The group finished their meal, each harboring their own ulterior motives.
“Liang Sheng, let me drive you home after we eat,” Mo Qingrou offered just as Liang Sheng was wiping her mouth, cutting off any chance for Cha Susu or Dong Yue to step in.
Dong Yue, as if suddenly struck by inspiration, jumped in right away. “I’ll take her. Liang Sheng is my student, so it’s most reasonable for me to ensure her safety.”
“Teacher Dong Yue,” Mo Qingrou replied coolly, “it’s vacation time right now. If anything happens to Liang Sheng, it won’t have anything to do with you.”
“No way,” Dong Yue shot back, bolstered by her title as Liang Sheng’s homeroom teacher. She sounded utterly justified. “It’s a teacher’s duty to drive her own student home. If anything happened to Liang Sheng, I wouldn’t deserve to call myself one.”
Seeing the two of them compete so fiercely, Cha Susu couldn’t sit still any longer. In her signature sly, green-tea tone, she chimed in, “Sisters, I think I should be the one to take Shengsheng home.”
Dong Yue immediately countered, “Little one, you look even younger than Liang Sheng…”
Cha Susu huffed triumphantly and pointed toward the door. “My car has a driver and bodyguards waiting outside. With all those people, Shengsheng’s safety is guaranteed.”
Unwilling to back down, Dong Yue pulled out her car keys. “Little one, my car’s parked outside too. It’s perfect for taking Liang Sheng—you don’t need to worry about your friend’s safety.”
Mo Qingrou, who usually shunned such comparisons, surprisingly dangled her own car keys. “I drove Liang Sheng here, and she wasn’t hurt at all on the way. You can trust me completely with her.”
Liang Sheng went numb. She stared at the two sets of keys on the table and the three cars visible outside the door.
Was this how rich people showed off? Damn it! They’d managed to flex on her again!
“How about…” Liang Sheng raised her hand timidly. “I just call a ride-share home?”
“No!” the three women declared in unison.
Su Ze and Ni Sihan’s faces had turned completely dark.
Though they desperately wanted to mock their two rivals across the table, watching the three women bicker nonstop made even Liang Sheng unable to laugh.
What a sin! She’d racked up way too much romantic debt!
“Um, let’s talk about driving me home after we finish eating,” Liang Sheng said, ducking her head and shoveling rice into her mouth. Only then did the war finally simmer down.
Damn it, she wished this meal would never end.
Liang Sheng could swear it was the fullest she’d ever been all year.
“Burp~” She let out a tiny belch.
“Bzzz~” Her phone buzzed right then.
Heaven was truly helping her! Liang Sheng snatched up her phone and pretended to check it seriously. “Oh no, my mom’s texting me, asking where I am!”
It was actually just a product ad from Pinduoduo, that shopping app.
“Mom, come pick me up? I’m at [restaurant name], [restaurant address].” She quickly typed out a message and sent it to her mom.
Please, Mom! Her last hope for survival rested with you!
“Bzzz~”
“Kiddo, Mom’s at the office. Come home on your own.”
“…”
Her mom dropped the ball at the critical moment.
“Uh…”
Cha Susu caught Liang Sheng’s expression and asked right away, “Is Auntie busy with something? In that case, let me take you home!”
“No need,” Mo Qingrou cut in before the green-haired girl could respond, speaking for her. “Liang Sheng was out with me today anyway. It’s only natural for me to drive her home.”
“I’ll do it. A teacher has to guarantee her student’s safety,” Dong Yue insisted.
“Then, Teacher, why don’t you take that other girl home~” Cha Susu decided to boot the teacher out first.
But that only gave Dong Yue more ammunition. “Perfect timing—Ni Sihan’s house is right next to Liang Sheng’s. I can drop both my students off. It’s right on my way, so no need to trouble yourselves.”
Her words left the quick-witted Cha Susu and the thoughtful Mo Qingrou speechless. It was impossible to argue against.
And so, the girls’ gazes shifted back to Liang Sheng.
Holy crap, fight it out among yourselves! Don’t look at me! Liang Sheng panicked hard.
“Um, uh…” She turned utterly cowardly. “I’ll just go home on my own!”
Was driving one person home worth fighting over like this? Liang Sheng wanted to cry.
“Ahem, Teacher Dong Yue might as well drop me off since it’s on your way!” Liang Sheng blurted without pause. “Sister Mo Qingrou, you’ve been with me all day—you must be tired. Go home and rest. We can hang out next time! Susu, you’ve been filming forever today; you’re exhausted too. Plus, your car’s right outside. What if paparazzi snap me getting in and spin some fake scandal about you? That’d be trouble…”
“Whew…!” After rattling off that mouthful, Liang Sheng nearly passed out from lack of breath.
Cha Susu mulled it over. Yeah, that made sense. Even if she dragged Liang Sheng into her car, her manager would never allow it.
“Fine then… but thanks for caring about me, Shengsheng~ I hadn’t even thought of that.” Cha Susu hugged Liang Sheng’s arm tightly.
Mo Qingrou considered it too and said nothing more. Her poker face gave no hint of indifference or displeasure. “Mm. Alright. Next time, I’ll invite you out.”
As for Teacher Dong Yue…
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Dong Yue’s favorability toward Liang Sheng: 175”
Teacher Dong Yue flashed a victorious, smug smile.
Ahem, she’d gotten carried away for a second, but she quickly caught herself and shut her mouth.
Throughout it all, Su Ze and Ni Sihan had tried to butt in more than once—only to get interrupted or draw a blank on what to say.
This meal had left the two of them stuffed to the gills with frustration.
“Susu, then…”
With the girls finally quieting down, Su Ze seized the chance to speak.
“Ah, Su Ze.” At some point, Cha Susu had started deliberately distancing herself from him. “Sorry, you’ll have to head back alone. I can’t risk paparazzi snapping us—those sharks love slapping fake headlines on everything these days.”
“Sure,” Su Ze replied, clenching his fist under the table while forcing a smile. “I get it.”
Like hell he did! Su Ze was about to explode. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go! Back then, they’d all clamored to stick to him!
“Oh, Su Ze.” After all, he was Dong Yue’s student too. “Let me drive you home. You’re a guy, but I’m still worried.”
This wasn’t so bad—better than going home alone. There had to be some payoff, Su Ze figured, scheming inwardly. “Mm, sure thing, Teacher. Thanks.”
“Protecting my students’ safety is a teacher’s responsibility!” The words seemed aimed at Su Ze and the others around them, but really, Dong Yue was reassuring herself.
It was her way of easing the guilt of catching feelings for one of her own students.
