Chapter 538 : By Any Means Necessary
“Don’t worry, Xiao Si. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just use the methods I taught you~ I’ll be supporting you remotely.”
Hearing this, Li Si nodded lightly and quickly walked out of the café.
As soon as Li Si stepped outside, Ling Ning approached her with a bright smile. “Xiao Si Si, what did Sister Mengyao just say to you? Tell me~”
Li Si’s expression stiffened slightly at Ling Ning’s sudden closeness. After a moment’s hesitation, she replied softly, “Nothing much. Sister Mengyao just asked me about some work-related stuff.”
Raising an eyebrow, Ling Ning didn’t buy it. Why would they be discussing work on Li Si’s day off? They were definitely keeping something from her.
Unwilling to let it go, Ling Ning wrapped her arms around Li Si’s arm, tilting her head with an adorably pleading expression. “Come on, Xiao Si Si~ You can tell me. I promise I won’t say a word to anyone~”
Li Si’s resistance to Ling Ning’s cuteness was nonexistent, much like Xu Qing’s. However, she forced herself to turn her head away, doing her best to resist the temptation of Ling Ning’s pleading look. She had to stick to Chu Mengyao’s instructions.
At that moment, Chu Mengyao appeared beside them, looking slightly exasperated. “Why are you two still here? If you’re going to mess around, take it somewhere else. Don’t disturb the customers.”
“Tsk, if anything, watching two beautiful girls play around might attract more customers~”
Despite her words, she grabbed Li Si’s hand and led her away from the café entrance.
Watching their departing figures, Chu Mengyao crossed herself in the air, though it wasn’t clear whether she was praying for Li Si or herself.
“Since you won’t tell me what that was about, why did you ask me out today, Xiao Si Si?”
“Well... I realized it’s been a while since we spent time together, so I thought...” Li Si trailed off, her face tinged with a faint blush.
Chu Mengyao had suggested this reason to her, but saying it aloud still carried a hint of embarrassment.
Ling Ning, however, didn’t seem to pick up on the deeper implication and nodded casually. “I see. It’s true—it has been a while since we hung out.”
Suddenly curious, Ling Ning glanced at Li Si. “By the way, Xiao Si Si, you seem so different! It’s only been a few days.”
“D-Different?”
Li Si blinked. This transformation was all thanks to Chu Mengyao’s rigorous training. Remembering the intense sessions, a trace of melancholy flickered across her face.
Lost in thought, Li Si didn’t notice the uneven pavement ahead and stepped off balance.
Normally, her athletic coordination would have saved her, but she had forgotten about the high-heeled boots she was wearing—a fashion statement forced upon her by Chu Mengyao.
Just as Li Si was about to fall, a pair of hands steadied her by the waist. The familiar scent told her exactly who it was.
“Eh? Xiao Si Si, you’re wearing heeled boots today?” Ling Ning sounded surprised. She knew how much Li Si disliked high heels.
“I-I just wanted to give them a try.” Li Si replied sheepishly.
“Oh! Xiao Si Si is finally coming around! And is that the new perfume from ‘Black Lily’? It smells really nice and isn’t expensive either.”
Li Si stared blankly at Ling Ning. She had no idea what Ling Ning was talking about. All these accessories and scents were chosen by Chu Mengyao—she hadn’t paid them much attention. And since when was Ling Ning’s nose so sharp?
“But it really is surprising. I never thought you’d start dressing up,” Ling Ning remarked. Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, she leaned closer to Li Si with an excited glint in her eyes. “Wait... Did you ask me out today to talk about someone you like?”
Li Si’s heart skipped a beat. Did Ling Ning already figure out her true intentions?
“To talk about confessing to the person you like?”
Li Si opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words to respond.
Ling Ning nodded, seemingly piecing things together. “That must be it. You’ve changed so much in just a few days—you must be getting ready to confess, right?”
“Let’s walk and talk. Trust me, I’ll give you the best advice.” Without waiting for a response, Ling Ning grabbed Li Si’s hand and led her down the street.
Watching Ling Ning’s eager expression, Li Si hesitated before speaking. “Ling Ning, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“Well, what if the person I like... already has a partner? What should I do?” Li Si’s gaze was serious as she asked the question. She had decided that her next steps would depend entirely on Ling Ning’s answer.
Hearing this, Ling Ning narrowed her eyes in thought before replying decisively, “If the person I like already had a partner, I’d take them back, no matter what it took.”
Li Si blinked, stunned by Ling Ning’s resolute tone.
“By any means necessary...?” she murmured to herself.
“I think I know what to do now,” Li Si said with a smile, her confidence renewed.
Ling Ning blinked in surprise. She should have felt happy that Li Si had found clarity, but an inexplicable sense of unease crept into her heart.
“Ling Ning, let’s go check out some clothes. I want to buy a few new outfits.”
“Sure, leave it to me.”
Watching Ling Ning’s back, a small smile curved Li Si’s lips. Since Ling Ning had said as much, she had already made up her mind.
On their way to the clothing store, Li Si’s phone buzzed with a message from Chu Mengyao asking how things were progressing. She replied casually with, “Everything is going smoothly,” and quickened her pace to catch up to Ling Ning.