“Who cares how you explain it? That’s your own business, hmph~” Lu Ziqing haughtily lifted her chin before sauntering back to her seat.
Liang Sheng began typing, ready to set the record straight.
“Fellow girls, you all should know this, right? When girls mess around with each other, they grab and hug all the time, so there’s nothing to these photos. I was just goofing around with Doctor Mo Qingrou.”
She was about to hit send, but then hesitated and decided to add a few more lines.
“Besides, Doctor Mo Qingrou isn’t nearly as cold as everyone imagines. Once you get to know her, she’s actually a really upbeat person!”
Perfect~
Liang Sheng gleefully tapped the “send” button.
These days, she had to personally squash nearly every rumor that popped up, to the point where she’d gotten good at speaking in that official, polished tone.
Sigh~ I’m not some big celebrity—why is everyone so obsessed with my love life? Hmm! It’s gotta be because I, your father, am just too damn good-looking! Liang Sheng narcissistically stroked her chin and nodded in satisfaction.
The girls who had been rushing toward Liang Sheng’s classroom after class caught sight of her clarification post and instantly calmed down. No more outbursts—they obediently returned to their seats without bothering her.
Oh, so that’s how it was~ They hadn’t believed that poker-faced doctor would actually like Liang Sheng anyway. No one could tell that Mo Qingrou, who showed zero expression to anyone, felt anything special for her.
Well, almost no one. Gu Yuqi had keenly picked up on something off. She always felt like the iceberg school doctor treated Liang Sheng differently from everyone else.
Was it just her imagination? Gu Yuqi stared at the photo on her phone screen—Mo Qingrou with her arms around Gu Yuqi’s beloved little junior sister—and furrowed her brow.
Even if there was only a one percent chance, she had to stay on guard against that doctor.
Meanwhile, in the office, the rather naive Teacher Dong Yue was sipping her tea when she saw the clarification post. She let out a sigh of relief and muttered, “Kids these days are way too idle, spreading rumors like that. It’s definitely because I don’t assign enough homework!”
Yeah, she’d pile on extra assignments today (~?).
In the infirmary, Mo Qingrou spotted the post, and her eyebrows twitched ever so slightly—something even she didn’t notice.
Clarified it that quickly, huh? Looks like this girl’s heart really isn’t with her after all. She’s probably just worried her crush might misunderstand.
Mo Qingrou set her phone down and gazed blankly out the window.
If she could win Liang Sheng over, she’d surely be blissfully happy. That was the voice whispering in her heart.
—— —— ——
Perhaps out of sheer fear, Su Ze had been lavishing even more attention on the girls lately.
Ni Sihan was no different, pulling out all the stops with her tricks.
“Liang Sheng~ My birthday’s this weekend. Would you come over to my place?” Ni Sihan handed a red envelope with gold trimming to Liang Sheng, who was reading an extracurricular book.
Whoa, fancy decoration.
Liang Sheng politely nodded. “Sure, I’ll definitely be there.”
“That’s awesome! I’m so thrilled you’re coming, Liang Sheng.” Ni Sihan’s smile really was innocently adorable, you had to admit.
Same old routine.
Ever since Liang Sheng had become almost certain that Ni Sihan was the host of the Adoration Value System, she’d started keeping her distance.
She’d originally planned to politely decline this invitation—maybe claim she had extracurricular classes. But then she thought better of it. Ni Sihan would surely invite other girls too, throw a birthday bash, and use the chance to work her strategies. That meant Liang Sheng had to go.
Su Ze probably wouldn’t get an invite from Ni Sihan, though. Liang Sheng figured as much—having him there would just mean another rival. But then, why invite me? I’m her rival too, aren’t I?
Ni Sihan hadn’t wanted to invite Liang Sheng at first. The girl’s flirting skills were way too advanced; Ni Sihan knew she couldn’t compete.
But if she invited nearly every girl in class except Liang Sheng, people would gossip about their bad blood, and word might reach her targets’ ears…
She hadn’t invited certain boys either—the ones from poor families, the ones whose faces didn’t appeal to her, and Su Ze.
Ever since Su Ze had snatched that photo from her hands last time, she’d been wary of him. Sure, his looks were her type, but the guy was too dangerous. Ni Sihan wasn’t dumb enough to keep throwing herself at him.
So far, the targets who had accepted her gilded invite were: Liang Sheng, Gu Yuqi, Lu Ziqing, Song An’an, Dong Yue, and Liang Jin.
The others hadn’t been skipped—they’d just turned her down for being too busy.
Except for Bai Zhen, Cha Susu, and Ou Lu. The first two were huge stars, so Ni Sihan hadn’t dared ask; they had to be swamped. As for the female CEO, forget it—Ni Sihan didn’t even have her contact info. Besides, Ou Lu had zero interest in the scent Ni Sihan wore; it was too pedestrian.
Gu Yuqi and Lu Ziqing knew Ni Sihan would invite Liang Sheng too, so they agreed.
Song An’an was too shy to say no to an invite.
Dong Yue happened to have time, and it was her own student’s birthday invite right in her hands—turning it down would’ve been awkward.
As for Liang Jin, she was just the lively type who wanted to join the fun and make some noise.
Ni Sihan was throwing this birthday party not just for better access to her targets, but to feed her vanity too.
She’d specially ordered a ridiculously pricey multi-tiered cake, bought heaps of flowers for the servants to deck out the living room with, and even splurged on a gown that cost over a hundred thousand from some boutique.
Ahh~ So this is what having money feels like? Gazing at her reflection in the mirror—clad in that glamorous long dress—Ni Sihan’s vanity swelled with satisfaction. This was the kind of wealth she could never earn in a lifetime of slaving away!
“Thanks, Sister Hoshiko. This is all because of you.”
Akino Hoshiko didn’t respond.
This girl… aside from being such a gold-digger, she didn’t seem to have any real malice. Who knew if what she’d done was…
Ding-dong~
The doorbell rang.
The servant opened the door, and the first arrival was the lazybones Liang Sheng.
Liang Sheng politely nodded to the maid. “Hello, is Ni Sihan…”
“The miss is upstairs. She said to entertain guests down here; she’ll be down shortly.” The servant gestured her inside.
Liang Sheng stepped across the threshold into the house.
“Oh wow~” She glanced around. The place was decked out in extravagant style everywhere, reeking of old money—or new, flashy wealth.
Liang Sheng liked money fine, but these tacky trappings made her frown a bit. Vulgar. Total nouveau riche vibe.
Upstairs, Ni Sihan was primping, planning to wait until everyone arrived for a grand entrance that would dazzle all her guests.
