Yes, yes, yes—that was exactly the effect she was going for. Liang Sheng’s grin stretched from ear to ear.
“Ah…” Liang Sheng covered her mouth with one hand in a pitiful manner, while gently wiping away the tears she’d held back from stifled laughter with the other. She kept sobbing as she put in a good word for Su Ze. “Su Ze is a guy, after all. He’s a bit careless. Like at the start, he thought Zhen Zhu was just playing outside and didn’t go look for her. I’m a girl, more attentive, so I went by myself. Who would’ve thought… wuwuwuwu…”
“What?!” Lu Ziqing slammed her hand on the table with enough force to seemingly shatter it.
Her face flushed red with anger, her lips trembling nonstop. “I’m going to ask him about this!” With that, she stormed toward the door.
Liang Sheng’s clever little mind whirred into action again.
“Don’t!” Liang Sheng made a show of trying to get out of bed, wobbling unsteadily from the pain of her injuries. She reached out, grasping at the air in front of her.
“A-Sheng!” The sudden move startled Song An’an, who had been silent until now. Her face paled, and her hands fluttered uncertainly, not knowing where to put them.
Zhen Zhu, nestled in Liang Sheng’s arms, jumped in fright and instinctively moved to stop her.
“Hey! Don’t move around!” Lu Ziqing whipped her head around at the sound and rushed back.
“Young Miss…” Tears welled up in Liang Sheng’s beautiful eyes. She blinked lightly, and two teardrops slid down her cheeks, leaving clear trails. “Don’t get on bad terms with the guy you like because of me!”
Hmph. If she really acted like a green tea bitch, no one could compare. Liang Sheng smirked inwardly with smug satisfaction.
Those words hit Lu Ziqing like a pang in her heart, but she couldn’t show it on the surface. She could only glare with wide eyes and puffed cheeks. “I-I’m doing this for myself! If he doesn’t explain himself clearly, and if he’s that kind of person… h-how could I keep liking him…?”
Yes, yes, yes—that was the line she wanted. Liang Sheng nearly burst out laughing but choked on her own saliva in her excitement, coughing violently.
“You stay here and rest. I’m going to settle this with him.” Lu Ziqing was dead set on it this time. She turned and left without looking back.
Ah… Liang Sheng watched Young Miss’s retreating figure, marveling at how tall and upright Lu Ziqing’s back seemed right then. Look at her—she’d become an envoy of justice! Striding down the hallway next to the infirmary, that gradually fading silhouette was forever etched into Liang Sheng’s tender young heart (elementary school essay vibes).
Just as Liang Sheng was lost in her reverie, Song An’an spoke up. “A-Sheng, I brought some egg fried rice. Want a bit?”
Ah! Good person card acquired, ding~
“Yes, yes, yes!” Liang Sheng nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
“Mm!” Song An’an happily pulled a pink lunchbox with heart designs from her pink shoulder bag. She opened it, and a wave of savory aroma hit Liang Sheng’s brain straight on.
Slurp. Liang Sheng barely held back a drool.
“But…” Song An’an hesitated.
“Ah?” Liang Sheng’s eyes locked hungrily on the lunchbox. When the hand extending it paused midway, she tilted her head in confusion toward Song An’an.
Song An’an said with dead seriousness, “But A-Sheng, you’re injured!”
“Ah??” Liang Sheng tilted her head even further. What did eating have to do with her injuries?
Song An’an burst into laughter, flashing a neat row of little white teeth. “Since A-Sheng is injured, I’ll feed you!”
Actions speak louder than words. No sooner had she said it than Song An’an scooped up a big spoonful of egg fried rice and held it to Liang Sheng’s lips.
Uh… Liang Sheng was baffled. Sure, she was hurt, but her arms were fine.
Still, food delivered to her mouth wasn’t to be refused. Even as her brain puzzled it over, her mouth had already made the decision and chomped down.
So good! Liang Sheng squinted in bliss.
Seeing Liang Sheng eat, Song An’an beamed with satisfaction.
Zhen Zhu couldn’t take it anymore. Were these two pretending she didn’t exist, showing off like this?
“Hey! I’m hungry too! I want some!” She opened her little mouth wide and pointed at it with her finger.
“No way!” Song An’an clutched the lunchbox possessively, covering it with one hand like it might get snatched away.
“Why not?!” Zhen Zhu pouted angrily, swinging the rabbit plushie in her arms.
“Because… because…” Song An’an fumbled for words, hemming and hawing for ages. “Because A-Sheng is the patient! You wouldn’t want to steal food from a patient, right?”
Oh ho. Liang Sheng stared at Song An’an in surprise, inwardly marveling at how this little lass had suddenly developed such a sharp tongue. Before, she’d always been such a timid doormat.
“I-I…” Zhen Zhu got shut down too. She huffed and squeezed her rabbit plushie, no longer throwing a tantrum for food from Song An’an.
“Here, A-Sheng. Open up.” Song An’an flipped back to her sweet and cute self in an instant, feeding more food into Liang Sheng’s mouth.
Liang Sheng obediently opened wide and ate. Of course she did—there’s a saying about how the mouth goes soft after eating someone’s food and the hand short after taking their favors. She was the perfect example.
After finishing the rice, Liang Sheng and Song An’an chatted about this and that. The little loli Zhen Zhu kept chiming in from the side, while Mo Qingrou occasionally added a sigh or two. Time passed in fulfilling contentment.
“I’m back,” came a cold voice. Lu Ziqing walked in, her expression stormy.
Hearing Young Miss’s voice, Liang Sheng quickly straightened up and sneakily eyed Lu Ziqing’s status.
“Lu Ziqing’s Favorability Toward Su Ze: 78”
Whoa!! Liang Sheng’s jaw dropped in shock. No way, no way—the protagonist Big Pig Hoof Su Ze’s first girlfriend’s favorability toward him had dropped to 78?!
Aaaah, so Young Miss Lu Ziqing had finally seen Su Ze’s true colors! Ahahahaha, who else?!
“Ahem.” Liang Sheng schooled her expression flawlessly, the smugness vanishing in a second. Her face turned pitiful again, her tone laced with worry. “Y-Young Miss, you two didn’t fight, did you?” Classic case of asking a question she already knew the answer to.
“I’m fine.” Lu Ziqing’s face was like iron as she sat in a nearby chair, breathing heavily. No one could tell if it was anger at Su Ze or just from running that left her winded.
“H-how did it go with him…” Liang Sheng probed carefully, wary of setting off the freshly fuming Young Miss Lu Ziqing.
Lu Ziqing hung her head, her long black hair veiling her profile.
Liang Sheng sensed something off and looked closer. Lu Ziqing’s body was trembling faintly. Ah, Young Miss was crying! Liang Sheng panicked instantly.
“Y-Young Miss, I won’t ask anymore! I-I know Su Ze isn’t that kind of person. I was wrong…” Liang Sheng deliberately shouldered all the blame.
