A gentle kiss landed softly on Lu Ziqing’s tear-streaked cheek.
“Wu… Hm?” Lu Ziqing froze in an instant, even forgetting to cry.
“You…!” In its place surged that familiar girlish shyness.
Phew~ Liang Sheng couldn’t bear to see a girl cry. Whenever a girl shed tears, she got all nervous.
Seeing Young Miss Lu stop crying, Liang Sheng puffed up with smug satisfaction. “Young Miss Ziqing likes me that much? One little kiss and she stops crying?”
“I…” Lu Ziqing felt too embarrassed to say anything. She suddenly realized she’d done something utterly humiliating—bawling like a baby in public.
“Just!” Lu Ziqing shot to her feet with a whoosh, turning her back and gazing out the window as if admiring the scenery. “J-Just now, I-I accidentally bumped into the corner of the table! Th-that’s why I was crying! N-not because of you… Hmph!”
Hahaha. Liang Sheng nearly burst out laughing. She hadn’t even said a word, yet this tsundere Young Miss Ziqing had confessed everything herself—self-incriminating cuteness. Eh heh heh~ So adorable. That must be the charm of a tsundere.
“Okay, okay~~” Liang Sheng stood up too and reached out to ruffle the other girl’s hair. “Where’d you bump it? The table’s fine… Ptoo ptoo ptoo. A-are you okay? Let me see where it hurts. I’ll blow on it for you.”
Liang Sheng had almost slipped into her snarky habit again but managed to catch herself just in time.
But Lu Ziqing hadn’t bumped into the table corner at all. How was she supposed to know where it hurt?
Lu Ziqing had never been good at acting or lying. Now she fumbled awkwardly, like she was performing some one-woman farce.
“Pfft…” Liang Sheng finally couldn’t hold it in. Her cheeks puffed out as the snort escaped.
“What are you laughing at!” Lu Ziqing whirled and glared at her.
Liang Sheng waved her hands frantically. “Not laughing, not laughing, not laughing! I was just… just about to sneeze!”
Lu Ziqing lowered her head and eyed the height of the table. It seemed… like the only thing it could bump was her butt?
Young Miss Lu’s mind was a chaotic mess, but she’d finally scraped together a bit of a lie—and now she blurted it all out in a rush. “I-I bumped my butt!”
“Oh… Oh? Oh~” Liang Sheng’s expression shifted in waves: first blank staring, then a little question mark hovering over her head, followed by shock, then beaming delight, and finally a grin that twisted into something downright creepy.
If words can’t convey the full intensity of her facial rollercoaster, then here’s a picture to help you feel it too—(ㅎ.ㅎ)〉(꒪⌓꒪)？〉⊙_⊙！〉⚆_⚆〉⚆ ω⚆〉~~⚆⁎ᴗ⁎⚆~~
“Y-You! What’s with that laugh!” Lu Ziqing was gradually realizing that things were veering into dangerously weird territory.
No—the situation had already spiraled beyond her wildest imagination.
“Hehehe~~” Liang Sheng let out a total pervert’s cackle. She raised her little paws in the air, about head height, shaping them into cat claws and kneading at nothing like she was squeezing something soft.
“You, you!” Lu Ziqing was starting to panic, her face draining of color. “Don’t come any closer!”
Liang Sheng grabbed the other girl’s wrist. “Don’t run, my Young Miss Ziqing. Let me check your injury. You cried so hard from the bump—no scars on that skin, okay? It’s so tender, delicate, and pure white, after all.”
“No no no! Let go!” Lu Ziqing shrieked, flailing in full panic mode.
Liang Sheng kept up her “hehehe” giggles. She’d had her eye on Young Miss Lu’s perky butt for ages. Young Miss Lu’s rear was seriously perfect~ It looked like it’d have amazing hand-feel—super bouncy and soft to the touch.
“C-Careful, or I’ll scream for help! That’s straight-up hooligan behavior!” Lu Ziqing’s face turned beet red.
Just as Liang Sheng’s devil claw was about to descend on a certain tsundere young miss’s perky butt, a bolt of heavenly justice came crashing down.
“Stop!” A loud, familiar male voice exploded right in Liang Sheng’s ear.
Ah, those opening lines felt so familiar. Liang Sheng zoned out for a second. Was the next one going to be “Let go of that girl! Let me handle it!”?
She turned toward the source of the voice. There stood the male lead with his face full of righteous fury—or rather, the former male lead, Mr. Su Ze!
“How can you treat Miss Ziqing like that?” Su Ze strode forward with a look of selfless heroism and yanked Lu Ziqing right out of Liang Sheng’s arms.
Truth be told, Lu Ziqing was a smidge taller than Liang Sheng and even more mature-looking. Having this kid hold her did create a bit of an odd contrast. But heh heh~ Didn’t that gap moe make it even more thrilling… Ptoo ptoo ptoo. Exciting, yeah—or better yet, blood-boiling!
After pulling Lu Ziqing out, Su Ze even tried to draw her into his own embrace. This time, however, Young Miss Lu wasn’t dazed anymore. She raised her arm, jammed her elbow into his chest, and shot him a cold glare.
“Su Ze, could you please let go of my wrist?” Lu Ziqing’s voice came out crisp and icy.
Su Ze ate a faceful of rejection and grudgingly released his grip on Lu Ziqing’s wrist.
Liang Sheng hurried over and snatched up the wrist Su Ze had just touched.
“Come here~ I’ll blow on it to disinfect.” Liang Sheng shot Su Ze a fierce glare, held Lu Ziqing’s wrist up to her face, pursed her little lips, and started huffing breaths onto it.
Ahem. Lu Ziqing slipped back into that shy maiden mode from before, sneaking peeks at the cute little hand gripping hers.
Why did being held by such an adorable girl feel just like being wrapped up in a boyfriend’s arms? Lu Ziqing, the pure-hearted maiden, found her thoughts drifting into decidedly less pure territory.
“Ding~” Favorability rises.
“Lu Ziqing’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 152”
“Ahem, that’s enough. You’re taking advantage of me again.” That was what Lu Ziqing said, but in truth, her hand remained nestled in the other’s palm, unwilling to pull away.
Liang Sheng let out a few dopey laughs but said nothing. She’d already figured out every little trick of this tsundere’s. Lips said no, but the body was brutally honest?
Meanwhile, the long-ignored ex-male lead Su Ze stood there with black lines all over his forehead.
Why did it feel like Liang Sheng—this scheming little vixen—had swiped his harem protagonist script? And why did he feel stuck with the script for the tragic second male lead? (?Don’t you have any self-awareness?)
“Miss Ziqing, I’m sorry. Earlier, I thought Liang Sheng was bullying you, so… I was too hasty. I didn’t realize you two were just playing around. Next time, I’ll make sure to understand the situation fully before acting.” Su Ze offered a polite apology to Lu Ziqing, his eyes brimming with “sincerity.”
How was Lu Ziqing—this somewhat naive sweetie—supposed to spot that the scumbag’s sincerity was all fake?
“Ding~” Favorability rises.
“Lu Ziqing’s Favorability Toward Su Ze: 2”
“Ding~” Heartthrob Value rises.
