“Old hag?” Zhen Zhu popped out from behind the carousel.
She had meant to give Liang Sheng a good scare. At first, hearing the anxious edge in Liang Sheng’s voice had delighted her. But as that voice grew more and more terrified, Zhen Zhu realized she had taken the joke too far. She hurried out from her hiding spot.
“Zhen Zhu!!!” Liang Sheng scrambled over, grabbing Zhen Zhu’s shoulders. “Where were you just now? Did someone come take you away?”
Zhen Zhu felt a twinge of fear. “I… I hid myself. I just wanted to play a little joke on you…”
Liang Sheng let out a breath of relief at first, but then her eyes widened in anger. “Do you have any idea how frightening that was? Do you know how worried I was about you!”
Zhen Zhu looked utterly aggrieved. She knew she had messed up. Seeing the genuine concern in Liang Sheng’s eyes—even amid the scolding—filled her with deep regret and guilt.
“Uh, uh, I won’t do it again next time. Sorry…” The little demon, the bear child—Zhen Zhu had actually apologized of her own accord!
Liang Sheng hadn’t seen that coming. She was completely thrown off. With a sigh, she took hold of Zhen Zhu’s small hand. “Fine. No more of that from now on. My heart can’t handle scares like that.”
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Zhen Zhu’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 71”
“Got it,” Zhen Zhu said, suddenly acting all mature as she took Liang Sheng’s hand of her own accord. “Don’t worry.”
Aw, it was like watching a child grow up in an instant. Liang Sheng felt a swell of warmth.
“So, where to next?”
Zhen Zhu eyed the towering drop tower piercing the sky. She swallowed hard and pointed. “I… I want to try that one!”
“You’re not even sixteen yet. They won’t let you on.” Liang Sheng shook her head, turning down the request.
The two wandered through half the amusement park, but age limits kept Zhen Zhu from most of the rides.
“Let’s just go home then.” Zhen Zhu sounded glum.
Liang Sheng coaxed her. “How about we check out the little animals instead? Want to see the monkeys?”
Zhen Zhu looked up, a sly grin spreading across her face. “Isn’t there a little monkey right here?”
“Hm?” Liang Sheng glanced left and right. No sign of one. “Where? I don’t see anything.”
Zhen Zhu hopped up and pinched Liang Sheng’s cheek. “No little monkey, but we’ve got you—the big monkey!”
“Hey! Little rascal!”
They really couldn’t savor a tender moment for long.
“I don’t want to look anymore. I’m tired. Let’s grab a cab home.” Zhen Zhu spread her arms wide again.
Liang Sheng arched a brow. “And what exactly is this?”
Zhen Zhu declared with perfect righteousness, “I’m tired! Carry me to the taxi stand!”
Liang Sheng started to protest, but then thought better of it. Whatever—just for one day with this little demon. The girl was pitiful, really. No kids her age at home to play with. Any peers she had ended up in tears from her sharp tongue. Nobody wanted to hang out with her. And her parents? Always too busy to come home. Even when they did, the massive age gap created an insurmountable gulf. They could never quite connect.
Sigh. I’m such a kind-hearted woman. Liang Sheng slipped back into self-admiration.
“Off we go~” Liang Sheng scooped Zhen Zhu up. “Ding dong~ Your personal taxi service is now in motion.”
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Zhen Zhu’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 73”
“Hmph, childish!” Zhen Zhu scoffed in disdain. “Acting like a kid, playing these baby games.”
Liang Sheng just smiled and said nothing.
“Hey, take this seriously! I’m about to slip off.” Zhen Zhu clung tighter to Liang Sheng’s neck.
“Yeah,” Liang Sheng replied. She cupped the little loli’s bottom and gave a firm bounce, settling her back into place.
“You!” Zhen Zhu’s face turned red as she pounded Liang Sheng’s shoulder. “Why are you groping me!”
“Huh?” Liang Sheng blinked in confusion. Her hands had stayed perfectly proper—where was the groping? She was utterly baffled. “I didn’t do anything like that! Don’t slander an innocent person!”
Zhen Zhu jabbed a finger toward her own backside. “Look! Your hand just now—it touched my…”
“Pfft!” Liang Sheng nearly choked on laughter. “Hahaha, you’ve got quite the imagination. I was just lifting you up higher so you wouldn’t slide down! With that scrawny little body of yours, I’m not the least bit interested.”
“That senior you like is flat as a board too!” Zhen Zhu spat out the vicious words in a fit of spite. “She’s fine, so why not me?!”
???
Liang Sheng was a sea of question marks. “You… you kid, don’t tell me you’re into me or something…”
“In your dreams!” Zhen Zhu spat at her. “You? The one I like is my Brother Su Ze!”
Ugh… These days, Liang Sheng felt a visceral gag reflex at the mere mention of Su Ze. Truly, every weirdo had their fans.
“So,” Liang Sheng pressed, unwilling to let it go, “what’s so great about Su Ze that’s got you, little rascal, all smitten and senseless?”
The mere mention of “Brother Su Ze” brought a shy flush to Zhen Zhu’s face. This little demon was actually acting bashful.
“Well~” Even her voice took on a dreamy lilt, nothing like the shouting rascal from moments ago.
“Brother Su Ze is so gentle~ He treats me great, always taking me out for delicious treats~ He pets my head. And even when I yell at him, he just smiles and puts up with it~” Zhen Zhu covered her burning cheeks. “You’d better not go falling for my Brother Su Ze! From now on, the only bride for him is me!” Zhen Zhu staked her claim.
Right. Liang Sheng rolled her eyes. Yeah, you’d be one of them, sure.
“Then,” Liang Sheng lobbed another question, “that’s all it took for you to fall for him? What about last time, when he treated you like that? Forgotten already?”
Zhen Zhu knew exactly what she meant—the incident at school. She jumped to his defense. “That time, it had to be an accident on Brother Su Ze’s part. Or maybe he was too busy and forgot. Or… or perhaps he figured I’m smart enough not to get lost!”
Insecurity laced every word from the little loli.
Liang Sheng sighed. She had glimpsed Zhen Zhu’s favorability toward Su Ze—it hadn’t cracked a hundred, way down from before. So why was this girl still so fixated?
“Zhen Zhu, be honest with your big sis. Are you dead set on Su Ze from here on out?”
Zhen Zhu’s patience frayed. “Obviously! What are you getting at? Trying to trash-talk my Brother Su Ze?”
Sigh… Talk about stubborn.
“Zhen Zhu…” Liang Sheng spoke with earnest gravity. “Let me be clear up front—I’m not coming at this like some know-it-all adult lecturing you. Don’t get mad at me, and feel free to ignore my advice entirely.”
Zhen Zhu relaxed at those words and nodded. “Okay, go ahead. I’m not mad.”
