Chapter 422 : I Suddenly Had a Bold Idea~
“What business do you have with me, Mr. Lin Hai?” Ling Ning asked expressionlessly.
Lin Hai chuckled softly, adjusted his black-framed glasses, and said, “Oh, nothing much. I just didn’t expect that randomly choosing a cafeteria would lead me to run into you, Ling Ning. Isn’t that quite the coincidence?”
“Oh, how fateful indeed.”
Without paying Lin Hai any further attention, Ling Ning focused on her lunch. She’d rather quickly finish her meal and go home to take a shower than waste time bantering with him.
Lin Hai didn’t seem bothered by Ling Ning’s indifference. Whether or not she was listening, he began talking about video games.
From the university forum, he had learned that Ling Ning seemed to like anime and games. While he knew little about anime, he considered himself a seasoned gamer.
He had experience with both single-player and online games, though his skills left much to be desired.
However, his shallow gaming knowledge utterly failed to pique Ling Ning’s interest. If she wasn’t mistaken, Lin Hai was rambling about a currently trending game, *The Legend of Dalabongba: Breath of the Deep Green.*
Even Xia You had been creating commentary videos about the game recently. Compared to Xia You’s engaging explanations, Lin Hai’s description wasn’t even a tenth as interesting, leaving Ling Ning completely disinterested.
As for Xia You, she initially perked up upon hearing Lin Hai mention the game. However, it soon became apparent that Lin Hai was just a novice who had barely scratched the surface. He probably hadn’t even grasped the core mechanics yet.
In contrast, Xia You had thoroughly studied the game to create her commentary, even going back to play its earlier installments.
“Ling Ning, is this someone you know?”
Xu Qing quietly sent Ling Ning a message on her phone. She found Lin Hai’s wandering eyes on them deeply irritating. If she had to guess, this guy was probably one of Ling Ning’s admirers.
“Just ignore him. Pretend he’s invisible.”
“Got it.”
After some time, Lin Hai subtly furrowed his brows, frustrated that these stunning girls were treating him like air. It was a blow to his ego. He, the former campus heartthrob of S University, couldn’t even make a dent with a few freshmen? If his friends found out, they’d never let him hear the end of it.
“I’m full.”
Seeing Ling Ning stand up, Xia You and Xu Qing also rose to follow her. They had already finished eating and were just waiting for Ling Ning.
Lin Hai, of course, wasn’t about to let them leave so easily. He quickly got up and said with a smile, “Ladies, let me walk you back to your dorm. The sun is so strong today—it wouldn’t be good if you got tanned.”
Ling Ning rolled her eyes. Was he ever going to stop? By the way, wasn’t he supposed to be the match her father had introduced for Ye Xuan? Ling Ning was seriously starting to question Ye Xuan’s father’s taste. How could someone so fickle be good enough for Ye Xuan?
Then again, Ling Ning suddenly felt like she’d unwittingly shot herself in the foot with that thought.
Sighing softly, Ling Ning addressed Lin Hai with a touch of exasperation. “Mr. Lin Hai, we’re all off-campus students. We won’t be returning to the dorms. Thank you for your kind offer, but goodbye!”
With that, she grabbed Xia You and Xu Qing, leaving the cafeteria without looking back.
Lin Hai initially intended to follow them, but as he exited the cafeteria, he spotted Ye Xuan. Although Ye Xuan was already aware of his true nature, he still had to maintain some pretense in front of her.
“What are you doing here?” Ye Xuan asked, surprised to see him.
“I… I just came to check out the food at this cafeteria.”
“Oh~” Following Lin Hai’s line of sight, Ye Xuan noticed Ling Ning and the other two girls walking away. Even though they were wearing camouflage pants, Ye Xuan could tell at a glance from those legs—it was definitely Ling Ning.
In an instant, Ye Xuan pieced together what had happened. Her indifferent expression turned frosty.
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s scary,” Lin Hai said nonchalantly. “I just happened to see some juniors eating here and went over to say hello.”
Ye Xuan merely gave him a cold glance without saying much. She walked into the cafeteria, leaving Lin Hai with an ominous feeling.
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“So tired~”
The moment Ling Ning got home, she immediately stripped off her uniform, leaving herself in just her underwear, and collapsed onto the living room sofa.
The weather was so stiflingly hot, and those thick clothes were unbearable. Ling Ning suddenly found herself longing for the skirts in her wardrobe. Just thinking about the comfort of wearing skirts compared to the stuffy camouflage uniform was enough to make her squirm.
“Mom, I’m home~!”
Even the air conditioning seemed ineffective in the heat. Ling Ning heard the door open and her daughter’s cheerful voice.
“Welcome back,” Ling Ning replied weakly.
Ling Ye had just stepped through the door when she noticed a discarded camouflage uniform on the floor. Instinctively, she glanced toward the living room and saw her Mom lying on the sofa, half-dead, in nothing but her underwear.
“M-Mom, what happened to you?”
Ling Ye walked over to her Mom, swallowing nervously. This was the first time she had seen her so… enticing.
“Ye Ye, I’m so tired. The instructor was such a tyrant. Other squads got multiple breaks, but ours only had two the entire afternoon. It’s no wonder he’s single—he’s such a sadist!”
“Hurry up and put some clothes on, Mom. You’ll catch a cold with the air conditioning on like this!”
“Just give me a moment. It’s not like I’m sitting directly in front of the AC.”
Looking at her Mom, who was throwing a small tantrum, Ling Ye suddenly found her incredibly adorable.
She had a bold idea.
“Mom, let me give you a massage~” Ling Ye said with a sly smile.
“A massage? Oh, yes, please! Give your Mom a full-body massage,” Ling Ning said, flipping over to expose her flawless back to her daughter.
Ling Ye casually tossed aside the novel she had been holding, climbed onto Ling Ning’s back, and began kneading her shoulders without hesitation.
“How is it, Mom?”
“Press harder, Ye Ye.”
“Mm~ That’s the spot. Very nice~”
“Ye Ye, you’re amazing.”