“Yes…” Sister Jin hesitated for a moment, then suddenly thought of something and asked tentatively, “It’s your… birthday?”
“Yes!” Cha Susu practically shouted for the first time, startling everyone in the room.
“Ahem, so you see, Sister Jin~ I have a schedule that day~ It’s rare for me to have free time today, and my friend is here too. Plus, I haven’t had hotpot in ages~ Birthdays only come once a year!” Cha Susu blinked her big eyes at her manager, flashing them cutely.
“You…” Sister Jin felt like she was about to be blinded by the sparkle.
In the end, there was no helping it. Sister Jin wasn’t some heartless demon, after all, so she let Cha Susu go with Liang Sheng to Haidilao.
But before that, she fussed over her like a worried mother, telling Cha Susu to at least have some jelly or something to line her stomach first. That way, she wouldn’t stuff herself with too much meat later.
Cha Susu promised sweetly on the surface, but the moment they got out of the car and into the private room at Haidilao, she stuck out her tongue playfully at Liang Sheng. “Hehe~ She can’t see anyway, so now no one’s bossing me around~”
Liang Sheng thought the tongue-sticking was adorable. Unable to resist, she reached out with a naughty hand and ruffled the other girl’s hair. “Hehe~ Anyway, our little Susu isn’t fat at all—she’s still pretty. Even if she gains a bit, she’d be cute, so it’s fine to eat a little extra this once, right?”
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Cha Susu’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 172”
“Exactly!” Cha Susu pouted.
For some reason, she was utterly addicted to acting coquettish around Liang Sheng. It made her feel cherished and protected.
“Come on~ Let’s go order!” Liang Sheng could barely contain her drool. The tantalizing aromas around them nearly had it dribbling down the Green-haired Girl’s chin.
Liang Sheng might not know how to cook, but she sure knew how to eat—and she was a pro at mixing dipping sauces, thanks to more than thirty years of experience!
“Wow~ Shengsheng~ It’s been so long since I ate like this!” Cha Susu had a mouthful of crab meat and nearly teared up. As she ate, she couldn’t help venting to Liang Sheng. “You have no idea—it’s been two or three months since I last had this stuff. Sister Jin keeps saying I’ll get fat! Sigh, being a celebrity is so tough sometimes, wuwu~”
Liang Sheng was in a eating frenzy and replied without thinking, all excited. “That tiring? Then I’ll take care of you from now on!”
“…”
Huh? She had just said something utterly stupid, cringy, and absurd.
“Ding!” Favorability rose sharply.
“Cha Susu’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 185”
Liang Sheng: “…”
Ha—! She had forgotten this girl was a die-hard fan of domineering CEO novels. And her words just now were perfectly stupid (scratch that)—perfectly domineering.
Oh man, did she have to keep saying stuff like this? It was so embarrassing!
Liang Sheng covered her face. Why did Overbearing CEOs even exist in this world?!
Aaaah… Shengsheng’s line was so domineering~ Cha Susu blushed inwardly, twisting her fingers under the table. Even the food in her mouth tasted sweeter.
If only she’d heard it while being pinned against the wall in a Wall Slam—that would be perfect!
Next, Cha Susu suddenly set down her chopsticks and ate several jellies in a row.
“Shengsheng…” Whether it was from the hot food or something else, Cha Susu’s cheeks were flushed as she scooted right up to the Green-haired Girl. “I… I want that fish next to you…”
“O-Okay.” Liang Sheng felt a little uneasy. She’d never been this close to Cha Susu before. Her mouth—her mouth! It was way too close!
“Here, I’ll get some for you.” Liang Sheng forced herself to stay calm, though her hand holding the chopsticks was trembling. A weird thought popped into her head: Could it be that Cha Susu ate those jellies because she wanted to… kiss me indirectly?
No, no, no—girls aren’t like that. No way she’d be that forward, even if she really liked her…
Liang Sheng mentally slapped herself, cursing her own dirty mind.
But truthfully, Cha Susu had wanted to lean in for a kiss. If her reason hadn’t won out over impulse at the last second, her little lips probably would have planted right on the Green-haired Girl’s cheek by now.
“Ahem…” Cha Susu hugged her bowl, suddenly feeling super awkward.
“Is it good?” Liang Sheng kept picking food for her.
The now-calmed Cha Susu nodded obediently and whispered, “Yeah, it’s good.”
Still, her heart was in a panic. Her move had been so obvious—had she noticed? What if she got turned off?
Cha Susu snuck a glance at Liang Sheng, who was fishing ingredients from the pot. A sudden thought struck her: What if Liang Sheng didn’t like her that way? Or what if it wasn’t “that kind” of like? What then?
Right! Cha Susu realized she’d never actually figured out Liang Sheng’s feelings for her. She’d been stressing they were just good friends—what if that’s all Liang Sheng saw her as?
With that idea in her head, the little Green Tea instantly couldn’t sit still. She was totally flustered.
“Sheng… Shengsheng?” Cha Susu lost her appetite and just wanted to probe Liang Sheng’s true thoughts.
So, she plastered on that fake smile again and tilted her face up at the Green-haired Girl. “Sit down. We haven’t really chatted in ages—let’s talk for a bit to pass the time. No rush to eat; there’s no one else here anyway.”
“Oh…” Liang Sheng slowly sat down. She’d been so eager to rescue the meat from the pot earlier that she’d forgotten her image and stood there clipping away.
“So what does Susu want to chat about~?” Liang Sheng grinned. “Tell me something fun from your life?”
No way—that would let her dodge. Cha Susu was here to scout, so she switched topics. “Shengsheng, I wanna hear how you’ve been lately~”
Liang Sheng sensed something off but couldn’t put her finger on it, so she answered honestly as she sat there. “Ah, just on break. Hanging out with friends, doing homework at home, watching TV, playing on my phone… Nothing much, haha~~ Pretty fulfilling, but it gets boring after a while.”
“Oh~” Cha Susu nodded and hooked her arm around Liang Sheng’s. “Hehe~ Your friends are my friends too. Next time you guys go out, let me know, okay? If I’m free, I’d love to tag along!”
“Sure!” Liang Sheng agreed without a second thought. Wasn’t this a perfect chance to advance?
Wow~ Such a quick, straightforward answer.
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Cha Susu’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 187”
Suddenly, it hit Liang Sheng—this girl’s words were totally a sneaky check-up. That last bit was just to scout her schedule: where she was going, and with who.
