Liang Sheng could be called the apple of the Liang Family’s eye.
Though her grades weren’t the best and her personality had its rough edges, her parents still doted on her endlessly.
She had a cousin named Liang Jin. The girl was awfully clingy, but Liang Sheng enjoyed taking her out to play anyway—after all, blood was thicker than water.
That all changed on the day that shook Liang Sheng to her core.
Liang Jin had come over to play at Liang Sheng’s house when she suddenly posed a strange question.
“Sis, if—if, hypothetically,” Liang Jin hemmed and hawed, wringing her hands like she was harboring some deep, dark secret.
“Just say it.” The original Liang Sheng was cool and distant with everyone.
“If you were a boy, would you… like a girl like me?” Liang Jin sneaked furtive glances at Liang Sheng.
“Of course!” Liang Sheng answered without a second thought.
She meant every word. In her eyes, her cousin was exceptional. If she herself had been a boy, she definitely would have fallen for someone as outstanding.
That was her honest thought, and she voiced it plainly. But little fool Liang Jin interpreted it as half a success for her confession.
“Then, Sis…” Liang Jin flushed with shy excitement. “Could you step outside with me for a minute? I have something to tell you.”
“Sure.” Liang Sheng didn’t give it another thought.
A short while later, after finishing her calligraphy practice, Liang Sheng headed outside. Her dear cousin Liang Jin was already waiting there eagerly.
“Sis!” Liang Jin’s sudden cry startled Liang Sheng so badly that she nearly tumbled to the ground.
“What’s wrong?” The old Liang Sheng was always mindful of her image. She smoothed back her long hair and cleared her throat lightly.
“I, um…” Liang Jin twisted the hem of her skirt in bashful hesitation before blurting out the words she’d cherished deep in her heart—words she considered utterly vital.
“Sister Liang Sheng! I like you!” Liang Jin seized Liang Sheng’s arm in a tight grip.
“Huh… what?” Liang Sheng blinked in confusion, not yet fully frozen in shock. “Oh, uh, I get it. I know.”
She assumed it was the innocent affection of a little sister for her big sister.
“I like you too.” The kind of sisterly fondness big sisters had for their little sisters, that is.
“Ah!” Liang Jin squealed in delight and threw her arms around Liang Sheng. “So you’re accepting my confession, Sis! Does this mean we’re…”
“Wait, what?” Liang Sheng finally realized what was happening. She shoved the clinging Liang Jin away. “Hold on! Liang Jin, what exactly do you mean by that?!”
“Dating you, Sis?” Liang Jin’s voice wavered with growing panic. Her sister’s reaction felt all wrong. “But Sis, didn’t you just say yes?”
A wave of revulsion crashed over Liang Sheng.
“Slap!”
A sharp slap landed across Liang Jin’s cheek. “You’re shameless! Defying all ethics!”
Liang Jin clutched her stinging face, staring at her sister’s frantic retreating figure before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud.
Does Sis… hate me now?
“Do you hate me?”
Later, during another visit to Liang Sheng’s house, Liang Jin mustered the courage to ask.
Liang Sheng shot her a single cold glance and never spoke to her again.
Until that day, just a few days into high school. As she descended the stairs, she tripped over something.
Thud. She tumbled straight into the arms of a handsome boy.
Ah… why was her heart racing like this? Liang Sheng’s face burned red, and she couldn’t fathom the reason.
This had to be love at first sight.
From that moment, Liang Sheng plunged headlong into love, unable to pull herself free.
The boy’s name was Su Ze—an utterly ordinary fellow, though standout among the average crowd.
Fate had other plans. Mere days after she fell for Su Ze, her cousin Liang Jin—the very same girl who had confessed to her—began trailing after Su Ze like a lovesick shadow.
Why?! Was this resentment twisted from love? Liang Sheng convinced herself that Liang Jin, still harboring feelings for her, was deliberately trying to steal the man at her side.
“Hey! Would you stop following me around? I really don’t like you!” One day in the hallway, Liang Sheng cornered her cousin.
Liang Jin turned, her eyes brimming with utter bewilderment as she gazed at the long-haired girl in light green before her.
“What? Sis, what are you talking about?” Hers was the pure, innocent gaze of a little sister looking at her big sister.
Liang Sheng’s heart twisted in pain.
“Hm?” Liang Jin tilted her head and leaned in closer.
Liang Sheng whipped her head away, shouldered past Liang Jin, and hurried on. “Nothing. My head must not have been working right earlier.”
“Oh…” Liang Jin stood there dazed, rubbing her head, a heavy gloom settling over her. Why did it hurt so much? Was it because Sis had snapped at her?
Later still.
Liang Sheng’s feelings for Su Ze only deepened, as did the swarm of girls orbiting him.
She couldn’t explain it—plenty of outstanding boys pursued her—but she fixated on Su Ze with a passion that defied reason.
Eventually, she felt she couldn’t live without him. She bickered fiercely with the other girls vying for his attention, fighting tooth and nail.
In the cruel end, when she witnessed Su Ze leaping from the bridge, her heart inexplicably softened. For reasons she couldn’t grasp, she thought, fine, whatever—as long as he stayed by her side.
At the very last, she lay on the ground, drowning in regret. But it was far too late.
Note:
Favorability is simply goodwill. For example, if a passerby sees you acting bravely for a just cause and feels admiration toward you in their heart, that generates favorability. It isn’t limited to romantic liking; it can be affection toward a friend, parental love, or a mother’s love for her son. A particularly high value is thus entirely normal, as it can also represent respect or admiration.
Heartthrob Value applies only to someone you like, and the numerical value rises solely when you experience emotions of liking toward them. It has a maximum of one hundred, after which it stops increasing upon reaching one hundred percent love.
