“Oh come on, don’t be mad at the Young Miss anymore~” Liang Sheng kept ruffling Song An’an’s hair. “When we get back, I’ll invite you over to my place. You can even spend the night. It’ll make up for this time, okay?”
“Ding~” Favorability rose sharply.
“Song An’an’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 146”
Who knew Liang Sheng could flirt like that? Ni Sihan watched and listened from the sidelines, picking up a few tricks herself.
“Alright~” After soothing Song An’an, Liang Sheng hopped back onto her bed. “Now let’s get some sleep, quick~”
She needed to rest up. After all, there were still several tough challenges ahead that week.
—— —— ——
Liang Sheng was jolted awake by Lu Ziqing. The Young Miss looked down at her with utter disgust. “Sleep, sleep, sleep—you slept like a pig! Teacher Dong knocked on the dorm door to wake us up, and you didn’t even hear it!”
Liang Sheng was used to this kind of disdain by now. Yawning, she ruffled her messy hair. “Thanks for waking me up, my dear Miss Lu~”
God, her daily life made her feel like such a shameless lick dog.
“Ding~” Favorability rose.
“Lu Ziqing’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 148”
They got dressed and ready to head out.
Along the way, Su Ze outdid even Liang Sheng in lick-dog behavior. He scurried over to carry Teacher Dong Yue’s bag, playing the perfect devoted student. Through his relentless efforts, he finally got her Heartthrob Value back down from “Unable to View” to zero. The guy was over the moon.
When they reached the base of the mountains, Ni Sihan frowned and gazed up at the peaks. “No way… they aren’t seriously making us climb all these, right? Impossible, impossible.”
Anything was possible.
“Students!” The principal launched into another one of his hyped-up speeches. “You’ve all been cooped up at home for so long. Don’t you want to hike some mountains and get some exercise?!”
The students answered with their faces: a collective deadpan stare, forced smiles that didn’t reach their eyes, fists clenched at their sides—as if they were ready to charge the principal and give him a good pounding.
Then the principal said something even more punchable. “I bet none of you have ever been camping before. So, are you all excited for this trip?! Shout it out loud!”
“A Zhe, heh heh heh…” Cold laughter rippled through the crowd, leaving the principal red-faced and speechless.
“Come on, everyone! Show some enthusiasm!” The principal gritted his teeth and kept shouting.
Liang Sheng shot him a pitying look.
Just then, the principal glanced her way, and their eyes met.
“Perfect! Look at that!” The principal thrust his arm out, pointing straight at Liang Sheng, who was watching him. A bad feeling crept over her.
“See? Liang Sheng right there! That eager look in her eyes!” The principal beamed.
Every student turned to stare at Liang Sheng in unison.
Damn it, that startled her half to death. Liang Sheng felt like she was undergoing death by a thousand glares, sharp and merciless.
What the hell? She wasn’t eager at all—that was pity, pure pity! Liang Sheng shot the principal a fierce glare.
And then…
“Whoa! Look at Liang Sheng’s hungry eyes—those wide-open peepers, she can’t wait! Everyone, let’s get moving!” The principal even threw in some encouragement for good measure.
“Ew…” Retching noises rose from the crowd.
Liang Sheng wished she could die right there—socially annihilated. Principal, please! Don’t dump all this aggro on me!
Teacher Dong Yue wore a little green hat and waved a small green flag.
The sight of that color made Liang Sheng think their class would blend right into the lush greenery of the forest once they entered.
And she was right.
Especially her. With her light green hair, light green eyes, dark green hat, mottled green clothes and pants, greenish-black hiking boots, grass-green backpack, and a pale green suitcase—she was one with nature. Even the grass would greet her as kin: “Grass!”
Perfect for guerrilla warfare, Liang Sheng thought to console herself. If someone decided to take her out, she could trip while running, and they’d mistake her for part of the scenery. Saved.
Truth be told… at that moment, Liang Sheng thought of her cousin in the same boat, Liang Jin.
It made her feel a bit better. She wasn’t alone.
Later, she’d give her freshman cousin a sympathetic look and say, No worries, big sis is here with you! Liang Sheng was so moved by her own sisterly devotion that tears welled up in her eyes.
But when she turned around—flinging tears in the process—she saw Liang Jin’s class, the high school first-years (C group), all wearing little red hats and waving little red flags.
MMP. Forget she said anything. Liang Sheng rolled her eyes and didn’t glance at her cousin again.
So, was love just something that shifted?
No, Liang Sheng rejected that outright. Love just vanished, plain and simple.
While Liang Sheng was lost in her whirlwind of thoughts, Ni Sihan was having a rough time.
Her white skirt was splattered with mud, turning it brown. Grass blades and twigs clung to it. In that moment, Ni Sihan deeply regretted not listening to Liang Sheng.
These spoiled young heirs and heiresses hadn’t gone far before whining about being tired. Some even called their parents to pick them up and take them home.
The display embarrassed the principal. To save face, he turned into a smiling tiger. “This event affects your academic credits, you know~ Better put on a good show, everyone.”
Sadly, credits meant nothing to some. Soon enough, they headed back down the mountain, whisked away by their parents.
Man, I want to go home too. Liang Sheng watched the departing students with envy.
“Alright, everyone camps here tonight,” the principal said, his face sour.
Liang Sheng knew this spot was supposed to be safe. These were all rich kids; the school would have scouted it ahead for dangers like wild animals.
Of course, “supposed to be.” Wherever that scum Su Ze was, danger lurked nearby.
Maybe a beast.
Maybe an accident.
Maybe some sudden incident.
“Don’t worry.” Akino Kazuko comforted her. “Don’t overthink it. Akino Wakako is powerful—forty percent of it comes from tapping into Akino Hoshiko, which caused all those mishaps. As long as Akino Hoshiko’s host isn’t at this school, nothing will go wrong. But…”
Through Liang Sheng’s eyes, Akino Hoshiko gazed at Ni Sihan. “This girl gives me a strangely familiar vibe.”
Akino Kazuko sighed. “Hopefully it’s just my imagination.”
Just then, the sky darkened abruptly. Rain began to patter down on everyone.
