Chapter 359 : Half-Priced Chips at the Local Supermarket
"Well then, Teacher, I’ll head home for today," Jiang Xue said, standing up after finishing her discussion.
Since the awkward incident earlier in the afternoon involving her teacher and Teacher, the atmosphere in the room had been undeniably tense. Although she continued discussing manga topics as usual, the undercurrent of discomfort was palpable.
"You’re leaving already?" Chen Ruo asked in surprise.
"Yes, I just remembered that the nearby supermarket has chips on sale for half price."
As her disciple prepared to leave, Ling Ning interjected, "Hey, Jiang Xue! Could you wait for me downstairs? I need to have a word with your teacher before heading out."
Jiang Xue glanced at her Teacher curiously but nodded, turning to leave.
"Are you heading home this early as well, Ling Ning?"
"Well, it’s getting late, and I still need to cook dinner for my daughter."
"I’m so sorry about today. I didn’t expect things to turn out this way," Chen Ruo said, lowering her head apologetically.
Ling Ning smiled. "It’s fine, really. Just make sure to call me for modeling next time when no one else will be around~"
Chen Ruo’s face lit up with joy. "You’re still willing to model for me?"
"Of course. It’s not every day you get such a unique experience. Anyway, I’ll be off now," Ling Ning said, slipping on her shoes and leaving the apartment.
As she stepped outside, a gentle breeze blew past, causing her to instinctively press down on her skirt. Her face flushed red.
Standing nearby, Jiang Xue noticed and asked, "Teacher, is something wrong?"
Ling Ning forced a chuckle. "N-No, nothing at all." She couldn’t possibly explain that the leftover sensation from the ropes earlier was making her feel uneasy whenever the wind brushed against her.
After composing herself, she said, "Sorry for the wait~"
"It’s no problem," Jiang Xue replied, though her tone was hesitant. She still wondered why her Teacher had asked her to wait.
"Didn’t you mention the supermarket had half-priced chips?" Ling Ning asked with a mischievous smile.
"Uh, yes?"
"Think about it. Half-priced chips are a rare opportunity! If we don’t grab some, we’d be wasting it. Come on, don’t just stand there—if we’re too slow, the chips will be gone!"
Jiang Xue couldn’t help but smile faintly. "As expected of my Teacher."
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"Wow, I didn’t expect this supermarket to be running the promotion!
Ling Ning exclaimed as she and Jiang Xue stood outside the bustling store.
This supermarket was one she frequented, and in all her time since reincarnating, she’d never seen it run a sale like this. Even in her inherited memories, such events at this store were exceedingly rare. Still, it was known for its reasonable prices and fresh ingredients, so it was always busy, sale or no sale.
Noticing Jiang Xue’s lack of enthusiasm, Ling Ning asked, "What’s wrong, Jiang Xue? If you don’t hurry, there won’t be any half-priced chips left!"
"…Oh," Jiang Xue muttered absentmindedly.
The two of them entered, pushing a shopping cart through aisles plastered with signs advertising "-30%", "-50%", and "Buy One, Get One Free." To Ling Ning, it felt like she’d stumbled into paradise.
"Toilet paper? We still have some at home… Wait! It’s buy-one-get-one-free and cheap? No questions—into the cart it goes!"
"What?! This brand of body wash is priced this low? I have to get it!"
"Ahhh! Half-priced chips!"
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Jiang Xue silently followed her Teacher, pushing the shopping cart. Compared to Ling Ning’s enthusiasm, Jiang Xue’s cart barely had anything in it. Her mind kept drifting back to the afternoon when she had seen her Teacher bound in ropes. No matter how much she tried to forget, the image stubbornly lingered.
And then her imagination began to wander, replacing her teacher in the scene with herself instead…
"Jiang Xue, are you alright?"
Startled, Jiang Xue snapped back to reality to find her Teacher standing right in front of her. From such close proximity, she could see the fine peach fuzz on her Teacher’s face and the softness of her lips. A strange impulse surged through her.
"N-Nothing’s wrong."
"This isn’t like you. As my disciple, how can you come to a discount sale and only buy so little? Are you distracted by something?"
Ling Ning studied her disciple’s expression carefully but couldn’t decipher her thoughts.
"Are you still dwelling on what happened earlier? Don’t overthink it—it really was just modeling for Chen Ruo," Ling Ning said, her cheeks reddening slightly at the memory.
"I-I know. I was just brainstorming manga ideas," Jiang Xue replied.
Is that all it was…?
Jiang Xue shook her head vigorously, trying to dispel the thoughts clouding her mind. If she kept this up, she feared she might actually do something out of line.
Resolving to focus on shopping, Jiang Xue joined Ling Ning in "battle mode," grabbing items to treat herself with the money she had saved.
When it was time to check out, Jiang Xue stared in disbelief at the long list of items on her receipt. Her wallet felt painfully light. She had only meant to buy a few essentials and some snacks, so how had it come to this? Why couldn’t she stop herself from grabbing things off the shelves?
"Miss, you can take your receipt to the front entrance for a chance to win a prize," the cashier informed Ling Ning with a cheerful smile.
Hearing the word "prize," Ling Ning’s eyes lit up. It had been so long since she’d participated in a lucky draw. Nowadays, even supermarkets that ran promotions rarely offered them, robbing her of a lot of fun.
At the lottery booth near the entrance, a bald man in a uniform suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as if something ominous were about to happen.
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Author’s Note:
To heck with my luck! This lazy fish was trying to roll for Astolfo before the banner ended, but guess what…!