“No, no, no! I’m not your sister—you’ve got the wrong person!” Liang Sheng covered her face and started acting shamelessly.
“Sis, Su Ze and I are truly in love,” Liang Jin said, gazing at Liang Sheng with eyes full of accusation, as if she were the one trying to tear apart a happy couple.
Liang Sheng’s face scrunched up like a panda’s from one of those viral filters. Heaven help her—this little sister had no sense at all. Truly in love? More like one willing to hit and the other willing to take the blows!
With a sigh, Liang Sheng asked, “So what exactly are you trying to say? You want to meet up again or something?”
Liang Jin let out a few goofy “hehe” laughs before replying, “Nope! I need to play it cool. So I’m asking you, Sister Liang Sheng, to keep an eye on Su Ze at school for me. Make sure no other girls steal him away.”
Liang Sheng: “…” Whimper, whimper… Shengsheng couldn’t do it~
The male lead’s charm was boundless—he’d conquered all twelve of his girlfriends. This… this was way beyond her pay grade.
“You’re killing me!” Liang Sheng groaned, collapsing face-first onto the bed with a muffled whine.
Liang Jin pouted, then flung herself beside Liang Sheng, looping an arm around her shoulders and wheedling, “Sis~ Dearest sis~ For the sake of your little sister’s bright future, help me out! Pretty please~”
Liang Sheng had no defense against girls acting cute with her. She rubbed her throbbing temples and sighed heavily before agreeing.
Did she really mean it? Ha, not a chance—it was just empty words. Something this impossible? No way she’d actually do it.
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Liang Jin’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 66”
You want me to handle something that’s guaranteed to make my hair fall out, and all I get is three measly points? Liang Sheng fumed inwardly. But then she thought better of it. Eh, 66—smooth sailing. Might as well call it a holiday bonus. Talk about changing the subject.
After some playful tussling, Liang Jin gradually quieted down. She stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought, her gaze growing deeper and more distant.
“Sis…” she murmured, almost to herself.
“Mm?” Liang Sheng was starting to feel drowsy, her mind foggy.
Liang Jin turned her head to study Liang Sheng’s profile. “Sis, from childhood until now, have you never liked anyone?”
Liang Sheng froze for a moment. It had been ages since she’d even considered the question. Ever since that moment back in her original world when she’d been hurt, she’d stopped hoping for a love that could make her happy.
“I don’t know,” she mumbled vaguely, brushing it off. She didn’t want to dwell on the past. Life in this novel world was pretty good as it was.
Liang Jin wasn’t satisfied with that answer. She spaced out for a bit longer before pressing on. “Then… what does Sister Liang Sheng think about love? Like, what feelings does it stir in you?”
Liang Sheng found it a little amusing. This kid was so young, yet here she was trying to discuss something as complicated as love. Could she even understand it? Liang Sheng herself had lived nearly thirty years and still hadn’t figured it out.
She took hold of Liang Jin’s hand and gazed up at the ceiling too. The wallpaper in Liang Sheng’s room was beautiful—lush mint leaves, vibrant and full of life. Kazuko had insisted she change it out for this. Liang Sheng hadn’t understood why at the time, but she’d gone along with it anyway.
This was the first time she’d really looked at it properly.
“Is it nice?” Kazuko had asked.
Liang Sheng blinked lazily, not quite getting it.
“Sister Liang Sheng?” Liang Jin’s voice pulled her back from her reverie.
“Ah… uh,” Liang Sheng sputtered, feeling like a fishbone was stuck in her throat. She cleared it a couple of times, at a loss for words.
Liang Jin wasn’t thrilled with the response. She grabbed Liang Sheng’s shoulder and shook it vigorously, then slumped against it, huffing in frustration. Undeterred, she demanded, “Come on, tell me! Tell me!”
Liang Sheng glanced at Liang Jin draped over her shoulder, gathered her thoughts, and began slowly, “Well, how to put it…”
Seeing that Liang Sheng was finally about to share her wisdom, Liang Jin perked up instantly. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she sat up straight.
Noticing the weight lift from her shoulder, Liang Sheng frowned. She pulled Liang Jin close again, pressing her head back down and wrapping an arm around her waist. Who would’ve thought that this simple gesture would make Liang Jin—who’d devoured countless Mary Sue novels—blush bright red?
“Ding~” Favorability increased.
“Liang Jin’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 71”
Too caught up to sigh or complain, Liang Sheng continued at a leisurely pace. “I don’t know. I just hope that in love, everyone is equal. That people can love whoever they want without being mocked or insulted for it.”
Silence fell. Liang Jin stared at Liang Sheng in a daze, suddenly feeling like this sister was a stranger.
“Hm… so why did you fall for Su Ze?” Liang Sheng turned the question back on her.
Liang Sheng had wondered about it for a while now. Su Ze wasn’t even that handsome, so why did so many girls fall for him? Most of them at first sight, no less. She didn’t buy into love at first sight—it was just lust at first sight. Yet all these girls felt that “love around the corner” spark the moment they saw him.
Even more bizarre: In the original story, every first encounter between Su Ze and the girls was pure coincidence.
Take Lu Ziqing, for example. They were childhood friends. She first met Su Ze at six years old in the back garden, chasing a butterfly. Around the corner they collided, and Zi Qing’s face turned red on the spot.
Incredible, right?
Or take the original Liang Sheng, along with the trajectory-altering Liang Jin and An Hua. All three had been helped up by Su Ze once, and their favorability had skyrocketed. Heartthrob Value and Favorability weren’t the same, but with affection that obvious, his Heartthrob Value had to have jumped by more than a little.
Back when she was still just an observer, Liang Sheng had chalked these weird details up to the author being an amateur who defaulted to love at first sight for meetings. But now? It seemed otherwise. More like Su Ze was pulling some shenanigans.
Liang Jin blinked at the sudden question, a flicker of confusion crossing her face. Yeah… how had she fallen for Su Ze?
“Love… love’s hard to explain. It’s just… love at first sight,” she finally said after a long pause.
Liang Sheng shook her head and looked her sister squarely in the eye. “Really? How many times have you even met Su Ze? Do you know his personality or his character? Besides… lots of guys have helped you before—handsomer ones, ones who’ve done more for you. So why him, when you’ve only seen him twice?”
Her words left Liang Jin stunned. She’d never really thought about it before. Why? And now that she did, why had it never even occurred to her?
“I… I don’t know,” Liang Jin swallowed hard, her throat dry and scratchy.
And that was exactly right.
Su Ze had helped Song An’an too, but An’an’s Favorability toward him hadn’t budged.
Liang Sheng made a bold guess: If Su Ze’s Heartthrob Value was that potent, he must have plenty of items or rules to boost Favorability. Canon Law One: Upon first meeting a girl, casually help her and make physical contact.
“Ding-dong~!” Unlocked a Canon Law of the Heartthrob Value System. Reward: Canon Law One unlocked.
“Canon Law One: Upon first meeting a girl, casually help her and touch her body—Favorability increases by 20 points.”
“Bonus Reward: View data and Favorability changes for three more people. Previous limit: 13 people. New limit: 16 people.”
