Gu Yuqi leaned brazenly against Liang Sheng’s shoulder, flashing a provocative grin at Liang Jin. “Your big sis and I are good friends, so it’s totally normal to fool around like this, right? Besides, she loves playing with me too, doesn’t she~? My sweeet Li~iang~ Sheng, Little Junior Sister~”
Liang Sheng coughed lightly, offering a faint nod of agreement. “Yeah, something like that. Girls in our class do this all the time. Don’t worry about it~”
“Oh…” Liang Jin replied, her voice thick with gloom.
Liang Sheng’s gaze fell on the notebooks scattered across the floor, and she couldn’t help but cover her face. Talk about embarrassing—this had to be the most mortifying moment of her life.
Back in the day… oh right, she was a post-90s kid. That’s when she was still scribbling in Martian Text.
Her Koukou handle was something like “Nobody Knows, Nobody Cares, Nobody Gives a Damn,” and her bio read: “┈☆Wandering solo down cherry blossom streets~ヤ.“—“_Tasting the sorrow of my weary heart ^╲_/Waiting for the miracle of meeting you{.“”
The memory made Liang Sheng’s head throb with a double dose of regret. She hadn’t been any better than the original Liang Sheng back then—both versions of her past were cringe-worthy enough to make her want to suffocate.
That was also when she sported the Funeral Love Family hairstyle, until her mom spotted it and forcibly chopped it off.
“Sister Liang Sheng, can I look at just one more~?” Liang Jin pouted, batting her lashes at Liang Sheng in full cute mode. Her big sis had been way too adorable as a kid~!
“No no no!! Scram!” Liang Sheng shoved Liang Jin away and hastily scooped up all the notebooks.
The sky outside was darkening, but none of the girls showed any sign of leaving.
Liang Sheng glanced left and right, growing a bit anxious.
Noticing her unease, Ni Sihan was the first to stand, giving her long skirt a little shake. “Alright, we’ve imposed on you long enough, Liang Sheng—it feels kinda rude. I’m heading out~ I’ll come find you to play tomorrow~”
Once outside Ni Sihan’s home, she glanced back at the second-floor window. She’d scoped it out before and knew which room was Liang Sheng’s. Peering up, she spotted a shadowy figure behind the curtains—standing perfectly still.
Ha! Ni Sihan smirked. That must be the guy Liang Sheng was hiding. If she exposed her in front of these two girls, they’d surely turn on her in disgust.
Ni Sihan let out a cruel chuckle. Sure, it might make Liang Sheng hate her, but… sometimes you had to prioritize the bigger picture.
No, there was an even better way to play this. A wicked idea sparked in Ni Sihan’s mind.
Bang bang bang! A furious pounding echoed from the door.
Liang Sheng had been locked in an awkward staring contest with Gu Yuqi and Liang Jin when the noise jolted her like a lightning bolt.
“Coming, coming!” Liang Sheng frowned as she hurried over. Who the hell was banging like that? Was someone’s house on fire?! What a chaotic day—no peace, not even for a second!
She flung open the door to find a frantic Ni Sihan.
“Quick, Liang Sheng!” Ni Sihan shoved past her and bolted upstairs with a rapid thump-thump-thump, shouting all the while, “Liang Sheng! You’ve got a thief in your house! I saw him!”
She glanced back to gauge Liang Sheng’s reaction.
Sure enough, Liang Sheng’s face drained of color, and she panicked, chasing after her up the stairs.
Hah, coming to stop me, are you? Ni Sihan snickered inwardly. Look at her freak out—guilty conscience confirmed, and something shady in that room too!
In reality, Liang Sheng’s mind was racing: Holy crap?! A thief in my room?! My bank card with tens of thousands is still in the drawer! My little tablet worth several grand is on the bed! All my thousands-worth luxury items are in the vanity! What do I do?! What do I do?!
She was freaking out purely over her valuables.
In her panic, Liang Sheng tripped on the stairs but sprang right back up. Money mattered more than a few scrapes.
Gu Yuqi and Liang Jin followed close behind.
Bang! The door flew open.
The four girls froze in stunned silence.
Liang Sheng peeked inside at the empty room, utterly baffled. She turned back and asked, “Where? Where’s the thief? Did he hide?”
Ni Sihan was equally dumbfounded. No way—her eyes wouldn’t lie. From downstairs, she’d clearly seen someone in Liang Sheng’s room! Maybe he ducked into another room? But no, she’d double-checked—it was definitely this one.
Gu Yuqi and Liang Jin exchanged bewildered glances, having no clue what was even going on.
Liang Sheng stepped forward boldly. “Thief! Where are you hiding!” She sounded just like a middle-school syndrome girl wielding a righteous staff.
Gu Yuqi yanked her back protectively. “With those skinny arms and legs, what if the thief hurts you? Leave this to me.”
Seeing the situation, Liang Jin stepped up too. Though terrified, she shielded her big sis firmly behind her.
The four girls tore the room apart but didn’t find a single trace of the “thief”—not even a strand of hair.
Ni Sihan stammered, pointing at the window in Liang Sheng’s room. “I-I saw him right there… cough, I mean, I saw a person! I swear, I’m not lying or joking!”
Liang Sheng scratched her head, her eyes suddenly landing on the humanoid standee by the window.
She blinked a few times and pointed at it. “Sihan, is the ‘thief’ you saw… this thing?”
A bad feeling twisted in Ni Sihan’s gut. She stepped over and flipped the standee around. It was a busty 2D anime girl, decked out in a super spicy blue bikini.
The air plunged into awkward silence.
“Ahahahahaha!” Liang Sheng collapsed onto the floor, roaring with laughter. “What a massive mix-up!”
Gu Yuqi and Liang Jin burst out laughing too, relieved after all that tension.
Only Ni Sihan managed a few awkward chuckles. She’d put on quite the show for nothing.
“You scared me half to death just now,” Liang Sheng said, patting her chest.
“Ah… sorry,” Ni Sihan crouched down, her face full of remorse. “I saw a shadow by the window and thought it was a thief, so I got all worked up and barged in.”
“Nah, it’s fine,” Liang Sheng gasped between laughs—first from the ridiculous misunderstanding, second because her precious savings were safe. “You meant well. I was just nearly frightened to death!”
Ni Sihan brimmed with apologies.
Ding~ Favorability increased.
“Gu Yuqi’s Favorability toward Ni Sihan: 0”
Ding~ Adoration Value increased.
“Gu Yuqi’s Adoration Value toward Ni Sihan: Unable to view”
Ding~ Favorability increased.
“Liang Jin’s Favorability toward Ni Sihan: 3”
Ding~ Adoration Value increased.
“Liang Jin’s Adoration Value toward Ni Sihan: 0.5”
Phew~ Pretending to be the good guy paid off a little. Ni Sihan felt a smug glow inside. It wasn’t Liang Sheng’s total downfall, but she still scored some benefits~
