READ NOVEL ONLINE 75. The Dreaded Sudden Silence
“Ah, nothing’s worse than sudden silence~”
A phone ringtone suddenly broke the tension between Ling Ning and Li Qian, snapping them both out of the strange atmosphere. They quickly scrambled to their feet, flustered. By the time they looked toward the door, Shen Shi, who had witnessed the whole scene, was nowhere to be seen—likely off nursing his broken heart in a corner somewhere.
Ling Ning pressed her lips together thoughtfully. Was that… my first kiss? She squinted, trying to recall. But no, her “first kiss” was given long ago, back when she was a kid. And besides, her daughter Ling Ye often gave her little pecks now and then, so maybe this counted as her third or fourth…?
“That was just an accident! Got it?” Li Qian yelled, wiping her mouth aggressively. But her blushing face and hazy gaze didn’t quite match her angry words.
Li Qian herself was stunned. Her first kiss—given to a girl, and to her least favorite person, no less. She felt her heart sink, wondering if she’d ever love again. Yet… Ling Ning’s lips had been so soft…
“Tsk~ Do you think I wanted to kiss you? It’s not like you didn’t lean in first,” Ling Ning retorted, looking unimpressed.
“Hmph!”
With a huff, Li Qian turned to leave, but Ling Ning grabbed her arm.
“And you’re just going to leave like that?”
Li Qian frowned, clearly annoyed. “What else do you want?”
“Lunch, obviously!” Ling Ning declared with a completely serious expression. “You made me miss my lunch break, and now the cafeteria’s closed. Don’t you think you owe me at least a meal?”
“You…”
Li Qian took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She couldn’t believe Ling Ning’s nerve—how was she so shameless? It was like her face was immune to shame; even a spear wouldn’t pierce it.
“Let go of me.”
“Nope.”
“Let go!”
“Nope.”
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In the end, Ling Ning simply clung to Li Qian, refusing to let go unless she agreed to buy her lunch. As more classmates returned from lunch, Li Qian eventually gave in and reluctantly took Ling Ning to a nearby, inexpensive restaurant off-campus.
Watching Ling Ning eagerly order from the menu, Li Qian clenched her fist, fighting the urge to punch her in the face. One punch might not do it… better make it two.
“Aren’t you supposed to be a model? Why do you go around mooching meals from everyone?” Li Qian finally asked as she watched Ling Ning devour her food.
“Who says models don’t mooch? You think models don’t need money for food?” Ling Ning answered with a sly smile as she continued to savor her free meal.
Rolling her eyes, Li Qian quickly sped up her own eating pace—if she didn’t, Ling Ning would devour the whole meal herself.
“Hands off that piece of meat; it’s mine!” Li Qian said, reaching out.
“Oh, I didn’t see your name on it. Care to show me where?” Ling Ning teased.
“Ling Ning! I’m going to kill you!”
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“Phew~ That hit the spot,” Ling Ning sighed, leaning back in her chair with a contented grin, a toothpick dangling from her mouth, paying no mind to appearances.
Li Qian didn’t fare much better. After fighting with Ling Ning for food, she’d ended up eating more than usual, surpassing her daily allowance. She felt guilty but oddly satisfied—it had been ages since she’d enjoyed food like this.
Seeing the “Are you paying or what?” look on Ling Ning’s face, Li Qian forced herself to remember her perfect schoolgirl image, exhaling slowly as she reluctantly paid the bill.
After she finished paying and planned to leave Ling Ning behind, she was surprised to find her already waiting at the door.
“Aren’t you still inside?”
“If I stayed, wouldn’t you have left without me?”
Ling Ning replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Should I have waited for you to finish?”
Li Qian scoffed, giving her an exasperated look before walking off.
“Hey~ Don’t walk so fast after eating; it’s bad for digestion.”
“You’re so annoying!”
“Thanks for the compliment~”
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“Ugh, I can’t take it anymore!”
During their afternoon math exam, Li Qian couldn’t stop thinking about her accidental kiss with Ling Ning, leaving her completely unable to focus. She had no idea why her mind kept wandering back to that moment.
Sneaking a glance over at Ling Ning, she found her playing with her hair, clearly bored. The sight made her blood boil. Had she already finished the test? It wasn’t even halfway through the exam period!
Sensing Li Qian’s glare, Ling Ning glanced over and smirked, pulling a funny face at her.
Li Qian felt her temper flaring but forced herself to stay calm, reminding herself that she was in class.
Just as she was about to refocus on the test, a paper ball landed on her desk. Looking around, she saw Ling Ning winking at her. Opening it, she saw that it contained detailed answers to the exam, with “Thanks for lunch!” scribbled on the back.
Li Qian frowned, conflicted, then tossed the answers aside. If I can’t do it myself, I’m not going to cheat off my worst enemy, she thought, resolutely returning to her test.
Ling Ning smirked, amused by Li Qian’s sense of integrity. Stubborn little thing, she thought.
By the time the exam ended, Li Qian felt relieved. She hadn’t used Ling Ning’s answers, but glancing at them had sparked enough ideas for her to finish most of the test. While her score might not be stellar, she was glad she hadn’t left it blank.
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Author’s Note:
Hello, everyone! This is a “lazy fish” from an alternate timeline filling in for our usual author, who’s recovering from being “hammered” by Reinhardt. Thank you for your support—any bookmarks, recommendations, tips, or votes are welcome!