Chapter 260 : The Doujin Heroine
“What… what should I do? I think I’m lost again~”
Our lovable Chen Ruo looked around at the unfamiliar scenery. She had only gone to the restroom for a moment. She’d made sure to remember the way back before heading in, but as soon as she came out, she’d forgotten everything.
Her daughter was busy tending their booth and couldn’t come help her. To make matters worse, her phone was in her daughter’s bag. At this point, Chen Ruo felt her future was bleak.
“I’ll just have to ask for directions!” she thought.
But though she steeled herself, looking at the crowd around her, she couldn’t gather the courage. Truthfully, she was terrified of talking to strangers. Her mind flashed to a story she’d written recently, about a lost little girl who asked a stranger for help, only to be taken to a dark room and… turned into a “hot weapon.” Now, every passerby looked dangerous.
Onlookers who saw the adorable Chen Ruo standing helplessly in her Gothic Lolita dress wondered if she was a lost child. A few kind-hearted people even approached to offer help, but Chen Ruo, gripped by a sudden wave of paranoia, quickly brushed them off. Her mind raced, imagining every person around her as a potential threat.
Just as she was feeling utterly lost, she caught a familiar scent and felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see a familiar figure.
“L-Ling Ning!” Chen Ruo looked up in surprise, her face lighting up. She hadn’t expected to run into Ling Ning here. Could it be that Ling Ning was here to whisk her away to some dark room? If it was to be Ling Ning’s “hot weapon,” well… Wait! Why was her mind always jumping to “hot weapon”? She really shouldn’t have written that story.
“Just as I thought—it was you, Chen Ruo~ I recognized that clueless look. You’re not lost, are you?” Ling Ning teased, smiling. She’d only gone to the restroom herself, but on her way out, she’d caught a glimpse of someone with a familiar air about them. She wasn’t mistaken—it was Chen Ruo.
“Lost? Someone as smart as me wouldn’t get lost! You’re just misunderstanding,” Chen Ruo replied haughtily.
“Oh~” Ling Ning nodded with an amused expression. “Well, since you’re not lost, I’ll head back. My friends are waiting for me~”
Seeing Ling Ning about to leave, Chen Ruo panicked. She couldn’t possibly let her escape! Desperate, she quickly grabbed Ling Ning’s hand, her cheeks flushing slightly. “I… I forgot where my booth is…”
“You should’ve just said you’re lost in the first place. Everyone knows you have no sense of direction,” Ling Ning thought, holding back a laugh.
“Your booth? You’re here to sell doujinshi? Are they, you know… 18+? Or BL?” Ling Ning asked with a teasing smile.
“Hey! I’m very careful about my reputation, you know! No 18+ content here—just normal doujinshi,” Chen Ruo replied matter-of-factly. Besides, her daughter helped her with the booth, so of course, she couldn’t bring anything inappropriate.
“Oh~”
Just then, Ling Ning received a message from Zhou Xiaoxiao, saying she’d gone ahead to buy doujinshi and would catch up with her later. Typical Zhou Xiaoxiao—impatient as always.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
“Mom, how do you always manage to get lost and end up with her?” Lin Yue asked, clearly unimpressed as she looked at Ling Ning and then back at her mother. With an exasperated sigh, she scolded Chen Ruo, “Honestly, Mom, even when you go to the bathroom, you should at least take your phone with you! You never leave it behind otherwise. What if some creep snatched you up and turned you into a hot weapon? I even told you before you left—just walk straight back here!”
“I… I forgot~” Chen Ruo muttered, looking down, as sheepish as a scolded child.
Ling Ning watched the scene, feeling a bit sorry for Chen Ruo. She had initially thought Chen Ruo’s booth was far away, but it turned out it was just a short walk. How could anyone get lost this close?
Curious, Ling Ning picked up one of the doujinshi from Chen Ruo’s booth and began flipping through it. True to Chen Ruo’s word, it was perfectly tame. Having read all of Chen Ruo’s works before, Ling Ning actually found it a bit too mild, though the art style was stunning—sure to attract plenty of customers.
Just then, Ling Ning spotted a different doujinshi beneath the display table. Unlike the others, this one featured characters she found oddly familiar. She squinted at the cover, trying to place the anime character, but couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Intrigued, she opened the mystery doujinshi.
“A-Alright! I said I’d be more careful next time, okay? Xiao Yue, don’t hold a grudge!” Chen Ruo pleaded, finally getting her daughter to drop the matter. Her daughter was starting to nag like her own mother back home—maybe even worse. She was the mom here!
Having settled things with her daughter, Chen Ruo turned to thank Ling Ning, only to find her engrossed in a doujinshi.
It wouldn’t have mattered—until she realized which doujinshi Ling Ning was reading. Chen Ruo’s face turned bright red. That particular doujinshi was an 18+ work she’d drawn based on herself and Ling Ning. She’d only printed two copies for her personal collection. But since it was printed along with her other doujinshi, she’d left it on the table by mistake.
“Oh, L-Ling Ning! You… you can’t look at that one!” Chen Ruo stammered, her face flushed with embarrassment.
“Oh~ But I think it’s quite interesting. Definitely your style~” Ling Ning replied, her own cheeks turning pink. The contents of the doujinshi were… well, very educational. It featured two “housewives” in a rather… close relationship, showcasing some surprisingly creative scenarios.
“Chen Ruo, this is impressive. I didn’t know you had this side to you,” Ling Ning teased.
Embarrassed beyond words, Chen Ruo murmured, “It’s… it’s just a hobby. I swear, it’s not for sale!”
Ling Ning smirked, leaning in closer. “How about selling this copy to me?”
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Author’s Note:
Three chapters again today!