Ni Sihan just sat there in a daze, staring blankly again and again.
Akino Hoshiko was both anxious and furious. She directly reached out and smacked Ni Sihan’s forehead. “What are you staring at? This is such a prime opportunity to farm Adoration Value, and you’re just going to let it slip away?”
“Oh, oh, oh!” Jolted back to reality, Ni Sihan scrambled to her feet and stumbled toward Bai Zhen and Gu Yuqi.
Wait, what should she even say when she got there? Ni Sihan felt a bit lost. She wasn’t good at hanging out with other girls. In the past, she’d only been interested in handsome guys and had barely any female friends. Her so-called friends were really just a bunch of spare tires she’d kept around—playthings, more like.
Ni Sihan mentally cried out for Akino Hoshiko’s help, but her System had suddenly gone silent.
Ugh! Sure enough, when it mattered most, no one was reliable except herself!
With no other choice, Ni Sihan strode forward with purpose until she reached the two girls who were bickering. She puffed out her chest. “Ahem, sisters, mind if I shower first? I sweated buckets today, and I’m feeling really grimy…”
Would that work?
Bai Zhen and Gu Yuqi hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing.
Though the two of them had stopped arguing, Ni Sihan’s Favorability with them hadn’t budged even a little.
This… Ni Sihan plunged into deep self-doubt. Was it because she wasn’t as pretty as Liang Sheng? What kind of magic had Liang Sheng used to enchant these girls so completely—making them swoon, go mad for her, and slam headfirst into walls for her sake?
“Just observe her more closely, then,” Akino Hoshiko—the Adoration Value System who’d “vanished” earlier—suddenly piped up again. “Starting tomorrow!”
“Uh, yeah, okay.” Ni Sihan didn’t dare ignore Akino Hoshiko’s words. That System was her cash cow, after all!
Once Ni Sihan finished her shower and opened the bathroom door, she saw Bai Zhen and Gu Yuqi already gearing up to charge in.
“I-I forgot to brush my teeth! Sisters, wait just a bit longer for me, okay~?” Ni Sihan slunk back inside and shut the door again.
No way, seriously? She’d thought she’d defused the crisis! Wait a second—Ni Sihan blinked at her reflection in the mirror. Huh? Why was she trying to resolve their spat in the first place? All she needed was for her Adoration Value to go up!
Akino Hoshiko: “…” She didn’t say a word aloud, but from the System’s expression, it was clear she regretted picking a host even dumber than Liang Sheng.
“Ah, Aqiu!” Downstairs, Liang Sheng let out a massive sneeze. She rubbed her nose and muttered, “Is some beauty thinking of me? Hehe~”
Cha Susu considerately took hold of Liang Sheng’s hand. Her big eyes blinked flirtatiously at the other girl. “Shengsheng~ My bed’s all toasty warm. I was lying in it for ages earlier! My body heat has it nice and snug—come hop in and warm up.”
It was getting chilly, after all, and Cha Susu was being so insistent. Liang Sheng thanked her and slipped right into the other’s bed like it was the most natural thing.
“Can I join Shengsheng, then?” Cha Susu looked at her expectantly.
“Sure!” Liang Sheng lifted the edge of the blanket. “Hurry up and get in~ It’s seriously so warm~”
Cha Susu crawled under the covers. “Hehe~ Susu and Shengsheng are such good friends, right~?”
“Yep~.” Liang Sheng playfully booped her on the nose.
Whoa! That gesture was so doting~ Cha Susu instantly turned bashful. It was just like the handsome, wealthy, overbearing CEO from the romance dramas she watched—except for the gender, it matched perfectly~
Ding~ Favorability increased.
“Cha Susu’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 76”
Miss Susu sank back into her daydreams—
“It was a cold night, and the pure, innocent heroine Cha Susu couldn’t bear to see the domineering CEO Liang Sheng shivering. She sacrificed her chastity, inviting Liang Sheng to share her bed and warm her with her own body heat—the woman who’d helped her so much.”
“‘Heh~ That eager, are you?’ Liang Sheng smirked playfully, tilting up Cha Susu’s chin. ‘Woman, if you like me, just say it outright—don’t play coy!’ How could their innocent heroine tolerate such teasing? She slapped away Liang Sheng’s hand from her chin and declared loudly, ‘No! I’m not the kind of woman who’d trade her chastity for money!'”
“Liang Sheng froze. Soon after, Cha Susu drifted off to sleep. Liang Sheng gazed at the beautiful face of the woman beside her, recalling those kohl-rimmed eyes glaring at her moments ago, and couldn’t help but flash a wicked grin. ‘Heh! Woman, you’ve successfully caught my eye!’ To be continued—”
Aaaah!! Just imagining it was so romantic(?), so thrilling(?), so blood-pumping(?). Cha Susu forgot where she was and started rolling around excitedly on the bed right next to Liang Sheng—clutching the blanket so hard she nearly yanked it off her.
“Susu?” Liang Sheng had no idea why the other girl was suddenly thrashing around like she’d been possessed, rolling back and forth while hugging the covers and almost stripping the bedding off her.
That call of “Susu” snapped Cha Susu out of it. Realizing she’d lost her composure, she hurriedly fixed her hair, sat up straight, and flashed Liang Sheng an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that, Shengsheng. Just thinking about how I get to be good friends with you makes me so happy—I lost my manners for a second.”
Liang Sheng took her words at face value. “Aw, if we’re friends now, who cares about manners? Let’s cut loose! You can tell me anything!”
With that, Liang Sheng grinned mischievously. She threw an arm around Cha Susu’s shoulders and leaned in close. “Hehe~ Even those naughty little secrets you can’t tell anyone~”
She probably meant the several gigabytes of “stuff” on her computer (sweat).
Wh-what?! Cha Susu’s eyes went wide. Had Liang Sheng figured out she liked reading CEO romances? Panic set in.
“I-I… I just like reading some novels, that’s all.” Cha Susu floundered and started explaining herself to Liang Sheng.
“Oh?!” Liang Sheng perked up instantly. “‘Novels,’ huh? They’re not as good as videos or comics, sure, but if you’ve got a vivid imagination, they hit just right. Sigh, back when I was little and couldn’t get my hands on comics or videos, I’d read novels instead—and yeah, they still got the job done.”
“Y-yeah! Especially when the male lead is a total hunk…” Cha Susu replied.
Ha, their conversation was like two ships passing in the night—totally on different wavelengths.
“Hey!” Liang Sheng got even more pumped at the topic. She gave the Green Tea Girl beside her a shove. “Send me a few to check out!”
