Chapter 427 : The Busybody
“Wake up! Lunchtime!”
Ling Ning sighed as she looked at Qin Qing, who was still sound asleep on the sofa. She had already brought lunch back, yet Qin Qing showed no signs of stirring. What was she supposed to do with her?
With a swift tug, she pulled the blanket off Qin Qing. Clad in only a thin dress, Qin Qing instinctively curled into a ball against the cold but stubbornly refused to wake up.
Scratching her head in frustration, Ling Ning turned and began unpacking the lunch she had bought for Qin Qing. The enticing aroma of food quickly filled the office.
Sniffing unconsciously, Qin Qing twitched her nose, her eyes snapping open a moment later. What greeted her wasn’t the sight of delicious food but Ling Ning’s exasperated expression.
“Hm? Ling Ning? Why are you here?”
“What do you think?”
Qin Qing glanced at the clock and saw it was nearly 1 PM. Apparently, she had been asleep for quite a while. Yet it felt like she had only just closed her eyes—she could sleep for another million years.
Seeing Qin Qing inch closer to lying back down, Ling Ning shook her awake. “Don’t go back to sleep yet! At least eat lunch first. It’ll get cold. Also, your eating and sleeping habits really need to improve. If you keep this up, your health will suffer.”
Catching sight of the spread behind Ling Ning, Qin Qing’s eyes lit up. Sitting up immediately, she grabbed the chopsticks from Ling Ning and began devouring the food. “Can’t help it. There’s so much work at the company right now. Once this busy period passes, I’ll take it easy.”
“No way! You need to eat on time every day and go to bed by midnight at the latest. Your health is the foundation of everything. If your body breaks down, won’t it just cause more trouble?”
Ling Ning’s stern expression left Qin Qing momentarily stunned. Then she teased, “You’re such a busybody—you sound like a housekeeper.”
“Hmph.” As if suddenly remembering something, Ling Ning asked, “By the way, since you’re always staying at the company, what about Sirou?”
“Sirou? Yang Bing is looking after her for now. Once this busy period is over, I’ll make it up to her,” Qin Qing said with a resigned sigh.
Looking around, Qin Qing noticed Su Ya was nowhere to be seen. “Where’s your classmate? Did she leave already?”
“She’s with Sister Xiaoyue. I think they’re discussing something,” Ling Ning replied with a shrug, clearly unsure.
“This morning, I had a chat with her. Your classmate seems quite talented—she picks up on things very quickly.”
“Of course! You should know that she’s—cough, cough!”
Ling Ning abruptly stopped mid-sentence. She had almost revealed that Su Ya’s graduation project had won an award. But then she remembered Su Ya was only a freshman. How could she possibly have a graduation project yet?
“What is she?” Qin Qing asked curiously.
“N-Nothing. I was just going to say that she’s my good friend!”
“Oh? Is that so? It feels like there’s more to it than that.”
“Of course not! I’ll bring her around more often in the future—consider it an investment in cultivating talent for the company. What do you think?”
Qin Qing thoughtfully nodded. “That’s a good idea. If you find any promising talent that could benefit the company, feel free to bring them in.”
“What if I can’t convince them?”
Qin Qing rolled her eyes and playfully stroked Ling Ning’s cheek. “Then use your charm. It’d be such a waste if that pretty face of yours went unused.”
“…”
Faced with Qin Qing’s shamelessness, Ling Ning was left speechless.
Shaking her head, she said, “I’m going back to work. Once you’re done eating, clean up after yourself. I’ll come back later to take out the trash.”
“Got it.”
Leaving Qin Qing’s office, Ling Ning returned to the workspace and saw Ji Xiaoyue and Su Ya chatting animatedly. Curious, she approached quietly.
“There was this one time when Xiao Ling Ning—probably half-asleep—came out to work wearing only a shirt and a pair of bear-printed panties. She even asked us why we hadn’t started yet! Thank goodness only women were present, or she’d have been mortified.”
“Really?” Su Ya’s eyes widened with interest.
“Can you believe it? Someone as composed and mature as Xiao Ling Ning, wearing such childish underwear. I don’t know about the others, but I couldn’t stop laughing. Thinking about it still cracks me up.”
As Ji Xiaoyue was about to delve into more of Ling Ning’s embarrassing moments, she suddenly sensed something was off. Turning, she found Ling Ning standing right behind her with a benevolent smile.
Ji Xiaoyue laughed awkwardly. “Haha, Xiao Ling Ning, you’re back already? I thought you’d take longer.”
“If I hadn’t shown up, it seems all my dark secrets would’ve been exposed.”
Ji Xiaoyue glanced aside sheepishly. Truth be told, she had already shared every embarrassing story she knew about Ling Ning. That had been the last one.
Ling Ning sighed. “Let’s just get back to work. I don’t want to be stuck here late.”
After all, she had plans for a candlelit dinner with Su Ya tonight.
Seeing Ling Ning so full of energy, Su Ya smiled softly. She hadn’t realized Ling Ning had such a clumsy side. It made her want to learn even more about her.
Perhaps thanks to Su Ya’s presence, Ling Ning was in much better form that afternoon. Her faster pace allowed them to finish the photoshoot before the end of the workday.
Looking at the stack of completed outfits, Ling Ning could hardly believe she’d gotten through so much in one afternoon. It might have been her most productive day as a model yet.
After the shoot, Ling Ning walked over to Su Ya without even changing out of her outfit. Wrapping her arms around Su Ya, she said, “I’m so tired. Let me hug you.”
“Eh?!”
Caught off guard, Su Ya blinked a few times before smiling wryly. Seeing Ling Ning’s exhaustion, she didn’t push her away.
“Just this once, okay?”
“You’re the best, Xiao Ya.”
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Author’s Note:
Five apples for one warhorse horn—so frustrating! I’m only two pools into the current set and already feel doomed. Here’s hoping for a miracle.