Could it be…? Liang Sheng thought, stunned by the idea. She resolved to verify it the next day.
The following morning brought perfect weather to school—gentle sunlight spilling down, a soft breeze caressing the skin. Song An’an had been waiting outside bright and early for Liang Sheng. She’d specially braided the hair on the left side of her head into three neat little strands, her face alight with anticipation as she watched for Liang Sheng’s arrival, wondering what her friend might say.
The moment Liang Sheng stepped out, she spotted Song An’an and greeted her with a smile. “Morning,” she said, slinging an arm around her shoulder as they walked.
Song An’an’s head drooped in disappointment, her voice barely above a whisper. “A… A-Sheng, don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“Hm?” Liang Sheng blinked in confusion. Was there something that absolutely had to be said?
“N-Never mind,” Song An’an mumbled, utterly crestfallen.
Splash~ Favorability dropped.
“Song An’an’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 97”
Huh? What did I do wrong this time…? Liang Sheng wanted to cry.
Wait… Oh~ So that’s it.
A breeze rustled through, and Liang Sheng grinned, her dimples popping cutely on her cheeks. She ruffled Song An’an’s hair and said softly, “New hairstyle? It looks great.”
Ah! Song An’an stared happily at Liang Sheng’s hand on her head. Ah! Liang Sheng complimented her! And patted her head!
Ding~ Favorability rose.
“Song An’an’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 100+”
Aaaah! Liang Sheng was even more thrilled than Song An’an. It was the first time she’d seen a girl’s favorability toward her break past one hundred. Did this count as conquering her? Liang Sheng wondered excitedly.
With that in mind, Liang Sheng doubled down on the pampering. “An’an, the new style suits you perfectly. I love it.” Love it! Liang Sheng said she loved it! Song An’an conveniently ignored that it was about her hairstyle and convinced herself it meant she loved her.
Ding! Favorability surged.
“Song An’an’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 100+”
In high spirits, Liang Sheng arrived at school. Before parting, Song An’an tugged at the hem of her skirt and handed her a bottle of juice. Liang Sheng eyed her quizzically, and Song An’an flushed red. “This… this is fresh pear juice I squeezed this morning. Don’t drink those store-bought drinks—they’re not pure.”
Touched, Liang Sheng watched as Song An’an hurried on. “Wait for me at lunch! I brought food!” Then, blushing furiously, she scampered off.
Patting her head, Liang Sheng couldn’t fathom why Song An’an was so shy. The real reason was all the romantic fantasies swirling in Song An’an’s mind; their current dynamic felt just like dating.
Entering the classroom, Liang Sheng spotted Young Miss Lu’s haughty face again. She dreaded another lunch invite—that would mean offending her little admirer.
But the young miss said nothing, merely huffing at Liang Sheng as she walked in. It wasn’t annoyance; quite the opposite. She was actually delighted to see her.
First period was math, taught by homeroom teacher Dong Yue. Liang Sheng had zero interest in this future girlfriend of the male lead, so Dong Yue’s favorability levels toward Su Ze and her stood at:
“Toward Su Ze: 28
Toward Liang Sheng: 3″
No surprise there—the gap was massive.
Liang Sheng suffered in silence. She’d already endured high school once; having to do it all again was torture.
She fought off sleep until the bell rang. Once Dong Yue left, Liang Sheng geared up to test her theory.
She approached Su Ze’s desk, tapped it, and jerked her head toward the door. He blinked in surprise but followed her out.
“Did you run into a girl who looks a lot like me last Saturday?” Liang Sheng cut straight to the point.
Su Ze nodded. “Yeah, she had short hair. Not as cute as you.” Damn, three sentences in and the scumbag quality shines through! Always flirting!
Liang Sheng pulled a small mirror from her pocket and squinted at her own stats. Sure enough, her favorability toward Su Ze had risen.
“Toward Su Ze: 70”
Tucking the mirror away, Liang Sheng felt a chill at the result. She suspected this was the original Liang Sheng’s favorability toward him, not hers. The proof was in: when Su Ze flirted just now, she’d only rolled her eyes internally—no butterflies, no spark.
From this, she concluded that her favorability toward Su Ze was controlled by the other Liang Sheng. But since she herself wouldn’t fall for him, the original soul was likely still lingering in her body.
Reaching that deduction made the timid Liang Sheng shiver.
Su Ze watched her odd behavior in bewilderment. Assuming she was just checking her cuteness in the mirror, he kept flirting. “You’re adorable. No need to check.”
Liang Sheng sighed and ignored him. Time to fulfill Liang Jin’s mission. “That girl was my cousin. She said you helped her and wants to thank you properly. So she asked me to set it up. Next Saturday, eight a.m., Art Garden Hotel. She’ll treat you to a meal.”
“Sure,” Su Ze agreed with a nod.
Wait, he said yes just like that? Liang Sheng gaped at him. She’d expected a refusal. After all, he’d been so aloof lately.
Seeing her stunned expression, Su Ze smiled warmly. “Because she’s your cousin.” Alright… the guy really knew how to flirt. She’d pegged him for a straight arrow, but he was smooth as silk.
Still, Liang Sheng felt nothing. Su Ze’s face just wasn’t her type.
“Thanks,” she said with a dimpled smile.
Ding~ Favorability rose.
“Su Ze’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 35”
Sigh, what could she do? Her charm was too potent—even Sea King Su Ze was smitten. Liang Sheng shook her head in mock helplessness.
As she turned back toward the classroom, a pair of resentful eyes glared from the window. Liang Sheng recoiled, nearly tumbling to the ground. After that haunted house trip, she’d had two nights of nightmares filled with demons and ghouls, waking drenched in sweat. Staring into those eerie eyes now meant more bad dreams ahead.
Focusing, she realized it was Lu Ziqing. Young Miss Lu’s face was twisted in fury, her nails scraping the windowsill with a piercing screech, as if she might gnaw the wall next. Liang Sheng rubbed her hands together in a placating smile and hurried over to soothe the jealous young miss.
Lu Ziqing whirled away upon seeing her approach, returning to her seat and pointedly ignoring her. Liang Sheng swallowed her pride and sidled up to explain.
After expending what felt like pounds of saliva and thousands of sweet words, the young miss’s anger finally ebbed. Liang Sheng wiped the sweat from her brow and slumped into her seat. Sigh, life was tough.
Still, this outburst was milder than before—no favorability drop. Liang Sheng consoled herself with that.
Glancing outside, she saw Senior Sister An Hua chatting animatedly with Su Ze. Lu Ziqing noticed too, her face darkening. She stormed out with murder in her eyes. A legendary showdown loomed.
Exhausted, Liang Sheng slouched in her chair, too drained to intervene.
Hang on—this scene rang a bell from the novel. Senior Sister An Hua had bumped into Su Ze by chance, thanked him, and struck up a conversation. Young Miss Lu Ziqing caught them, fumed, and staked her claim with a kiss on Su Ze’s cheek.
Ah! Prime drama! Liang Sheng perked up eagerly.
But before she could savor it, Lu Ziqing whipped around, glared at her, and barked, “You! Get over here!” Me? Liang Sheng rose, bewildered and shocked.
“What are you dawdling for? I’m calling you!” Lu Ziqing impatiently beckoned. Liang Sheng nearly teared up. The plot was finally on track—why drag an outsider like her into it?
Reluctantly, she stepped outside into the two-girls-one-guy comedy. The bickering pair gave her a headache.
“Hey, pay attention. These two? Both mine. Hands off either one!” In a shocking twist, after Lu Ziqing declared that, she yanked Su Ze into a fierce hug—then released him and pulled Liang Sheng into her arms!
Liang Sheng froze, staring at the young miss. What the hell? What did this have to do with her? She hadn’t done anything. And Young Miss, we’re just friends—this is turning friendship into something more!
Once An Hua stormed off, Liang Sheng sniffled dramatically and wailed at Lu Ziqing, “Oh, my young miss~ My innocence is ruined! I saw you as a friend, but you’re after my body?” She hammed it up with fake snot and tears.
Lu Ziqing rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. I was just using you to rile up that wretched An Hua. Teach her not to poach my people.”
“What does that have to do with me? Senior Sister An Hua doesn’t even like me,” Liang Sheng protested helplessly.
“But she mentioned you!” Lu Ziqing fumed. “I can’t stand her icy act. She wants to steal my stuff, so why pretend to be so superior?”
You’re overthinking it, Liang Sheng muttered inwardly, not daring to voice it.
“Regardless, Liang Sheng, you took advantage of me.”
Where do you get that righteous nerve? Liang Sheng gaped. She hadn’t even rebutted yet, and here you were, brazenly claiming victimhood when she was the pitiful, helpless one.
Fuming, Liang Sheng opened her mouth to argue, but Lu Ziqing shot her a threatening glare. “That’s the fact of the matter. No arguments.” She shut down the tirade before it began.
Liang Sheng had no choice. Outmatched in every way, she slunk back to the classroom behind the young miss.
Su Ze lingered outside, apparently as stunned by the hug as she was.
