People gradually arrived one by one. Liang Sheng was more than satisfied that Su Ze’s gloomy figure was nowhere to be seen.
“Miss, we have enough people.” The servant tapped out a message on her phone and sent it to Ni Sihan.
Ni Sihan was thrilled beyond words. She spun in light, joyful circles right there on the spot.
Ah~ This was the rich people’s gathering of her dreams—filled with handsome guys, beautiful girls, and elite socialites. And she, the organizer, was the pretty daughter of a wealthy family.
She had never imagined a scene like this. Well, actually, she had daydreamed about it plenty of times.
Time to head down!
Clutching her excitement close, Ni Sihan gathered up her long dress, threw open the bedroom door, and descended the stairs.
“Good afternoon, everyone~” Ni Sihan gripped the railing, struggling to contain the bubbling joy and thrill inside her.
“Wow~” Liang Sheng played along perfectly, raising both hands to clap enthusiastically. She even let out a sharp whistle. “Sihan, you look gorgeous today!”
The praise sent the gold-digging girl floating even higher. She flashed an elegant smile and continued down the stairs.
Ni Sihan took the moment to size up Liang Sheng. The girl wore a jacket printed with a baffling “Dora Bear Three Sheep” design up top, loose cargo pants below, and her hair hung in casual waves. Compared to Ni Sihan herself, it was night and day.
That only boosted Ni Sihan’s confidence further.
“Today is my seventeenth birthday, and I’m so happy you all could make it~” Ni Sihan beamed her signature clean, innocent smile once more.
“I’ve brought in several master chefs from Rice Kirin, and I’ve even prepared a Milk Flower Bath for everyone. We can party all the way till tomorrow morning~”
She put special emphasis on “Rice Kirin” and “Milk Flower Bath.”
“When I first started at this school, I was still just…”
“I’m so grateful to my parents and teachers, and to all you dear friends…”
“I’ve worked really hard at my studies…”
“As for our family business, I’ve…”
“This time, I decorated the house myself and invited you all here…”
Up on her perch, she blabbered on with heartfelt speeches laced with humblebrag displays of wealth. The students below slouched every which way, exchanging awkward glances. A few even nodded off, their heads bobbing. Everyone silently wondered when Ni Sihan would wrap up her endless life story.
Liang Sheng, meanwhile, was engrossed in the chocolate figurine cradled in her hands. It was so lifelike and adorable—she hated to eat it.
But that mouthwatering aroma had her swallowing hard.
Better start from the top, then.
Crunch.
Urp!
“Cough cough!”
The chocolate had a booze filling—and not just any booze, but fiery baijiu! Liang Sheng hacked and coughed from the burn, yanking every eye in the room away from Ni Sihan and straight onto her.
Talk about embarrassing. Still coughing her lungs out, Liang Sheng waved them off. “You—you all just keep listening, cough cough. Ignore me, cough cough. Don’t look at me!”
“Pfft…” Liang Jin, her little cousin, cracked first. Seeing her big sister’s agonized face—like she’d just bitten into a lemon—Liang Jin dove straight into Liang Sheng’s arms, doubled over with laughter.
Laughter’s contagious at the best of times. Throw in Liang Jin’s bold, uninhibited guffaws, and it lit the whole room aflame in seconds.
Liang Sheng wanted to cry. Why did she end up as the comic relief no matter where she went?
Ni Sihan, right in the heat of her impassioned speech, lost her train of thought from the interruption. She still had a whole chunk left to say, leaving her awkwardly stranded onstage.
“Uh, cough~” Ni Sihan forced an awkward smile and waved it off. “It’s already three in the afternoon, and dinner’s not for a bit. Go ahead and grab some snacks to tide yourselves over~”
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
Finally over with. It had dragged on as dull and tedious as one of the school principal’s speeches.
“Who here can handle booze…? We can’t waste this chocolate!” Liang Sheng’s eyes had gone red from the baijiu’s kick.
What? An indirect kiss with Liang Sheng—or A-Sheng, or Junior Sister Liang Sheng, or Sister Liang Sheng! Every girl’s gaze snapped to that fateful booze-filled chocolate.
Liang Sheng shivered. Why did it feel like someone was eyeing her hand covetously?
“Hand it over.” No one expected Teacher Dong Yue to be the first one over, plucking the chocolate straight from Liang Sheng’s grasp.
The other girls didn’t drink and were still hesitating when the teacher beat them to it.
Damn it!
In her best grown-up tone, Teacher Dong Yue addressed the students around her. “You’re all still kids—no alcohol for you, not even a sip. But teacher’s an adult, so she can handle it.”
“We knooow!” The group drawled in unison. No one could fathom why they’d invited a schoolteacher to what was supposed to be a fun classmate birthday bash.
Liang Sheng clocked their hesitation in a heartbeat.
They kept sneaking peeks at Teacher Dong Yue, whispering among themselves like kids chatting in class while dodging the instructor’s gaze.
Sigh. These guys had no clue about turning the teacher into a friend… or even a wife. Pfft! Bunch of cowards.
Liang Sheng stood up first and plopped down right beside her teacher. Liang Jin, who’d been glued to her side moments before, blinked in confusion.
She’d spotted her big cousin heading toward Gu Yuqi’s corner and tensed up, convinced Liang Sheng was making a beeline for the dashing senior sister. But when Liang Sheng settled next to Teacher Dong Yue instead, Liang Jin finally relaxed and melted into the sofa.
Gu Yuqi had figured Liang Sheng was coming her way too, her face lighting up—until her little junior sister parked herself by Teacher Dong Yue.
Gu Yuqi: “……?”
She wilted instantly, like a big loyal dog whose owner had just brought home a rival pup, head hanging low.
Liang Sheng, busy plotting how to break the ice for her teacher, completely missed the aggrieved pout on her favorite senior sister’s face. All her focus was on Teacher Dong Yue right now.
“Teacher~ You have to try this one. It’s super yummy~” Liang Sheng passed over a dainty little cake. She knew it from experience: one bite, and her homeroom teacher would melt into that adorable, blissed-out expression.
Truth be told, Teacher Dong Yue felt awkward amid the sea of students. She stuck out like a sore thumb, killing their vibe. She wanted to blurt out that they shouldn’t treat her like a teacher off-campus, but the words wouldn’t come.
No one approached her for a chat. Everyone gave her a wide berth.
Never accepting a party invite like this again. Teacher Dong Yue ducked her head, fiddling with her phone to signal she wasn’t there to supervise.
It didn’t help much.
Then Liang Sheng swooped in with the cake. Lifesaver. Teacher Dong Yue shot her a grateful glance.
Ding! Favorability surged.
“Dong Yue’s Favorability towards Liang Sheng: 89”
Totally worth passing that cake.
