Chapter 146 : Panties Panties!
"Of course, the food Ling Ning makes is always the best!"
Qin Qing was gobbling down the food that Ling Ning had made. She hadn't felt that hungry when she first woke up, but the moment she smelled the food, her appetite surged.
"Slow down, it's not like anyone's going to take it from you." Ling Ning couldn't help but smile at Qin Qing's praise.
"Honestly, there's no way I'd choke..." Qin Qing started with a calm expression, but her face froze abruptly.
Seeing Qin Qing's expression, Ling Ning shook her head helplessly. She knew exactly what had happened—Qin Qing had choked. Why did she have to make bold statements like that? It's like she was inviting disaster.
Ling Ning got up and casually poured Qin Qing a glass of water.
After drinking the water, Qin Qing's stiff expression finally relaxed. She vowed never to make such proclamations again.
"Since you're back, I'll head back home this afternoon."
"Eh?! So soon? You could stay here a bit longer, you know." Qin Qing tried to persuade her. A girl like Ling Ning, who could cook well, keep the place tidy, warm the bed at night, and even model for her work—where else could she find someone like that?
Ling Ning shook her head. "I'm paying rent for my place every month, and it feels like a waste if I don't live there. Plus, there's that lazy fish at home—I haven't fed it in so long, I'm not sure if it's still alive or not."
"And besides, school starts again tomorrow. If I wait until then to move back, I won't have time to do it. Better to take care of it today."
"Alright," Qin Qing conceded. Seeing Ling Ning's determination, she didn't press any further.
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Technically, Ling Ning didn't have much to move back. It was mostly just her clothes. She'd brought some when she came, and now she was leaving with even more, which made Ling Ning feel a bit exasperated.
It had been a while since she last returned to her own place, and Ling Ning felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity as she stepped inside.
In the living room, the fish tank held a lethargic saltwater fish with tentacle-like appendages. It barely moved, even its tentacles hung weakly at its side. From its vacant eyes, Ling Ning could almost sense a hint of grievance—as if it was silently asking, "Where's my monthly pass, my recommendations, my tips? Even a razor blade would be something!"
Feeling a little guilty, Ling Ning quietly pulled out the last bit of 'Recommended Flavor' fish food and poured it all in. It didn't matter if the fish overate—this was the kind of fish that simply wouldn't die from eating too much.
Even though the apartment didn't look particularly dirty, Ling Ning, with her slight obsession for cleanliness, decided to give it a thorough cleaning.
Ling Ye had initially planned to head to her room to take care of some "important business," but when she noticed her mom was about to start cleaning, she panicked. There were so many things hidden in this apartment that she absolutely couldn't let her mom find. If her mom discovered them, she was sure she'd be dead meat.
Ling Ye could almost picture her mom giving her a look of utter disdain.
"No!" Ling Ye shouted in her mind. She couldn't let that happen.
"Mom, let me help you with the cleaning!" Ling Ye rushed over to Ling Ning's side, her face full of smiles.
Hearing her daughter's offer, Ling Ning felt a little suspicious. Cleaning wasn't something Ling Ye usually offered to help with. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Still, since her daughter had volunteered, Ling Ning couldn't just dampen her enthusiasm, so she agreed.
Cleaning, of course, meant starting from the inside out.
Ling Ning's first stop was naturally her daughter's room.
As Ling Ning went to gather cleaning supplies, Ling Ye took the chance to run to her room. She quickly pulled a pair of panties with a QB print from under her pillow and stuffed them into a drawer. Then, she pulled a pair of black-and-white bear panties from the bookshelf and put them into the drawer as well.
Next, Ling Ye retrieved various panties from under the bed, the closet, and behind a picture frame. She had scattered them around so she could "draw energy from mom" at any moment, but now collecting them all back was proving to be a hassle.
Finally, Ling Ye pulled out the last pair, imprinted with "Fab," from her blanket and locked it in the drawer. With a sigh of relief, she thought, "That should be all of them."
"What's up with you? You're all sweaty."
Ling Ning entered the room, cleaning supplies in hand, and noticed her daughter sweating profusely. It wasn't that hot today, was it?
"N-Nothing. It's just a bit stuffy in here. I'll open the window to get some air. Let's get started with the cleaning, shall we?"
Seeing that her mom wasn't questioning her any further, Ling Ye breathed a sigh of relief. She mentally vowed never to carelessly leave her mom's panties lying around again. She'd nearly died from the scare.
Just as Ling Ning was about to take her daughter's blanket outside to air it, a small white object fell to the floor. Ling Ning picked it up casually—it was her long-lost bear panties. How did it end up in her daughter's blanket?
Ling Ye was dumbfounded when she saw the bear panties. She'd known she'd forgotten something, but to think there were two pairs in the blanket and she'd only taken out one. She was doomed.
"Ye Ye, Ye Ye remembers now—I must've taken it by mistake back then. I meant to return it, but then I moved to Auntie Qin Qing's place and forgot all about it," Ling Ye said, trying her best to make her expression look natural.
"But why was it in your blanket? And there's hair on it too." Ling Ning pulled off a long strand of hair from the panties—clearly her daughter's.
"Um... Maybe I just tossed it on the bed and it got mixed in with the blanket? The hair probably got on it by accident. Ahaha..."
"Really?" Ling Ning frowned. Even though her daughter explained, something still didn't quite add up.
"Of course, Mom! I mean, why would I take your panties for anything weird?"
Hearing her daughter put it that way, Ling Ning thought maybe she was overthinking it. After all, it wasn't like her daughter would do anything inappropriate with her mom's underwear.
Seeing her mom drop the subject, Ling Ye finally relaxed and mentally gave herself a thumbs-up for her quick thinking.
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Author's Note:
I got a burst of inspiration after seeing a drawing by Master 109 today. Unfortunately, I can't use it here~