Chapter 273 : The School of Cross-Dressing
“Sigh, so frustrating!”
Ling Ning lay sprawled on the couch with an expression of utter defeat. After her shower last night, she’d even used a flashlight to retrace her steps, but still couldn’t find her missing bracelet.
Judging by the situation, it was probably lost at the convention center. Just thinking about it made her mad—she’d been so frustrated she could hardly sleep all night. She got up early, listlessly staring off into space, even lacking the motivation to go to the café for her usual part-time job. A magazine had even called, asking her to do a photoshoot today, but she turned them down; she simply wasn’t in the mood.
The bracelet might’ve been a cheap trinket from a street vendor, but it was her daughter’s first birthday gift to her. Despite not usually wearing jewelry, it had been the only accessory she owned, showing just how much it meant to her. Although Ling Ye had offered to buy an identical one, it wouldn’t carry the same meaning.
Ling Ye, watching her mother’s melancholy expression, felt a bit helpless. This was the first time she’d seen her mom so sentimental, but she understood—if she lost her own charm bracelet, she’d probably feel the same way.
“Mom, I’m off to school.”
Though Ling Ye wanted to stay home and keep her mother company, she didn’t have a break yet. She couldn’t understand why there weren’t policies allowing students to skip grades. She’d already started studying high school material! If only she could jump grades and go to college with her mom…
“Take care,” Ling Ning replied, still sounding dispirited.
Not long after Ling Ye left, Ling Ning’s phone rang—it was Ye Xuan. Ling Ning tilted her head, wondering what Ye Xuan wanted to talk about so early in the morning.
She picked up, still a bit puzzled.
“Ling Ning? The college entrance exam results are out! Have you seen them?” Ye Xuan’s voice wasn’t her usual calm; she sounded a bit excited, which was rare.
Ling Ning blinked, then remembered—exam results were due today. She’d been so preoccupied with the bracelet that it had completely slipped her mind. Ye Xuan’s call was the first reminder.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Ling Ning, you scored a perfect 700! First in the school, third in the province,” Ye Xuan said excitedly. She knew Ling Ning was a great student, but scoring this high was beyond her expectations.
“Seven hundred?!”
Ling Ning was also a bit taken aback. She hadn’t expected to score that well. In her previous life, she’d only scored around 600 on the college entrance exam. Maybe you really do get a bonus on a second try?
“You sound less excited than I thought. Anyway, are you still planning to apply to S University? With your score, you could go anywhere—even Huaxiang, BeiDa, or even some top international schools like the Academy of Cross-Dressing in Japan or Far-Har in the U.S.!”
“I’m sticking with S University. You know my situation, and S University is a good school too, isn’t it?”
Ling Ning had grown used to life in this city and didn’t want to drag her daughter to an unfamiliar one, so she preferred to stay local. Rather than a major upheaval, she liked the stability of staying put.
“S University… sounds perfect.”
Ye Xuan’s voice softened. She’d graduated from S University herself, and if Ling Ning went there, she could pull some strings with her dad to get herself transferred. That way, she’d be able to see Ling Ning and her gorgeous long legs every day.
Besides, college was bound to bring a lot of suitors for Ling Ning. What if someone sweet-talked her away while she wasn’t around? No, she had to make sure she got to S University.
“Oh, and how did our class do? Did we finally outscore Class One?”
Ling Ning suddenly remembered Ye Xuan’s bet that if her class didn’t surpass Class One’s average score, she’d have to go on a blind date.
“Well…”
Ye Xuan’s tone instantly became somber, and Ling Ning felt her heart sink along with it. Had they not managed to surpass Class One? They’d come so close before exams…
“By 0.5 points. We beat Class One by a mere 0.5 points.”
“Don’t worry about the blind date. It’s really not such a… What? What did you say?” Ling Ning had been ready to console Ye Xuan, but then she froze. When had Ye Xuan learned to joke around? She could hardly believe her ears—this wasn’t like the Ye Xuan she knew!
“Yes, you heard me right. We surpassed Class One by 0.5 points,” Ye Xuan said proudly. To have taken the weakest class and brought them this far was something she could truly be proud of. When she first calculated the score, she thought she’d made a mistake—she hadn’t dared to hope they’d actually pulled it off.
Now she could finally put the idea of blind dates behind her and discuss her transfer to S University with her father. She’d cleared up several major concerns in one go—how could she not be excited?
“Congratulations!”
“Without your ideas and help, I couldn’t have done it. Thank you, Ling Ning,” Ye Xuan said sincerely.
“By the way, the school wants you to give a speech at graduation. They’re hoping you’ll agree.”
“No way.”
Ling Ning refused immediately. Public speeches were the kind of thankless task she had no interest in.
“I knew you’d say that.” Ye Xuan chuckled. “But there’s a scholarship involved, and if you don’t comply, you might not get it.”
“Fine, what do they want me to say? Send me the speech draft.”
Forget pride—money was what mattered most.
“Oh, one more thing. How did Li Qian, Xu Qing, and Xia You do on their exams?”
“They did well. Xu Qing and Xia You tied for third in the school, and Li Qian wasn’t far behind.”
“That’s good.”
Hearing that her friends had done well lifted Ling Ning’s spirits, taking the edge off her frustration over the lost bracelet.
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Author’s Note:
This is just the nonsense of a lazy fish—don’t mind the details!