Chapter 527 : Slacking Off
“So what a coincidence, Junior Ling Ning~”
Just as Ling Ning finished her phone call and was about to head to the clubroom, a somewhat familiar voice called out. Instinctively scanning her surroundings, Ling Ning noticed Zhao Rui standing silently behind her, watching her quietly.
“Uh... hello, Senior.”
Blinking in surprise, Ling Ning realized she hadn’t even noticed Zhao Rui approaching. Could this person, like some enigmatic Katou Megumi, possess a natural stealth ability?
Seeing Ling Ning’s astonished expression, Zhao Rui’s lips curved into her usual faint smile. “I was just passing by and overheard you on the phone. I promise I wasn’t eavesdropping~”
“It’s... it’s nothing.” Ling Ning cast a skeptical glance at Zhao Rui, unsure why she had approached.
“Are you heading to the club now?”
“Mm, that’s the plan... Senior, are you coming along?”
“Indeed. I just ran into someone I didn’t really want to see during lunch. You don’t mind me tagging along, do you?”
Ling Ning shook her head lightly and began walking toward the teaching building, leaving the secluded spot behind with Zhao Rui by her side.
As they walked, Zhao Rui glanced at Ling Ning beside her. Then, reaching out, she gently brushed Ling Ning’s smooth, flowing hair.
Startled, Ling Ning froze mid-step, her eyes filled with uncertainty as she looked at Zhao Rui.
Noticing Ling Ning’s reaction, Zhao Rui chuckled softly and said, “I noticed a leaf in your hair just now, so I took the liberty of removing it. Did I scare you?”
Perhaps worried Ling Ning wouldn’t believe her, Zhao Rui opened her palm to reveal a dry, yellowed leaf resting on her fair hand.
Ling Ning tilted her head slightly, then smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I was lost in thought just now, and Senior suddenly doing that made me think something serious happened~”
“It’s no problem. But Junior Ling Ning, your hair is so soft and smooth. How do you usually take care of it? Would you mind sharing your secrets with me?”
“Well... it’s actually pretty simple. You just need to...”
Ling Ning rattled off all the tips and theories Qin Qing had taught her. In truth, she didn’t have the patience to follow such an elaborate hair care routine and usually just went for periodic treatments. Moreover, the expenses for those treatments were charged to Qin Qing’s account. If not for that, she wouldn’t spend so much on such luxuries.
After listening to Ling Ning’s lengthy explanation, even Zhao Rui looked a bit dazed. After a moment, she finally remarked, “Junior Ling Ning truly lives up to her status as a professional model. You know so much about this!”
“Oh, not at all. These are just the basics.”
Just as Zhao Rui seemed about to say something more, they arrived at the clubroom. Inside, only Lin Xi and Luo Xiaorui were present. Luo Xiaorui was fully engrossed in her anime, so much so that she didn’t even notice Ling Ning and Zhao Rui entering.
Lin Xi, however, lit up upon seeing Ling Ning. But her excitement faded almost instantly when she spotted Zhao Rui following behind. Her delighted expression turned cold and indifferent in the blink of an eye.
Zhao Rui, unfazed by Lin Xi’s reaction, turned to Ling Ning with a cheerful smile. “So, Junior Ling Ning, what kind of activities does your club usually have?”
“Well...”
Ling Ning hesitated, glancing around before forcing a smile. “Club activities usually involve everyone gathering to discuss the latest anime or specific scenes from certain shows. We also drink tea and snack on some treats. It’s... roughly like that.”
For some reason, Ling Ning felt embarrassed even explaining this. She thought renaming the club to “Slacker Club” might actually be more fitting.
Honestly, the club did have proper activities—just very few. At most, there were only a handful of formal events in an entire year.
Hearing Ling Ning’s explanation, Zhao Rui looked surprised. “Is that really all there is to your club activities?”
“I can’t speak for other clubs, but this is basically how things are in ours.”
With a glance at Lin Xi’s stoic expression, Ling Ning sighed and said, “Senior, please take a seat. I’ll get you some tea.”
After serving everyone in the room a cup of hot tea, Ling Ning returned to Zhao Rui’s side. After hesitating briefly, she asked, “Senior, may I ask you something?”
“Of course~”
“Well, back then, you knew Makoto Itou was Lin Xi’s... boyfriend, didn’t you? So why... why did you go after him?”
At the mention of Ling Ning’s question, even Lin Xi turned her gaze toward them, though her expression remained impassive.
“I didn’t go after him,” Zhao Rui replied nonchalantly. “He came to me. I remember it was during a seminar—he stared at me the whole morning and came over to strike up a conversation the moment it ended.”
“And then?”
“And then... I did some digging and found out he already had a girlfriend. Actually, he had more than one. As far as I know, besides Junior Lin Xi, he was officially dating another girl and keeping things ambiguous with several others.”
“So I wondered what was so great about him. That’s why I agreed to his invitation. Turns out he was just a scumbag. He didn’t even realize I deliberately set our meeting spot near Junior Lin Xi’s house.”
As she spoke, a disdainful smile appeared on Zhao Rui’s face.
“That’s why, Junior Lin Xi, he doesn’t deserve you. Staying with a guy like that will never bring you happiness.” Zhao Rui turned to Lin Xi as she finished.
Lin Xi opened her mouth as if to speak, but in the end, she merely snorted coldly and looked away, refusing to meet Zhao Rui’s gaze.
Meanwhile, Ling Ning, who had been listening intently, was completely dumbfounded. Are modern beauties this complicated in their strategies?
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Author’s Note:
Who’s slacking off? Definitely not me!