Chapter 122 : Such a Contradictory World
"Phew~"
Ling Ning slowly stepped out of the police station, letting out a soft sigh. It felt amazing to see the sky again. She had borrowed a phone from one of the officers just now to let all her acquaintances know she was safe. She hadn't told anyone that she'd been to a human trafficking den; instead, she explained that she'd had an urgent matter the previous night and that her phone had been lost in the commotion.
As for her phone, she had no idea where it was now. When it came to remembering all her friends' numbers, she had managed only because she knew Chu Mengyao's by heart. No way she could remember every contact she'd ever saved.
Thinking about her lost phone made Ling Ning's heart ache. She had spent 998 yuan on that PY-666 model, and now, not even half a year later, it was gone.
"Sigh~"
She sighed again, exasperated. Li Qian had already headed back earlier, saying she felt filthy after not showering for two days and that her body would rot if she didn’t clean up soon. Ling Ning, with her mild germophobia, felt the same way after spending half a day in that place; she also felt like her body was decomposing.
Li Si—or rather, Li Si, her true self—was still inside, giving her statement. She should be out soon, Ling Ning thought.
Right then, Li Si slowly walked out. She had already re-wrapped her chest bandages, but her glasses were gone, leaving her looking like a cute young boy at first glance.
Regarding Li Si's injuries, most of them were just superficial scrapes. Although she wasn't as strong as Cao Jun, her agility far exceeded his. She had dodged most of the heavy attacks, with the worst injury being the punch to her abdomen—leaving her with an ongoing twisting pain that made her understand, for the first time, the agony of period cramps.
"Are you alright?" Ling Ning approached her cautiously, her concern evident.
Li Si shook her head, avoiding eye contact with Ling Ning since revealing that she was, in fact, a girl.
The two walked down the street slowly, side by side. After a while, Ling Ning spoke up. "Li... Si, why do you dress as a boy? You're so pretty—"
"Eh!?" Li Si looked startled, then answered sheepishly, "Well... I'm just used to it. Besides, sometimes it's easier to move around and do things as a guy."
"I see... But doesn't wrapping your chest every day get exhausting? It's not good for your health, you know." Ling Ning thought back to the time she had pretended to be Zhou Xiaoxiao's boyfriend, nearly getting strangled by that compression shirt.
"I... I don't have much of a choice. They just grew too fast," Li Si replied, stammering.
Ling Ning shook her head in exasperation. "What can I even say to that?"
"There's nothing great about them anyway. They're big, they're cumbersome..."
If any flat-chested girls heard what Li Si just said, they'd probably want to throttle her. But such is the world: those who are flat envy large chests, while those with large chests long for a flatter figure. What could you say about such contradictions?
"Regardless, thank you so much for everything this time. I really don't know what I would've done without you." Ling Ning suddenly turned to Li Si, her face lighting up with a bright, heartfelt smile.
Li Si stared at that smile, completely dumbfounded, the words she had wanted to say forgotten in an instant.
"What's wrong?"
Hearing Ling Ning's voice snapped Li Si back to reality. She blushed, stammering, "N-nothing."
"Alright then, I'll head back now. By the way, are you free this Sunday? I need a favor," Ling Ning said, looking at Li Si expectantly.
Li Si was taken aback for a moment before nodding instinctively.
"Great! Meet me at the school gate this Sunday. Don't forget—we have a date!" With that, Ling Ning left, not giving Li Si a chance to refuse, turning a corner and disappearing from sight.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Back at Qin Qing's house, Ling Ning pulled out her keys from her bag and unlocked the door. She was so thankful that Li Si had managed to return her bag. Otherwise, she wouldn't have known how to get in. Though all the money in her wallet was gone, her ID and keys were still there—small mercies that spared her from more trouble.
The first thing Ling Ning did upon arriving home was head straight to the bathroom for a much-needed shower. There was still plenty of time left in the day, enough for her to bathe thoroughly, then go to the nearby market to pick up groceries. She could have everything ready before her daughter got home.
After her shower, Ling Ning felt completely refreshed. She put on a clean set of clothes, grabbed some cash, and headed to the market, buying all of her daughters' favorite foods.
She returned home in high spirits and immediately began preparing dinner. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable excitement bubbling within her. Perhaps it was the joy of surviving an ordeal, Ling Ning mused, unsure herself. Either way, she was simply happy to be home.
Just as she finished preparing dinner, she heard the front door open, and her two little ones bounced into the house.
"Ye Ye~"
Seeing her daughter, Ling Ning couldn't hold back anymore. She rushed over and pulled Ling Ye into a tight hug.
"What's wrong, Mom?"
Ling Ye looked at her mother, perplexed, not understanding what was going on.
"It's nothing, I just haven't hugged you in a while." Ling Ning's voice was muffled against her daughter.
After a while, she finally let go of Ling Ye, her face breaking into a smile. "Go wash your hands—dinner's ready! I made all your favorite dishes."
The two little ones cheered, racing to the bathroom to wash up.
During dinner, Ling Ye seemed to remember something and asked, "Mom, where were you last night? I called, but you didn't pick up."
"Oh, that... Mom had some urgent matters to deal with and couldn't make it back home. And my phone got stolen too—poor Mom." Ling Ning put on a pitiful expression, though in truth, she had rehearsed this explanation beforehand.
"That stupid thief! I hope he eats instant noodles without ever finding a flavor packet!" Ling Ye said fiercely.
Ling Ning just smiled at her daughter without saying anything.
Later that night.
Just as Ling Ye was about to head back to her room to sleep, Ling Ning suddenly called her.
"Ye Ye, can I ask you something?"
"Mew mew mew?"
"Well... do you ever get scared at night when you sleep alone? If you do, Mom wouldn't mind sleeping with you."
"Nope, I'm not scared. I didn't even watch a scary movie today, so I'm fine," Ling Ye replied cheerfully.
Hearing her daughter's response, Ling Ning couldn't help but feel disappointed. She really wanted to sleep with her daughter but couldn't bring herself to directly say so.
"But, if Mom doesn't mind, Ye Ye can sleep with Mom too."
"Eh?! Really...? Ahem! Well, if you insist, Mom doesn't mind sleeping with you either." Though Ling Ning was overjoyed inside, she tried to maintain her composure, still trying to act like the dignified mom she was supposed to be.
Ling Ye looked at her mother, smiling slightly but saying nothing.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Author's Note:
Look, back-to-back updates! Aren't you all happy? Next chapter will explain more about Li Si. By the way, I really struggled writing this arc—it just doesn't suit my style. Anyway, it's finally over. Now we can get back to more cheerful content!