Chapter 216 : For “Research” Purposes
“Please come in, Ling Ning! Welcome to my home,” Chen Ruo said excitedly as she unlocked the door.
Ling Ning sighed. If she hadn’t known Chen Ruo’s exact address beforehand, she probably would’ve gotten lost following Chen Ruo’s directions alone.
As she reached Chen Ruo’s building, Ling Ning was surprised to find it was less than 500 meters from her own. No wonder they kept running into each other—what a coincidence.
Initially, Ling Ning had planned to head straight home after escorting Chen Ruo, but Chen Ruo had invited her to stay for lunch, and free food was her favorite kind. So, she gladly accepted the invitation.
Entering Chen Ruo’s home, Ling Ning was greeted by a meticulously organized living room—a pleasant surprise that spoke to a responsible household.
“Would you like something to drink? Sprite, Coke, or just plain water?” Chen Ruo offered. Since she rarely had guests and neither she nor her daughter drank tea, they didn’t keep a typical tea set around.
“Just water, please.”
“Really? Not even a Coke? With this hot weather, a cold Coke is super refreshing!” Chen Ruo urged, using a cute, pleading tone.
Ling Ning shook her head. She wanted a Coke too, especially after the long walk with Chen Ruo, but her period was coming up, and she didn’t want to suffer through cramps later. No cold drinks for her—she wasn’t going to risk it.
“By the way, Chen Ruo, would you mind if I took a look at your workspace?” Ling Ning asked. She’d always been curious about a manga artist’s workspace, and now seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Chen Ruo nodded eagerly, then seemed to remember something, her expression shifting. “Oh, um, just give me a minute. I need to tidy up a bit first,” she said before hurrying off.
Ling Ning watched Chen Ruo leave, puzzled. The living room was spotless, so it seemed unlikely her workspace could be too messy. Was she hiding something? Still, Chen Ruo’s innocent demeanor reassured her that it was probably just her imagination.
In truth, Ling Ning had it wrong—the tidy living room wasn’t Chen Ruo’s doing, but her daughter Lin Yue’s. Lin Yue handled all the cleaning, while Chen Ruo was more often responsible for creating the mess.
Once inside her room, Chen Ruo quickly locked the door and scanned the clutter on her bed. Her heart sank at the sight of various adult “reference materials” scattered around. These weren’t her personal items; they were for research for her adult-themed manga. Though she could find similar images online, having the real items provided much better detail.
Not only that, but her work desk was also littered with unfinished adult-themed drawings. Thank goodness she’d remembered about these things before letting Ling Ning inside—otherwise, she’d have been branded a complete pervert!
Chen Ruo took another look around. Her room wasn’t small, but it was packed with clutter. Even under the bed were stacks of magazines and comics, with her collection of adult manga stashed in the back. Her drawers were crammed with random items and snacks, and her wardrobe was overflowing with clothes.
After a quick survey, Chen Ruo realized she didn’t have a single place to hide the materials.
Then she noticed a large box on top of her wardrobe, featuring the image of a limited-edition Gundam model. She remembered buying it a while back—the “Xianyu” Gundam in the “Soy Sauce Gravy” edition. She hadn’t thrown the box away, thinking it might be useful for storage someday. Well, today was the day!
She dragged a chair over and climbed up to reach it. Even standing on tiptoes, she could barely grab it, though she wondered how she’d managed to put it up there in the first place.
Fortunately, with a little stretch, she retrieved the box. The box, designed to hold large model parts, was roomy enough for her “reference materials” and sketches.
After stowing everything away and double-checking for anything she might have missed, Chen Ruo finally relaxed. She unlocked her door and stepped out, not bothering to tidy her messy room any further—it was her space, and she liked it comfortable.
“All done!”
Hearing her, Ling Ning got up and followed her to the room. Stepping inside, she found it crammed with items of all sorts. Posters covered the walls, clothes were strewn over the bed, and she even spotted a pair of panda-patterned underwear identical to a pair she owned.
In short, the room was a complete contrast to the immaculate living room outside, like two different worlds.
Seeing the look of surprise on Ling Ning’s face, Chen Ruo scratched her head in embarrassment. “Well, it can’t be helped. I need a lot of ‘research materials’ for drawing manga. Somehow, I just ended up with a lot of stuff.”
“Hey, let me draw you a picture!” Chen Ruo suddenly offered.
“Huh?”
“I mean, I’ll draw a character based on you—a manga version of yourself. Don’t worry, it’ll be quick!”
Intrigued, Ling Ning nodded. A manga version of herself sounded interesting.
Chen Ruo asked her to sit on the bed but didn’t request any specific pose, then began sketching away with practiced ease.
“All done!”
A short while later, she turned the easel to reveal Ling Ning’s manga likeness. Ling Ning couldn’t help but admit that Chen Ruo’s skill was impressive; the character resembled her closely. But for some reason, her manga self seemed to have an unexpectedly seductive vibe. Was that just her imagination?
Chen Ruo noticed it too, realizing that Ling Ning’s likeness might work well as the heroine for her next manga…
Just as Ling Ning leaned in to inspect the drawing, she tripped on something, falling forward and catching herself on the wardrobe.
The wardrobe wobbled, and the box on top tumbled down.
Thud!
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Author’s Note:
Almost forgot to update! Don’t worry, this fish is alive—I just went for dinner.