Chapter 391 : Something Interesting
“Yes, I sincerely apologize. I lost track of time while hanging out with Senior Xiaoyu this afternoon,” Ling Ning said with an apologetic expression.
Luo Xiaoyu's mother looked at the beautiful girl standing before her and nodded slightly. Not only was she lovely, but she was also polite. What a delightful child.
“It’s no problem. I was only worried that Xiaoyu might have run into trouble since she was so late and didn’t pick up her phone,” Luo Xiaoyu's mother said with a gentle smile.
“Well, since I’ve seen Senior Xiaoyu safely home, my task here is complete. I should head back now.”
“Why don’t you stay for dinner? I’d love to chat with you a bit more~”
Ling Ning had been planning to accept the invitation, but then she suddenly remembered something—she had promised her daughter this morning that she would pick her up after school.
It was already past seven! Her daughter’s school ended around five, didn’t it? She hadn’t noticed the time this afternoon and had completely forgotten. She was doomed! Going back now, she was sure her daughter would be extremely upset.
“Well… I have something to take care of at home. Next time, if I have the chance, I’ll definitely visit again!”
“I see~” Luo Xiaoyu's mother replied, showing a hint of disappointment. “Would you like me to drive you back?”
“Oh, no need! Thank you, Auntie. Senior Xiaoyu, I’ll come find you to hang out next time. Goodbye!” With that, Ling Ning turned and left, her mind entirely preoccupied with how to explain the situation to her daughter.
Watching Ling Ning’s departing figure, Luo Xiaoyu's mother sighed. “Such a polite child. Now then, what are you standing there for? Come inside and eat. Honestly, you lose track of time while playing, and now the food’s nearly cold.”
Listening to her mother’s nagging, Luo Xiaoyu bit her lip lightly. She understood why Ling Ning had accompanied her upstairs. She truly owed Ling Ning a favor this time. If not for her, her mother’s scolding wouldn’t have ended with just a few complaints.
“By the way, Xiaoyu, how did you meet Ling Ning?”
Luo Xiaoyu, who had just started eating, froze momentarily when she heard her mother’s question. Then she replied softly, “A few days ago, I went back to school, remember? That’s when I bumped into her asking for directions. I showed her around the campus, and that’s how we met.”
While saying this, Luo Xiaoyu worked hard to maintain a neutral expression to appear as normal as possible. How long had it been since she’d last lied to her mother? The last time was probably when she’d helped her sister cover up her… interesting preferences.
“I see~”
Seeing that her mother didn’t press further, Luo Xiaoyu exhaled a quiet sigh of relief.
“I’m done eating.”
Looking at the half-full bowl of rice in front of her daughter, Luo Xiaoyu's mother frowned slightly. “Huh? You’re not eating more?”
“No, I had something to eat with Ling Ning this afternoon, so I’m not very hungry. I’ll head to my room now,” Luo Xiaoyu said, putting her dishes in the sink before retreating to her room.
Once back in her room, Luo Xiaoyu noticed her phone vibrating on the desk. Picking it up, she saw a message from Ling Ning, informing her she’d arrived home.
Wait! She hadn’t saved Ling Ning’s number. How had it popped up on her phone?
Confused, Luo Xiaoyu thought for a moment. It must have been when Ling Ning had briefly used her phone to make a call to her mother. So, that’s when she’d saved her own number. How sneaky! Using someone else’s phone to store your own contact information.
Although Luo Xiaoyu’s outward expression seemed slightly annoyed, the small smile playing at her lips betrayed her true feelings.
After a moment of thought, Luo Xiaoyu clumsily typed a reply to the message. It took her an unusually long time to compose a simple sentence—she wasn’t accustomed to texting. Her phone was mostly used for making calls.
Looking at her draft, Luo Xiaoyu frowned before deleting the entire message. After much internal struggle, she finally replied with a simple “Oh,” not even bothering with punctuation.
After sending the message, Luo Xiaoyu stared at her phone, completely forgetting about her plan to shower.
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“Whew~”
Ling Ning let out a long sigh of relief. It had taken quite an effort, but she had finally calmed her daughter down. She’d even resorted to bribing her with a lavish dinner.
Not that it mattered—she’d already planned to cook something fancy to celebrate her daughter starting middle school. It just happened that she’d forgotten about picking her up from school.
Thinking about it made her feel a little embarrassed. Lately, she’d been so forgetful. Was her memory starting to deteriorate with age?
At that moment, her phone buzzed. Seeing a reply from Xiaoyu, which was just the word “Oh,” surprised her.
She hadn’t expected Luo Xiaoyu to reply at all and thought she might ignore the message. Chuckling softly, Ling Ning quickly typed a response.
“So, did your mom scold you?”
“Mm.”
“Oh, come on! Can’t you type more than one word? It wouldn’t kill you to write a full sentence~”
“Oh.”
Seeing Luo Xiaoyu’s reply, Ling Ning raised her brows and typed out a new message. “Don’t tell me… you’re bad at typing?”
A moment later, she received a full sentence in response: “You’re the one who’s bad at typing!”
“Huh?!” Ling Ning blinked in confusion at the reply. Clearly, Luo Xiaoyu had made a typo. This girl really wasn’t used to texting.
“Alright, I won’t bother you anymore. I’m going to take a shower.”
On the other side, Luo Xiaoyu, seeing this message, suddenly remembered she had been planning to shower. How had she ended up chatting with Ling Ning instead?
Placing her phone back on the desk, she grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom. Even while showering, her mind was preoccupied with how to type more quickly.
While she was in the bathroom, her phone lit up again. A new message from Ling Ning appeared: “Come with me the day after tomorrow to register at school. I’ll teach you something fun.”
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Author’s Note:
The guarantee chapters are done—off I go to explore the world as a salted fish!