Finally, after watching the police cart away the yandere and that gang of thugs, Liang Sheng relaxed at last. She leaned against the wall, her legs going weak beneath her, barely able to hold her up.
Gu Yuqi hurried over to support her, but Liang Sheng suddenly remembered the wound on her senior sister’s arm.
“Senior Sister Yuqi, don’t worry about me. That’s a nasty gash—go get it disinfected right away.”
Gu Yuqi didn’t argue. She nodded, and someone led her out of the bathroom and upstairs to tend to the injury.
Song An’an came running, throwing herself into Liang Sheng’s arms with tears streaming down her face.
“A-Sheng! A-Sheng, I was so scared… What if you’d been badly hurt?” By the end, she was sobbing uncontrollably.
Before she could finish pouring her heart out, Liang Wengao yanked her aside and enveloped his daughter in a bear hug. The man who always preached that real men don’t cry easily was now wailing like a banshee.
Liang Sheng was caught completely off guard as the crowd surrounded her—some crying, others shouting—making her feel like she was on her deathbed with a terminal illness.
“I-I’m fine, really. Can someone please tend to the wound on my hand first?” she said weakly. But her voice was swallowed up by the clamor around her.
The cut on her hand throbbed with intense pain, fraying Liang Sheng’s patience. She shouted, “Everyone, shut up!” What was the point of all this fake concern? She might have been touched if it came from people who actually knew her, but these strangers bawling their eyes out?
The outburst stunned everyone into instant silence, like a classroom of kids whispering behind the teacher’s back who all freeze the moment she turns around—prompting the whole class to burst into laughter.
Liang Sheng couldn’t help it; a chuckle escaped her. The others found it funny too and started laughing along.
“Okay, okay,” she said, composing herself with a straight face. “Now take me to get this wound treated before it gets infected.”
Only then did Liang Wengao notice his precious daughter’s injured hand. His face drained of color, and he bellowed at the crowd, “What are you all standing around for? Can’t you see my baby girl is hurt? Clear a path—move!”
The group parted immediately, and Liang Wengao helped Liang Sheng make her way out.
Upstairs, she glanced around but didn’t see Zhong Wen anywhere. “Dad, where’s Mom? Why isn’t she up here?”
“Oh, her?” Liang Wengao answered vaguely. “She got a call about some emergency and rushed out. I don’t know the details, but she seemed pretty urgent about it.”
As someone bandaged her wound, Liang Sheng let her mind wander, piecing together the events of the past few days.
First off, in the original story, Wu Qian was supposed to jump to her death after Gu Yuqi confessed to Su Ze. But because of me, she tried to kill herself sooner. I saved her, which completely altered that side character’s fate and the plot’s direction.
Then there was the yandere Hana. In the original, she was supposed to get out of the mental hospital, get found by her birth parents, and enroll at St. Mary’s Noble Academy before making her appearance and falling head over heels for Su Ze at first sight.
But the Hana they saw today hadn’t even gone to the mental hospital yet. She must have spotted the lights in this countryside villa and decided to sneak in for a hideout. Instead, she ran into me—and fell for me over a casual promise I made without thinking.
In the end, things played out very differently. Hana never made it to the mental hospital; the police took her straight to the station. What happened to her after that? Who knew.
Liang Sheng closed her eyes and sighed. The plot was beyond saving now, derailed far too much from the original track.
She’d nearly died today. Was this the punishment for messing with the story?
She gave a bitter smile, but there was nothing she could do about it.
What now? She had no idea. She’d just have to take it one step at a time.
Exhausted from the fright and the tension, Liang Sheng drifted off into a deep sleep the moment she relaxed.
She didn’t wake until noon the next day. The sun hung high overhead, its golden midday light spilling across her face.
Liang Sheng’s head pounded like it might split open. She’d had a nightmare: Hana stabbing her to death while all the other girls flocked to Su Ze, leaving her alone in a pool of blood, struggling desperately.
When she finally stirred awake, reality sank in.
She stared out the window. Everything looked familiar, like the dust had settled. But deep down, Liang Sheng knew she didn’t belong here.
Sitting up cross-legged, she thought about the Favorability System for the first time. Why did it show the heroines’ favorability toward Su Ze and herself? What was its purpose? Or what happened if all the girls’ favorability toward her hit a certain threshold? She had no clue.
Ugh! Liang Sheng ruffled her hair in frustration. Systems in other novels came with cheats and rewards—some even let you turn into an adult or a cute animal. But hers? It just spat out basic info. Total garbage!
Her stomach growled loudly in protest. She hadn’t eaten since last night, and now hunger gnawed at her fiercely. Barefoot, she hopped out of bed and headed to the kitchen for something to eat.
Downstairs, still half-asleep, Liang Sheng bounced into the kitchen. She flung open the fridge, grabbed a carton of milk, and spun around in delight. Then she glanced toward the living room—and froze.
A crowd of people filled the space, packed in shoulder to shoulder. Every pair of eyes locked on her, witnessing her goofy little dance.
Liang Sheng choked on her own saliva. “Cough, cough.”
Liang Wengao shot to his feet, indignant. “Hey, what are you all staring at? Turn around! My daughter’s barefoot—no slippers—and you’re just gawking?”
Liang Sheng: “…”
The crowd: “…”
That one comment laid bare his doting-dad tendencies. She was fully dressed, for crying out loud—the only thing missing was slippers—and he was freaking out like this?
“Dad, where are my classmates?” Liang Sheng asked, cheeks burning with embarrassment.
“Oh, them? I sent them home. No point sticking around here; they’d just be in the way.”
Her gaze swept over the living room again. Not a familiar face in the bunch.
She shot her father a questioning look. Liang Wengao hemmed and hawed. “Uh, distant relatives—seventh aunt, eighth cousin, that sort of thing.” He didn’t admit he didn’t recognize any of them either.
One middle-aged woman stood up and approached Liang Sheng. Tears welled in her eyes as she clasped the girl’s hand, looking like fellow villagers reuniting abroad with both pairs brimming with emotion. “Young lady, I’m your father’s cousin’s niece’s second daughter. You should call me… er.” Even she drew a blank.
Liang Sheng blinked, utterly lost in the tangled family tree.
“Um, ma’am, if you could…” She started, hoping the woman would let go of her hand.
The lady lit up. “Right, right—just call me Auntie! What a smart girl.”
Liang Sheng: “???” What the heck? Was everyone here relationship-hungry or something?
The pressure on her wound sent fresh agony shooting through her hand. “Auntie! Let go!”
“Hey now, kiddo!” The woman grumbled, clearly put out. “Auntie’s just trying to dote on you a bit, and you brush her off? So rude!”
Damn it, Liang Sheng swore inwardly, yanking her hand free in a huff. The bandage was all crumpled now. She shot the woman a fierce glare before storming upstairs.
From below came Liang Wengao’s loud complaints. “Didn’t I tell you all my daughter’s hand is injured? Hit hard by an iron bar—it’s serious!” A chorus of voices chimed in with excuses.
Zhong Wen followed Liang Sheng up and found her sulking on the bed. The milk sat untouched beside her—it hadn’t even been warmed. Zhong Wen sat down next to her and soothed, “Sweetie, they’re just distant relatives. They’ll be gone in a few days. They’re new in town; we have to play good hosts, or word will get around that the Liang Family’s rich and snobby.”
Liang Sheng flopped into her mother’s arms like a petulant child. “But why’d they have to show up right when I got hurt? Are they here to see me?”
“No,” Zhong Wen shook her head. “I went out last night to pick them up. By the time I got home, your dad said you’d been hurt. I raced upstairs to check on you, changed your clothes—thank goodness you were okay…”
“Fine…” Liang Sheng puffed out her cheeks. She couldn’t complain about not wanting them around anymore, or she’d come off as ungrateful.
—— —— ——
A week passed peacefully. The first-year high schoolers faced their first monthly exam.
Liang Sheng had never been a good student before, but having lived through this once already, she shocked everyone by snagging third place in the class—her highest score ever. Her hand trembled slightly as she took the paper.
Homeroom Teacher Dong Yue was equally stunned. She rubbed her eyes, flipped the test over and over, double-checked the name and class, even re-added the score. At last, she accepted it: this really was from the girl who slept through class and woke up looking dazed.
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Dong Yue’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 7”
After a long pause, Dong Yue addressed the class with a sigh. “You can’t judge a book by its cover!”
Liang Sheng stayed quiet. Teacher, are you calling me ugly?
First place went to an unassuming boy in the class; second was Lu Ziqing.
Lu Ziqing wanted to congratulate her but, thanks to her tsundere nature, hemmed and hawed before blurting, “Third place? Pathetic, loser.” She regretted it instantly.
Liang Sheng just grinned cheekily. “Of course! How could I ever beat Young Miss Ziqing?”
“Hmph~”
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Lu Ziqing’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 55”
Liang Sheng smiled to herself. She knew the young miss ate that flattery right up.
After school, Song An’an spotted Liang Sheng’s test paper and her eyes sparkled like stars. She gazed up at her idol in awe. Liang Sheng waved it off, her face turning as long as Pinocchio’s when he lied. “Ha, no biggie!”
Back home, Liang Wengao and Zhong Wen nearly dropped their jaws at the score. The original Liang Sheng had always scraped the bottom of the class rankings. Bringing home such high marks left the couple dumbfounded.
“Sweetie, you sure you didn’t grab the wrong paper?” Liang Wengao stared at it so hard he might burn a hole through it.
See? One sentence, and you knew he was the real dad.
