Chapter 529 : Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Practice
“Mom, Christmas is just a few days away~”
As soon as Ling Ning walked through the door, her daughter leapt into her arms with a delighted expression and said this with a playful tone.
“Hmm, and then?”
Ling Ning reached out, gently stroking her daughter’s soft hair. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips—she already knew what her daughter wanted to say. It was nothing more than asking for a Christmas present.
“Well... Mom, aren’t you planning to do something special?” Ling Ye blinked her wide eyes at her Mom. Last year’s Christmas gift from Mom, a stuffed toy, was still sitting untouched in her room.
“Something special? Like what?”
Ling Ning continued to feign ignorance.
Seeing her Mom’s playful pretense, Ling Ye pouted, her face forming an exaggeratedly “angry” expression. Her Mom clearly understood what she meant but was deliberately acting clueless—how infuriating!
Ling Ning couldn’t hold back her laughter as she watched her daughter’s expression.
“Alright, alright, Mom gets it. There’s still a few days left, so what kind of gift does Ye Ye want this year?”
Ling Ye thought for a moment, and for some inexplicable reason, a mischievous idea popped into her mind: if Mom could wrap herself as a gift for Christmas, wouldn’t that be amazing?
Complete with a bright red ribbon tied around her bare skin—just imagining it made her heart race!
Noticing her daughter drifting off into her imagination, Ling Ning sighed helplessly and said, “Take your time to think about it. Mom’s going to cook dinner.”
Ling Ye opened her mouth as if to speak but ultimately decided against sharing her idea. If she said it out loud, it would definitely spell trouble!
Why did I even think of something like that?!
Shaking her head lightly to dispel the unhealthy thoughts from her mind, Ling Ye earnestly began considering what she truly wanted.
However, after much contemplation, she realized she didn’t particularly desire anything. She already had everything she wanted, and anything she hadn’t thought of, her Mom had already prepared for her. What else could she ask for?
Ling Ye sighed and collapsed onto the sofa, her legs swinging aimlessly. What kind of gift should she ask Mom for this time?
“Figured it out yet?”
Hearing her Mom’s voice, Ling Ye tilted her head back, realizing that at some point, Ling Ning had appeared beside her with a cheerful smile.
“Mom, how about you wrap yourself as my gift~?” Ling Ye joked playfully.
“Huh?”
Blinking in surprise, Ling Ning lightly tapped her daughter’s head and said, “Ye Ye, what kind of ideas are you coming up with~?”
“I can’t think of anything~”
“If that’s the case, how about Mom gets you a copy of Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Practice? With how advanced your studies are, you’ll need it soon enough~” Ling Ning teased with a gleeful expression.
“No way, no way!”
Using a rare gift opportunity to buy study materials? No chance!
“If you can’t decide, just take your time. There are still a few days until Christmas. Now go wash your hands for dinner!” Ling Ning ruffled her daughter’s hair before heading back to the kitchen.
Ling Ye sat up straight and glared at her Mom’s retreating figure, puffing her cheeks in frustration. Why does Mom always mess up my hair?
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After washing the dishes, Ling Ning walked into the living room. Ling Ye was curled up on the sofa, hugging a comically oversized pillow. Though the TV was playing the latest episode of Magical Girl Xiao Ai, her vacant gaze made it clear her thoughts weren’t on the screen.
Ling Ning approached her daughter and scooped her up into her arms, inhaling the faint, sweet scent of her hair. She immediately felt a wave of contentment wash over her. Nothing could compare to the comfort of hugging her soft, sweet-smelling daughter.
“Still thinking about what gift you want?”
“Mm~”
Ling Ye sighed softly before murmuring, “For my gift, Mom, just choose something you think is best. Whatever you give me, I’ll be happy with!”
After a brief pause, she added, “Just please, nothing like Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Practice, okay?”
“Understood~”
“Mom, let’s bathe together tonight...”
“Ye Ye, you’re already a big girl. Do we still need to bathe together?”
“I don’t care. I want to!”
“You’re impossible to refuse, aren’t you?”
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Later in Xia You’s room, Ling Ning lay sprawled on her bed, watching anime on her laptop while Xia You showered in the adjacent bathroom, the sound of running water audible in the background.
After Ling Ning had finished her own bath earlier and dried her daughter’s hair, she had wandered into Xia You’s room, thinking it might be fun to play some games together.
A while later, Xia You emerged from the bathroom. Ling Ning sat up and took the towel from her, and Xia You naturally settled into a chair.
As Ling Ning gently dried Xia You’s hair, she asked curiously, “Did you meet Xia Li today? Was anything bothering her?”
“No, nothing stood out. We just chatted casually and had dinner before parting ways,” Xia You replied with a hint of exasperation.
“I see~” Ling Ning nodded thoughtfully.
After a moment, Xia You hesitated, her cheeks tinged with pink. “Ling... Ling Ning, is there anywhere you want to go?”
“Huh? Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“Well... it’s because... you know, we’re going on a date in a few days, so...” Xia You stammered, her voice trailing off.
Hearing this, Ling Ning chuckled. “Oh, so that’s what this is about. Xia You, you can decide. No matter where it is, I’ll go with you~”
“Alright.”
A soft smile appeared on Xia You’s face.
“By the way, what’s the story behind that life-sized body pillow?”
At Ling Ning’s question, Xia You froze. Her gaze darted to her bed, where a life-sized body pillow of Ling Ning lay peacefully. She had taken it out last night and forgotten to put it away!
“Well... this... uh...”
Seeing Xia You’s flustered reaction, Ling Ning chuckled again. “Relax. I was just curious. It’s not every day you see a body pillow of yourself, after all—it’s a bit surprising, don’t you think?”
Xia You let out a deep sigh of relief. At least it was just the pillow. If Ling Ning had discovered the... other item, she wouldn’t know how to explain herself. But just as she began to calm down, Ling Ning’s teasing voice rang out again.
“Oh, so Xia You likes wearing such childish underwear?”
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Author’s Note:
Here’s a recommendation for a fellow writer’s book: The Method of Raising a Scumbag Female Protagonist. Written by the incredibly handsome ‘Salted Fish with Tentacles.’ It’s the end of the month, so if you have extra votes, please support this new book! Many thanks in advance!