Chapter 322 : Not There... That’s Too Much!
“There, there, it’s okay now. I’m right here~”
Soaked to the bone, Ling Ning looked at the trembling Xia You, who had clung to her the moment she got home. Ling Ning reached out and gently patted her head, trying to soothe her. She had returned home just in time to find Xia You standing at her door, pale and shivering.
As for why Ling Ning was drenched, well, the rain had started pouring just as she was almost home, and it had come down hard. She was grateful it had waited until she was nearly back—any earlier, and she’d have been utterly soaked. She only hoped her phone hadn’t gotten waterlogged, considering it was an expensive purchase that would be painful to replace.
“Mm~”
Feeling the warmth radiating from Ling Ning, Xia You relaxed. With her beside her, even the sound of thunder didn’t bother her as much.
Ling Ning noted that Xia You looked much better than she had a few moments ago—her color was returning, and she had stopped shivering.
“Let’s head inside, shall we?”
“Mm~”
Ling Ning pulled out her keys and opened the door. The living room was empty, with no sign of her daughter. Heading over to her room, she found her daughter fast asleep on her bed, cozy and undisturbed. No wonder her daughter’s voice had sounded groggy when she’d called earlier—it seemed she had been napping.
“Xia You, I’m going to take a shower. Will you be alright alone?”
Xia You wanted to nod, but the sudden clap of thunder outside made her jump, and she looked up at Ling Ning with wide, pleading eyes, like a little puppy afraid of being left behind.
“Oh, I see~” Ling Ning scratched her head thoughtfully. “Well… would you like to join me? Your clothes got soaked while hugging me, so it might be best if we shower together. What do you say?”
“Yes!”
At the mention of showering together, Xia You’s eyes lit up, and she immediately agreed without hesitation.
Xia You lived right next door, but Ling Ning was too tired to walk her back, so she simply grabbed a spare set of clothes from her own closet for her. After all, Xia You practically lived here anyway.
“Ling Ning, how about I help you scrub your back?”
Seeing Ling Ning’s perfect figure and smooth, porcelain skin, Xia You instinctively licked her lips. Ling Ning looked so tempting right now, and she couldn’t help but want… more.
“Scrubbing my back sounds wonderful.”
Ling Ning remembered how Xia You had helped scrub her back at the hot springs over New Year’s. She had secretly wanted to ask Xia You for another back-scrub ever since, but had been too shy to bring it up. Now that the chance had come up, she couldn’t possibly refuse.
“Mm~”
Feeling the washcloth move gently over her back, Ling Ning let out a soft, contented sigh. Xia You’s scrubbing technique was exceptional, with just the right pressure. It was incredibly relaxing.
But after a while, Ling Ning started to feel something was off. Why was Xia You scrubbing so close to her waist? She was ridiculously ticklish there.
“Wait, hahaha, you don’t need to scrub my waist… hahaha! Really, it’s fine!”
Watching Ling Ning twist and turn, Xia You remembered her mentor’s ticklishness, but that didn’t stop her. Instead, she doubled down, speeding up her scrubbing as she took full advantage of this rare chance to tease Ling Ning, savoring every moment.
Unable to take it any longer, Ling Ning slid off the small stool, collapsing onto the floor, panting slightly.
“Nope, scrubbing means getting every inch perfectly clean~”
“Wait, Xia You, not there—ahh! That tickles!”
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Ling Ning sat slumped on the couch, feeling utterly defeated. Xia You’s overly thorough scrubbing had left her speechless. Did she really have to be so meticulous? Ling Ning wondered if she’d ever be able to get married after this.
“Ling Ning, is something wrong?”
Sitting beside her, Xia You looked at her with innocent eyes, as though none of it had happened.
“N-no, it’s nothing. I was just thinking that this rain might go on for a while.” She glanced out the window at the downpour, with occasional bursts of thunder. It didn’t seem like it would let up anytime soon.
“Mm~”
Xia You watched Ling Ning intently, her gaze lingering on her eyebrows, her eyes, her mouth… A feeling she’d been holding back seemed about to burst.
“Ling Ning, I…”
“What is it?” Ling Ning turned, looking at her in confusion. She’d heard Xia You say her name, but a loud crash of thunder drowned out her next words.
“N-nothing. I just meant the wind is quite… noisy.”
“Noisy?”
Ling Ning gave her a puzzled look, feeling that Xia You hadn’t intended to say that. But she brushed it off as her imagination.
Xia You sighed, steeling herself to try again, when she felt something soft and fuzzy slip into her dress. She didn’t need to look to know that it was Ling Ning’s mischievous pet cat.
“You naughty cat! If I had a knife on me today, you’d be in trouble!”
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Meanwhile, in her room, Ling Ye slowly opened her sleepy eyes, instinctively reaching for her phone. She jolted awake when she saw the time—she’d been napping for ages.
Stretching, she got up and pulled back the curtains to see the heavy rain outside, accompanied by faint thunder. She wondered if her mom had made it home yet.
Opening her door, she was greeted by the mouthwatering aroma of food. Her mom had definitely returned, and she was probably cooking. Ling Ye skipped over to the kitchen door, intending to surprise her mom with a hug, but then noticed another figure standing nearby—her mom’s neighbor, Xia You.
That wasn’t the shocking part. The shocking part was that Xia You was wearing her mom’s nightgown, and both of them had damp hair. Ling Ye couldn’t help but suspect that these two had done something… less than innocent while she’d been sleeping.
How did this happen? She made the first move—she was there first!
“Ah, Ye Ye, you’re finally up! Go wash your hands; dinner’s almost ready,” Ling Ning said with a smile when she noticed her daughter at the door.
“Oh, okay~”
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Author's Note:
Lazy Fish had a crazy day, hardly got anything done by five in the evening… looks like I’ll be burning the midnight oil again tonight.