“S-senpai!” Liang Sheng’s heart wavered—part of her wanted to bolt, part longed to stay nestled in Gu Yuqi’s arms. One second she was glad she’d washed her hair last night; the next, she worried her forehead might sweat.
*Sigh.* Without even noticing, she’d become a love-struck girl too.
Gu Yuqi gently loosened her arms around Liang Sheng and nudged her. “Hurry to class. Lessons start soon.”
*Ah!* So captivating! Though both Hua Nai and Gu Yuqi ranked SSS in looks, Senpai Gu’s face was *exactly* her type—what was she supposed to do?!
“O-okay, okay, okay!” Dazed and enchanted, Liang Sheng stumbled back to her seat, floating through the whole process.
Watching Liang Sheng’s utterly hopeless expression, Gu Yuqi pressed her lips into a smile. For the first time, she felt glad about her own face. *Having a face that suits Liang Sheng’s taste really has its perks.*
“Ahhhhhh!” Liang Sheng buried her face in her arms, slumping flat on the desk—internally screaming, cheering, trembling with joy. *Heaven! Senpai’s warm breath just brushed my skin… so, so blissful. And her face—so cool, so mesmerizing, so beautiful!*
She giggled “hehe” like a fool.
Lu Ziqing’s desk shook from the vibrations. She shot a glare at Liang Sheng’s back, then jabbed her pen cap hard into her spine—earning a sharp “Yowch!”
Jolted from her daydream, Liang Sheng bristled to scold Lu Ziqing—but the moment she met those domineering eyes, her anger vanished. She wilted completely.
*Born into this world, born human… I’m such a coward.*
“Miss,” Liang Sheng asked through gritted teeth, voice dripping with false humility, “how have I offended you this time?”
Lu Ziqing felt oddly upset. She’d seen Gu Yuqi hugging Liang Sheng through the window earlier and felt inexplicably irritated—she just hated that scene.
She turned her head away, puffed her cheeks, silent. After a long pause: “Nothing.”
Liang Sheng sighed. She knew Lu Ziqing was a tsundere—something was definitely wrong, but she’d never say it. *How stifling. Tsunderes really are strange creatures.*
“Alright then, if nothing’s wrong…” Liang Sheng happily turned back to her daydreams.
*Whoosh~* Affection decreased.
“Lu Ziqing’s affection toward Liang Sheng: 70”
Liang Sheng: “…Hmph. Petty woman.”
Too lazy to coax her, Liang Sheng slumped flat on the desk, playing dead.
“Hey! What are you doing?!” He Zi’s voice burst in, brimming with complaint. “Affection keeps dropping! If it falls further, I won’t be able to speak again!”
*What do I care?* Liang Sheng wanted to snap back—but couldn’t. She still relied on He Zi to survive.
Reluctantly, she turned, pouted, and timidly poked Lu Ziqing’s arm. In a soft, pitiful whisper: “Miss… you were mean to me just now… I’m so wronged~”
Hearing that cooing, wheedling tone, Lu Ziqing’s heart skipped—no, *fluttered*—and her face flushed instantly. *Girls do love cute little things.* (Liang Sheng: *So I’m a “little thing”…*)
*Ding~* Affection increased.
“Lu Ziqing’s affection toward Liang Sheng: 73”
“I-it’s your own fault anyway,” Lu Ziqing widened her eyes, stubborn to the end.
*Great. My fault again.*
Liang Sheng deployed her ultimate weapon: pouting, wheedling, shameless rolling.
“Miss, Miss~ Please don’t be mean to me, okay? I care about you so much… When you do that… I-I-I… I’m really hurt, sob sob sob.” She even shed a few fake tears for sincerity.
*Ding~* Affection increased.
“Lu Ziqing’s affection toward Liang Sheng: 77”
“Ugh, fine, fine! I’ll be more careful next time,” Lu Ziqing turned away, hiding the pleased smirk and suppressed giggles. *Too cute! Anyone would melt!*
Seeing her scheme succeed, Liang Sheng turned back, shedding relieved tears. *Guess I’m still cute enough. This life-saving skill of acting cute hasn’t faded. Good.*
“Brilliant!” He Zi cheered. “I knew I picked the right person!”
“By the way,” Liang Sheng asked inwardly, “why *did* you choose me? My brilliant mind? Sharp reflexes? Or my pretty face?”
He Zi stammered, “Uh… well… you… it was an accident.”
*Accident?!* Did she get hit by this system after eight lifetimes of bad luck?!
“So… do you actually know the truth about this world?” Liang Sheng probed.
“What truth?” He Zi sounded confused.
“Am I Liang Sheng… or *Liang Sheng*?”
He Zi grew impatient. “Aren’t you just Liang Sheng? Is teasing me fun?”
*Sigh.* Clearly, He Zi knew nothing about the transmigration.
“Oh! One more thing,” Liang Sheng remembered, “you said ‘in my past life’ before. What did you mean?”
“I died, obviously,” He Zi replied bluntly. “Details are my secret. I’ll tell you when the time is right.”
“When’s that?”
“When we’re close enough,” He Zi said. “Simple as that.”
*Huh.* Though literal, Liang Sheng’s mind couldn’t help but wander.
“Hey! What are you thinking?!” He Zi’s voice turned flustered. “How dare you get lewd with your own system? Shameless!”
*Right.* She’d forgotten the system could hear her thoughts—a creepy feature.
“It’s *your* wording! *You’re* the pervert lusting after my body!” Liang Sheng shot back, shamelessness unmatched.
He Zi fell silent, then muttered, “Ugh… my bad.” *My bad for getting stuck with this thick-skinned, flirty pervert.*
“Oh, and hurry up raising affection points. I miss seeing my handsome face and graceful figure.”
“Huh? Aren’t you a girl? How ‘handsome’?”
He Zi scoffed, “Tch. Ignorant. Can’t a girl be handsome?”
“Yes, yes!” Liang Sheng chirped. *Handsome like Senpai Yuqi? Wow—totally my type! Gotta speed this up and feast my eyes!*
“I said… stop fantasizing about lusting after my body. It’s vulgar,” He Zi sighed helplessly. Hearing these thoughts felt like constant objectification. *Ugh. I need to go throw up.*
