Chapter 144 : Just Once, Alright
Today, as soon as Ling Ning arrived at school, she saw a group of people gathered around the neighboring classroom, watching something.
Ling Ning frowned, remembering yesterday's match. Could it be that the boys from the neighboring class actually took the bet about wearing girls' clothing seriously? Filled with curiosity, Ling Ning squeezed her way into the crowd.
The most striking sight in the entire classroom was Lu Yisheng, dressed in a maid outfit. Lu Yisheng had a surprisingly good figure, with fair skin, and once he put on the maid uniform and a wig, he actually looked quite stunning—enough to make Ling Ning's eyes widen. But really, wearing such a thin maid outfit in this kind of weather, wasn't he cold?
It wasn't just Ling Ning; even the boys around them were surprised. They all admitted they had underestimated Lu Yisheng's "potential." They never imagined he could look like this.
How had Lu Yisheng managed to get past the security guards at the school gate dressed like this? Or maybe he brought the outfit to school and changed afterward? Also, how did he manage to find such a well-fitting maid outfit in just one night? Either he was well-prepared, or... maybe he did this often... Wait a minute! Ling Ning felt like she was discovering something scandalous~
But whatever—since Lu Yisheng had already shown up at school dressed like this, Ling Ning simply took out her phone and recorded the amusing scene from all angles. She was about to head back to class when she noticed Li Si approaching with an adorable-looking girl in tow.
"Hey~ Li Si, good morning!" Ling Ning casually called out.
"Ling Ning!?"
Before Li Si could even reply, the girl beside her jumped in front of Li Si, glaring at Ling Ning defensively.
Ling Ning glanced at the protective girl, then at the exasperated Li Si, and seemed to understand the situation. With a knowing smile, she said, "Relax, I'm just saying hi."
After that, Ling Ning ignored Li Si's pleading gaze, gave her an encouraging look, and decisively turned to leave, leaving Li Si completely bewildered.
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"Tomorrow is New Year's Day, and you'll have the day off. As for homework, I've discussed it with the other subject teachers, and we decided not to assign any. However, when you return from the break, there will be an exam. If your scores don't meet our expectations, there's nothing I can do to help~" Ye Xuan announced.
When the students heard that there would be no homework, they were as happy as drawing a five-star item from a gacha game. But as soon as Ye Xuan mentioned an upcoming test, their mood plummeted—as if they had drawn yet another copy of a useless item. How disappointing!
Ling Ning cared a lot about homework. With the increased academic pressure, she had stopped letting Xu Qing do her assignments. Doing the homework herself made her schedule even tighter—she wished there could be forty-eight hours in a day.
Still, having a day off was nice; at least she could go earn some money or spend time at home with her daughter.
Since tomorrow was a holiday, they only had two classes in the afternoon before school was dismissed.
Watching her classmates eagerly run out of the classroom, Ling Ning slowly organized her desk with a relaxed expression. It wasn't that she didn't want to go home, but today was her turn for classroom duty. She had to wait until most people left before she could start cleaning up.
Once everyone was almost gone, Ling Ning realized that the male classmate who was supposed to do duty with her had already slipped away. Ling Ning sighed helplessly. She genuinely wanted to tell that classmate, "You're never going to find a partner like this!"
Shaking her head, Ling Ning silently picked up a broom and began cleaning the classroom. Fortunately, there wasn't much to clean—just the classroom and a hallway. With her cleaning speed, it would be done quickly.
As Ling Ning hummed a playful tune while sweeping, she suddenly noticed a slender figure standing at the classroom door.
It took her a while to realize that Ye Xuan was standing at the entrance, watching her.
"What are you doing standing there like that? You scared me!"
"Wasn't there supposed to be someone else on duty today?" Ye Xuan looked around casually, not seeing the other student.
Ling Ning shrugged. "Guess he had something to do and left early."
"Oh~" Ye Xuan nodded thoughtfully, wondering whether she should have a little chat with that student after the break. After some consideration, she decided against it. Instead, she'd let the subject teachers take care of him—like calling on him to answer questions ten times per class. Actually, would ten times be too few? Maybe twenty times?
Seeing Ye Xuan's expressionless face, Ling Ning suddenly felt the urge to take a moment of silence for the classmate who had left early.
"Ling Ning, could I ask you for a favor?"
"No."
Ling Ning didn't need Ye Xuan to finish; she already knew what she wanted. What else could it be besides touching her legs? Ever since that one time in the hospital when she had allowed it out of pity, Ye Xuan had been coming to her again and again with the same request. Although Ling Ning refused most of the time, occasionally, when Ye Xuan's persistence wore her down, she would give in...
"Just once, only once," Ye Xuan said, eyeing Ling Ning's long legs wrapped in black stockings. She subconsciously licked her lips.
Seeing Ye Xuan's expression, Ling Ning was even more determined. She shook her head vigorously. Every time Ye Xuan said "just once," it always ended up being much more. Ling Ning had made up her mind—no matter what Ye Xuan said, she wasn't going to agree.
"How about this—you don't have to do homework for a whole week," Ye Xuan tempted her.
"I'm a good student. I need to do my homework."
"Then how about a week's worth of free lunch?"
"I... I already have a permanent lunch pass, so no need." The mention of free lunch made Ling Ning waver, but with Li Qian backing her up, she stood her ground.
"There's a new beef hotpot restaurant that just opened at the shopping mall recently. I heard it's amazing. Tonight, I was thinking of going there, but I don't have anyone to go with..." Ye Xuan said wistfully.
Hearing about the beef hotpot, Ling Ning couldn't stay calm. She'd heard a lot about that place, and everyone who'd gone said it was fantastic. Ling Ning had wanted to try it herself, but it was a bit pricey, and she couldn't quite bring herself to spend that much.
"Can I bring someone with me?"
"Of course."
"Then... you promised, just once, alright?"
"Don't worry, just once."
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Author's Note:
The original title for this chapter was "I'll Just Rub, I Won't Go In," but I decided to change it after some thought~