“Sister Bai Zhen, what did you want to talk to me about?” Afraid that things would get awkward between the two of them, Liang Sheng pulled Bai Zhen to a spot a little farther away from the other girls.
“Hm?” Bai Zhen raised her hand and gently stroked Liang Sheng’s cheek. “You want to know what I have to say?”
Oh, that’s weird. Didn’t Bai Zhen say she had something to tell me? Why is she asking if I want to know now? Liang Sheng felt completely baffled.
Still, to humor the big celebrity standing before her, Liang Sheng put on an interested expression. “Yeah, yeah, yeah! Tell me quick, Sister Bai Zhen.”
Bai Zhen leaned in close to Liang Sheng’s face and whispered, “Because I’m jealous. I saw you getting so close to those other girls.”
Huh—? Liang Sheng floundered for a response. “I-I mean, friends get that close all the time, right? We didn’t kiss or anything…”
“Oh?” Bai Zhen’s hand landed on Liang Sheng’s shoulder. Then, quick as lightning, she planted a kiss on the girl’s cheek.
“Hey!” Liang Sheng clapped a hand to her face, frozen in place.
Are girls these days all this bold? Do they all love kissing people like this?
“S-Sister Bai Zhen, I…”
Bai Zhen brushed it off and gave Liang Sheng a playful shove outward. “There, now go have fun with your friends.”
“Ah, wha—?” Liang Sheng was still dazed and confused.
Bai Zhen just found her adorable.
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Bai Zhen’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 117”
Bai Zhen wrapped her arms around Liang Sheng from behind and murmured into her ear, “I won’t interfere with your social life or mess up your circle of friends. I’ll respect them too. Dating me would put you in a really comfortable spot, you know~”
Wow, she’s talking like she’s pitching herself on a sales ad.
Sure, the idea was tempting in its own way, but Bai Zhen wasn’t the kind of person who made Liang Sheng’s heart skip a beat at first sight.
“S-Sister Bai Zhen, give me a bit more time to think about it.” Liang Sheng squirmed a little in the other girl’s embrace, feeling awkward.
That was when she noticed all the other girls staring straight at her and Bai Zhen.
“Sister Bai Zhen, they’re all watching us…” Liang Sheng whispered awkwardly, nudging her.
Bai Zhen let go. “I don’t care about other people’s stares~. Though if we start dating, since I’m not super famous right now, we’d have to keep the relationship under wraps for a while. Don’t worry—give it a year or two, and with my talent, I’ll blow up. Then we can go public!”
That wasn’t what I meant at all… Liang Sheng sucked her teeth in frustration.
Gu Yuqi swam over halfway, eyeing Bai Zhen with clear displeasure. “Pulling moves like that is just going to cause misunderstandings.”
This time, Bai Zhen generously slung an arm around Liang Sheng’s shoulders. “Misunderstanding? Nah, no misunderstanding here. I’ll own it—I like Liang Sheng. I’m going to pursue her.”
The words hit like a bomb. Not only did Gu Yuqi’s face darken, but so did the faces of Song An’an, An Hua, and Liang Jin nearby.
Those farther away hadn’t caught what Bai Zhen said, but some picked up on the tense vibe and looked bewildered.
“Pursue her? You think Junior Sister Liang Sheng would actually like you?” Gu Yuqi scoffed. She knew exactly who Liang Sheng liked.
With that, she grabbed Liang Sheng’s wrist, trying to tug her out of Bai Zhen’s hold.
Bai Zhen flashed a provocative smile. “Are you so sure she doesn’t like me? Love grows over time, and as long as I’m sincere…”
She lifted her chin, her aura commanding. “With my talents, my looks—do you really think Liang Sheng won’t fall for me?”
“Tch!”
The tension thickened by the second. Liang Sheng, the center of it all, panicked and darted her eyes left and right, not knowing what to do.
“Stop! What the heck!” She wrenched herself free from both Bai Zhen’s arm and Gu Yuqi’s grip.
The already quiet hot spring area fell even more silent as everyone turned to stare at Liang Sheng.
Even though she was immersed in the warm waters, Liang Sheng felt chilled to the bone. “I-I think, since we’re finally here to have fun for once, we should just… enjoy it, right? Haha, everyone keep playing, keep playing…”
With her saying that, no one could keep arguing. Gu Yuqi shot Bai Zhen one last glare before turning away. Liang Sheng, meanwhile, slunk back to An Hua’s side, mortified.
This time, An Hua said nothing. She simply sat quietly beside Liang Sheng.
“Senior Sister An Hua…?” Liang Sheng ventured, a little scared.
An Hua let out a breath, lacking the excitement she’d shown earlier. “Liang Sheng, do you have someone you like?”
“Huh, wha—?” Liang Sheng’s heart skipped guiltily. The sudden question caught her off guard. “Why ask that out of nowhere?”
An Hua pressed on. “Do you like that golden-short-haired celebrity girl?”
An Hua’s gaze was locked on Bai Zhen’s pristine back—not in admiration, but with a strangely intense stare.
Liang Sheng shook her head slightly. “I only see Sister Bai Zhen as a friend.”
There it was—the classic player line. You’re a great person, but I only see you as a friend. We’re not right for each other, so let’s stay friends. Liang Sheng knew the script all too well.
“But Liang Sheng has someone she likes, doesn’t she?” Female intuition told An Hua that the cute green-haired girl in front of her didn’t like her. “I want to know who it is.”
“I…” Liang Sheng instinctively wanted to glance back at Gu Yuqi but held herself back. She hesitated now—should she admit she liked someone else, or say no?
Watching Liang Sheng’s troubled expression, An Hua sighed. “If you already like someone, why come flirt with me?”
“I…!” The words stabbed deep. Liang Sheng’s hand flew anxiously to her chest, and she bit her lip, wracked with guilt.
She was right. Flirting around like this when she already had feelings for someone made her no better than the scumbags she despised—the players who hooked up left and right even when they had someone waiting at home. This wasn’t right.
An Hua went on. “You flirted with me for fun, no real feelings involved. But me? I fell for you.”
“Senior Sister An Hua…” Liang Sheng’s eyes reddened.
Sorry, I’m really sorry, everyone. If she could beat Su Ze this time, she’d use her skill to make them all forget her—everyone except the one person who could be with her.
“Are you about to cry?” An Hua felt bad too. She leaned against Liang Sheng. “Don’t cry. I’m not mad at you.”
“I…”
An Hua closed her eyes, her lips curving into a faint smile. “I’m not mad, really. Meeting you, falling for you, getting close to you—it was all my choice. And every bit of it made me happy, truly happy.”
An Hua no longer hid her smile. “If I could start over, I’d still choose to get to know you. After all, before I met you, my life was so dull and boring.”
