Chapter 167 : This Is Awkward~
"Ah, as expected—time really flies when you're having fun~"
The group, led by Ling Ning, was now seated on the plane. As the landscape outside gradually shrank into the distance, Ling Ning closed her eyes. She really had a fear of heights.
And just like that, their "Luxury Hot Spring and Fireworks Three-Day Tour for a Family of Three" had come to an end. On the last day, it had snowed, so they stayed indoors at the villa all day.
Originally, Zhou Xiaoxiao had suggested going out to build a snowman or have a snowball fight, but the moment they all stepped out the door, they immediately retreated inside. Honestly, hanging out in the room was more appealing than getting cold outside.
Thus, their three-day vacation concluded in that laid-back way.
This was Ling Ye's second time flying, and she wasn't as excited as during the first flight. However, her eyes were still glued to the window, taking in the scenery. Ling Ning, on the other hand, was resting her head quietly on Xia You's shoulder, with her eyes closed, trying to relax.
Zhou Xiaoxiao, though traveling back on the same day as Ling Ning, had a later flight. Ling Ning's was scheduled earlier, so Zhou Xiaoxiao was probably still at the airport by now.
While resting, Ling Ning silently calculated the number of days left in her holiday. She realized there wasn't much time remaining. Once she got back, she still had to make time to visit Zhou Xiaoxiao's house.
According to the information revealed by Ye Xuan, the schedule for the next semester would change—from a day off every week to two days off per month. That was practically a death sentence for her. The reduction in break time also meant less time to earn money. That was just awful.
Lost in thought, Ling Ning didn’t realize she had dozed off. By the time Xia You woke her up, the plane had already landed.
"Phew~ I'm back again, just like Hu Hansan~"
[TN: "Hu Hansan" refers to a character in Chinese culture who often "comes back," signifying persistence or resilience.]
Ling Ning stood at the airport entrance, yelling loudly enough to attract the attention of passersby. Most of them looked at her with a mix of confusion and mild amusement, even Ling Ye instinctively distanced herself from her occasionally embarrassing mom.
Ling Ning paid no attention to the looks from strangers. After all, what were a few stares compared to the time she had dressed up as a maid to hand out flyers?
They hopped into a taxi, heading straight back home. Upon arrival, she dropped all their bags—big and small—onto the floor and collapsed into the kotatsu, unwilling to move. In retrospect, she thought maybe buying all that stuff wasn’t such a good idea. It had nearly killed them on the way back.
Laziness taking over, Ling Ning had no desire to cook lunch, so she immediately pulled out her phone and opened "Meituan Takeout." She also ordered a meal for Xia You. As she paid, she kept mentally reassuring herself—money was meant to be spent.
Yet for some reason, her heart hurt. Maybe she'd cook next time.
While waiting for their food, Ling Ning rummaged through the spoils of the trip until she found her laptop. She opened it to check the latest updates on her novel. Because she'd been having so much fun these past few days, the updates had been on an automatic schedule, and she hadn’t checked the comments or anything either.
Seeing that her subscriptions had remained steady, she nodded to herself and began working on her next batch of draft chapters. The holiday had taken a serious toll on her stockpile, and she was in no hurry to return to a world where she had no backups.
Meanwhile, Ling Ye was much like her mom. As soon as she got home, she pulled out her laptop, busying herself with who knew what. Ling Ning curiously glanced over at her daughter.
Then, after setting aside her own laptop, she sneaked into the kotatsu, crawling her way to the other side so she could get a good look at what her daughter was up to.
Ling Ye, completely absorbed in her typing, hadn’t noticed Ling Ning inching closer. She kept typing away with a smile on her face.
Peering over her daughter’s shoulder, Ling Ning took a look. What she saw left her stunned—her daughter was writing a novel, and quite well, too. She read a bit further and got the feeling that the writing style and characters were strangely familiar, as though she had seen them somewhere before.
Suddenly, Ling Ye caught the familiar scent of her mom's presence. Instinctively, she looked up, only to realize that her mom—who she thought had been buried under the kotatsu—was now right behind her, staring intently at her laptop screen.
"Mom! What are you doing?!" Ling Ye exclaimed, quickly slamming her laptop shut and puffing her cheeks in frustration as she glared at her mom.
"So, you’re actually writing a novel during your free time, huh? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You know, I could give you some tips since I’ve got experience, you know~" Ling Ning teased, smiling at her daughter.
"N-no, thank you. I’m just writing it for fun."
Ling Ye hugged her laptop to her chest. She had planned to surprise her mom by showing her some real progress after she had it officially published, but she had let her guard down after their two days of fun. Now her secret was out!
"But, Ye Ye, why does your story seem so familiar?" Ling Ning squinted, trying to recall where she had seen it before. Then it clicked—this was the novel called "The Daily Life of My Mom and Me."
She remembered that Mo Fashi had mentioned this novel once, saying it resembled her own writing style. Ling Ning had read it that very night, finding the prose a bit immature, and the storyline somewhat mild, but still strangely interesting. She ended up following it.
Because of their trip, she hadn't read the updates recently. Now that she thought about it, the situations in the story seemed eerily familiar—so they were all based on real-life events!
"Wait a second!"
Ling Ning realized something alarming. The writing style of her daughter’s novel was very similar to her own. What did that mean? It was obvious—her daughter must have read her work, which was why their styles were so alike.
Silence. The air was suddenly filled with an awkward quiet.
The two of them just stared at each other, saying nothing. In both their minds was the same thought: "My daughter/mom has seen my novel—how embarrassing!"
"Ding-dong!"
The doorbell broke the awkward atmosphere. Ling Ning got up, walking silently to the door. Outside stood a delivery guy in a colorful uniform, holding several food containers. There was no need to ask; Ling Ning knew it was their takeout.
She took the food and, on her way back, called Xia You from next door to join them for lunch.
As they ate, Ling Ye quietly stole glances at her mom, feeling oddly relieved. Though her secret novel project had been discovered, at least she hadn’t written about the time she wore her panties on her head. If her mom had found out about that, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
Compared to her daughter’s composure, Ling Ning was feeling a lot more anxious. Her novel was filled with jokes and innuendos, and she couldn’t help but worry if her daughter understood them. Then again, Ling Ning thought, given how young her daughter was, she probably wouldn’t get those references, right?
Determined, Ling Ning resolved that tonight she’d have a serious conversation with her daughter. She couldn't let her stray down the wrong path at such a young age.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Author's Note:
Ah, so annoying—year-end is always full of trouble. It’s hard enough to even write 4,000 words a day~