“Why…” Liang Sheng murmured to herself.
The news headline on her phone read: Shocking! Business Insider: Black-Hearted Real Estate Tycoon, True to His Name—Liangliang.
Liang… Liangliang?! Talk about a bone-chilling shock. Pfft, pfft! Liang Sheng shook her head vigorously. What the hell was she thinking about at a time like this?
Liang… Trembling, Liang Sheng tapped open the article.
She only read the first line.
Boom! It hit her like a thunderbolt from the blue.
“No, no, no.” Liang Sheng repeated the word over and over.
There, glaring at her from the top of the news page, were the three bold characters: Liang Wengao.
Liang… Liang Wengao? Liang Sheng’s eyes widened. Wasn’t that the name of her dear old dad?
Why… why was it appearing in this world? Liang Sheng was utterly dumbfounded.
Then, suddenly, she remembered. She’d been tussling with her Favorability System, Akino Kazuko, when she’d suddenly fainted. When she opened her eyes, she’d found herself back in the past.
So, Liang Sheng sat cross-legged on the bed, stroking her chin. This was most likely a dream world she’d slipped into after passing out.
But why was she having such a bizarre dream? Liang Sheng racked her brains but couldn’t figure it out. She completely ignored the relentless pounding and cursing from Zhao Xin at the door—her former mother didn’t even register in her mind right now.
Feeling a bit tired, Liang Sheng lay back on the bed and continued pondering the issue.
That’s when it hit her: the key question. With a jolt, she flipped over and leaped off the bed.
Ignoring Zhao Xin, who was still fuming outside, she yanked open the door, causing Zhao Xin’s fist to swing through empty air.
“You little brat—” Zhao Xin started to say.
Liang Sheng cut her off. “Mom, what year and month is it right now?”
The abrupt question left Zhao Xin, mid-rant, completely stupefied.
“What… what are you asking that for?” Zhao Xin raised an eyebrow.
Liang Sheng grew impatient. “Mom, just tell me quick. It’s important. It has to do with me… uh, yeah, my grad school exams, registration, that kind of thing.”
The moment she heard it involved something so crucial in her eyes, Zhao Xin didn’t hesitate. She spun around and flipped through the calendar.
“Hmm, it’s March of 2019. Do you need the date? It’s the twenty-eighth.” Zhao Xin glanced at the calendar on the wall.
Liang Sheng paused, then reached back and gripped the door handle. “Okay, got it. Thanks, Mom.”
“Hey, you—” Before Zhao Xin could rush over, Liang Sheng slammed the door shut again.
Zhao Xin sighed in exasperation. Her daughter had been trying to get into grad school for ages without success.
Back on the bed, ignoring the racket outside, Liang Sheng continued piecing together the clues.
First off, after seeing that news, she’d assumed it was all a dream world. But she didn’t quite get why, in this dream, she could control her own body.
Second, she still couldn’t figure out why this dream felt so different from the ones before. In previous similar dreams, she hadn’t been able to control her body at all. Those had seemed like prophetic dreams. This one, though? Utterly nonsensical.
Why was she having this dream? What was it trying to express? What was it trying to tell her? Liang Sheng was at her wits’ end. She raised her hand and tugged frantically at her messy long hair.
No, she couldn’t just mope around the house. The dejected Liang Sheng stood up again. She needed to head outside, take a look around, and search for clues on how to escape this dream.
She pushed open the door to her room. Zhao Xin had apparently tired herself out cursing and was now slumped in a chair, gulping down water. The moment she saw Liang Sheng emerge, her energy surged back instantly.
“Liang—”
Dong! Liang Sheng was already out the door, slamming it behind her.
Left behind in the house was a stunned Zhao Xin, mouth agape in shock.
“Hey, Liang Sheng!”
By the time Zhao Xin snapped out of it, rushed to the door, and chased after her, Liang Sheng was long gone.
Outside, Liang Sheng headed toward the bustling city center. It had been over a year since she’d walked this route, and as someone with a terrible sense of direction, she’d obviously forgotten the way.
Along the path, the passersby looked just like those in the real world—no real difference.
“Hmm, all of them with two eyes and one mouth,” Liang Sheng muttered to herself, striding forward with purpose.
After wandering around outside, she hadn’t found any useful clues.
“Sigh~” Liang Sheng let out a heavy breath and spotted a nearby set of steps. Exhausted, she plopped down onto them.
It had been ages since she’d felt this homeless vibe. Liang Sheng smiled wryly and pulled out her phone to reread the news.
“Ha! What a load of rumors!” Liang Sheng fumed at the smear campaign against her dear old father. “How is that even possible? Spouting nonsense without knowing the facts—my dad has always kept himself above reproach!”
It had to be connected to Su Ze. Liang Sheng gripped her phone tightly. Su Ze, I won’t let you get away with this.
But right now, the priority was figuring out how to escape this messed-up little world. Liang Sheng grew anxious. Looked like she had no choice but to head back.
As she stood up, she remembered the tongue-lashing from Zhao Xin waiting for her at home.
Ugh, what a headache.
Fidgeting restlessly with her phone, Liang Sheng suddenly realized something off.
It was… 2019? Wait, what year was the world after she transmigrated? Right—it was 2018! Yes, definitely 2018!
The realization nearly blew Liang Sheng’s mind.
Hold on, wait—no, impossible, impossible. Her thoughts descended into chaos.
The trashy harem novel, still fresh in her memory with every detail. The weird year. And that system that seemed to know everything but kept its mouth shut.
Liang Sheng felt dizzy, her steps light and unsteady. Under the blazing sun, a piercing chill enveloped her. A conspiracy—who’s? The truth—what is it? And she… who was she, really?
Liang Sheng? Liang Sheng? Liang Sheng? Liang Sheng?
Liang Sheng looked up and saw four words carved into the streetlamp post by some edgy teen: Live Facing Death.
Live Facing Death? In that instant, Liang Sheng felt like she understood something.
She quickened her pace and returned to her rundown little home from before. Fishing out her keys, she unlocked the door. There sat Zhao Xin on the chair, fuming.
“Mom!”
Despite everything, emotions were emotions. Liang Sheng rushed forward and threw her arms around Zhao Xin. “I’m sorry! I know you love me a lot! I love you too!”
Before Zhao Xin could react, she released the hug, wiped the tears from her cheeks, and dashed toward the balcony.
