Chapter 371 : Ling Ning, Do You Have a Girlfriend
“She’s not unrelated. Then who is she?” Sun Ting scoffed. She was confident her memory wasn’t failing her—she remembered every girl in their middle school class clearly, and there was no way she’d forget someone like this.
It wasn’t just Sun Ting; even Zhang Hao and the other classmates were puzzled. Was there really such a beautiful girl in our class? They couldn’t recall anyone remotely similar, though there was a strange familiarity about her.
Suddenly, a girl exclaimed in surprise, “I... I know who she is!”
All eyes turned to the speaker, causing her face to flush as she stammered, “S-She’s Ling Ning! The cover model for last month’s Goddess magazine!”
At the mention of Goddess magazine, the expressions of many girls—and a few boys—lit up with understanding. That explained why she looked so familiar! But wait...
“Ling Ning?! That’s... impossible!”
Sun Ting’s mouth fell open in disbelief as she stared at Ling Ning. A name from her memories surfaced: someone with the exact same name had been one of their classmates in middle school. But that Ling Ning had been the most invisible presence in class, a gloomy girl with lifeless eyes who seemed like a walking corpse.
Sun Ting couldn’t reconcile her memory of that girl with the stunning woman standing before her. There had to be a mistake!
“That’s right,” Li Qian interjected with a cheerful grin. “This is our very own middle school classmate, Ling Ning. It’s only been a few years—how could you forget her?”
Seeing Sun Ting’s dumbfounded expression filled Li Qian with glee. This was exactly the reaction she had hoped for: the shock of seeing someone they had once scorned transformed into a dazzling beauty.
Especially in front of someone like Sun Ting, who had always thought she was above everyone else.
“Oh... so it’s really Ling Ning. I thought she looked familiar,” Zhang Hao said, recovering quickly. “Is this what they call the ‘power of transformation’? Come, have a seat!”
As the event host, Zhang Hao knew he needed to break the awkward tension. Internally, though, he was in turmoil. This is Ling Ning?! The thought was mind-blowing. What on earth had happened over these past three years for her to turn into this?
Regret gnawed at him. Back then, he had turned a blind eye to Ling Ning’s struggles. If he had stood up for her, perhaps it would be her sitting beside him now instead of Sun Ting.
Still, it wasn’t too late. Zhang Hao was confident that with his charm and circumstances, he could win her over.
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Ling Ning, observing everything from the sidelines, felt a growing suspicion that Li Qian had brought her here purely to show her off. Oh well, as long as there’s free food, she thought, deciding not to overthink it.
Sun Ting, meanwhile, was livid. Watching her boyfriend fawn over Li Qian and Ling Ning while ignoring her was infuriating. She had known he was shallow, but this was a new low.
“Excuse me, Ling Ning, are you really a model?”
“Ling Ning, how do you maintain such flawless skin?”
“Ling Ning, do you have a girlfriend?”
The moment Ling Ning sat down, a swarm of old classmates bombarded her with questions. For those she could answer, she responded patiently; for others, she simply smiled.
In truth, most of the people in the room were strangers to her. Back in middle school, she had been a nobody—unnoticed and uninterested in noticing others. As a result, she felt a disconnect from these “old classmates.”
Sun Ting, gnashing her teeth, glared at Ling Ning. How did things turn out like this? She had been the center of attention just moments ago. This was supposed to be her day!
She refused to believe that someone like Ling Ning could change so much in just three years without surgery or other underhanded means. There was no way a girl who had been so plain could now be a top model.
Sensing the hostility, Ling Ning glanced at Sun Ting. Her memories of middle school resurfaced vividly—Sun Ting and her clique of mean girls had often made her life miserable.
A fleeting glint of mischief flashed in Ling Ning’s eyes.
Zhang Hao stood and began delivering a toast, expressing his joy at reuniting with old friends. With his speech concluded, the waitstaff began bringing out dishes.
With the food served, much of the attention shifted from Ling Ning to the meal. Though a few people still approached her to chat, she finally had a chance to relax. She was starting to regret agreeing to accompany Li Qian to this reunion.
“Why are we having a reunion just after graduating high school?” Ling Ning whispered to Li Qian.
Feeling Ling Ning’s breath on her ear, Li Qian’s face turned pink. Leaning in, she whispered back, “Probably just to show off.”
“Show off?”
“Take Zhang Hao, for example. He’s always been like this—bragging about his family ever since middle school. Look at him now, going on about how he’s about to study abroad.”
Following Li Qian’s gaze, Ling Ning observed Zhang Hao. He was spouting phrases like “I don’t really want to study abroad,” “Studying abroad isn’t all that great,” and “It’s so far from home.” Yet his expression was one of smug delight.
“Fair enough.”
Ling Ning shrugged. Whether Zhang Hao studied abroad or not didn’t matter to her. All she cared about was the food.
Finally, with her curiosity sated, Ling Ning focused on the dishes in front of her. She was starving.
Watching Ling Ning eat, Li Qian marveled, Even with such elegant movements, she eats so fast. Truly, a graceful foodie.
Unable to resist, Li Qian joined her. She hadn’t eaten breakfast, either.
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Author’s Note:
You wicked souls! Always dreaming of eating salted fish. Even if I jumped off a building, I wouldn’t let you eat me!!!