“Sure thing~” Liang Sheng hurriedly replied to Bai Zhen, tossing in an apology too. “Sorry about that, Sister Bai Zhen. You were the one who invited me out to play, but with all those people around, I didn’t get to hang out with you properly at all.”
Bai Zhen replied: “No worries, I didn’t see that coming either.”
“Then send those photos over quick, Sister Bai Zhen~” Liang Sheng sent a voice message.
Bai Zhen glanced at her phone and fired off all the photos.
Eh? There was a fleeting glimpse of a photo with a black background and eerie green light.
Bai Zhen realized something was wrong as the photos kept streaming over. She frantically scrolled up.
Oh no! She had to recall it fast!
In a panic, Bai Zhen recalled the photo of Gu Yuqi being hugged by Ni Sihan.
She remembered deleting that one—why…? Damn it! Bai Zhen smacked her forehead. She’d only recalled it after sending it to Liang Sheng once before!
She’d withdrawn it so quickly—Liang Sheng probably hadn’t seen it, right?
But clumsy Liang Sheng, of all times, opened that photo this once.
“…”
Liang Sheng fell silent.
“Who’s this? All shadowy and dark, looks like a ghost.” Liang Sheng pointed at her screen in disgust.
Good grief, she hadn’t made it out.
Of all the calculations, she hadn’t accounted for this outcome.
After Bai Zhen recalled it, Liang Sheng asked, “Sister Bai Zhen, whose photo did you withdraw?”
Bai Zhen, fighting back tears, replied: “That was me. It was too ugly, so I recalled it.”
In the end, Bai Zhen shouldered the blame alone.
And that was the end of it.
—
Some distant rural relative had suddenly invited Liang Sheng’s whole family out to the countryside for iron pot goose stew.
Liang Sheng hadn’t wanted to go at first, but then Liang Jin piped up, saying she was going too and insisting Liang Sheng come along.
The countryside… Liang Sheng suddenly missed the kang bed she’d slept on back in her old world.
“Fine, your big sis is super loyal—I’ll tag along!”
Liang Jin grabbed her cousin’s arm and whooped with joy. “Yay!”
Truth be told, Liang Jin didn’t really want to head to the countryside for fun. She just wanted to spend a little more time with her cousin Liang Sheng. Going out to play was just a pretext.
Looks like she couldn’t go see that movie with Senior Sister Yuqi after all.
Liang Sheng gazed down at her little cousin Liang Jin in her arms, her heart melting into a puddle. It had been ages since she’d taken her sister out to play—not to mention with the whole family.
“Hello?” Liang Sheng dialed Gu Yuqi, her voice tentative. “Sorry, Senior Sister Yuqi. My mom just told me we’re heading to the countryside tomorrow for some ‘life experience’ thing.”
Gu Yuqi’s heart plummeted. She couldn’t muster a smile.
“Mm, okay, sure.” Gu Yuqi felt awful but forced herself to play it cool. “Then… we’ll talk later.”
Liang Sheng picked up on the hurt in her voice and felt bad herself. She tried to comfort her. “Senior Sister Yuqi, how about I make it up to you next week?”
By now, she’d ducked into the bathroom at home, not wanting her cousin Liang Jin to overhear.
“Mm… sure!” Gu Yuqi faked cheerfulness, though her throat tightened and tears pricked her eyes.
Oh no, she’s really upset! Liang Sheng hurried to soothe her more. “Senior Sister Yuqi~ Senpai~ Senpai~ Mmm~~ My bad~ Don’t be mad, okay? Next week, how about I give you a kiss as compensation?”
“Okay… Huh??” Gu Yuqi, who’d been wallowing in melancholy, froze.
Wh-what?! A k-kiss?? Her face flushed hot in an instant.
“See~ I know you love French kissing with me, Senior Sister Yuqi~” Liang Sheng kept up the coquettish teasing aimed at her very own Senior Sister Gu Yuqi.
“Ahem!” Gu Yuqi flushed with embarrassment and started scolding her. “What kind of decorum is that?! What kind of decorum?!”
Those four words rubbed Liang Sheng the wrong way. “Hey, Senpai, that’s not fair. How come you never think of that when you’re the one forcing a French kiss on me!”
That mouthful left Gu Yuqi speechless—and a bit mortified.
Yeah… She was the one lacking decorum.
“W-well, that’s ’cause you’re too cute…” Gu Yuqi mumbled.
Liang Sheng burst out laughing. “Dummy! Senior Sister Yuqi’s such a big dummy!”
With all the playful banter, Gu Yuqi’s mood lightened up.
Right before hanging up, Gu Yuqi threw in one more line.
“You promised—next week, you’ll give me a… ahem! Just remember what you said!” She hung up right after.
“Hahaha.” Liang Sheng stared at her phone, cracking up.
Looks like Senior Sister Yuqi’s embarrassed. It was the biggest reaction since they’d met—no shyness like this before.
“Of course I’ll remember~” Liang Sheng planted a kiss on her phone.
Score! The phone wins this round!
“Sister Liang Sheng, were you on the phone in the bathroom?” Liang Jin sounded a bit down. From outside, she’d faintly caught bits like “senpai,” “a kiss,” “sorry,” and the like. She’d heard everything she wasn’t supposed to.
“Uh, uh…” Another day of fibbing. “That’s just how girls are with each other. Y’know, girls do that stuff… Little Sis, don’t you and your besties act like that?”
“I’d never do that with anyone else!” Liang Jin got flustered and raised her voice. “I get along totally normally with others—no kissing or hugging. I only wanna be like that with Sister Liang Sheng… Er, ahem.”
Her words cut off abruptly.
Liang Sheng pretended not to hear, walking over to sit beside Liang Jin.
“Sister Liang Sheng…” Liang Jin looked panicked. What if her cousin got mad at her again like last time? What if she ignored her completely? She never wanted her favorite cousin to treat her that coldly again.
“Hm?” Liang Sheng turned her head. “What’s up?”
Liang Jin fidgeted nervously with her slender fingers. “You’re… you’re not mad, right? What I said earlier…”
Liang Sheng watched her cousin’s flustered panic and reached out to pat her head. “What are you scared of? You didn’t say anything wrong. Don’t tiptoe around your big sis like that—we’re family. No matter what you say, I won’t get mad.”
Ding~ Favorability increased.
“Liang Jin’s Favorability towards Liang Sheng: 126”
“Okay, Sis…” Liang Jin nestled against her cousin, resting her head on Liang Sheng’s shoulder. It felt so warm inside.
“You’re the best to me, Sister Liang Sheng.” Liang Jin hugged Liang Sheng’s neck again.
