same hair color? This girl had dragged her into so much mess that Akino Hoshiko now had to clean it up before she could even start her conquests.
In the old days, she would’ve picked a handsome guy without hesitation. But after hearing about this generation’s girls from Wakako and Su Ze, she’d gained some insight into their tastes.
So when she spotted this orange-haired girl, her heart had fluttered. Without even peeking at the girl’s memories, she’d gone ahead and bound her.
Only later did she remember she hadn’t checked those memories. When she finally did, she was speechless. She cried. She broke down. She regretted it bitterly, weeping uncontrollably. But it was no use.
With a sigh, Akino Hoshiko thought to herself that she’d dug this hole, so she’d just have to keep jumping into it.
After all, what else was she good for? Akino Hoshiko gave a bitter smile.
—— —— ——
School started again, and Liang Sheng had pulled another all-nighter: one pen, one miracle, nearly one corpse.
“Hey, check out those bags under your eyes. What were you up to last night?” a nosy boy in class teased her with a sleazy grin.
Liang Sheng brandished her puny little fist, which packed about as much punch as a feather. “Keep making dirty jokes, and I’ll bust your head open!”
During morning class, Liang Sheng glanced back at Su Ze’s seat. It was empty, covered in a thick layer of dust.
He was done for, it seemed. Liang Sheng sighed, a twinge of discomfort stirring in her chest. Maybe her bleeding heart was acting up again.
No, people like him had it coming! She shook her head, yanking her thoughts back on track.
The bell rang, and Dong Yue entered the classroom with her familiar figure, trailed by a girl with bright orange hair.
Ah! It was that cute girl from the class next door.
Ni Sihan spotted Liang Sheng right away and waved at her with an adorably bright smile.
Ni Sihan wasn’t the drop-dead gorgeous type, but she had a pleasant, enduring charm that put people at ease. Still, compared to Liang Sheng, she fell a fair bit short.
Liang Sheng was undeniably stunning, the class consensus. Her sharp, somewhat fierce features carried a seductive edge, and few girls dared to crush on her the way they did the others.
“Hi everyone, I’m Ni Sihan. Nice to meet you all—please take good care of me~” It had to be said: this cute, approachable look was catnip for the boys. Ni Sihan picked up on it and flashed a smug little smile.
“Be careful around that girl,” Akino Kazuko suddenly chimed in. “I sense a familiar aura on her.”
Liang Sheng pondered for a moment before blurting out, “Akino Hoshiko?”
Akino Kazuko fell silent.
After a long pause.
“Yes… but she should still be in Akino Wakako’s hands.” Akino Kazuko sounded puzzled. After a moment’s thought, realization dawned. “Eh?! Akino Wakako must be out of commission now. Maybe Hoshiko slipped out during the chaos.”
“You think it’s her?” Liang Sheng eyed Ni Sihan, a vague sense of crisis bubbling up inside her.
Sure enough, Ni Sihan’s gaze slyly shifted to Young Miss Lu Ziqing sitting behind Liang Sheng.
Damn, was she gunning for Liang Sheng’s woman? Seven parts indignant, eight parts pissed, Liang Sheng thought: Fine, take her. Hell, take them all—they’re all hand-me-downs from big sis anyway.
After class, Ni Sihan scampered over and latched onto Liang Sheng’s arm. “Liang Sheng, I’m still getting the lay of the land here. Mind showing me around?”
Ever since learning this orange-haired girl might be a future rival, Liang Sheng had felt a prick of irritation toward her.
But the girl was shamelessly asking for a favor. How could she say no?
“Sure… thing!” Liang Sheng forced a hint of enthusiasm, lest the other girl feel awkward.
Lu Ziqing’s eyes hadn’t left Ni Sihan from the moment she’d entered the room and waved enthusiastically at Liang Sheng, right up to her grabbing Liang Sheng’s arm.
What was their deal? Young Miss Lu Ziqing fumed. She shot to her feet and planted herself in front of Liang Sheng and Ni Sihan, blocking their path.
“Liang Sheng, what are you two up to?” Lu Ziqing shot Ni Sihan a glare.
Ni Sihan played it smooth, releasing Liang Sheng’s arm. “And you are…?”
Lu Ziqing planted her hands on her hips and lifted her chin. “I’m the class monitor, Lu Ziqing. If you’ve got questions, ask me. Don’t waste other students’ time.”
“Ah!” Ni Sihan’s eyes widened in cute surprise. Then she latched onto Lu Ziqing’s arm instead. “In that case, Class Monitor, could you show me around the school building? I don’t even know where the bathroom is.”
Damn! This little lass was trouble, just as suspected.
“Ding-dong!” System upgrade ×2.
“Heartthrob Value Law drops three levels. Reward: Favorability System rises two levels.”
“Favorability System upgrade reward: Designate one person to view girls’ favorability toward them.”
“Favorability System upgrade reward: Unlock Favorability Law Five: Erase one person’s all memories of the host.”
“Remaining laws: 1”
Huh? Liang Sheng scratched her head. Wasn’t Akino Kazuko’s Favorability System kinda lame? Only six laws total? Meanwhile, the Heartthrob Value System had twenty-eight.
