Chapter 558 : Mature Panties
"Ling Ning, you’re amazing!"
Chen Ruo was sprawled on her bed, wrapped snugly in a thick quilt, giggling to herself as she read her self-made Ling Ning fanbook. Thankfully, Lin Yue was in the shower; otherwise, if she had heard her mom’s silly laughter, she might have thought her mother had lost her mind.
The book wasn’t very thick, and Chen Ruo quickly finished reading it. Even though she had gone through it countless times, every reading sparked new ideas. Ling Ning was just that inspiring—her mere presence was enough to generate creativity, let alone seeing her in person.
Rolling around on her bed a couple of times, Chen Ruo suddenly remembered something important. Tomorrow was the weekend, which meant Ling Ning would probably be free. That also meant she could invite her over to model again!
Excited, Chen Ruo wiggled on the bed and reached for her phone. She naturally dialed Ling Ning’s number.
"Hello? Is this Ling Ning?"
Hearing Chen Ruo’s voice, Ling Ning, who was curled up in a kotatsu typing away, paused and asked softly, "Is this Chen Ruo? What’s the matter?"
"Um... Well, I wanted to ask if Ling Ning would be free tomorrow..." Chen Ruo’s nervousness made her voice a bit shaky.
"Tomorrow? Yes, I’m free. Ah, let me guess—you want me to model for you again, right? No problem! I’ll come over to your place tomorrow~"
If Ling Ning recalled correctly, Chen Ruo had mentioned this plan in a previous call.
"Wouldn’t that be too much trouble? I could come over instead~"
"No, no, it’s fine. I’ll come. It’s not far, and I’ll get there quickly~"
Ling Ning chuckled softly. She didn’t dare let Chen Ruo travel alone—her terrible sense of direction meant she might get lost as soon as she stepped outside. The last time Chen Ruo managed to reach her place was pure luck. If she ran into some shady character, she might truly become a "hot weapon."
"Then... then I’ll leave it to you."
"Don’t worry, I’m free anyway~"
After hanging up, Chen Ruo cheered and rolled around on her bed again, humming an incoherent tune. Just the thought of Ling Ning visiting tomorrow made her feel overjoyed.
But soon, Chen Ruo realized a significant problem. The cost of having Ling Ning model for her was supposed to be... one of her "authentic" panties.
Squinting as she thought about it, Chen Ruo remembered the panties she was wearing that night—just a simple blue-and-white striped pair. No way. If she was giving them to Ling Ning, they had to be a pair that matched her mature, refined aura!
With that thought, Chen Ruo wrapped herself in her quilt, got out of bed, and crouched in front of her wardrobe, carefully sifting through her collection of panties.
When Lin Yue finished her bath and saw her mom’s door ajar, curiosity led her inside. There, she found her mother crouched in front of her wardrobe, doing who-knows-what.
"Mom, how many times have I told you not to walk around wrapped in a quilt? Put some proper clothes on! And what are you doing squatting in front of the wardrobe?"
Startled by her daughter’s voice, Chen Ruo turned around, chuckling nervously. "Oh, Mom’s just checking if she has enough panties left~"
"What? Why are you suddenly checking your panties? Didn’t we just buy some not long ago? How could you possibly be running out?"
"Uh... That’s true~"
Quietly closing the drawer, Chen Ruo flopped back onto her bed, feigning nonchalance. Lin Yue gave her a skeptical glance. Her mom seemed oddly off today, but she decided not to press further. It was probably nothing.
As soon as Lin Yue left the room, Chen Ruo sprang back up, locked the door, and resumed her panty selection process in earnest.
"Someone as mature and beautiful as me should wear equally elegant panties!"
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"Mom, are you going out tomorrow?" Ling Ye asked curiously after Ling Ning hung up the phone.
"Yeah, why? Are you going somewhere tomorrow too?"
"Uh-huh. I’m going to a classmate’s house."
"To hang out?"
"Of course not! I’m going to tutor them!" Ling Ye said proudly. She had nearly mastered senior high school material, so junior high topics were a breeze for her.
Ling Ning patted her daughter’s soft hair with a smile. "You’re amazing, Ye Ye~"
"Well then, I’ll head to bed early tonight, Mom."
After rubbing her cheek against Ling Ning’s palm for a moment, Ling Ye jumped out of the kotatsu and cheerfully bounced into Ling Ning’s bedroom. Yes, Ling Ning’s bedroom. Recently, for some reason, Ling Ye had reverted to her old habit of needing to cuddle with Ling Ning to sleep, just like in the early days at their rental apartment.
Not that Ling Ning could do anything about it.
Noticing Xia You zoning out, Ling Ning leaned over curiously. "Xia You, what’s on your mind?"
"N-Nothing. Just thinking about what happened this afternoon." Xia You replied quietly.
"This afternoon? Weren’t you out with Xia Li? Did something happen? Don’t tell me Xia Li confessed to you again!" Ling Ning asked, blinking nervously.
Seeing Ling Ning’s anxious expression, Xia You smirked slightly. "No, no. Xia Li told me she thinks she’s really in love this time."
"Huh!?"
"She didn’t tell me who the person is, though. She just asked for advice on how to act around someone she likes. I was trying to figure out who she might be seeing," Xia You explained.
"I see. Now I’m curious too."
"It’s intriguing, but if she doesn’t want to say, there’s nothing we can do. Anyway, Ling Ning, want to play a round of PUBG tonight?" Xia You asked, pointing at the computer.
Ling Ning’s eyes lit up. "Let me finish these last few hundred words, and I’ll join you!"
"Alright."
As she watched Ling Ning’s eager expression, a strange glint flickered in Xia You’s eyes.
If only... Ling Ning belonged to her, and her alone.
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Author’s Note:
The "Abyss Ticket" is definitely cursed. Readers, don’t mess with it. If you have one, hand it over to me for proper disposal!