Chapter 283 : Massage Oil!
“I mean, come on, it’s just a bug—is there any need to be this scared?” Ling Ning sighed, glancing down at the cockroach’s corpse and then at Lin Xi, who was cowering on the sofa. It was just a cockroach; one good stomp and it was gone.
“B-but it’s a cockroach! It’s as terrifying as a spider!” Lin Xi whimpered, teary-eyed as she clutched her leg. When she’d seen the cockroach, she’d panicked and actually jumped—unfortunately, her injured foot collided with the edge of the table, and now she could barely feel her own leg.
Why did she always get hurt whenever this perverted freak showed up? Last time, she’d twisted her ankle; now, she’d hurt it again by hitting the table. Lin Xi felt cursed by her encounters with Ling Ning.
Sigh.
Shaking her head, Ling Ning knelt down next to Lin Xi, reaching out to examine her poor, re-injured foot.
“W-what are you doing?”
Lin Xi asked, eyes wide with alarm. Was this perverted freak finally taking advantage of her while she was injured?
Ling Ning rolled her eyes. Sometimes, she just wanted to open up Lin Xi’s head and see what was inside. Why did this girl always act like she was about to get attacked?
“Get up and see if you can still walk,” Ling Ning said with exasperation.
“Huh?” Lin Xi blinked, then tried standing with Ling Ning’s help. The pain in her foot made her wince—her leg felt completely useless.
“It’s just a bruise from hitting the table. Nothing too serious,” Ling Ning assured her. “Where do you keep your medicine? A little massage with some ointment should do the trick.”
“The medicine’s in my room, on the desk by my computer,” Lin Xi said, pointing to an open door. She kept it there for convenience.
Ling Ning entered Lin Xi’s room, which was filled with the unmistakable smell of instant noodles. The source? A half-eaten cup of ramen sitting on the desk, likely from breakfast. Breakfast of ramen—definitely not healthy.
The room was a mess, with clothes scattered everywhere, figures piled up haphazardly, and empty snack wrappers littering the floor. Was this really the bedroom of a cute girl? Ling Ning had her doubts.
As someone with a strong sense of cleanliness, Ling Ning could feel an uncontrollable urge to start tidying up.
“Wow, your room really is a disaster zone,” Ling Ning commented as she began applying the ointment to Lin Xi’s foot.
“No need to say it out loud!” Lin Xi blushed. Usually, her room wasn’t this messy, but with her leg injured and her laziness taking over, it had gotten out of hand.
“And lay off the instant noodles. They’re terrible for your health.”
“What are you, my mom?”
Lin Xi grumbled. It wasn’t like she wanted to eat ramen all the time, but she couldn’t cook, and takeout was expensive. Instant noodles were convenient, cheap, and best of all, didn’t require doing dishes.
“Today’s color is pink and white stripes~”
Hearing Ling Ning’s seemingly random remark, Lin Xi froze. It took her a second to realize what she meant—she was talking about her panties, which were, indeed, pink and white striped.
This perverted freak! She was peeking under her skirt while rubbing her foot!
“Y-you…”
“Oh, please, I’ve told you before: I have zero interest in your ‘modest’ figure. Anyway, all done with the ointment.”
“Ouch!” Lin Xi yelped, accidentally knocking her injured foot against the table again.
“Didn’t I tell you not to move around so much?” Ling Ning scolded, shaking her head in exasperation.
“I don’t want to talk to you anymore!” Lin Xi whined, tears welling up. Even though she’d tried to pull her foot back, it still hurt like crazy, especially since it was her already-injured leg.
When Ling Ning went into the kitchen to wash her hands, she noticed the place looked like it hadn’t been used in ages; a thin layer of dust had even settled on some surfaces.
The trash can was overflowing with ramen cups and takeout containers, likely piling up because Lin Xi hadn’t been able to take it out herself. No wonder she had cockroaches showing up!
Unacceptable. The kitchen, a sacred space, had been reduced to this mess.
“Are you seriously not planning to clean up your room?” Ling Ning asked as she returned, looking at Lin Xi with a serious expression.
“Huh? I’ll clean it once my leg’s better and I have some free time,” Lin Xi replied indifferently. She lived alone, so a bit of mess didn’t bother her—no one else would see it, after all.
“Are you sure? Your house has cockroaches now. Have you ever seen one here before?”
Lin Xi froze. Ling Ning had a point—she’d never had cockroaches in her home before. The thought of one crawling out from her own room gave her the creeps.
“I… I’ll clean it right now!”
Lin Xi tried to stand, but the pain in her leg forced her back onto the sofa. There was no way she’d be able to manage cleaning in her current state.
Then an idea struck her, and she looked over at Ling Ning, the only other person in the room. She had no choice; there was no way she could live with cockroaches around. Compared to them, even this perverted freak seemed less terrifying.
“Um… Miss Ling Ning, could I ask you a favor?”
“Yes?”
“Could you… help me clean up my place?” Lin Xi asked, embarrassed. Asking a guest to tidy up her room was mortifying.
“Of course~” Ling Ning replied with a bright smile. She’d been planning to offer anyway. After all, Lin Xi had been the one to find her lost bracelet; tidying up was a small way to repay her.
“Thank you…”
Though Ling Ning was a “perverted freak,” Lin Xi simply couldn’t handle it herself in her condition. Besides, her apartment didn’t have anything worth stealing, and Ling Ning didn’t seem like the type to need money.
After all, the dress Ling Ning was wearing was one Lin Xi had seen online once—a single piece that cost more than half a month’s worth of living expenses for her.
The most valuable things in her apartment were her cosplay costumes and figures, all bought by scrimping and saving. She doubted they’d interest Ling Ning.
“Leave it to me! When it comes to cleaning, I’m a pro!”
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Author’s Note:
Forgot to mention yesterday—starting in March, I’ll be doing a bounty system: two chapters daily, plus one extra chapter for every 100 “blade points” or 10,000 coins, up to four extra updates. Any surplus will be added the next day! So today’s three updates are thanks to yesterday’s bounty reaching over 100 blade points!