“No, I don’t think so. I really don’t,” Liang Sheng stammered. “Something like that… um, I don’t know.”
Mo Qingrou’s uncle picked up on the hint. He was astonished that his niece had developed normal human emotions, but he was also worried—because the girl she liked was a girl.
“Qingrou,” her uncle tugged at his niece’s sleeve, his expression extremely mysterious as he whispered, “come here for a second. I need to tell you something.”
Mo Qingrou shot her uncle a cold glance. “Mm.”
“Qingrou,” her uncle said mysteriously, “do you… like that girl?”
“Yes,” Mo Qingrou replied bluntly, showing no desire to hide it. “I like her. I’m going to pursue her and make her my girlfriend.”
Her uncle’s expression turned strange, as if he’d been choked by the air itself.
“Uncle, don’t try to talk me out of it. I won’t listen,” Mo Qingrou said decisively.
Her uncle’s expression grew even stranger.
A long moment passed.
“Sigh…”
He let out a long breath, and his face relaxed a bit. “Oh, fine. That’s your business as young people. I won’t interfere.”
With that, he seemed somewhat relieved. He patted his niece’s shoulder. “Still, this is for the best. At least you’re…”
Her uncle trailed off, but Mo Qingrou knew what he meant.
“I feel great right now, and I’ll feel even better in the future,” Mo Qingrou said with full confidence. “I’ll do everything I can to win her over.”
Her uncle’s smile looked a little comical. He made a thumbs-up gesture. “I support you. Go for it!”
Mo Qingrou nodded slightly. From years of watching his niece grow up, her uncle could tell that she was in a pretty good mood.
“I have to go on stage now, Sister Mo Qingrou. See you later!” Liang Sheng waved, gathered up her little skirt, and hurried onto the stage.
Mo Qingrou stood close to the stage, looking up at Liang Sheng.
She was dazzling, beautiful. That smile, under the lights, seemed exceptionally gentle. Even the ice-cold expression on Mo Qingrou’s face softened a little.
Ding~ Favorability increased.
“Mo Qingrou’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 187”
Unconsciously, Mo Qingrou took a few steps toward the stage, poking more than half her head into view.
She was amazed at Liang Sheng’s charm, how it had her so utterly captivated.
Suddenly, Mo Qingrou’s eyes locked onto a man down below the stage, wearing a baseball cap. He was sneaking around furtively, pushing forward through the crowd. Vaguely, she could see one hand stuffed in his pocket.
This man… A bad premonition rose in Mo Qingrou’s heart. She suddenly tensed, coiling her body as if ready to sprint forward.
The instant the man raised his hand, Mo Qingrou bolted, dashing straight onto the stage.
Bang!
Bang!
A deafening gunshot rang out in the not particularly large hall. Ou Lu’s face went deathly pale on stage, and the microphone slipped from her hand to the floor.
Thud.
That was the sound of the microphone hitting the ground.
Liang Sheng was dazed too. The back of her head rested on something soft—Mo Qingrou’s hand, cushioning it. She’d been tackled to the ground, with Mo Qingrou’s arm wrapped tightly around her waist. The iceberg beauty’s nose pressed against her cheek.
“Sister… Sister Mo Qingrou.” Liang Sheng blinked her eyes.
Chaos erupted below. The so-called VIPs turned into a panicked mob, scrambling for the doors and shoving their way outside. People trampled one another—bumping heads, twisting ankles, scraping legs. The hall filled with cries of pain.
Seeing his plan fail, the man yanked off his baseball cap. Long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, spilling over his shoulders. He blended into the fleeing crowd and ran out of the hall.
Liang Sheng finally snapped out of it. Her face drained of color as delayed terror hit her. Her whole body began to tremble. “Sister… Sister Mo Qingrou…!”
“Shh, don’t be scared.” Mo Qingrou held Liang Sheng close, her heart aching for the girl. She sat up on the ground and pulled the green-haired girl tightly into her arms, gently patting her back with one hand.
“Urk.”
Thump.
Ou Lu collapsed to the floor beside them.
In that instant of the gunshot, she had first checked herself, then immediately looked toward Liang Sheng. Seeing the green-haired girl tackled safely to the ground—with the bullet embedded harmlessly in the wall behind her—had eased her mind a little.
Only when the hall had emptied, leaving just the green-haired girl, her, and Mo Qingrou on the stage, did Ou Lu’s taut nerves finally unwind. Her trembling legs gave out in that moment, and she dropped to her knees.
Of course, it was only brief. Ou Lu soon forced herself back to her feet and hurried over to the still-seated Liang Sheng and Mo Qingrou. “Hurry, come with me to the backstage! It’s too dangerous here.”
Mo Qingrou nodded. In one smooth motion, she scooped Liang Sheng up in a princess carry and followed Ou Lu at a jog toward the back.
Liang Sheng had pieced most of it together by now, but she still asked, “What… what just happened?”
“Someone targeted you. They wanted to kill you. That’s what that shot was for,” Mo Qingrou summed it up simply.
Realization dawned on Liang Sheng.
It had to be Su Ze!
She clenched her fists.
She’d thought having Little Yandere Hana with her at night would be enough protection. She never imagined this scum would have the guts to hire a killer to strike in broad daylight, in a crowded, public place like this, firing right out in the open.
Damn him… I’ll never rest until that man is dead! Liang Sheng’s eyes turned red with rage.
The others didn’t realize it was anger. When Mo Qingrou set Liang Sheng down on a chair and she and Ou Lu both noticed the green-haired girl’s red-rimmed eyes, they panicked.
“Don’t be scared, Little Sister Liang Sheng. It’s all over now. You’re safe here,” Ou Lu said, pulling Liang Sheng’s head against her stomach and stroking the girl’s cheeks with both hands.
Mo Qingrou sat down on Liang Sheng’s other side without missing a beat, taking the green-haired girl’s hand. “I’ll protect you. Don’t be afraid.”
The two women looked up at the same time. Their gazes met, sparks flying in the air thick with hostility. Each saw the other as a romantic rival.
Liang Sheng was baffled but also amused.
She had been terrified at first, but now that it was past, only one thought filled her mind: kill her ex-boyfriend Su Ze as soon as possible, secure her own safety, and end the threat for good.
Soon, the people Ou Lu had called arrived.
The female boss lady stood before them all, hands on her hips, fuming.
“You incompetents!”
The security guards all hung their heads, knowing they’d screwed up and failed at their jobs.
“You let someone with a gun slip right in! What the hell are you even doing?” Ou Lu raised her hand, pointing at each one’s face in turn.
Then she sighed. “Go pull the security footage! Call the police! If there’s no resolution on this in three days, all of you pack your bags and get out!”
