Chapter 281 : Things Seem to Be Getting Strange
“Huh!? Why not stay for dinner?”
Chen Ruo looked at Ling Ning with a sad expression. How had it come to this? It wasn’t often that someone came to visit, and she’d finally gotten a taste of being a teacher, blending two joyful things into one—so why couldn’t she just stay for dinner?
“Well, I need to get home and cook for my daughter. Anyway, I live nearby, so I can always come over another time,” Ling Ning replied with a smile. Truthfully, the main reason was that Chen Ruo’s daughter, Lin Yao, would be home soon, and if she stayed, she’d likely be subjected to another round of cold sarcasm.
“Uh… Teacher, I’ll wait downstairs for you. You can talk a bit more with Miss Chen Ruo.”
Jiang Xue said before quickly turning to leave. She felt like an overpowered third wheel. If her Teacher and Miss Chen Ruo were holding back because of her presence, then she would feel terrible for intruding.
Thinking it over, she decided to wait downstairs and hoped they wouldn’t take too long with their “goodbyes.” She would’ve liked to stay for dinner herself—after all, it would save her the cost of dinner tonight. But with her Teacher leaving, she couldn’t just invite herself. Clearly, she hadn’t learned everything from her Teacher yet; if it were Ling Ning, she’d have no problem asking.
Watching Jiang Xue’s retreating figure, Ling Ning chuckled wryly. It seemed she was still being misunderstood—clearly, she and Chen Ruo were nothing more than friends.
Ling Ning gave Chen Ruo a reassuring pat on the head. “Come on now. Chen Ruo, you’re much cuter when you don’t look so sad~”
“I understand… But you must visit often, alright, Ling Ning?”
“Of course. It’s getting late, though, so I’ll be heading out now.”
Chen Ruo reluctantly watched Ling Ning leave. Despite being a homebody, she longed for companionship. Her daughter was usually at school, and her line of work, combined with her personality, made it difficult to find people to talk to, except for brief online chats.
Then she’d met Ling Ning, someone who’d helped her every time she got lost, someone who knew about her career and treated her like a regular person, and someone who would gently pat her on the head…
“Honestly, I feel like I’m acting a little strange…”
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Jiang Xue stood quietly by the roadside, unable to stop imagining what might be happening between her Teacher and teacher upstairs. Her thoughts became increasingly less… appropriate.
If this were an anime, there’d definitely be steam pouring out of her head right now.
“Why is your face so red? Are you feeling feverish?”
Hearing the voice, Jiang Xue snapped out of her thoughts to find her Teacher standing in front of her, hand on her forehead. At such close range, she could even smell the faint scent coming from Ling Ning.
“Ma… Teacher, you’re already done?” Jiang Xue blurted out without thinking, then quickly corrected herself. “I mean… Teacher, you’re back so soon!”
Ling Ning raised an eyebrow, feeling like something was off but shrugged it off. “If there’s nothing else, let’s go. It’s getting late.”
“Oh, right!”
As Jiang Xue followed her Teacher, she subconsciously slowed her pace to savor the soft scent drifting from Ling Ning.
“How did things go today?”
“Huh?” Jiang Xue was startled before realizing her Teacher was asking her a question. “I realized just how much I still have to learn.”
“Oh, and Teacher, could I ask a favor?”
“Hm?”
“I want you to… um, cough, cough.” Jiang Xue, a little too excited, choked mid-sentence. After a fit of coughing, she looked up to see her Teacher staring at her with a concerned, almost bewildered expression.
“What would you do if your disciple suddenly wanted you? This is urgent. Asking for advice online!” Ling Ning thought, already reaching for her phone.
“No, that’s not it!” Jiang Xue said, recovering her breath.
“Disciple, even if you say so, it puts me in a tough spot… Can you give me some time to think it over?” Ling Ning teased, pretending to be conflicted.
Jiang Xue looked at her Teacher in exasperation. How had she not noticed her Teacher was so playful?
“What I meant was, could you be the heroine in my manga?”
“Oh, why didn’t you say so sooner? I thought you wanted something else!” Ling Ning waved it off, unfazed. After all, she’d already been the protagonist of Chen Ruo’s doujinshi; this was nothing.
“I’m planning to enter the Suiryudo Awards in three months!” Jiang Xue announced with determination.
“Suiryudo, huh? That’s a pretty popular manga magazine.”
Ling Ning thought for a moment. She remembered hearing about Suiryudo from classmates—it had a weekly circulation in the millions and numerous popular manga artists under its belt.
If Jiang Xue aimed to win the Suiryudo Awards, she was in for a big challenge. The Suiryudo Awards were highly competitive, with many aspiring manga artists vying for the top spots. Placing in the top three would secure her a serialization in Suiryudo.
“Are you sure you don’t want to start with a smaller magazine to test the waters?”
“No, I’ve decided—I’m aiming for the top three in the Suiryudo Awards!”
Watching Jiang Xue’s determined expression, Ling Ning smiled. “Well, if that’s your decision, then I won’t say any more. If you need anything, just let me know. I’d be happy to model or review your story for you.”
“Thank you, Teacher!”
“I’ll head home now. Be careful on your way back—don’t take any side streets.”
“Got it! You be careful too, Teacher.”
Jiang Xue watched her Teacher disappear around the corner, then sighed softly.
“How did things end up this way?”
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Author’s Note:
You all know what Suiryudo represents, right? And I definitely wasn’t thinking about Suiryudo Ke when I came up with it. By the way, I’d love some angsty snacks with a hint of drama~