*Ding~* Affection level rising.

"Song An'an's affection toward Liang Sheng: +100"

"I-I-I... I'm just happy!" Song An'an stammered, words tumbling out.

Liang Sheng gently pinched the tear-streaked cheeks of the other girl. Her tightly wound worry finally eased. Feigning annoyance, she said, "Don't ever do that again! You scared me half to death. Do it again and I’ll really get mad, okay~?"

Song An'an nodded eagerly and wrapped her arms around Liang Sheng’s arm. *Hehe, Ah Sheng must like me!* she thought gleefully. *She even kissed my forehead!*

"Liang Sheng! You big dummy!" A volleyball shot straight at her. Liang Sheng froze mid-step, too stunned to move.

*Whoosh!* The ball whistled past her ear. A cold shiver raced down her spine—*One centimeter off and I’d be a goner!*

"Who was that?!" Liang Sheng snapped, then squinted. Miss Lu Ziqing stood there, cheeks puffed in a fierce pout.

*Rich girl = money = free meal = fancy dinner incoming.* Swallowing her anger, Liang Sheng waved with an ingratiating smile. "Miss! Fancy seeing you here!" *Ugh, such a lame line.*

Lu Ziqing turned away sharply. Liang Sheng scratched her nose sheepishly. *So hard to please...*

She tugged Song An'an toward Lu Ziqing. Though reluctant, Song An'an had no choice but to follow.

"Miss~ Let me play with you!" Lu Ziqing ignored her, face icy. Liang Sheng met cold silence.

*Grit teeth. For the dinner. Endure.*

She flashed a forced grin at Lu Ziqing—only for Song An'an to frown. Liang Sheng pivoted to soothe her. Glancing back? Lu Ziqing’s glare had sharpened. Back to Lu Ziqing. Back to Song An'an. Round and round. Dizzy. Overwhelmed. *Ancestors! Living ancestors! These two young misses are my ancestors!* This time, Liang Sheng nearly cried from sheer frustration.

She finally snapped, wiped her tears, and ran.

No idea how far. No idea where. She sank onto the sand, heart aching. *I’m a girl too... I need comforting too...* Sigh.

After a while, a crisp *jingle* broke the silence. Liang Sheng looked up.

A tall, slender girl in a beige sunhat walked closer. Sea-blue hair rippled in the breeze like ocean waves.

Humming softly, she neared. *Jingle.* Liang Sheng spotted a small bell tied to her wrist.

Sensing eyes on her, the girl turned—and their gazes locked.

Liang Sheng froze. Those ocean-deep eyes: mesmerizing, dangerously sweet. She jerked her head away, afraid of drowning in them.

The girl strolled over, bent with hands on knees, and smiled warmly. "Saw students over there. Classmates? Walked this far... got lost?"

Liang Sheng stole a glance, then looked down. Not stunningly beautiful—but unforgettable.

*Another heroine?* She squinted. No character profile popped up. *Right... how could I keep meeting heroines?*

She shook her head. "Fought with classmates. Ended up here by accident."

The girl patted her head gently. "Go back soon. Gets scary being alone when it’s late."

Feeling infantilized, Liang Sheng asked awkwardly, "How old are you, Jiejie?"

"Me?" The girl giggled. "Twenty-six! Way older than you!"

"Wow... you look eighteen, nineteen tops!" Liang Sheng’s sweet-talking kicked in.

"Haha!" The girl beamed—every girl loves hearing she looks young.

"Your name, Jiejie?"

"Ling Dang."

"Hm?" Liang Sheng blinked.

"My name is Ling Dang," she repeated with a smile.

*Ling Dang... Weird name. Never appeared in-story. Just an NPC?*

*Wait... did it? Where...?* Dizziness washed over her. Memory slipped away.

"Hey? You okay?" Ling Dang patted her shoulder.

Liang Sheng jolted back. "Fine!"

"Where’re you from?" Ling Dang smoothed her skirt and sat beside her.

Liang Sheng edged closer. A soft, pleasant scent drifted over. "City D. You, Jiejie?"

"Me..." Ling Dang frowned. "Huh? Where *am* I from?" She clutched her head, gaze drifting lost toward the sea.

*What?! Amnesia?*

"Don’t think about it!" Liang Sheng grabbed her hand.

Ling Dang’s eyes darted. Then—lightbulb moment. "Haha! Right! Don’t dwell. Happiness matters most, right? Wait... who told me that?" Brows knotted again. Distress returned.

*So strange...* Liang Sheng stood, took her hand. "Jiejie, stop thinking. I’ll walk you back!" She channeled her inner gentleman.

"Okay..." Ling Dang smiled sweetly, brushed sand off her skirt, and linked hands.

She halted. Turned. "But... where’s my home?"

*She forgot her home?!* Panic flickered in Liang Sheng. *Whose daughter is this?!*

"Huh?" Ling Dang tilted her head. "And you... who are you again?"

Liang Sheng stood frozen.

An elderly maid came panting up, seized Ling Dang’s hand, face crumpling near tears. "Oh, my girl! How’d you wander off?! If I’d known, I’d never have begged the young master to bring you here..."

Liang Sheng pieced it together: Ling Dang had memory issues. Slipped out. Got lost.

"And you?" the maid asked, finally noticing Liang Sheng.

"I found Jiejie Ling Dang. Tried walking her back, but she couldn’t recall her address. Also—"

"Thank you!" the maid cut in, flustered. "She’s had poor memory since childhood—loves joking too! We’ll go now, no bother!"

Bewildered, Liang Sheng just nodded. "Goodb—"

Before she finished, the maid whisked Ling Dang away.

*Sigh. Why is everyone so weird today?*

Kicking pebbles on the path back, Liang Sheng pondered Ling Dang.

She circled back to the volleyball spot—empty. Leaning against a coconut tree, despair settled deep. *Abandoned. Completely.*

"Hey! Look! Someone’s there!"

A crowd surged toward her.

"It’s Liang Sheng!" A joyful shriek—Song An'an’s voice, unmistakable.

Like a tiger pouncing down a mountain, Song An'an crashed into her, tears streaming. "Waaah! Ah Sheng! You vanished for over four hours! I was so scared!"

*Four hours?!*

*Gurgle.* Her stomach growled. Hunger hit hard.

"Found her!" The crowd scattered, leaving only five girls: Song An'an, Lu Ziqing, An Hua, Gu Yuqi, Dong Yue.

Dong Yue’s tone turned stern. "Where did you go?"

"I..."

"No need to explain. Don’t do this again. Everyone worried—*especially* me, your teacher. If something happened to my student... You know the saying: 'A teacher for a day is a father for life.' I was truly worried." The words nearly moved Liang Sheng to tears. She completely missed the "father" part.

Lu Ziqing stepped close, voice barely a whisper: "Sorry." Then fled.

A shiver ran down Liang Sheng’s spine. *First apology ever... Why’s it so creepy?*

Gu Yuqi fretted aloud, brows tightly knotted. An Hua stood silent—but her eyes held quiet worry. Song An'an wailed dramatically, clinging to Liang Sheng’s neck like a koala. *As if I’m already dead and headed for the funeral.*

"Alright, alright," Lu Ziqing said, pulling Su Ze with one hand, reaching for Liang Sheng with the other. "Let’s go. I’m treating you. A promise is a promise—this young miss never breaks her word!"

Song An'an swatted her hand away, glaring.

"An'an, be polite. Be good~" Liang Sheng chided gently.

"Okay..." Song An'an drooped her head, utterly dejected.