They’d probably had enough fun at the beach, so this massive group began marching toward the game arcade. The old Liang Sheng never could have imagined a school leading its students to a game arcade for entertainment.
But this was the original novel author’s design—no helping it. As long as the author dared to dream it up, anything was possible in this novel world. One could only say the author of Su Ze’s Girlfriends was probably an elementary schooler.
This trip was originally supposed to be prime time for the male lead to build bonds with all the girls. Yet Liang Sheng had stuck her oar in, so not only did the girls fail to warm up to him—they even ended up hating his guts.
This couldn’t continue. In the corner, Su Ze’s eyes darkened.
Lu Ziqing… she loves me, doesn’t she? Su Ze chuckled lightly, rose to his feet, and strolled over to An Hua, who stood alone off to the side.
“Senior Sister An Hua, why are you by yourself?” Su Ze approached her with a friendly chat-up line.
An Hua didn’t know how to reply, so she remained silent.
“Then play with me, Senior Sister An Hua. I’m solo too and was hoping to team up with someone.” Su Ze beamed a warm smile at her.
Su Ze avoided any tone of pity—that would come off like charity. This way, it felt like a genuine request.
An Hua felt a flicker of gratitude but hesitated all the same. What if Liang Sheng came looking for her later?
“Senior Sister An Hua, I’m really feeling lonely on my own.” Su Ze’s voice took on a pitiful lilt.
“Okay… sure,” An Hua finally said. Liang Sheng had tons of friends around her anyway; she might not even show. Better to pair up with someone else.
Besides, the boy in front of her had helped her out once before. Back then, she’d even felt a spark of fondness for him. At the thought, An Hua suddenly sensed something off. Why had helping her once made her like him so suddenly? Plenty of other guys fawned over her, yet she hadn’t cared for any of them. There were far more talented and handsome fellows than Su Ze—why had she ignored them all? Was this the legendary love at first sight? An Hua knitted her brows.
No, it wasn’t fair to suspect someone who’d helped her of plotting behind her back.
With that, An Hua spoke in her usual cool tone. “Let’s go.”
Su Ze flashed his signature warm-and-fuzzy smile.
Right then, Liang Sheng had Song An’an glued to her side—just the two of them. Young Miss Lu Ziqing had been so rattled by Liang Sheng’s naked body that morning that she still hadn’t recovered, holing up in the dorm instead of coming out. Gu Yuqi, meanwhile, had abruptly realized her feelings for Liang Sheng felt strange, so she’d kicked off a game of hide-and-seek.
An Hua found hanging with Su Ze downright awkward. That unchanging smile plastered on his face was downright baffling.
“Hey! Su Ze, why are you with her!?” An acidic voice rang out from behind Su Ze and An Hua.
Su Ze whipped around in surprise. Lu Ziqing had been orbiting Liang Sheng lately—why seek him out now?
“I’m not checking up on you or anything! I just… I just wanted to see if you’ve been hanging around any weird women!” Lu Ziqing insisted forcefully.
Her words carried far enough to catch Liang Sheng’s ear from nearby. Peering closer, she spotted the male lead Su Ze grouped up with Lu Ziqing and An Hua. Oh ho, was this finally the original plot’s two-girls-one-guy showdown?
Thrilled, Liang Sheng tugged Song An’an’s hand and edged toward the scene.
Su Ze sighed at Lu Ziqing, his expression one of deep disappointment.
“Miss, I thought you were the understanding type. I’m just chatting with Senior Sister An Hua—nothing improper. Please don’t get the wrong idea?” He struck a perfect pose of gentlemanly virtue.
Lu Ziqing’s eyes reddened as she whispered, “I’ve caused you trouble, haven’t I…?”
Su Ze switched back to his initial warm smile, leaned in close, and gently brushed the hair from her face. He murmured, “Not at all, Miss. You’re perfect just like this. Everyone adores you. I told you that when you were little. Keep being yourself—no need to change.”
Only then did Lu Ziqing smile, blinking back her tears. Su Ze truly got her.
Liang Sheng zeroed in on one phrase: “I told you that when you were little.” What was that about?
Did it mean…
Liang Sheng called out to Miss Lu. “Young Miss, come join us!”
Lu Ziqing shot Su Ze a hesitant glance.
Su Ze nodded encouragingly. “Go on, Miss. You’ll have more to talk about with the girls.”
No way, Liang Sheng thought, scanning Su Ze from head to toe. He clearly wanted alone time with An Hua and was just brushing Lu Ziqing off.
Squinting at An Hua, she noticed the data had updated.
“An Hua’s Favorability toward Su Ze: 54”
Liang Sheng distinctly remembered it sitting in the forties after Truth or Dare the night before. Now it was climbing again. Su Ze’s flirting game was seriously on point.
Lu Ziqing trudged over to Liang Sheng’s side with clear reluctance. Truth be told, she preferred Su Ze to Liang Sheng. He’d been her secret crush for ages, while Liang Sheng was merely the first girl who’d struck her as pleasant—a potential friend, a classmate. That possessive streak with Liang Sheng? Just a spoiled quirk from years of indulgence. Whatever caught her eye had to be hers alone.
“Zi Qing,” Liang Sheng launched her interrogation routine. “What did Su Ze say to you back when you were little? I can help you figure out what he feels for you.”
It worked like a charm. Lu Ziqing perked up. “What do you want to know? He’s told me tons of things!” She puffed up with pride.
“Stuff like what he said today.”
Lu Ziqing pondered for a beat, then began. “I must’ve been around eight. A boy classmate fixed my pencil sharpener for me. I really wanted to thank him or whatever, but…” She trailed off, embarrassed to admit how touched she’d been.
“But?”
“I… I… Ugh, anyway, I snapped, ‘I could’ve fixed it without your help!’ He just turned away and ignored me after that!” She huffed in annoyance.
Any normal person would’ve been ticked off… good deed punished with ingratitude. Liang Sheng shook her head. The young miss’s tsundere side was flaring up again.
“And then?”
“I told Su Ze about it, and he comforted me. ‘You didn’t do anything wrong—he did. Just ignore him from now on. No need to change; you’re in the right.’ Doesn’t that make Su Ze sound so gentle? Of course, you can’t go falling for him…”
Lu Ziqing prattled on, but Liang Sheng tuned her out.
Su Ze was straight-up enabling the young miss’s tsundere, stubborn ways and her black-and-white view of right and wrong. His motives there probably weren’t innocent.
Liang Sheng hated sticking her nose in others’ business, but turning a blind eye gnawed at her.
“Young Miss Zi Qing, can you really stomach Su Ze chatting it up so happily with other girls?” she prodded indirectly.
Lu Ziqing shook her head at once. “No way!”
“Then…” Liang Sheng paused, gauging her words. “What’s your take on playboy types?”
Lu Ziqing went quiet, lost in thought.
“You wanna cut off his dick and turn him into your little sister,” Liang Sheng supplied bluntly.
Lu Ziqing stared, speechless. How could any girl spout something so crude?
After wracking her brain to no avail, Lu Ziqing shrugged. “Su Ze’s no playboy. Beats me.”
“He’s really not?”
“He’s really not!”
“He’s really not?” Liang Sheng pressed once more.
Lu Ziqing snapped, irritated. “Definitely not! Geez, why are you so pushy!” Truth be told, she was more afraid further prodding would crack her resolve.
Sigh. No good deed went unpunished.
“Young Miss, take my advice: don’t let emotions blind you into mistaking a scumbag for a warm guy.” Liang Sheng issued her final warning. She loathed drama.
Lu Ziqing’s eyes flew wide, her tone turning sharp. “Are you calling Su Ze a scumbag?”
“I…” Liang Sheng realized her haste had made her too blunt.
“What you did was just… so willful. You shouldn’t have gone off like that, but Su Ze insisted you were right, which left you friendless. Isn’t he just buttering you up, trying to win you over or get you into bed? He…”
Lu Ziqing cut her off coldly. “You can trash me all you want, Liang Sheng. But talk smack about Su Ze again, and I don’t see us staying friends.” Her face was icy, staring at Liang Sheng like a total stranger.
Harsh? Liang Sheng shot her a glare in return. Sure, she’d been indulgent with this girl, but that didn’t mean tolerating everything. Cuteness had limits.
“Fine! Good intentions wasted! An’an, let’s bounce.” Liang Sheng refused to coddle her further and strode off decisively.
Lu Ziqing bit her lip hard, waves of sharp regret crashing over her for the first time.
Glancing back toward Su Ze, she saw him having a blast with An Hua. His hand rested atop hers; she nestled in his arms; he beamed that warm smile at her. The same smile, frozen in time—the same for every girl.
Was she truly special to him?
Were her actions—as Liang Sheng had put it—actually right?
Every incident like this left her regretting it at first, but Su Ze always called it normal, even cute. Over time, those pangs of remorse grew rarer. Until today. Liang Sheng’s wounded look and retreating figure reignited it all, fiercer than ever before.
Crack. Lu Ziqing stared blankly ahead, as if hearing some shell shatter.
If Su Ze hadn’t always fed her those lines… would she have tons of friends by now?
“Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!”
“Warning! Warning! Favorability drop commencing!”
Splash! Splash! Splash! Favorability plummeting.
