Chapter 454 : Too Rough
“Calm down, Ling Ning. You need to calm down. It’s no big deal!”
Standing at Bai Jie’s door, Ling Ning hesitated, unsure whether to ring the doorbell. For some reason, her heart felt uneasy today. She hadn’t slept well the previous night because of this, so she ended up arriving early in the morning.
Just as Ling Ning fidgeted anxiously, the door suddenly opened. Bai Jie stepped out holding a bag of trash, looking surprised to see her.
“Ling Ning!? Why are you here so early? You didn’t even ring the doorbell.”
“Well... I was worried you might still be sleeping, so I thought I’d send a message to check if you were awake first. But then, you came out,” Ling Ning stammered.
“I see.”
Bai Jie replied with a smile. Judging from Ling Ning’s behavior over the past couple of days, she seemed very considerate. Still, Bai Jie thought a bit more observation was necessary. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity to have a deeper conversation with her.
Seeing Bai Jie’s smile, Ling Ning couldn’t shake a sense of foreboding.
“By the way, how are you feeling? Has your health improved?”
“I’m feeling much better. Thanks again for taking such good care of me yesterday.”
Maybe because she had slept too much the previous day, Bai Jie had woken up early this morning.
“Why don’t you come in and sit for a while? I think I mentioned yesterday that I’d treat you to breakfast. Let me take out the trash and change clothes, and then we’ll go out to eat.”
Ling Ning blinked. “That’s... that’s not necessary. I can just make some breakfast here—it won’t cost anything.”
Hearing this, Bai Jie smiled approvingly. Ling Ning was frugal and seemed like she’d be good at managing a household someday. Wait! Why was she thinking about that all of a sudden?
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Bai Jie said, “No, no, I insist. There’s barely anything left in the kitchen to make breakfast with. It’ll be nice to eat out and pick up groceries on the way back.”
“Okay.”
Ling Ning replied softly. For some reason, she felt like a daughter-in-law trying to appease a strict mother-in-law. How had things come to this?
Not long after, Bai Jie returned, wearing a pink floral short-sleeved dress. Her light makeup gave her a softer, more approachable look compared to her usual demeanor at school.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Okay.”
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“It feels like the weather is a bit off today!?”
Ling Ning remarked, glancing at the overcast sky. It looked like heavy rain was imminent. The recent weather had been so unpredictable—it had been sunny and hot just yesterday.
Bai Jie looked up at the sky and said, “Let’s hurry and buy groceries, then head back. It looks like a storm is coming.”
“Mm.”
The two wasted no time, rushing to the nearby supermarket.
They finished their shopping quickly, but as they neared home, the rain began to pour. Despite running, both of them were thoroughly soaked by the time they got back.
Ling Ning chuckled bitterly as she stared out at the downpour. “Why is my luck so bad lately? Every time it rains, I end up drenched.”
“Ling Ning, go take a hot shower before you catch a cold. As for clothes... you can wear mine. Yiyue’s would probably be too small for you.”
“Thank you.”
This house naturally had more than one bathroom, so Ling Ning used the one in Bai Yiyue’s room.
Taking a hot bath after being soaked in the rain felt incredibly refreshing. The bathroom even had a large tub, and soaking her entire body in hot water was pure bliss.
She ended up relaxing for so long that she almost lost track of time. If Bai Jie hadn’t brought clothes to her, she might have stayed in the tub indefinitely.
Perhaps because she had soaked for too long, Ling Ning felt dizzy when she stood up. She wasn’t paying attention to her footing, and then... disaster struck.
“Ahhh!”
Bai Jie, who was about to leave, heard Ling Ning’s cry and hurried to the bathroom door. Instinctively, she turned the handle, and to her surprise, the door opened easily.
The scene before her was Ling Ning sitting on the floor, her ankle visibly swollen.
Ling Ning, seeing Bai Jie enter, instinctively tried to cover her body. After a moment, she remembered they were both women—what was there to be embarrassed about?
With Bai Jie’s help, Ling Ning managed to stand, but her twisted ankle made walking nearly impossible. Each movement sent a sharp, stabbing pain through her leg.
“How could you be so careless?”
“Well... maybe I soaked for too long and got dizzy...” Ling Ning muttered, embarrassed.
“Do you need help getting dressed?”
Ling Ning froze, realizing she hadn’t put on any clothes yet. Her face flushed red as she stammered, “No... no need. I can manage on my own!”
Despite Ling Ning’s response, Bai Jie made no move to leave. Instead, she sat quietly beside her.
Seeing Ling Ning’s flustered state, Bai Jie smirked. “Alright, hurry up and get dressed. We’re both girls, after all—what are you so shy about?”
“That’s true, but still, it’s a little embarrassing!”
Ling Ning thought but didn’t dare say aloud. Silently, she began to put on the clothes Bai Jie had brought.
Once she was dressed, Bai Jie helped her to the living room and retrieved a bottle of medicinal oil to massage her injured ankle.
“Ahhh!”
“Did I press too hard?”
“N-no, it’s fine. I can handle it.”
Ling Ning replied through gritted teeth, her face contorted in pain.
It had been a long time since she’d felt this kind of pain. Back when she was still a man, such small injuries had never bothered her. Was it true that women’s pain tolerance was lower?
Bai Jie chuckled softly at Ling Ning’s pitiful expression. Honestly, Ling Ning was so cute when she looked like that—so cute it made Bai Jie want to tease her even more.
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Author’s Note:
Today, I was too lazy... so I dipped into my reserves. Enjoy!