Chapter 408 : A Confession Would Be Just Fine!
“By the way, what’s Yiyue been up to lately? It feels like I haven’t seen her in ages.”
At a cafeteria tucked away in a quieter corner, the trio sat together enjoying their meal. Ling Ning suddenly thought of her obsessive childhood friend, Bai Yiyue. It had been a while since they last saw each other. Ling Ning had tried calling her a few times, but the answers were always the same—she was busy with work. Since Bai Jie was here, it seemed like a good time to ask about her.
“Yiyue? She’s been caught up with work lately. Two months ago, she suddenly pushed aside most of her commitments, saying she wanted to take a proper break. But now that her break is over, she’s busier than ever~”
“Just the other day, I called her while she was still in the city. The next day, she was in A City. Today, I don’t even know where she is. Once she starts working, she forgets to rest. Xiao Ning, if you get the chance, could you talk some sense into her for me?”
Bai Jie smiled helplessly, shaking her head. As her mother, she often found her words less effective than Ling Ning’s.
“I’ll try,” Ling Ning replied thoughtfully. Two months ago? That had been right after her college entrance exams. At the time, Bai Yiyue had mentioned taking a break to relax. Now it seemed clear—she had taken the break for Ling Ning’s sake.
“You and Yiyue seem to have a really close relationship~”
Bai Jie commented. Since settling in S City, she’d noticed that her daughter’s smile had become more genuine, and she came home more often. These changes made Bai Jie feel deeply gratified.
However, she had also noticed something else—her daughter’s feelings for Ling Ning weren’t entirely ordinary. Though Bai Yiyue hid it well, Bai Jie’s experienced eyes could see through her facade. The emotions her daughter had for Ling Ning seemed far from being simple childhood friendship.
In the past, Bai Jie would never have allowed her daughter to develop feelings for another girl. But now? She wasn’t sure what she thought. For the moment, she decided to take things one step at a time.
Though Ling Ning frequently visited their home, Bai Jie felt she didn’t know her well enough. Now, as her student, Bai Jie hoped to understand her better and perhaps even challenge her own biases.
“Is… is that so?”
Ling Ning blinked. For some reason, she sensed an underlying meaning in Bai Jie’s words. Could it be that Bai Jie had figured out Bai Yiyue’s feelings for her? If so… Ling Ning began to feel a bit flustered.
“Xiao Ning, what’s your opinion on same-sex relationships?”
“Huh?!”
Ling Ning was caught off guard, staring at Bai Jie in shock. How was she supposed to answer that?
Before Bai Jie could elaborate further, her phone rang. After a brief conversation, she turned to Ling Ning with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, something’s come up. Let’s talk about this another time.”
As Bai Jie walked away, Ling Ning felt an inexplicable sense of relief. The pressure had been intense.
“What’s wrong, Ling Ning?”
Xia You asked after Bai Jie had left. She had been quietly observing their conversation, and something about it seemed more complex than it appeared. Judging by Ling Ning’s expression, it seemed her suspicions were correct.
“N-Nothing. Xia You, could you help clear the table? I need to make a call…”
“...Alright.”
While Xia You tidied up, Ling Ning quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Bai Yiyue’s number. It didn’t take long for the call to connect, though it was answered by Bai Yiyue’s assistant, Wu Zi.
“What’s the matter?”
Wu Zi’s calm voice asked. Ling Ning hesitated before replying, “I’d like to speak with Bai Yiyue. Is she available?”
“The young lady is still working. She might not be able to—oh, wait. She’s here. Hold on a moment.”
Moments later, Bai Yiyue’s slightly tired voice came through. “Hello? Xiao Ning? Calling me at this hour—don’t tell me you missed me?”
“Are you still working?”
“Well, technically, it’s my break. Once I finish eating, I’ll be back at it. What’s on your mind? Go ahead—confessing to me is fine too!”
Ling Ning rolled her eyes. Even now, her obsessive childhood friend couldn’t help but joke around.
“I wanted to ask—has your mom been acting strange lately?”
“Strange?” Bai Yiyue paused to think before answering, “Not really. She’s just been asking me a lot of questions about you. Why do you ask?”
“No particular reason…”
Ling Ning recounted her entire conversation with Bai Jie to Bai Yiyue. After listening, Bai Yiyue fell silent too. She was thinking that she hadn't done anything particularly noteworthy at home—wasn't she just hugging Ling Ning's pillow, looking at Ling Ning's magazines, and wearing Ling Ning's underwear?
Besides, she had done all these things in her own room—there was no way her mom could have seen any of it, right?
Both of them fell silent for a while. After a long time, Bai Yiyue finally spoke: "I'm not sure about the exact situation either. After I finish this bit of work I have on hand, I'll go back and try to find out what she's thinking."
“How long will your work take this time? One day? Two days?”
“Not long—just a month or two. I’ve been gone for two months, so the workload has piled up,” Bai Yiyue replied helplessly.
“A month or two? By the time you get back, who knows what’ll happen!” Ling Ning frowned, thinking hard. “Never mind. Just send me a list of your mom’s hobbies. I’ll handle things on my end for now.”
“Alright. I’ll also try to come back as soon as I can.”
After ending the call, Ling Ning realized Xia You still hadn’t returned. Just as she was about to go looking for her, Xia You appeared, looking flustered.
“Sorry! Xiao Li called me about something urgent…” Xia You explained.
“I see. Go handle it. I’ll find a place to rest. See you this afternoon~”
“Okay.”
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Author’s Note:
If all goes as planned, I should currently be on a train!