Now it was certain: the favorability data that Su Ze had seen about Liang Sheng belonged to the original Liang Sheng, not the current version who had transmigrated into this body. Liang Sheng’s analysis made perfect sense, and she nodded along vigorously.
But what about that previous Liang Sheng? Liang Sheng suddenly realized something wasn’t right.
She came up with a few bold guesses. The first possibility was that the original Liang Sheng’s soul had been sealed deep inside the body, allowing her to seize control. The second was that the original soul was still present in this body, but she held the reins. The third was that the two souls had merged into one, though only the consciousness of the transmigrated Liang Sheng remained.
These thoughts made Liang Sheng’s head throb. The situation was growing more complicated by the minute. She wasn’t some detective like Conan—where was she supposed to get such razor-sharp reasoning skills? The more she pondered, the worse her headache got. Liang Sheng nearly lost it right there.
Ah, wait—hold on. She seemed to have overlooked something crucial…
Ah! Liang Sheng slammed her palm on the table and shot to her feet, clutching her head. Damn, damn, damn—she’d forgotten the whole reason she was there! She’d come back to ask for help, and Zhen Zhu was still missing! Liang Sheng paced frantically, like an ant scrambling across a sizzling hot pan.
“Hey, Su Ze!” With a sharp smack, Liang Sheng slapped his shoulder hard, her voice laced with irritation. “Are you going to help me find her or not?”
Su Ze hesitated. He glanced at An Hua, who sat there with a cold expression, waiting for her coffee, then over at Lu Ziqing bustling nearby. Frowning, he shook his head after a long moment. “She’s just a kid—they’re all playful. She’ll come back on her own soon enough.”
“You…!” Liang Sheng bristled with fury. This big scumbag was clearly reluctant to leave with all these girls around! Damn him!
“Hey, Young Miss, you…” Liang Sheng started, ready to enlist another girl’s help.
“Zi Qing!” Su Ze beat her to it, grabbing Lu Ziqing’s wrist. “Zi Qing, I accidentally spilled some coffee. Could you help me wipe it up?”
Liang Sheng blinked in confusion, utterly baffled by Su Ze’s maneuver.
Once he’d shooed Lu Ziqing away, Su Ze turned back around. A venomous glint flickered in his eyes, though his voice stayed warm and gentle. “Liang Sheng, everyone’s pretty busy right now. Zhen Zhu’s been running off on her own since she was little—she’ll turn up soon. Why don’t you take a seat and wait? I’ll whip up a cake for you.”
Liang Sheng nearly choked on her rage, her lungs ready to burst.
She scanned the room. No sign of Gu Yuqi, and Song An’an had vanished too.
Gritting her teeth, she squeezed out the words: “Fine! I’ll find her myself!” Then she bolted without a backward glance.
Su Ze watched her retreating figure, murmuring darkly to himself. “Hey, is something wrong with you?”
—— —— ——
Fast-forward to the present: how had Liang Sheng managed to find Zhen Zhu? Probably thanks to love… or fine, because she’d gotten lost too.
Liang Sheng clung tightly to Zhen Zhu, sobbing uncontrollably. “Wah, wah, wah—you stinky brat, you scared me half to death!”
Zhen Zhu stood there in a daze, her arms awkwardly outstretched, with no clue what was going on.
“You… you’re worried about me?” Zhen Zhu mumbled to herself.
“Obviously!” Liang Sheng squeezed her even tighter, her voice thick with emotion. “You vanished for so long—you had me terrified, wah, wah.”
Suddenly, Zhen Zhu’s nose stung, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Ding!” Favorability rose sharply.
“Zhen Zhu’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 16”
She reflected that it had been ages since anyone except Brother Su Ze had cared for her like this. Her parents were always swamped with work, leaving only the nanny to keep her company, and she felt miserable. Thank goodness Brother Su Ze dropped by often to play; she truly relied on him and adored him.
“Hmph, ugly freak—hurry up and take me back. And stop crying.” The little loli wiped away her tears, then gently patted Liang Sheng’s back.
Liang Sheng froze. Oh no! She had no idea where they were either! But admitting that would be mortifying.
With a light cough, Liang Sheng braced herself to stand up.
Thud. She had barely risen when she tumbled right back down.
“Ahhh, it hurts so much!” Liang Sheng curled into a ball, the pain overwhelming her. Only now did she notice that not a single spot on her body was unscathed.
Zhen Zhu yelped in alarm and rushed over to inspect Liang Sheng’s injuries. Seeing the agony etched on her face filled her with guilt. It was all her fault for running off and getting this person hurt—and all to search for her.
“Ding~” Favorability rose.
“Zhen Zhu’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 20”
Liang Sheng squinted through the pain. Spotting the favorability increase, she decided to pour a little more fuel on the fire—and these words sprang straight from her heart, anyway.
“Hey, stinky brat, what’s with the moping? Weren’t you acting all tough a minute ago, yelling at me and everything… Sigh, good thing you’re okay. I shouldn’t have smacked your butt—everybody’s got their pride. I get it now. My mistake. Sorry about that.” Liang Sheng pulled a rueful face, her apology utterly sincere.
She… she said it was good as long as she was okay? A warm glow bloomed in Zhen Zhu’s heart.
“Ding!” Favorability rose sharply.
“Zhen Zhu’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 31”
“Sorry…” Zhen Zhu bowed her head and whispered an apology to Liang Sheng.
Liang Sheng blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected this spoiled little loli to say sorry to her.
“I, I, I…” Zhen Zhu choked up. “If I hadn’t gotten lost, you wouldn’t be hurt, wah, wah.”
Liang Sheng smiled, deeply touched. Sure, this little loli could be headstrong and willful, but at heart, she was a kind child.
“Come on.” Liang Sheng pushed herself upright, gritting her teeth against the pain as she slowly stood and took hold of Zhen Zhu’s small hand. At the same time, though, she realized she was just as lost as before.
“Um… well, you know…” Liang Sheng eyed Zhen Zhu’s skirt hem guiltily. “How about Sis plays with you for a bit first? You said you wanted to play earlier, right?”
Zhen Zhu cocked her head, picking up on the odd vibe. “Hey, you… you didn’t get lost too, did you?” She was young, but not foolish.
“Er, er, er, I-I-I…” Liang Sheng stammered.
“I’ll get us back. Two heads are better than one, right?” Liang Sheng flashed a brilliant grin and tousled Zhen Zhu’s hair.
“Mm.” Zhen Zhu’s cheeks flushed faintly.
“Ding~” Favorability rose.
“Zhen Zhu’s Favorability Toward Liang Sheng: 32”
“Come on.” Liang Sheng took her hand and wandered onward with no particular direction.
“I’ve crossed mountains and great seas, and threaded through crowds vast as oceans.” After trudging for what felt like forever, Liang Sheng let two clear tears trail down her face, the lyrics suddenly springing to mind.
Huff, huff. The wounds throbbed worse than ever; sweat beaded on Liang Sheng’s forehead. In a trembling voice, she asked Zhen Zhu, “Stinky brat, mind if we sit down and rest for a bit?”
Zhen Zhu nearly snapped back that she wasn’t a stinky brat, but one look at Liang Sheng’s ashen face made her click her tongue instead. “Fine. Let’s sit over there—it’s cleaner.” She even solicitously guided Liang Sheng to a patch of tidy grass.
Liang Sheng sighed inwardly in wonder. This feeling—it was exactly like watching your own child mature in the blink of an eye! The pride and relief swelled enormously within her.
