Chapter 192 : A Tribute to This World of Yuri and Yaoi
"Wow, three days away from school… why do I actually feel nostalgic? Did that fever mess with my brain?"
Ling Ning thought aloud as she walked through the campus, watching the other students bustling around her.
The fever had kept her bedridden for three whole days. Even after the injection, she’d needed another full day of rest before it finally broke. Technically, her fever had subsided by yesterday afternoon, but since it had been raining, she decided to spend the time indoors working on the outline of her new novel.
Upon returning to school, her good mood was quickly dampened by the sight of the mountain of test sheets piled on her desk. She’d only been gone three days, but the stack was daunting. She shuddered at the thought of what it would look like if she’d missed more time.
After this illness, Ling Ning was determined to stop pulling all-nighters. Her feverish discomfort was a minor inconvenience, but needing an injection? That was unbearable.
"Ling Ning, are you feeling better now?" Xu Qing asked, looking at her with concern as she sat down.
"Of course! I’m back at full strength!"
She raised her arm in a mock show of muscle, though her slender arms lacked any convincing power.
"Good! I was planning to check on you after school today, but it looks like I won’t have to." Xu Qing paused, then added, "Oh, by the way, I’ve been collecting all the test sheets for you. They’re in your desk drawer. The ones on top are just from this morning."
Ling Ning nearly choked at this revelation.
Sitting behind her, Xia You wordlessly handed her a notebook filled with notes she’d taken during Ling Ning’s absence.
"Thanks, Xia You."
“Oh, and Ling Ning!” Xu Qing said suddenly, her face lighting up. “Do you remember that guy Lu Yisheng from the class next door—the one who wore a maid outfit to school?”
Ling Ning nodded, recalling she still had that picture of him in her phone. There was no way she’d forget. Still, she was curious why Xu Qing had brought him up.
"Well, Lu Yisheng got confessed to yesterday by a male classmate, and he actually said yes! I saw them walk to school hand in hand this morning!"
For some reason, Ling Ning felt a sense of impending doom for the world. Well, she could only offer a tribute to this universe that was apparently either yuri or yaoi.
"And there’s more! A junior in the second year got caught having a thing with the gym teacher! His parents were called in, but someone saw the teacher and the student’s dad having a nice chat in the waiting room, and they even walked out together with their arms around each other.”
Ling Ning noticed a strange glint of “rotten” enthusiasm in Xu Qing’s eyes.
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“Ling Ning, you’re such a glutton! You’re just getting over an illness, and you’re already stuffing your face!” Li Qian said, watching Ling Ning devour her meal with mild exasperation.
“Mmph—um….”
“Swallow first before you speak,” Li Qian said, resisting the urge to let out her irritation and giving Ling Ning a look of exasperated kindness.
“What I was trying to say is that after drinking nothing but porridge for days, my taste buds were practically dying. And I’ve missed out on your free lunches for three days! I have to make up for lost time,” Ling Ning said with a serious expression after swallowing.
“You…”
At a loss for words, Li Qian resigned herself to digging into her own food.
"Wow, do you have no shame, fighting over food with someone who’s just recovered?"
“It’s my own money, why wouldn’t I eat it?”
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“Ugh, I’m exhausted…”
Ling Ning sighed at the pile of test sheets in front of her. She’d been at it all day, even using her lunch break to catch up, but there were still so many left.
Realistically, these tests weren’t mandatory, but Ling Ning felt an urge to complete them all. The satisfaction of seeing a mountain of completed test sheets was too tempting to resist.
"Ling Ning, want to walk home together?"
Xia You smiled at her. Ever since she’d moved nearby, she’d been able to walk to and from school with Ling Ning every day, and she loved it.
Ling Ning nodded, tidying up her desk before heading out with Xia You.
As they walked, Xia You enjoyed Ling Ning’s subtle scent and happily filled her in on everything that had happened at school in her absence.
Just then, Ling Ning noticed a familiar figure lurking behind a vending machine, peeking out in a way that looked undeniably suspicious.
This sketchy character was none other than Li Si.
“Li Si, what are you doing hiding over there?”
The sudden sound of her voice made Li Si jump. When she realized it was Ling Ning, she sighed in relief.
"Keep it down!" Li Si said, glancing around nervously before turning back to them.
“Are you hiding from someone?”
Li Si nodded. “Remember that girl I told you about? I followed your advice, but instead of cooling off, her interest seems to have only grown stronger. I don’t know what else to do, so I’m just avoiding her now.”
"Got it. Let me think…”
Meanwhile, Xia You watched Li Si with an expressionless face, suspiciously sizing up this pretty boy who seemed intent on getting close to Ling Ning. What were his real intentions?
Sensing something, Li Si turned to look at the girl beside Ling Ning. For some reason, she felt an aura of hostility coming from this innocent-looking girl.
"Ah! There you are, Li Si!"
A voice interrupted Ling Ning’s thoughts as a cute, short-haired girl appeared before them. She immediately latched onto Li Si’s arm, giving both Ling Ning and Xia You a wary glance.
This girl, with her short hair and adorable looks, was undoubtedly Zheng Yun.
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Author’s Note:
This is the ninth chapter—Spring Festival Gala is probably starting now…