Chapter 315 : A Certain Blonde Angel
“Let’s rest here for a bit~”
Ling Ning pointed to a bench under the shade of a tree by the side of the road.
She and Ren had just come out of the arcade. Ling Ning hadn’t expected Ren to change so much the moment she got in front of a game console—she was so engrossed that it was nearly impossible to drag her away.
It was clear to Ling Ning that this must have been Ren’s first time in an arcade. She’d even asked how to put coins in at the beginning, and her skills… well, she relied almost entirely on coins to pass each level. Every boss fell victim to her “coin barrage.”
Compared to her, Ling Ning had only used a few coins the entire time. Even with rusty skills, she still remembered how, in her previous life, she could last all afternoon on just one coin. It’d been a while since she’d played, and she was definitely out of practice.
“Oh~”
Ren nodded, still in a bit of a daze after leaving the arcade. She’d always wanted to check out an arcade, but as a well-behaved girl, she’d never actually dared to enter one. If Ling Ning hadn’t dragged her out, she might have stayed there till nightfall.
Scanning the area, Ling Ning noticed a bubble tea shop nearby. She remembered Xu Qing mentioning that the drinks there were quite good, though the line was always long. But with no other drink shops around, she decided it was worth the wait.
“Ren, I’m going to get us something to drink. Do you have any preferences?”
“I… I’ll have whatever you’re getting, Ling Ning.”
“Got it. Just wait here for me, and I’ll be back soon.”
“Alright!”
Ren watched Ling Ning walk away, a soft smile forming on her face. It was so nice having someone by her side.
“Hey, pretty lady! What are you doing sitting here all alone?”
Ren was about to check her messages when a flippant voice interrupted her. Looking up, she saw a young man with bleached hair standing in front of her.
Though she didn’t understand what he was saying, his sleazy expression and mocking tone made her instinctively wary. He practically had “trouble” written all over him.
“What’s wrong? Are you shy?” he teased, mistaking her silence for bashfulness.
Ren had no desire to respond, especially since she couldn’t understand him anyway. But he kept jabbering in her ear like a pest. Just as she considered calling Ling Ning, she spotted her approaching with two cups of bubble tea.
“Ren, what’s going on here? Who’s this?”
Ling Ning eyed the bleached-haired guy standing next to Ren, internally marveling at how much attention Ren seemed to attract. She’d only been gone a few minutes, and someone was already hitting on her.
“I… I don’t know. He showed up right after you left and started talking to me. I couldn’t understand him. Maybe he’s asking for directions?” Ren guessed uncertainly.
“Hey, another pretty lady! Are you two together? Why don’t we all go hang out? I can show you a good time.”
“Excuse me?” Ling Ning frowned at him, but then an idea struck her. She plastered on a “friendly” smile, handed Ren her drink, and spoke in a syrupy voice, “Sure thing, buddy. Let’s go somewhere a bit quieter—like that alley over there. I have a ‘special surprise’ I’d love to show you.”
While Ling Ning’s tone was sweet, her voice had subtly dropped, sounding more like the deep, gruff tone of a “bro” in a dramatic voiceover.
The guy’s expression immediately changed. His eyes widened with alarm as he detected an unexpected “vibe” in Ling Ning’s tone, and her smile, which was meant to be inviting, looked suspiciously threatening to him.
“What’s wrong? Not up for it here? Alright, I’ll just show you my ‘surprise’ right here, then!” Ling Ning pretended to reach for the hem of her skirt.
Without a second thought, the guy turned and ran, clearly terrified by whatever he’d imagined was going to happen.
Watching the guy flee, Ling Ning couldn’t hold back a laugh. Her deep, fake “tough guy” voice always worked like a charm on guys like him.
“Ling Ning… you…”
Ren stared at her in shock, still processing the scene. She couldn’t understand why Ling Ning’s voice had suddenly dropped into a “bro” tone or why that guy had taken off running after just a few words. What just happened?
Ling Ning chuckled, “Oh, don’t worry. That was just a fake voice! I’m one hundred percent a girl, you know. But if you don’t believe me, Ren, I can show you some proof~” she teased, playfully lifting her skirt just a bit.
Ren quickly shook her head, her face flushed with embarrassment. She was simply amazed that Ling Ning could do a voice like that. It only confirmed how incredible Ling Ning was in her eyes.
To be honest, Ling Ning hadn’t been sure if the guy was into “tough guy types.” If he’d been, she would have had to reach for the pepper spray in her bag.
“So, where to next? Just to be clear, the arcade is off-limits!” Ling Ning warned.
“Huh?” Ren looked crestfallen. She’d been about to suggest going back to the arcade.
Seeing her disappointed expression, Ling Ning sighed. “Ren, video games can rot your mind if you get too into them. It’s a quick path to becoming a total slacker—just like a certain blonde angel.”
“A… blonde angel?”
“Ah, don’t worry about the details. Just don’t get too hooked on games, okay?”
“Oh, alright.”
Though she agreed, Ren’s mind was already spinning with ideas about gaming. After all, there were still computers and phones to try. She’d just have to check it out when she got home.
Ling Ning checked the time on her phone. “It’s getting late. How about we stroll down the food street for a bit, grab something to eat, and then head back? Otherwise, your mom will start worrying.”
At the mention of food, Ren’s eyes lit up. She absolutely loved Chinese cuisine.
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Later that night, at the Tobion Hotel in Ren’s room.
After her shower, Ren eagerly booted up her laptop. Usually, she only used it to watch movies and shows, but tonight was different; she’d never tried playing a game on it before.
She recalled how some of her classmates had always been talking about a platform called… Steam! That was it—Steam.
“It’s just for fun. No way will I get addicted!”
With that thought, Ren opened Steam’s website.
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Author's Note:
Sigh, so bored lately. Why is no one picking on Lazy Fish? I’d love an excuse to post extra chapters, but without a challenge, I’m losing motivation to write~