Chapter 237 : Stop Rubbing Against Me!
“Ugh, this heat is brutal…”
Ling Ning slumped onto the couch beside Bai Yiyue, looking utterly defeated. The midday sun was mercilessly hot, and even with an umbrella, it had done little to shield her from the heat. By the time they got back to Bai Yiyue’s apartment, Ling Ning’s clothes were damp with sweat, leaving her feeling uncomfortably sticky—an absolute nightmare for someone with her mild cleanliness obsession.
At first, Ling Ning had wanted to help Bai Jie in the kitchen. She felt awkward just sitting around doing nothing as a guest, but Bai Jie wouldn’t hear of it, insisting that Ling Ning was a guest and shouldn’t lift a finger. So, Ling Ning had retreated to the living room.
She considered standing right in front of the air conditioner for a blast of cool air, but her recent cold had just cleared up, and getting blasted by cold air right now would probably land her with another headache by morning.
So instead, she tugged at her collar and fanned her shirt a little to cool off. It didn’t help much, but it made her feel marginally better.
Watching from the side, Bai Yiyue couldn’t take her eyes off her. The loose, comfortable clothes Ling Ning was wearing today gave just a tantalizing hint of the soft skin underneath. Sitting up a little straighter and tilting her gaze just right, Bai Yiyue could catch glimpses that made her heartbeat quicken.
A quote from Nietzsche suddenly came to her mind: “When you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.”
Looking at Ling Ning like this was almost hypnotizing.
After a while, Ling Ning began to sense something was off. Bai Yiyue had been lounging on the couch earlier, but now she was sitting perfectly upright, and her gaze was intensely focused. Following the line of sight, Ling Ning raised an eyebrow and asked, “Enjoying the view?”
Bai Yiyue reflexively nodded before quickly shaking her head, realizing how that must look.
“Hehe~” Bai Yiyue tried to laugh it off with a cutesy grin, hoping it would defuse the situation.
Rolling her eyes, Ling Ning stood up and moved to another couch. Around Bai Yiyue, she felt like she needed to keep her guard up.
“Um… Ling Ning, are you mad at me?” Bai Yiyue asked, cautiously peeking over.
“...”
When Ling Ning didn’t respond, Bai Yiyue hesitated, then sidled up to her and started rubbing her cheek against Ling Ning’s like a cat.
“Hey, stop that! I’m not mad at you!” Ling Ning protested, laughing. She’d only intended to tease Bai Yiyue, but she hadn’t expected her to come over and start nuzzling her. Although she didn’t actually mind it, it always made her feel like a little kid whenever Bai Yiyue did this.
“You two seem to get along so well~”
At some point, Bai Jie had walked in behind them, and she now looked at her daughter in surprise. She was genuinely taken aback by her daughter’s behavior—while Bai Yiyue wasn’t the prim-and-proper type at home, she rarely acted this playfully, especially not since she’d turned fourteen.
“That’s because I like Ling Ning the most~” Bai Yiyue declared without hesitation.
Ling Ning froze, shocked. Did Bai Yiyue really just say she liked girls out loud… and to her mom? Was this really okay?
“Yes, yes, you two have fun. I’ll go finish lunch.” Bai Jie smiled warmly and didn’t seem to think much of her daughter’s words. To her, it just seemed like a joke.
When Bai Jie left without any reaction, Ling Ning let out a sigh of relief. If she’d taken Bai Yiyue’s words seriously, Ling Ning wouldn’t have known how to handle it. After all, she’d be the “corrupting influence” responsible for leading her daughter astray.
“Could you be a bit more mindful of your surroundings?” Ling Ning whispered to Bai Yiyue, exasperated.
“No way!” Bai Yiyue replied, unyielding. “I like Ling Ning, and there’s nothing wrong with that! So why shouldn’t I say it?”
“...”
Ling Ning was left speechless. If every girl were as straightforward as Bai Yiyue, we’d have a lot fewer situations of “dying to confess” to one another.
In Bai Yiyue’s view, when you liked someone, you should tell them directly. There was no room for tsundere, unspoken crushes, or waiting. Life was too short to waste on being shy. If you liked someone, you should confess. If it didn’t work out, then try harder. If that didn’t work, move on to strategies to win them over. Worst case, they’d hate you, but maybe a plot twist could change their mind down the road!
If you didn’t even have the courage to confess, could you really say you liked them? She found the idea laughable.
“By the way… where’s your dad? I haven’t seen anything here that looks like a man’s,” Ling Ning asked, her curiosity piqued.
“No idea.”
“What?”
Bai Yiyue nodded, explaining, “My mom took me back to live with her, and since then, I haven’t seen him. I never asked, and my mom never told me.”
“Uh…”
Ling Ning got the feeling there was more to the story, but she figured it was probably a sensitive subject. Not wanting to pry, she simply nodded and dropped the topic.
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“Hey, Ling Ning, how about I show you around the apartment?” Bai Yiyue suggested before lunch.
“Sure~”
Ling Ning had thought about helping Bai Jie with the dishes afterward, but Bai Jie had gently but firmly refused her offer.
Bai Yiyue led Ling Ning to her own room.
The moment she entered, Ling Ning was struck by how simple and plain the room was. It had a clean, minimalist look with a white color scheme, and aside from the essentials, it was nearly bare—no decorations, no personal touches. It felt even more barren than her own room and resembled a guest room more than a lived-in space.
“Surprised?” Bai Yiyue asked, noticing Ling Ning’s surprise.
Ling Ning nodded. She’d expected Bai Yiyue’s room to be… well, more personal, a reflection of her personality. But now, she felt she’d over-imagined it.
“Well, I just moved in, so I haven’t had time to decorate yet,” Bai Yiyue said with a bright smile.
“Ah, I knew it! I was thinking, there’s no way a big celebrity would have such a plain room~”
Bai Yiyue smiled but didn’t respond. Her room at her old villa had looked much the same because her frequent work trips left her little time at home. And even when she was home, she only used her room for sleeping. There hadn’t been much point in decorating it.
But, truthfully, she’d been waiting to share the experience with the person she liked most.
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Author’s Note:
When a lazy fish dreams of greatness but doesn’t want to put in the work…