84. I Said I’m Not Buying You Lunch, and I Mean It
Li Qian walked down the street, her new boyfriend by her side.
Ever since that incident at school, people had been spreading rumors about her and Ling Ning, suggesting there was something more than friendship between them. This infuriated her, so she quickly picked one of her many admirers to act as her boyfriend, just to prove she wasn’t interested in girls. This tactic worked well—ever since she got a boyfriend, those rumors about her and Ling Ning had decreased significantly.
And her new boyfriend was none other than Sun Jie!
Yes! The same Sun Jie who had tried to flirt with Ling Ning at the restaurant, only to be ignored—the campus heartthrob who switched girlfriends as often as he changed clothes. After being brushed off by Ling Ning, he had been looking for a way to redeem himself. But when Li Qian, whom he’d been chasing for a while, suddenly agreed to date him, he was caught off guard. So, he decided to put his plan to pursue Ling Ning on hold. After all, if there’s already meat in your mouth, you might as well eat it first.
During this glorious National Day holiday, Sun Jie naturally took the chance to ask his new girlfriend out for some bonding time. He was quite pleased with Li Qian—out of all the girls he had dated, she was by far the prettiest.
“Qian Qian, where do you want to go?” Sun Jie asked with a smile.
The nickname “Qian Qian” gave Li Qian goosebumps. She hated it when people used repetitive syllables to call her name. Even though it annoyed her, she had to admit that her new boyfriend wasn’t bad overall—rich, influential, and willing to indulge her. It was just his nickname for her and those lecherous eyes that she found hard to tolerate.
“Let’s just walk around for a bit,” she said casually.
“Sure.”
Sun Jie smiled and tried to take her hand, but whether intentionally or not, Li Qian happened to reach into her bag for her phone at that moment.
Li Qian watched Sun Jie’s awkward expression without showing any reaction. She thought to herself, “We’ve only been dating for a few days, and he already wants to hold my hand? Dream on.”
Sun Jie awkwardly retracted his hand, pretending nothing had happened.
They continued walking until they saw a large crowd gathered in the square ahead. It looked like people were watching something.
“Shall we go take a look?”
“Sure.” Li Qian was curious too and moved toward the crowd.
As they got closer, they realized that people were gathered around a young girl in a maid outfit handing out flyers. Li Qian had to admit that she admired anyone who could wear such an embarrassing outfit in public.
There was something familiar about the girl, but with the crowd in the way and the angle they were standing at, Li Qian could only see her back.
Li Qian then turned and noticed Sun Jie’s ogling expression, which made her frown slightly. Didn’t he know you shouldn’t stare at other girls for more than three seconds when you’re out with your girlfriend?
As Sun Jie looked at the maid girl, he thought, even if she were ugly, with a figure and legs like that, he’d still be interested.
Just as Li Qian was about to suggest leaving, the maid girl turned around, and Li Qian suddenly realized—damn it, wasn’t that Ling Ning?
Ling Ning spotted Li Qian at that moment as well and waved to her. As if worried she wouldn’t see, Ling Ning even made her way through the crowd to stand right in front of Li Qian.
“What a coincidence~” Ling Ning said with a bright smile.
“Why are you dressed like that?” Li Qian was taken aback by how good Ling Ning looked in her maid outfit. Wasn’t she supposed to be a model? How did she end up as a maid, and why did she look so… alluring?
“Just working a part-time job.” Ling Ning replied nonchalantly.
In an effort to complete the task Chu Mengyao had given her faster, Ling Ning had decided to ditch the less crowded spots and head to the nearby main pedestrian plaza. Handing out flyers there was much faster than in the small streets and alleys.
Even though it attracted a lot of attention, Ling Ning didn’t care. She had long since learned to selectively ignore onlookers.
Thanks to her efforts, she’d managed to hand out most of the flyers before lunch, with just a few left to distribute. She was planning to grab some lunch before finishing up, and it seemed like she’d just stumbled upon her meal ticket… Err, Li Qian. Yes, Li Qian!
“Aren’t you a model? Why are you working as a maid?” Li Qian questioned.
“Model gigs aren’t every day, you know. So I decided to take on a part-time maid job in the meantime. Oh, here’s where I work. If you’ve got time, come by and check it out. There are lots of pretty girls inside… Um, though I guess that’s not your thing, right?”
“Uh… Qian Qian, is she your friend?” Sun Jie had been waiting on the sidelines for ages and finally saw an opportunity to speak. He hadn’t expected the girl in the maid outfit to be Ling Ning. No wonder her legs had looked so familiar.
“Who are you?” Ling Ning asked.
“This is my boyfriend, Sun Jie.” Seeing Sun Jie’s eyes glued to Ling Ning’s long legs, Li Qian made up her mind to break up with him right after National Day.
“Hi, I’m Sun Jie. We’ve met before.”
“We have?” Ling Ning thought for a moment. She didn’t recall anyone named Sun Jie. Had she forgotten?
“At that restaurant that day…”
“Oh…” Ling Ning responded flatly to Sun Jie’s hopeful gaze. “I don’t remember.”
Ling Ning walked over to Li Qian and hugged her arm, smiling as she said, “Hey, Li Qian~ Isn’t it fate that we ran into each other today?”
“What are you trying to do?” Li Qian looked at Ling Ning, her guard up.
Ling Ning’s smile grew brighter. “What else could I want? I just wanted to ask if you’ve had lunch yet.”
Li Qian shook her head.
“Then how about treating me to lunch? You see, I only had a steamed bun and a cup of soy milk for breakfast, and I’ve been busy until now. My stomach is about to cave in.”
“What does your hunger have to do with me?” Li Qian replied coldly. Did Ling Ning really think she’d buy her lunch? No way!
“But we’re friends, aren’t we? Friends should help each other~” Ling Ning said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Sun Jie stood there, dumbfounded, watching his girlfriend bicker with Ling Ning. It was as if he didn’t exist—he couldn’t get a word in at all.
“Come on, buy me lunch. Just one meal, just one~” Ling Ning shamelessly leaned her entire weight against Li Qian, her voice dripping with persuasion.
Feeling the softness of Ling Ning’s chest against her arm and catching a faint whiff of her scent, Li Qian’s face reddened a bit, but she remained firm.
“I said I’m not buying you lunch, and I mean it. No matter what you say, it’s not happening!”
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Author’s Note:
Four chapters done. By the way, don’t you guys want to give me some votes or tips, or help recommend my work?
As for the cross-dressing photo, I’ll post it when I have time—don’t regret asking for it…