Chapter 288 : Xia You’s Suspicious Glance
“Why is your face so red?”
Ling Ning, having just finished the dishes, noticed Nanase Ren sitting on the sofa, her cheeks flushed. Her posture had changed to a modest, knees-together sitting position, and she looked a little flustered.
Hearing Ling Ning’s voice, Ren snapped back to reality, staring blankly at her and stammering, “N-no, it’s nothing. I was just… thinking about something~”
“Are you sure you’re alright? Your face is really red,” Ling Ning asked, her voice full of concern.
“I-I’m fine. I’ll just splash some water on my face.”
She went into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed some cold water on her face. But as she did, a sudden jet of water sprayed right at her—the faucet had malfunctioned. In her attempt to turn it off, she found that the valve was broken, leaving her drenched.
Hearing the commotion, Ling Ning rushed over and found Ren standing there, completely soaked, with water dripping from her hair.
“I… I was just trying to wash my face, but…” Ren stammered helplessly.
Ling Ning glanced at the broken faucet, then sighed. It had been leaking for a while, and she’d meant to fix it eventually. She hadn’t expected it to break down so suddenly.
Without fussing over the still-spraying faucet, Ling Ning entered the bathroom, turned off the main valve under the sink, and turned back to Ren with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. Here, let me lend you some dry clothes~”
“Oh… um, thank you…”
Ling Ning fetched a white dress from her room for Ren. It wasn’t that she didn’t wear it often, but she thought the simple, elegant style would suit Ren’s refined appearance.
Along with the dress, she also handed Ren some fresh underwear. Seeing how soaked Ren was, she figured her own clothes were equally drenched.
“Go ahead and change—you don’t want to catch a cold.”
“Thank you…”
Taking the clothes, Ren blushed again. The contents of that doujinshi she’d accidentally found earlier flashed through her mind, and she felt her cheeks burning.
She’d been trying to forget the images from that book, reminding herself to ignore them, but as a well-behaved girl, Ren had little experience with such explicit material. Back in Japan, she’d only heard vaguely about such things from classmates, never seeing anything as… bold as that book.
If she had understood Chinese, the impact of that explicit doujinshi would have been far more intense. Fortunately, she couldn’t read the text, sparing her from further embarrassment.
When Ren emerged from the room in the dress, Ling Ning’s eyes lit up. The simple white dress highlighted Ren’s natural elegance, making her look like a goddess.
Blushing under Ling Ning’s gaze, Ren lowered her head.
“How does it fit? Is it comfortable?”
Ren shook her head, indicating there was nothing uncomfortable, though wearing Ling Ning’s bra made her feel a bit self-conscious. She couldn’t explain it, but it left her with an odd feeling, as if she’d lost a secret competition.
Gathering her courage, Ren hesitated before asking, “Um… Ling Ning, could you teach me Chinese?”
“Chinese? Sure! But it’s not the easiest language to learn. And honestly, I’m not much of a teacher. Why the sudden interest?” Ling Ning asked, a little puzzled.
“Oh… I just felt like learning it,” Ren replied, trying to keep her curiosity vague.
“Well, wait here a moment. I’ll go get my computer. I don’t have any textbooks, so we might need some online resources.” Ling Ning went to fetch her laptop.
“If you’re serious about learning Chinese, you’ll need to start with pinyin. It’s like the foundation, similar to how the fifty-sound chart is to Japanese…”
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“Oh, is it that late already?”
Ren checked her phone, realizing it was already past five in the afternoon. She hadn’t noticed the time passing at all.
“Why don’t you stay for dinner?”
Ling Ning stretched, surprised at how quickly the afternoon had flown by. After teaching Ren some pinyin, they’d watched a Japanese horror film together. Ling Ning had been spooked, but Ren had laughed throughout—ghosts didn’t faze her at all.
Ren shook her head, smiling wryly. “My parents are really strict. I snuck out today. If they get home and find me missing, they’ll be furious.”
“Oh, I see. Then let me walk you back.”
“No, no, it’s alright. You’ve done so much for me already, Ling Ning. I can find my way back with my phone. I’ll wash and return the clothes to you as soon as I can,” Ren said, bowing slightly.
“Honestly, I’d love it if you came by more often. We can explore more recipes together,” Ling Ning replied with a warm smile.
Despite Ren’s reassurances, Ling Ning insisted on walking her to the gate of the apartment complex.
Just as Ren was about to hail a taxi back to her hotel, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around, startled, to see a beautiful girl standing behind her with a slightly displeased look on her face.
It was Xia You, who had just returned from her errands. She’d seen Ling Ning standing at the gate but then realized, to her surprise, that the girl was someone else entirely.
But that dress… It was unmistakably Ling Ning’s, one she’d seen her wear a few times. There was a small ink mark near the hem—an accident from when Ling Ning’s pen had slipped. Xia You was certain she wasn’t mistaken.
She was wondering why Ling Ning's dress was on this girl.
Furrowing her brows, Xia You’s suspicion deepened. Something definitely felt off.
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Author’s Note:
Sending good luck vibes for everyone pulling for Bridal Nero~ (May the blessing from this unlucky soul work wonders for you!)