Chapter 453 : Ye Ye Is the Cutest!
“Mom, why have you been sighing all night? Did something happen?”
Ling Ye asked curiously, her eyes full of concern. Ever since she had come back, she had noticed her Mom letting out long sighs now and then, as if something was troubling her.
Ling Ning sighed again before raising a hand to gently pat her daughter’s head. “It’s... it’s nothing. Don’t overthink it. By the way, did you have fun going out with your friends today?”
“Eh? Is that so?” Ling Ye pouted, unconvinced. Having lived with her Mom for so long, how could she not know when something was on her mind? But since her Mom didn’t want to talk about it, there was nothing she could do.
It had always been this way, even when she was younger. No matter what happened, her Mom would always smile and tell her, “It’s nothing,” before quickly changing the subject to focus on her instead.
Ling Ye bit her lip instinctively. She wanted to grow up quickly—only then could she bring her Mom some peace of mind. And only then would she have the courage to say those words to her Mom...
“What’s wrong?”
Noticing her daughter’s sudden silence, Ling Ning turned her head slightly and asked in a low voice.
“Nothing.”
Ling Ye casually replied, then burrowed into her Mom’s embrace, pressing her face against Ling Ning’s chest. Feeling the soft warmth and inhaling the soothing fragrance, a faint smile appeared on Ling Ye’s lips.
Ling Ning sighed helplessly as she looked at her daughter snuggling against her. Shaking her head, she said, “Ye Ye, you’re not a child anymore, yet you’re still clinging to me all the time.”
“I don’t care, I don’t care! I’m going to stay with Mom forever!”
“Alright, alright, whatever makes you happy.”
Hearing her Mom’s words, Ling Ye knew her Mom must have dismissed them as playful banter. But even so, she was still happy. More than anything, she longed for the day when she and her Mom could walk down the aisle together, wearing matching wedding dresses. Then, she could stay by her Mom’s side forever.
Ling Ning didn’t take her daughter’s words seriously. In fact, she wasn’t bothered by how clingy her daughter was. As far as she knew, Ling Ye was very mature at school. It was only at home that she acted like a little girl.
Honestly, it wasn’t so bad.
The thought of her daughter’s cold and aloof demeanor at school made Ling Ning burst into laughter.
Hearing her Mom laugh, Ling Ye looked up at her, puzzled. Why did her Mom’s laughter feel a little... inappropriate?
After a while, Ling Ning realized she had been chuckling to herself, which must have seemed rather silly. Even though it was just her and Ling Ye at home, she still felt the need to maintain some semblance of parental authority.
“Ah!”
Just as Ling Ning calmed her expression, she suddenly felt a pair of hands tickling her waist. Caught off guard, she let out a yelp before realizing it was her daughter’s doing.
Despite Ling Ye’s innocent-looking face, Ling Ning knew her daughter too well to be fooled by such tricks.
“Ye Ye! Looks like Mom hasn’t disciplined you in a while, and you’ve forgotten the fear of being under Mom’s control!”
Ling Ye’s face froze, but she quickly switched gears. From innocent to pitiful, she pinched her thigh to produce a teary expression. Her wide, watery eyes now glistened, as if she might cry at any moment.
Ling Ning, who was ready to retaliate, hesitated. Seeing her daughter like this made her feel inexplicably guilty.
After a moment of internal struggle, Ling Ning sighed and dropped her hands. No matter what, she couldn’t bring herself to tickle her daughter.
As soon as Ling Ning backed off, Ling Ye’s mischievous grin reappeared. She knew her Mom couldn’t resist her charms—just a bit of cuteness, and her Mom would surrender.
“Muahaha! Ye Ye is definitely the cutest in the world!”
“Yes, yes, Ye Ye is the cutest.”
Ling Ning replied absentmindedly, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV. However, her vacant gaze betrayed the fact that her mind was elsewhere.
Ling Ning was preoccupied, worrying about what to do when she visited Bai Jie’s house tomorrow. Even though she had memorized Bai Jie’s interests and preferences, an inexplicable anxiety lingered.
After a long while of fruitless contemplation, Ling Ning irritably tousled her hair. Forget it—she’d face whatever came her way tomorrow. If worst came to worst, she’d just drag her overly affectionate childhood friend along as a buffer.
Just then, her phone rang. Checking the screen, she saw that it was Bai Yiyue calling.
“Hello~ Is this my dearest Ling Ning?”
“Hello? Can you hear me? Eh? That’s strange, the call went through, so why isn’t there any sound? I’ll try calling again.”
Before Ling Ning could react, the call was disconnected. But before she could put her phone down, the ringtone blared again.
“I can hear you. Can you please lower your voice?”
“Eh? So you were there all along, Ling Ning! I thought you weren’t there or that the signal was bad~”
“What’s up? Why are you calling at this hour?”
“Nothing much, just wanted to hear your voice,” Bai Yiyue replied, her excitement evident. “I’ve missed you so much, Ling Ning.”
Hearing this, Ling Ning sighed softly. “Oh. What have you been up to lately? You haven’t called in a while.”
“Traveling all over the place. I just got back from Old Yharnam recently. I even brought you a souvenir!”
The mention of Old Yharnam brought to Ling Ning’s mind images of its “enthusiastically welcoming” residents armed to the teeth. Though she knew this wasn’t the same Old Yharnam from her previous life, the déjà vu was overwhelming.
“I see. Well, make sure to take care of yourself. Remember, your health is the foundation of everything.”
“Is that concern I hear? I’m so happy!”
Ling Ning chuckled. “Alright, that’s enough. Ye Ye needs to sleep, and I’m getting ready for bed too.”
“Mm. Love you~”
“...”
After the call ended, Bai Yiyue stepped onto her balcony. Gazing at the starry night sky, she whispered softly, her voice audible only to herself, “I miss you so much, Ling Ning.”
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Author’s Note:
Bless this world of yuri and BL!