Close Enough To Pluck the Stars” (GL) - Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Little A was forced to drink juice, but she wasn’t happy about it. She was being picky, insisting only on grape flavor.

Little B smiled amiably and proceeded to fill Little A’s glass with a mixture of orange juice, mandarin juice, and golden grapefruit juice.

Little A stared at her coldly. “Grapefruit?”

“Mmh.” Little B stood her ground, unfazed.

Liang Ke clapped in approval, showing zero principle as she blatantly took sides.

She remarked, “Whether it is a grape or a grapefruit—who but the fruit itself has the right to define it?”

“Mmh, well said!” the piano teacher couldn’t help but burst into applause.

Little A continued to sneer at her fiancée. After a long silence, she said, “Heh, what did I do wrong? Faced with someone like Dr. Shu, could you stay unmoved?”

Little B fell into a guilty silence. The air in the private room stagnated for a brief moment.

“One certainly shouldn’t be moved by a married woman,” the elegant piano teacher said, raising her hand. “But that’s okay—I’m currently single.”

Liang Ke pulled the teacher’s hand down and held it in a proper, friendly grip, her gaze firm and deep.

Having known Liang Ke for years, Xiao Xiaoxiao understood her temperament perfectly. Combined with her professional intuition, she signaled Zhao Pu to be ready to restrain Liang Ke if necessary, lest she commit an act of violence.

“Hmph.”

Liang Ke had originally intended to storm out, but perhaps due to her recent late nights, she felt a bit physically weak. With just a gentle tug on her sleeve from Shu Qingchen, she settled down, sitting upright and scanning her friends with high alertness.

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.

Liang Ke thought to herself: So these really are my friends. What a bunch of scatterbrains.

Shu Qingchen remained composed amidst the noise. With just a few words, she brought the gathering back to the main topic. She asked Little A, “What are your visions and expectations for your wedding?”

Little A’s eyes lit up.

She had many visions—from the overall flow to local details, from atmospheric shifts to romantic sublimations.

Unfortunately, as soon as Little A opened her mouth, the friends erupted into chaos. Some offered strategic advice, some focused on just being involved, and some preferred to simply meddle for the sake of it.

Liang Ke and the piano teacher were the “shining stars” of the group. They had the wildest imaginations and the most enthusiasm, managing to blend the traits of all three types into a sudden, unstoppable burst of inspiration.

Little A sulked and stopped talking, looking toward Shu Qingchen for help.

Shu Qingchen glanced left and right and decided to deal with Liang Ke first: “Whoever suggests an idea is responsible for implementing it.”

The “Calico Cat” shut up instantly. She let out a soft “meow” and leaned against her leader’s side, not daring to utter another flowery word.

Finally, Shu Qingchen arranged for Xiao Xiaoxiao to draft a general itinerary and a list of supplies to buy, appointing Zhao Pu as the photographer and post-production editor.

To save money, they skipped hiring a band; the couple would recruit musicians from their own social circle. The piano teacher would serve as the conductor and select the repertoire. Since the music sometimes needs to suit the guests’ tastes, she asked Little A who would be attending.

“My dad, my uncle and aunt, and my youngest aunt,” Little A said, counting on her fingers.

“What about B?” the piano teacher asked.

Little B’s face clouded over, and she remained silent.

Shu Qingchen tapped Liang Ke’s knee twice. The Cat tilted her head in thought and quickly found a solution, saying sincerely to Little B, “I’ll lend you my Grandma for a bit.”

“You mean… Professor Liang?” Little B looked up in surprise.

Liang Ke was a bit miffed. “What? Is one person not enough?”

But that was her only living relative; she didn’t have any others to give.

“No, no,” Little B stammered. “I mean… how does she… feel about it?”

Liang Ke was baffled and asked back, “Feel about what?”

“I mean, what are Professor Liang’s views on our wedding? Would she really be willing to attend?” Little A asked.

Without a second thought, Liang Ke said, “Of course she would. She has a high salary; the wedding gift money won’t be an issue.”

Little B said, “Did we ask you about that? Xiaoxiao was talking about her perspective and values.”

“Oh. Grandma’s values are fine,” Liang Ke said.

Little A tugged at the Cat sneakily. “So, you’ve already tested the waters beforehand?”

The Cat’s face turned red. “To be honest, Grandma was the one testing me.”

Xiao Xiaoxiao looked at Shu Qingchen with sudden realization. The latter wore a faint smile and said, “It’s quite logical, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“Logical.”

The sycophants swarmed forward, pushing Liang Ke to the side.

Next was the shopping phase. Little A said she wanted to go in person. Xiao Xiaoxiao recommended a few malls, and Shu Qingchen suggested Little A take Liang Ke along.

Little B said sourly, “She’s very weak. She can’t carry anything with her hands or shoulders.”

Liang Ke remembered the time she was hit. She was annoyed but didn’t dare act, pouting her refusal to accompany them.

Shu Qingchen, however, said solemnly to Little B, “Please apologize to Liang Ke first.”

While Little B was still dazed, Little A had already pressed Little B’s head down into a bow toward Liang Ke: “I’m sorry, Little Cat Liang. It was wrong of Sister to hit you last time. I promise to make her talk things through in the future instead of resorting to violence.”

Shu Qingchen nodded with pleasure and, like a royal decree, ordered Liang Ke to accompany Little A for the entire shopping trip.

Liang Ke suffered in silence, Little B was stunned like a wooden duck, and Little A shared a smiling look with Shu Qingchen, as if they had reached some secret, unspoken conspiracy.

…

Over the following weeks, however, Little B quickly discovered Liang Ke’s immense value.

She could read every word of the mall’s promotional banners and face the vast sea of vouchers, discounts, points, and complex “spend-and-save” rules without a trace of fear. Under Liang Ke’s computational power, every blue-stamped receipt and every dizzying string of numbers became orderly and compliant.

Before Little A and Little B could even gape in awe, Liang Ke had already exchanged the free gifts and handed them directly to them. The ladies at the gift counter and the cashiers all suspected Liang Ke was a fellow professional, feeling a collective surge of career insecurity.

“Thank you,” Little A said sincerely, taking the bags.

“Hmph. No need. I only helped you because I was forced to. Just stop coveting my leader in the future,” Liang Ke said, lifting her chin defiantly.

Little B pretended to be troubled. “That might be a bit difficult. How about you make a different request?”

Liang Ke’s face turned pale instantly. Little A acted decisively, serving Little B a shoulder throw, and then spent the rest of the time coaxing Liang Ke. The girl and the “cat” walked away without looking back.

After going home, Little B asked with teary eyes, “Why did you hit me?”

Little A was still admiring the receipts. She replied, “Our Calico Cat is such a practical, human computer. Thanks to Dr. Shu for making me realize that. I advise you to bully her less in the future.”

Little B was too weak to protest. Little A recorded that last sentence and sent it to Liang Ke.

The Cat was overjoyed to hear it, but she still had a small grievance with Shu Qingchen: “I’ve been investigating the competition Trojan for a long time. It’s taken so much energy, yet I still have no clues, and you still forced me to go shopping.”

Shu Qingchen nodded dismissively. “Mmh. I expected as much. Your level is indeed average—three weeks and you haven’t found the person.”

“You know who it is?”

“I do,” Shu Qingchen said, making no effort to hide it.

“Then… WHY… DIDN’T… YOU… SAY… SO!” Liang Ke felt she was being very restrained.

“You never asked me.” Shu Qingchen stood up to make coffee, conveniently dodging the pouncing of the Cat’s paws.