Chapter 356 : A Very Low-Maintenance Lady
"Chen Ruo becomes a completely different person when she starts working~" Ling Ning commented casually while eating her takeout.
Indeed, when Chen Ruo was focused on her work, she was nothing like her usual scatterbrained self. She even exuded a strong and commanding presence that caught Ling Ning completely off guard.
For someone who looked like a delicate pushover, it was surprising how dominant she could be.
"R-Really?" Chen Ruo paused her drawing, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Of course. Like earlier, when you pushed me onto the bed, it genuinely shocked me~ or should I say, it gave me a little thrill. I never expected Chen Ruo to be such a bold person~" Ling Ning teased with a playful smile. Of course, the latter half of her statement was nonsense—though she had indeed been momentarily startled earlier.
"D-D-D-Daring?"
Chen Ruo’s face turned visibly red, and she even began to stammer.
"Chen Ruo is just so adorable~"
"E-Even if you compliment me like that, I won’t be happy! Besides, shouldn’t you be using more elegant words like 'graceful' or 'beautiful' when praising a lady like me? Calling me 'adorable' makes it sound like you’re talking to a child."
Though Chen Ruo protested, the upward curl of her lips betrayed her.
"I would never think of you as a child, Chen Ruo. I’ve always thought of you as a lady full of… wifely charm~" Ling Ning said with a mischievous grin.
Chen Ruo couldn’t shake the feeling that Ling Ning was thinking something rude about her.
Shaking her head, Chen Ruo refocused on her takeout. Perhaps because she was hungrier than usual, the food tasted particularly good today.
"Phew~ All done!"
"Wow, Chen Ruo, you eat really fast!"
"I-I was just really hungry. Don’t misunderstand—I’m not a glutton! Normally, I eat very little. I’m very low-maintenance!"
As soon as she said this, Chen Ruo regretted it. Why on earth had she blurted out "low-maintenance"? It sounded so suggestive!
"Such a cute Chen Ruo—I’d love to take care of you~"
"E-Even if it’s you, Ling Ning, I’m not someone you can just 'take care of'!" Chen Ruo exclaimed nervously. Was that just a confession? If it was, what should she do?
Seeing Chen Ruo seemingly freeze, Ling Ning tilted her head curiously. "What’s wrong, Chen Ruo?"
"N-Nothing."
Just then, Ling Ning suddenly leaned closer to Chen Ruo, startling her.
As Ling Ning drew nearer, Chen Ruo panicked, tightly closing her eyes and subconsciously pouting her lips. Was Ling Ning going to make a move right here, without waiting for her response? She wasn’t ready for something so intense!
After a long pause, Chen Ruo realized she didn’t feel anything on her lips. When she cautiously opened her eyes, she was met with Ling Ning’s teasing smile.
"Chen Ruo, why did you close your eyes all of a sudden?" Ling Ning asked, clearly enjoying herself. Chen Ruo had been so adorably flustered that Ling Ning almost wanted to take a picture.
"I… y-you… I thought…"
"I just noticed a grain of rice on the corner of your mouth and wanted to help you remove it."
Ling Ning said, brushing Chen Ruo’s cheek lightly with her fingers. Sure enough, a grain of rice was stuck there. Without thinking too much, Ling Ning popped it into her mouth, licking her fingers afterward.
Chen Ruo, who had just started to calm down, was sent into another tailspin by Ling Ning’s casual yet suggestive gesture. Her face flushed bright red as her mind spiraled with ideas, each inspired by her reference materials. If Ling Ning hadn’t been mid-meal, Chen Ruo might have dragged her back to the drawing setup already.
"Are you okay?" Ling Ning asked, noticing Chen Ruo’s beet-red face.
"N-Nothing!"
Chen Ruo avoided looking at Ling Ning’s glistening fingers. Her mind was racing with scenes straight out of her materials. She knew that if she kept staring, it wouldn’t end well for her.
"By the way, Chen Ruo, I don’t think I’ve asked what kind of theme your erotic manga has this time."
"Oh, this one’s titled My Hot Weapon Mom. It’s about a mom skilled in all kinds of firearms and her adventures with her daughter," Chen Ruo explained enthusiastically.
Lately, she wasn’t sure why, but her works had been leaning more and more towards yuri themes. Though she typically preferred more traditional content, her growing fanbase didn’t seem to mind, so she just went with it. In fact, she’d begun to enjoy the yuri elements herself.
"That sounds… oddly normal."
"Well, the 'hot weapon' isn’t what you think. You know what I mean, don’t you, Ling Ning?"
"Hot weapon… H.W…" As realization dawned, Ling Ning froze. So that’s what Chen Ruo meant by 'hot weapon.'
"S-So, Ling Ning, can I ask you a favor?" Chen Ruo asked timidly.
"Just tell me. What is it?"
Ling Ning thought to herself that after all the embarrassing poses she’d already done, there wasn’t much left she couldn’t do—though certain things were still definitely off-limits.
"There’s this scene I’ve been wanting to draw for ages, but I could never find the right reference material. So… could you help me with it?"
"What kind of pose? As long as it doesn’t involve taking off clothes, I guess I can manage… probably."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ling Ning regretted them. Her sense of foreboding was growing stronger by the second. But since she had already said it, she had no choice but to follow through.
Hearing her agreement, Chen Ruo beamed. "It’s not too difficult! It just involves using a little prop."
"…A prop?"
Ling Ning suddenly wanted to take back everything she’d said.
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Author’s Note:
If possible, I’d love to have such a low-maintenance lady in my life~