Chapter 203 : The Little Tease
"Dear Xiao Qian Qian, what are you calling me this late for? Could it be…that you missed me?" Ling Ning teased over the phone, petting the kitten "Sprite" in her lap. She had to admit that having a kitten was nice—it was soft, fluffy, and soothing to stroke.
On the other end, Li Qian paused, muttering, “Annoying little tease,” under her breath before replying, “Ling Ning, are you free tomorrow?”
By now, she’d given up on correcting Ling Ning’s pet name for her. No matter how many times she tried, Ling Ning wouldn’t change it, so why waste the energy? At least "Xiao Qian Qian" sounded better than being called something awful, right?
“Tomorrow? Yeah, I’m free. Why? Is someone lonely and in need of my company? If you’re paying, I might consider it, Xiao Qian Qian~”
Li Qian took a deep breath, barely holding back her urge to hang up, and replied, “Could you come to my house tomorrow? I have some study questions I need help with. But, if you’re busy, don’t worry; I can figure it out on my own.”
Li Qian’s grades were decent, but she wanted to aim higher. Specifically, she wanted to get into S University because Ling Ning mentioned that was her goal. It definitely wasn’t about going to the same school as Ling Ning—she was simply driven by competition, really!
She’d been studying hard recently but still had many unresolved questions. However, her reputation at school as a "queen bee" had isolated her somewhat, and she didn’t have any female friends she could call. Inviting a boy to her house was out of the question, so after some deliberation, she finally mustered the courage to call Ling Ning.
The main incentive, though, was that her little sister Li Meng would be returning to school tomorrow and her parents were away on business, meaning it would just be her and Ling Ning alone at home.
The thought of being alone with Ling Ning made her heart race, especially as her mind wandered to certain files on her USB drive.
"Of course! I don’t have any plans tomorrow, and if Xiao Qian Qian needs my help, how could I not come~"
Ling Ning readily accepted the invitation, knowing her daughter would be out with friends tomorrow. Besides, cooking felt like a chore lately, so getting a free meal at Li Qian’s place was ideal—and she’d save money on takeout!
"You know where my house is, right? You don’t have to come too early—just whenever is fine," Li Qian replied in a neutral tone, though she was actually lying in bed, barely containing her excitement.
The reason she didn’t want Ling Ning to come early was that her sister, Li Meng, would be home in the morning. To avoid any chance of interruption, she figured it was best if Ling Ning came later.
“Alright… Ahh! You pervy cat, get out from under my skirt!”
As she spoke, "Sprite" had decided to wriggle up under her skirt. She’d checked earlier—it was a female cat, after all.
“Anyway, see you tomorrow. You little troublemaker, get out or I’ll feed you to the salted fish! Beep, beep, beep…”
After hanging up, Ling Ning tossed her phone onto the couch and lifted the hem of her nightgown to pull out "Sprite," who looked at her innocently as if it didn’t understand why it was in trouble.
"Mom, didn’t you know? ‘Sprite’ loves climbing under skirts."
Watching her mother holding "Sprite" with an exasperated look, Ling Ye couldn’t help but be amused. That afternoon, the kitten had wriggled under her skirt a few times too while she was playing with it.
Ling Ning sighed, holding the kitten, and, not caring whether it understood, she said sternly, “If you keep sneaking under my skirt, I really will feed you to the salted fish!”
“Meow, meow?” Sprite meowed cluelessly, not understanding its new owner’s frustration.
“I must be crazy, talking so much to a cat,” Ling Ning muttered, putting "Sprite" down. She glanced at her daughter, who was typing away, then thought about her own stock of chapters. With a sigh, she went to get her laptop and sat beside Ling Ye to start writing too.
"Sprite" watched them both in confusion, then slowly padded over to sit by Ling Ning’s feet…
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Li Qian, still on her bed after the call, had been surprised to hear a cat meowing on the other end. She didn’t know Ling Ning had a cat! She suddenly felt a bit envious of that kitten—it could sneak under Ling Ning’s skirt!
Realizing her thoughts, Li Qian scolded herself. What was she thinking? This strange obsession was definitely the fault of that USB drive. She should’ve never opened it; now she was constantly distracted, even finding herself fixated on things like Ling Ning’s legs, her… and her lips…
Confirmed that Ling Ning was coming tomorrow, Li Qian excitedly rolled around on her bed a few more times, only to roll off and land on the floor. Rubbing her sore backside, she couldn’t stop smiling.
Looking around her room, she realized it wasn’t exactly messy, but it could use some tidying up. With a determined sigh, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
Meanwhile, her little sister Li Meng, who was watching TV in the living room, heard a loud thump from Li Qian’s room, followed by sounds of rummaging. Curious, she wondered what her sister was up to.
A while later, Li Meng saw her sister walk out of the room looking absolutely gleeful, humming a little tune. No matter how she looked at it, Li Meng felt something was off.
Oh well, it wasn’t her business anyway. She’d be heading back to school tomorrow, though for some reason, she had a strange feeling that if she left too early, she’d miss something big.
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Author’s Note:
Twentieth update! My stockpile is running low, but gotta keep smiling! Ah, what a struggle~