As expected… something unexpected happened.
Liang Sheng never imagined she’d come in second. First place went to a boy from her class.
Good grief. Had she just taught her apprentice only to starve the master?
She watched as that ten thousand in cash transferred straight into the boy’s bank account.
Poor Green-Haired Girl—her heart must have been breaking. The money that had been right on the tip of her tongue had flown away.
No rush, though. There were still other events. Liang Sheng refused to believe she couldn’t win a single one.
That was just how fate worked.
Hopscotch finally came around, letting Liang Sheng snag a little bargain. The other rich young ladies turned up their noses at the ungraceful posture and sat it out, so Liang Sheng played with a group of rich young heirs. They still hadn’t mastered their balance, which finally let her claim a win.
The “ding-dong” of the transfer notification made Liang Sheng’s arm tremble slightly. It was the most beautiful music in the world!
Hahaha! These rich kids were so easy to fleece!
Liang Sheng still remembered a few real idiots among them (just a few, mind you). The things she’d sold them at exorbitant prices had really only cost her a few bucks apiece.
She’d made a killing! She loved these gullible rich fools. So easy to scam!
Once the activities wrapped up, some of the students were picked up by their families one after another. Liang Sheng and her group stayed behind.
Dong Yue had to prepare Monday’s lesson for the next day, so she grabbed her bag and hurried off with her goodbyes. Lu Ziqing had an early class the following morning and was reluctantly collected by her people.
Now, only three girls remained—each with over two hundred Favorability toward Liang Sheng.
Eh… not much interest in pursuing them anymore.
Liang Sheng had lost interest, but Ni Sihan hadn’t. She kept hovering around the three girls.
As a result, Liang Sheng’s mission shifted from charming the girls to blocking Ni Sihan from charming them.
Ni Sihan put on an exaggerated show, fussing pretentiously with a canned drink for a few moments before setting it down, out of breath.
“Senior Sister, could you help me with the cap…” Ni Sihan had just started to say.
Gu Yuqi was still hesitating.
“I’ll get it!” Liang Sheng snatched the can right out of her hands. “I’ll open it for you—I’m super good at this!”
With that, she demonstrated a one-handed bottle opener trick. “Canned drinks? Piece of cake!”
“See? Total boyfriend material!” She said this especially for Song An’an’s benefit—the girl at her side, gazing at her with hearts in her eyes.
“Wow~” Song An’an looked at Liang Sheng with even greater adoration. “A-Sheng, you’re amazing~”
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Song An’an’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 200+”
Hahaha! This kid was such a pushover. Just that was enough to earn her hero-worship. No wonder, with her lovestruck little bunny brain—so adorably naive and pitiful.
Ni Sihan frowned and turned her offensive toward Liang Jin. “Liang Jin, want some candy?”
“No thanks! Sister Liang Sheng just gave me a bunch~” Liang Jin said in a proudly boastful tone, pinching a pink candy between her fingers in that delicate orchid gesture and showing it off to everyone.
It was as if she were saying, This is candy from my very favorite sister in the whole world~
“Tch…” Ni Sihan grumbled bitterly.
Fine then. Time to target the one who looked purest and easiest to fool: Song An’an!
“An’an~ Your cooking is sooo good. You’ll definitely grow up to be the perfect wife and mother~” Ni Sihan sidled up to Song An’an, beaming as she took the girl’s small hand. “Could you teach me? I want to learn how to cook, too—so I can make some for the person I like.”
Song An’an’s first reaction to being called a perfect wife and mother was delight, the kind that came from imagining herself as A-Sheng’s devoted wife someday.
But then she suddenly grew wary. Who was the “person I like” Ni Sihan was talking about? It couldn’t be… Song An’an instinctively glanced at Liang Sheng.
Ni Sihan was always hanging around A-Sheng. Did she like A-Sheng? Song An’an started filling in the blanks in her mind.
She definitely likes A-Sheng! And she said it so loud right in front of her on purpose! Damn it, were all the little mistresses these days this brazen!?
After Little Bunny Song An’an’s wild chain of deductions, Ni Sihan had successfully…
“Splash~” Adoration Value dropped.
“Song An’an’s Adoration Value toward Ni Sihan: 18”
Ni Sihan had spent months slaving away, pouring in Herculean effort, to grind that up to twenty-five with Song An’an. But now, one sentence—plus Song An’an’s deadly overthinking—had wasted weeks of work.
Ni Sihan’s smile froze solid the moment she heard the notification of the drop.
What the hell did I just say!? Ni Sihan thought in disarray. Meanwhile, Song An’an took the chance to pull her hand free and huffily hugged Liang Sheng’s arm, staking her claim.
At that moment, Liang Sheng felt an inexplicable rush of pleasure. Maybe it was her sharp sixth sense, but she had the distinct feeling that something wonderfully satisfying had just happened.
“Song An’an…” Ni Sihan wanted to snap, but she couldn’t. She could only pull a pitiful, aggrieved expression. “What did I say wrong? I really do want to learn cooking from you.”
Seeing how sincere Ni Sihan seemed, Song An’an thought it over and realized she might have overreacted.
Liang Sheng’s little ears were sharp as ever. She caught every word of the exchange between Ni Sihan and Song An’an, immediately sensing the tension brewing between them.
Something had definitely gone down—they’d clashed for sure. Perfect chance to fan the flames… Liang Sheng flashed her familiar wicked grin.
“Ahem, An’an, did you bully her just now?” Liang Sheng asked in a mildly indulgent tone, patting Song An’an’s head. It was just provocative enough without making Song An’an resent her.
Sure enough, Song An’an panicked. “A-Sheng, I didn’t bully anyone!”
Pfft. With that little coward look on her face, there was no way she’d bully anybody. Deep down, Liang Sheng believed her.
But she couldn’t show it. More fuel for the fire was needed. “Look, Sihan’s eyes are turning red. Did you two fight? Come on, it’s her birthday today—don’t be mad at her.”
Song An’an was frantic and furious, but A-Sheng’s tone was so gentle that she could only gripe about Ni Sihan inwardly.
“Splash~” Adoration Value dropped.
“Song An’an’s Adoration Value toward Ni Sihan: 15”
Gains were hard; drops were a breeze. Just a few words of stirring the pot.
Ni Sihan felt even more wronged. She’d missed what Liang Sheng whispered to Song An’an because it was too quiet, so she assumed Liang Sheng had said something bad about her—something that turned Song An’an against her.
“I… what did I even do wrong…? An’an, please don’t be mad or ignore me.” Ni Sihan sidled up to Song An’an again, all pitiful and pleading.
