Su Ze turned his face away, dodging Wakako’s hand.
“You tell me, what do we do next?” Su Ze steadied his emotions for a moment. His hands trembled as he lifted a glass of water to his lips.
Wakako hovered in midair with her legs crossed. She stared at her manicured nails, occasionally blowing on them. “Phew~~ Now it’s confirmed. The host Akino Kazuko picked this time is still Liang Sheng. I really don’t get what she’s thinking. Liang Sheng failed once already. Does she want to repeat the same mistake? Ha, ridiculous.”
“But… Liang Sheng’s performance this time is such a huge contrast from last time.” Su Ze calmed himself and sank onto the sofa, a bitter frown creasing his brow.
“Ha.” Wakako let out a cold laugh. “Akino Kazuko probably pulled some little trick this time. But with her weak-ass abilities, she can’t compete with me. Even if she wins this round, she still can’t completely destroy me. After all…” She slowly turned her gaze toward a corner of the room.
“You think so, don’t you? A~ki~no~Hoshi~ko.”
A long silence answered her.
Wakako laughed on and on with a steady “Hehehe.” Su Ze glared at her. “How can you still laugh? Look at their Heartthrob Values toward me now!”
“Lu Ziqing’s Heartthrob Value toward Su Ze: 76
Song An’an’s Heartthrob Value toward Su Ze: 22
Gu Yuqi’s Heartthrob Value toward Su Ze: 0
Liang Sheng’s Heartthrob Value toward Su Ze: 0
Liang Jin’s Heartthrob Value toward Su Ze: 35
Hana’s Heartthrob Value toward Su Ze: Unable to view
Ye Yuzhe’s Heartthrob Value toward Su Ze: 50
An Hua’s Heartthrob Value toward Su Ze: 26
Mo Qingrou’s Heartthrob Value toward Su Ze: 3
Dong Yue’s Heartthrob Value toward Su Ze: 30
Bai Zhen’s Heartthrob Value toward Su Ze: 48
Zhen Zhu’s Heartthrob Value toward Su Ze: 57
Ou Lu’s Heartthrob Value toward Su Ze: 1
Cha Susu’s Heartthrob Value toward Su Ze: Not unlocked”
“See?!” Su Ze stared at the data, on the verge of losing control again.
“Hana, that bitch—her Heartthrob Value toward me went straight negative. It’s unviewable now!” Su Ze roared. In a frenzy, he smashed his water glass against the floor.
Wakako looked down at him from above, jabbing a finger at his nose. “Don’t push your luck. I warned you—don’t throw that stinky temper of yours at me!”
Su Ze’s body jolted. He lowered his head and murmured a meek “Yes.”
“I’ve told you before: without me, you can find someone else. But without you…” Her threatening tone made Su Ze duck his head even lower.
“Overall, we still have the edge.” Wakako withdrew her icy stare. “Favorability has no upper limit. But Heartthrob Value caps at 100. Even if they max out twelve girls at 100 Favorability, it won’t end the game. But if we get twelve girls to 100 Heartthrob Value toward you, I can wipe her out again.”
Su Ze slumped back onto the sofa, his face full of defeat.
“Enough with that sour face. Who are you trying to impress?” Wakako snapped impatiently. “I’ll help you one more time. But it’ll cost a lot, so I’ll be in dormancy for a month. Make the most of this chance. Don’t disappoint me again!”
Su Ze looked up in surprise. “You’re still going to use that method?”
Wakako nodded. “It’s the only way to turn this mess around the fastest and most effectively.”
“So, Su Ze… who do you choose?”
“Hana and… Gu Yuqi!”
Wakako gave a playful smirk. “I get Hana. But Gu Yuqi? Why her? I thought you didn’t like her much. There are others with Heartthrob Values close to hers. Why not pick one of them?”
Su Ze suddenly broke into a vicious grin—a little unhinged. “Because of Liang Sheng’s obvious crush on Gu Yuqi. She can’t hide it.”
—— —— ——
“Liang Sheng! Liang Sheng! Liang Sheng, wake up!”
Liang Sheng, clad in her little bear pajamas, blinked her eyes open groggily. She grumbled without enthusiasm, “Kazuko, what’s got you going nuts in the middle of the night?”
“Look at this! Quick!”
One moment, Liang Sheng’s eyes were half-lidded in a daze. The next, she saw the data Kazuko showed her and bolted upright, eyes wide. “What the hell is this?!”
Gu Yuqi’s and Hana’s Favorability toward her were plummeting nonstop.
“Damn it!” Kazuko gnashed her teeth. “It has to be the Heartthrob Value System behind this! Despicable! Shameless! What a bastard! Ptooey!”
Liang Sheng sat there in a total fog, wondering if she was dreaming.
“Liang Sheng?” “Liang Sheng?”
Kazuko watched her host sit frozen in place and grew worried. She tried to soothe her gently. “It’s fine, Liang Sheng. Just think of it as a fresh start with those two.”
“A fresh start?” Liang Sheng echoed blankly.
“Yeah, yeah.” Kazuko sensed her host wasn’t in a good state.
“Heh…” Liang Sheng bowed her head, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
“L-Liang Sheng?” Kazuko felt a twinge of fear. No way—this tiny setback couldn’t have broken her, right?
She tried comforting her again. “Don’t worry. The Heartthrob Value System will go dormant for a month after pulling this skill. It’s actually a golden opportunity. Su Ze’s such an idiot. Every cloud has a silver lining, right?”
“Worry, my ass! Fresh start, my foot!” Liang Sheng shot to her feet, eyes blazing. “Su Ze wants to play games? Thinks his System’s extra functions give him the edge? Ha! Fine, I’ll play. I’ll play him into the ground!”
“Gah… huh?” Kazuko reeled, dumbfounded by Liang Sheng’s bold pivot.
Liang Sheng spread her hands with a shrug. “You didn’t seriously think this broke me and sent me into a depression spiral, did you? Ha, as if! I thought I had the win in the bag. But he just handed me a game reset. Let’s see who laughs last.”
“I like games with real challenge~” Liang Sheng flashed a grin before sliding back into bed. “He dares wipe Senior Sister Yuqi’s Favorability toward me back to zero? Then he’d better brace for a painful payback.”
Heh, simp—who can’t play that game? Just you wait, Su Ze.
The next morning, Liang Sheng rose before dawn.
Kazuko yawned. “In such a rush to track down your Senior Sister Gu Yuqi?”
“Nope.” Liang Sheng swept her hair up into a high ponytail. Her dark eyes fixed on her own striking reflection in the mirror. “We’re going to see my adorable little yandere, Hana.”
“Ah…?” Kazuko stared in shock. The old Liang Sheng had avoided Hana like the plague. Now she was marching straight into the lion’s den.
“Liang Sheng.” Kazuko fretted. “Did that hit to the head rattle your brains? You gone silly?”
“Pfft.” Liang Sheng burst out laughing. “You’re the silly one!”
Kazuko bristled. “You’re the one acting off! Proactively chasing down a yandere? That’s suicide!”
Liang Sheng grabbed a hair tie and secured her high ponytail. She swung it back and forth a few times, nodded in satisfaction, and continued, “So you know she’s a yandere too?”
