This could only be described as her reaping what she had sown.
Liang Sheng practically dragged Zhen Zhu all the way to the teaching building.
Staring up at the towering structure that seemed to pierce the clouds, Liang Sheng wanted to cry but had no tears left. When she’d been reading this Mary Sue novel, it hadn’t seemed all that over-the-top. But now that she was living it, she realized just how utterly braindead it really was.
“Ah… Achoo!” Liang Sheng opened her mouth and let out a massive sneeze.
“Hiss, so cold…” Only then did she remember how skimpy her outfit was—and how brutally chilly the weather had turned.
Zhen Zhu was still wiping away her tears as Liang Sheng pushed her toward the entrance.
“Nooo, I don’t wanna go back!” Zhen Zhu wriggled and squirmed in protest.
“Ah, that hurts.” Liang Sheng clutched at her wound, her face scrunching up in pain. “Oof, no idea what’s going on, but it hurts so bad…”
“I…” Zhen Zhu gazed at Liang Sheng, fresh waves of guilt washing over her. “Fine, fine, I’ll go back.” With that, she took Liang Sheng’s hand and shuffled forward at a snail’s pace.
When they reached the classroom door, Zhen Zhu grabbed fistfuls of her skirt and flat-out refused to budge. Liang Sheng let out a sigh, reached over, and pushed the door open.
It was already noon, but the room was still packed with students.
The first person they spotted was Su Ze, tray in hand.
Su Ze caught sight of Zhen Zhu and Liang Sheng and froze for a split second. Then a warm, spring-breeze smile spread across his face. He set his tray down in a hurry and jogged over to the two girls. Half-crouching, he reached out to pat Zhen Zhu on the head. She flinched back on instinct, ducking behind Liang Sheng.
Su Ze’s hand hovered awkwardly in midair. The smile on his face turned rigid. After an awkward pause, he tugged at the corner of his mouth and forced another grin—though it was nowhere near as natural as before. “Zhen Zhu, where on earth did you run off to play? You had us worried sick.”
In the past, whenever Su Ze spoke to her like that, the little loli would have leaped three feet in the air with joy. But this time, she just let out a loud “Hmph!” and whipped her head away, refusing to look at him. Her hands clamped down tightly on Liang Sheng’s wrist.
“…Ah! Liang Sheng, what happened? You’re covered in injuries!” Su Ze’s gaze shifted to Liang Sheng standing off to the side. He gaped at her bedraggled state and cried out in shock.
“Here, hop on.” Su Ze turned his back to her and squatted down. “I’ll carry you to the infirmary.”
Liang Sheng let out a cold inward laugh. Oh, putting on a show for me? Fine, I’ll play along.
“Oh no, no need…” Liang Sheng waved her hands in flustered panic, putting on her best impression of a bashful schoolgirl thrilled that her crush had offered her a piggyback ride. Hey, who can’t pull off the pure-and-innocent routine?
Su Ze straightened up and grabbed her wrist. Liang Sheng’s brows furrowed in irritation as she shot him a displeased glare, already preparing to yank her arm free.
Smack! Su Ze’s hand was slapped away with force.
“Is it okay for a big guy like you to be groping a female classmate like that?” Gu Yuqi fixed Su Ze with a steely glare, her eyes brimming with disgust. One arm was draped protectively around Liang Sheng’s shoulder, while her other hand hovered right where Su Ze had grabbed her.
Whoosh! Favorability drops sharply.
【Gu Yuqi’s Favorability toward Su Ze: -8】
Yes! It exploded! Liang Sheng’s inner fangirl went absolutely wild. Aaaah, I love it! I love it so much! She couldn’t hide the giddy, starstruck grin on her face.
Su Ze rubbed the red mark on the back of his hand and said politely to Gu Yuqi, “I just saw that Liang Sheng was covered in wounds and wanted to take her to the infirmary to get patched up. You misunderstood me, Senior Sister.” He sounded utterly aggrieved, like he’d been wrongly accused.
“Didn’t you see Junior Sister Liang Sheng turn you down? Didn’t you notice she didn’t want your help? What, are your ears and eyes just for decoration?” Gu Yuqi unleashed her sharp tongue without mercy, tearing into Su Ze.
“I…” The expression on Su Ze’s face cracked. He clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms.
“Gu Yuqi! You…” Su Ze’s voice suddenly spiked—but cut off abruptly. “Hah…” It was as if something had clamped over his mouth; his lips moved, but no sound came out.
After a long moment, he let out a sigh and bowed deeply to Gu Yuqi. “Thank you for the lesson, Senior Sister. I know I was wrong. Sorry about that, Liang Sheng.”
Liang Sheng eyed Su Ze’s bizarre behavior with puzzlement and tilted her head. Quietly, she asked Kazuko in her mind, “Is something wrong with his head?”
A snort of laughter echoed in her thoughts. “Pfft, even the Heartthrob Value System couldn’t stay seated any longer.” Kazuko chuckled. “Nicely done. My eye for people really is spot-on.”
“Earth to daydreamer?” Gu Yuqi glanced down at Liang Sheng and lightly knocked her forehead. “Come on, I’ll take you to the infirmary.”
Unlike Su Ze, she didn’t bother asking if Liang Sheng needed help. Instead, she simply scooped her up in a princess carry.
“Eek!” Liang Sheng yelped in surprise and hurriedly wrapped her arms around Senior Sister Gu Yuqi’s neck.
“Let’s go.” Gu Yuqi strode off purposefully.
“Hey!” came a childish shout from behind. “What about me?!” The little loli Zhen Zhu stood there, cheeks puffed out in indignation as she hugged her bunny doll.
Gu Yuqi barely glanced down at her from on high, too lazy to even bend her neck. “You can just stay put and behave.”
Aaaah! Liang Sheng buried her face in Senior Sister Gu’s neck, her maiden heart on the verge of bursting. Ahh, it feels like a heart attack! Why is Senior Sister so domineering today?
Without waiting for Zhen Zhu’s response, Gu Yuqi marched briskly away without a backward glance.
“How’d you get these?” At first, Gu Yuqi walked in silence, her face expressionless. Liang Sheng got the sense she might be upset and stayed quiet. But then she spoke up out of nowhere, startling Liang Sheng into a flinch. “A-Aah, I-I tripped and fell by accident.”
“Sigh…” Gu Yuqi let out a deep breath. “How could you be so careless?” Her face bore a mix of exhaustion, exasperation, worry, and the faintest trace of a bitter smile.
A wave of warmth bloomed in Liang Sheng’s chest, leaving her mind blissfully blank. This was the first time anyone had ever cared for her like this…
Mwah.
In a moment of sheer impulse, Liang Sheng leaned in and planted a soft peck on Senior Sister Gu Yuqi’s cheek.
Gu Yuqi’s eyes flew wide open. She halted in her tracks and stood there, utterly dumbfounded.
“Th-This… This is just to comfort Senior Sister! N-No, it’s my thank-you for taking care of me!” Liang Sheng babbled incoherently. Truth be told, she was just as stunned herself—her brain had short-circuited in the heat of the moment, leaving her cheeks flaming red and her hands flailing awkwardly.
It felt like an eternity passed before Gu Yuqi finally spoke. “Hey…”
“Mm… Mm?” Liang Sheng stared up at her nervously. Will Senior Sister be mad about this? Well, yeah, probably. We’re both girls, after all. She… she wouldn’t find it gross, would she? Sure, I kissed her once before, but that was to save her life…
“Is that all my concern is worth?” Gu Yuqi’s eyes locked onto Liang Sheng cradled in her arms, those captivating peach-blossom eyes all but daring her to sin.
“Ah… A-Aah…” Liang Sheng’s brain flatlined on the spot.
“Oh?” Gu Yuqi let out a soft chuckle. “I think it deserves at least one more. My care doesn’t come cheap, you know.”
With that, Gu Yuqi slowly leaned her face closer to Liang Sheng’s.
Thump. Thump. Liang Sheng could hear her own heartbeat thundering in her ears. What is Senior Sister going to do to me?
Liang Sheng slowly closed her eyes. This wasn’t shyness—it was anticipation! Aaaah, hurry up already! Don’t hesitate! Strike first for the win!
