The show reached its final segment, a test of knowledge. According to the rules, the guest team was guaranteed to win, so they had all the answers in hand. The civilian team, on the other hand, had nothing.
“Pick A.”
Liang Sheng raised her hand and answered the question without thinking.
“…”
The entire set fell silent for a moment.
Liang Sheng immediately clamped her hand over her mouth. She glanced left and right, her heart racing with panic. She had zoned out just now and instinctively blurted out the answer when she saw the question.
The host and guests were equally stunned, especially the guest who held the answers. He hadn’t expected someone to swoop in and steal the show halfway through. He hadn’t even memorized his lines yet.
Disaster. Would the director chew her out after they went offstage? Liang Sheng blinked her big, innocent eyes.
Cha Susu slapped her forehead, barely suppressing a laugh.
Luckily, the host jumped in to smooth things over. “Whoa, Liang Sheng, you answered so quickly. You must be a great student, right?”
Liang Sheng lowered her hand from her mouth and rested it on her lap, nodding shyly. “Cough, um, I’m okay, I guess.”
It was a little awkward.
“So, which school do you go to? Are you from the same school as our Susu?” The host was clearly trying to liven up the atmosphere and steer the conversation to ease the sudden silence.
“Me? I’m…” Liang Sheng trailed off at the tip of her tongue. The name of her school was just too ridiculously over-the-top. She couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud—people would look at her like she was nuts.
But with everyone’s eyes fixed on her, she had no choice but to speak.
“I’m from…” Liang Sheng gripped the hem of her skirt, her face burning with embarrassment. Steel yourself and just say it. “St. Mary’s Aristocrat School…”
Done for. They were definitely going to laugh at her.
“Oooh!” To her surprise, the audience erupted in excited cheers. Some even shouted “Rich Lady Sister” with envy, while others jokingly begged her to take them in.
Liang Sheng: “…?”
Good grief. She’d been living like a normal person for so long that she’d forgotten she was in a Mary Sue campus romance world. Of course naming the Noble Academy set the crowd on fire—it was the best elite school in the country, after all.
The host clearly hadn’t gotten the memo either. He froze for a few seconds before recovering. “Ah, ah!”
He turned to the audience and yelled, “We’ve got a wild rich lady in our midst~”
The crowd burst into laughter, finally breaking the tension from Liang Sheng’s unexpected buzzer-beater and her bewildered expression.
After that, Liang Sheng played it safe. She didn’t grab any more answers, only chiming in on questions the other side couldn’t solve. In the end, she was the only one from the answer-less civilian team to score, while the rest might as well have been props.
Heh, what can you do? Top student privileges. Liang Sheng shrugged smugly.
The guest team “narrowly” won the segment 2-1.
Next came the moment everyone had been breathlessly anticipating: the tearjerker finale.
Truth be told, whenever Liang Sheng watched variety shows and they hit the sappy part, she always hit fast-forward until things got fun again.
She tuned in for laughs, not melodrama. And when it was fake? Embarrassment city.
This emotional segment featured the celebrities tearfully lamenting their crazy schedules and how they’d neglected family and friends.
The first few stars sobbed dramatically, but it was all crocodile tears—forced and unconvincing. Liang Sheng could only roll her eyes. Overacting much?
Finally, it was Cha Susu’s turn. The host waved at Liang Sheng. “Susu, is this your good friend? How did you two meet?”
Cha Susu skipped the part where Liang Sheng had hit on her first. Instead, she said, “We bumped into each other on the street. Back then, I was just a little child star. Shengsheng accidentally knocked into me, and when she apologized, she recognized me. I was so touched~ I wasn’t even famous yet, and she knew who I was!”
At that, Cha Susu flashed Liang Sheng a tender smile. Liang Sheng couldn’t help but ruffle Cha Susu’s hair.
The gesture was pure gold. The cameras zoomed in tight.
“I was just… so moved at the time,” Cha Susu choked up. “A nobody actress suddenly recognized, and then she cheers me on, offers to buy me dinner… I’d had an exhausting day, and Shengsheng’s words healed me instantly…”
Liang Sheng nearly cracked. Girl could improvise.
But she had to play along. She took the Little Green Tea’s hand in hers. “Because Susu’s such a hard-working girl, and her acting’s getting better all the time. I was totally a mom fan back then, haha~”
“Oh, stop~” Cha Susu broke into a smile through her tears and lightly punched Liang Sheng’s shoulder.
“And that’s how we became best friends,” Cha Susu said, wiping the corner of her eye. “Afterward, Shengsheng helped me out with so many things, took me out to eat and hang out. She always looks out for me. I’m so lucky to have her as a friend…”
Liang Sheng threw an arm around Cha Susu’s shoulders with easy confidence. “If you feel lucky, that’s great! Why cry? I’ll always be there for you!”
Ding~ Favorability increased.
“Cha Susu’s Favorability towards Liang Sheng: 147”
“I know, I know you’ll always be with me…” Cha Susu tugged at the Green-haired Girl’s clothes. “But with all my filming, I won’t have much time. Won’t our friendship fade away?”
Liang Sheng vowed earnestly, “No way! If it fades, it wasn’t real. I’m not like that. I’ll stick by Susu for life—promise!”
Ding~ Favorability increased.
“Cha Susu’s Favorability towards Liang Sheng: 150”
“Thank you, Shengsheng… Having you as a friend is the best.” Cha Susu opened her arms and pulled Liang Sheng into a gentle hug.
Liang Sheng hugged her back.
Ding~ Favorability increased.
“Cha Susu’s Favorability towards Liang Sheng: 152”
Even though Cha Susu had scripted some of those lines for Liang Sheng, seeing the bright, sincere passion in the Green-haired Girl’s eyes as she said them still made her heart skip. “For life, with you forever”—what girl wouldn’t melt for words like that? All any girl wanted was a simple, heartfelt promise.
One that would actually come true, not some empty tease.
“Busy or not, when you’re off shooting, just tell me where. I’ll come visit the set, bring you snacks~” Liang Sheng held Cha Susu close, patting her head gently. Her voice was soft. “There, there~ No more tears. It’s not like I can’t come to you. You’re busy, but I can make the move~”
These weren’t scripted. They came straight from Liang Sheng’s heart. She couldn’t stand seeing a girl cry in her arms.
The mood shifted, blossoming from sisterly warmth into something sweetly ambiguous.
