Chapter Fourteen: Put On Your Clothes, Actress

Outside the window, the rain continued to fall in a gentle, unbroken drizzle.

Liu Mengchao was the first to step into the girls' room. The moment he entered, he noticed an interesting detail: the two girls’ water cups on the desk were placed right next to each other. When he had leafed through that book, “A Hundred Psychological Facts About Love Between Two Genders,” he had done so purely as an amused bystander. Yet one little trick described in its pages remained clear in his memory to this day.

How does one accurately gauge the psychological distance between two people? When a young man finds himself at an emotional crossroads, unsure whether to put his arm around the girl beside him or keep his distance and let their affection grow, what should he do?

The simplest method: place your cup next to the cup of the girl you think is interested in you. If she moves it away, even unconsciously, it means there’s still a gap between you, at least in her mind.

So what about now? In just two short hours, these two girls had already grown close enough to rely on each other—so much so that their cups touched. Liu Mengchao smiled faintly and took a seat, waiting for the other two men to arrive. If it were just him and the two girls, it might raise their guard. With more people present, the one who would have the hardest time hiding his intentions would be the blond Liu Li, whose acting skills left much to be desired.

“Well, look at you two! Dressed so nicely!” Liu Li exclaimed as soon as he stepped inside, his eyes darting between Zhang Qingqing and Hua Weiwei—lingering either on the long legs under hot pants or the pronounced curves of Zhang Qingqing.

“Our progress today went very smoothly…” Fatty Li Yang followed behind Liu Li, sneaking a glance at the two girls in their light summer clothes, then nervously at Liu Li, who had already flopped down into a seat.

“Ours did too…” Hua Weiwei glanced timidly at Liu Mengchao, her face pleading for help. “Today, Brother Liu even spoke with Kotonoha Katsura.”

“What? Spoke to her?” Liu Li burst out laughing at Hua Weiwei’s report. “We’re already holding hands and kissing on this side, and you only just started talking to her? Are you trying to get yourself killed in the Lord God's Space, you fool?”

“Brother Liu also…” Hua Weiwei had just opened her mouth when Liu Li shot her a glare, leaving her ashen-faced and silent.

“Um… Boss… No, Captain… You’ve misunderstood Liu Mengchao,” Li Yang unexpectedly spoke up. “In the anime ‘School Days,’ Kotonoha’s character is afraid of physical contact with men because she was teased about her large chest as a child.”

“I know that! Who asked you?” Liu Li snapped.

“Oh, right, Brother Liu, we got our hands on something too,” Zhang Qingqing announced triumphantly, pulling out a set of keys from her bag.

“Sis, what’s this?” Liu Mengchao was still confused, but Hua Weiwei had already voiced the question.

“This? We had to put in some effort to get it,” Zhang Qingqing replied, her smile showing it hadn’t cost her much at all.

“These are the keys to the rooftop at Sakaki Academy, reserved for the Astronomy Club,” Li Yang, the otaku, explained. “Another main heroine in ‘School Days,’ Sekai Saionji, is the club’s only member and its president. So the keys—and the entire rooftop—belong to her.”

“And that poor little girl…” Zhang Qingqing’s words were laced with mock pity, but her smile only grew. “She likes Makoto Ito but doesn’t dare confess. When she heard I wanted to find a quiet place to date him, she offered up the perfect spot and even switched seats with me. But I’ll have to let her down. The keys are yours now, Brother Liu.”

Should one say that women are natural-born masters of psychology, or that Zhang Qingqing was simply experienced in matters of love? Liu Mengchao eyed the keys before him with a hint of amusement.

“Now that I have these keys, the rooftop belongs to me. The only place where Sekai Saionji can meet Makoto Ito is gone.”

“That’s right,” Zhang Qingqing replied with eyes narrowed in a smile. “A qualified girlfriend knows how to quietly sever all the connections around her boyfriend!”

More than qualified—positively outstanding.

“Then, Sis,” Hua Weiwei gazed at Zhang Qingqing with admiration, as if meeting this cunning girl for the first time, “how will you make Makoto Ito despair?”

“I won’t just abandon him, of course… On the day of the school festival, the lounge will be open. I plan to spend a wonderful night with Makoto Ito there.”

Li Yang, beaming, chimed in, “But something unexpected will happen.”

“Yes, a few vagrants will follow me there… In the pitch-black lounge, let’s hope they don’t mistake the wrong person. By then, Makoto Ito’s friends will all have abandoned him,” Zhang Qingqing said, feigning guilt as she turned to Liu Mengchao. “All because I’m a jealous, possessive girlfriend!”

Liu Li looked at Liu Mengchao with pride. “And what about your plan? When are you going to win over Kotonoha?”

Plan…

Liu Mengchao noticed that when Liu Li asked, both Li Yang and Zhang Qingqing looked at him, while Hua Weiwei, as her gaze met his, seemed to avoid Zhang Qingqing’s eyes entirely.

There appeared to be secrets between these two women. Moreover, the way one asked and the other answered seemed a little too deliberate. After all that time together, had they really not exchanged any information?

Or… were they hiding something?

Let’s see.

“Zhang Qingqing, you already knew Hua Weiwei before, didn’t you?”

His tone was calm but utterly certain. His response had nothing to do with their previous question. As soon as Liu Mengchao spoke, he watched Zhang Qingqing’s expression intently. Those skilled at acting are always adept at controlling themselves. Yet those fleeting micro-expressions, directly triggered by the brain, are the most telling.

Her face remained otherwise unchanged, her lips still. Yet she slipped: Zhang Qingqing, so good at performing, could control her features, but her eyes betrayed her—a slight lift of her upper eyelid for about two seconds.

Surprise and fear are distinguished by how long the eyelid stays raised. One to two seconds means surprise; more than that, fear—at least according to Paul Ekman, the CIA’s top deception expert, unless he lied in his books.

The pool’s total: 9,000!

Apparently, he’d hit the mark by accident. Old Paul Ekman still earned his CIA salary. Liu Mengchao relaxed, sinking into his chair. He glossed over his deduction as if nothing had happened.

“My plan is simple: tomorrow I’ll confess to Kotonoha. I think she likes me, and, well, I might like her a little too.”

Hearing this, Hua Weiwei exclaimed in shock, “Don’t joke, Brother Liu! She’s just a story character. If it weren’t for the Lord God’s mission, killing her wouldn’t matter at all!”

Shouldn’t she be calling him “Brother Liu”? And her words hardly matched her sweet, innocent neighbor-girl image. Such a clumsy attempt to cover up her surprise only confirmed Liu Mengchao’s suspicions.

Hua Weiwei had no idea her behavior had only firmed his judgment.

“I’m confident,” Liu Mengchao said, standing up.

“Wait! You know, points in the Lord God’s Space can be transferred. If Liu and Li Yang and I get points, I’ll split them with them. But if you fail, and each of the five of us only gets two hundred, it won’t be enough to strengthen ourselves. The next world cycle will be tough! So if you have any ideas, talk to Hua Weiwei—she’s definitely worried about you.”

Liu Mengchao laughed coldly to himself. Though not fond of psychology, he had it to thank for uncovering Zhang Qingqing’s secret.

The keywords: not enough to strengthen… and the next cycle. Having just been caught and now trying to cover up her relationship with Hua Weiwei, Zhang Qingqing sounded anxious. Strip away the excess, and it was clear—she wanted enough points to get stronger and survive the next round.

Heh…

Liu Mengchao stood, bowing slightly to the two girls watching him.

Your performance was impressive, but only that—a performance. Even the best actors are naked before an expert in psychology. And you, frankly, weren’t the best.

With a final glance at the room full of “outstanding actors,” Liu Mengchao turned and left. He couldn’t wait to breathe clean air again.

“Don’t worry. There won’t be any problems with Kotonoha,” he said as he exited. At the very least, there was something beautiful in that girl’s eyes.

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While writing today, I suddenly realized… If I take a break for New Year, posting one chapter on the first day, two on the second, three on the third… Wait, there’s also New Year’s Eve! I’d better keep writing obediently… Please recommend and bookmark the story. I promise I won’t post thirty chapters on New Year’s Eve.