“Liang Sheng, do you still have any of that perfume I gave you left?”
Liang Sheng replied, “Yeah, Sister Ou Lu~ Like I said, I’ll treasure the perfume you gave me and use it sparingly~”
In truth, she had long since forgotten all about that perfume.
“Mm,” Ou Lu nodded. “But when you come see me on Saturday, whatever you do, don’t wear any perfume.”
“Huh? Why… Oh, okay, got it~ Sister Ou Lu~” Liang Sheng thought for a moment but decided against asking why.
After all, loose lips sink ships.
Saturday rolled around in the blink of an eye. Liang Sheng had dressed herself up all pretty—a pink little dress, twin tails tied with two pink butterfly bows.
“Hehe~” She gazed at her reflection in the mirror, so cute and dainty that she couldn’t help but drool. “Oh my gosh, who’s that little beauty in the mirror~? How is she so adorable? I’m seriously falling for her!”
Today was yet another day when the Favorability System—Akino Kazuko—could only watch helplessly as her host lost it, utterly powerless to do a thing.
“Alright~” Liang Sheng struck a pose, grabbed her bunny crossbody bag from the sofa with glee, and headed out the door.
Akino Kazuko looked her host up and down, left and right, giving her a thorough once-over. At last, she cast Liang Sheng a satisfied glance. “Who would’ve thought? You sloppy girl actually look pretty cute when you bother to dress up~”
“Heh~” Liang Sheng wiped her nose and struck what she figured was an ultra-cool pose. “Sis, not only can I pull off cute—when I get serious, I can be so handsome it’ll scare your eyes right out of your head!”
Akino Kazuko blinked her big eyes for a long moment before letting out a sigh. “Good lord, Liang Sheng, have you been binge-watching those sassy little kid videos online? You must’ve caught the vibe from them.”
Speechless. Akino Kazuko just didn’t get cool. Liang Sheng ignored her system like always, leaving her hanging.
No sooner had she stepped out the door than Ou Lu pulled up. That dark red sports car was seriously flashy.
Ou Lu, sunglasses on, waved at Liang Sheng. “Over here—hop in.”
Liang Sheng jogged over, yanked open the passenger door, and slid inside.
“Wow~” The moment she was in the car, her eyes turned to stars, unleashing a torrent of flattery. “Sister Ou Lu, you’re so handsome~ I missed you tons, sis—hug!”
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Ou Lu’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 42”
She really was helpless against this kid. Why was she always so enthusiastic with her? Ou Lu helplessly patted Liang Sheng’s head.
“Alright, buckle up tight,” Ou Lu reminded her. “I’m taking you to the factory.”
“Yay!” Liang Sheng beamed with excitement.
“Oh, right.”
That set off a bad feeling in Liang Sheng.
Sure enough.
“We’ll swing by and pick up Su Ze first. A few days ago, when he heard I was taking you to the factory, he insisted on tagging along to check it out.” Ou Lu gripped the steering wheel, her red hair whipping in the wind.
Damn that Su Ze—he was like a clingy, disgusting fly. Liang Sheng’s hands clenched the seatbelt for dear life. She could run into him anywhere.
She glanced again.
“Ou Lu’s Favorability toward Su Ze: 55”
“You know,” Ou Lu actually shot Liang Sheng a gossipy grin, “Su Ze’s eyes light up like crazy whenever he hears your name. So, what do you think—does he have a crush on you?”
“Pfft!!” Liang Sheng choked on her own spit, nearly hacking up a lung amid a wave of nausea.
As if. If Su Ze actually liked her, she’d grab a pair of scissors and gouge his eyes out on the spot. Talk about nauseating—that was enough to kill someone.
“Cough cough cough, Sister Ou Lu, don’t tease me like that.” Liang Sheng’s throat ached from all the coughing; she rubbed her neck. “No way Su Ze likes me.”
Ou Lu just smiled, saying nothing.
Ugh, Su Ze—what a total buzzkill.
Liang Sheng asked, “Sister Ou Lu, where are we picking up Su Ze?”
No one noticed the faint smile playing on her lips.
“At the neighborhood entrance,” Ou Lu replied.
“Oh, okay.” Liang Sheng began rummaging through her small crossbody bag.
Her hands were busy, but her mouth ran nonstop. “Sister Ou Lu, when we get to the neighborhood entrance, could you let me out for a sec? I gotta hit the bathroom.”
“Sure, but…” Ou Lu lobbed the million-dollar question. “Where’s the bathroom around here?”
“Oh, there is one… wait, actually, no,” Liang Sheng knocked her forehead. “Well, there’s that little grove right by the neighborhood entrance. If push comes to shove, I can just…”
Ou Lu got the picture.
“Okay okay okay,” Liang Sheng hurriedly called out as they neared the entrance. “Sister Ou Lu, just park here and wait—I’ll be right back!”
With that, she clutched her stomach and scampered out of Ou Lu’s car.
Hehe, looks like big scumbag Su Ze hadn’t shown up yet. Perfect. Liang Sheng jogged along. Sure, she was directionally challenged, but not catastrophically so.
By some twisted stroke of luck, just as she approached the grove outside the neighborhood, she spotted Su Ze finally strolling up.
“Su Ze!” Liang Sheng had already scoped it out—no cameras in sight.
Su Ze halted at the sudden shout, turned, and saw the sweetly smiling Liang Sheng beckoning him.
“Su Ze, come here for a sec~ I have something to tell you~” Her tone with Su Ze this time was so gentle, it was downright eerie.
Su Ze frowned. “Liang Sheng, what kind of nonsense are you pulling now?”
Liang Sheng’s smile never wavered as she waved him over frantically. “Come on~ Su Ze~ There’s something super cool to see in the woods~”
“Ugh…” Su Ze felt queasy. What the hell was up with this woman and her bootlicking grin? Had she been possessed?
Suspicious as it was, he still walked toward Liang Sheng.
Liang Sheng grinned so hard that even her own system, Akino Kazuko, wanted to chew her out.
“You look just like a hooker working the streets with that smile!”
Liang Sheng tuned her out. Once Su Ze was close, she fought back her disgust and grabbed his sleeve. “Classmate Su Ze~ Let me show you something you’re sure to love.”
Su Ze was utterly baffled by the green-haired girl’s weird antics.
After racking his brain, a narcissistic thought bubbled up.
“Liang Sheng, you’re dragging me into the woods—don’t tell me you want to get frisky?” Su Ze scoffed. “Sorry, but I’m not that into you.”
Liang Sheng’s cheeks still bore that inscrutable smile. She glanced back at him. “You’ll see~ Once we’re a bit deeper in the woods, I’ll tell you.”
Heh, Su Ze sneered inwardly. Was that psycho Hana hiding in there? Did Liang Sheng plan to frame him and throw him in jail again? Keep dreaming!
Su Ze was still smug, convinced his memories were intact while hers had been wiped.
“Here we are~” Liang Sheng let go of his sleeve.
