Chapter 568 : Don’t
“Ye Ye, be gentler! It hurts Mom… Yes, that’s it! Adjust your posture and keep the rhythm steady…”
Ling Ye gave her Mom an incredulous look. They were just playing a game, so why did this feel oddly reminiscent of “educational material”? Something about her Mom’s behavior tonight seemed off.
It must have been the alcohol.
Still, this was better than her Mom’s earlier melancholic mood before their bath.
As the Mom and daughter played the game enthusiastically, the doorbell suddenly rang. Ling Ye got up naturally to answer it. If her guess was right, the visitor was likely Sister Xia You.
Sure enough, it was Xia You.
“Hey, Xia You, you’re back~”
Xia You nodded lightly, casting a glance at Ling Ning. She seemed as though she had something to say, but upon noticing Ling Ye, she held back.
Sitting next to Xia You, Ling Ning asked curiously, “Xia You, you mentioned earlier you were looking into Xia Li’s situation. Did you find anything useful?”
Xia You nodded again. “Yes, according to Xia Li, she seems to have developed feelings for a woman—someone much older than her. Based on her description, it’s likely someone who fits the ‘cool and mature elder-sister type.’”
For some reason, Ling Ning’s mind immediately conjured an image of her childhood friend and current manager, Wu Zi. With her cool and mature demeanor, she certainly fit the description.
But no matter how she thought about it, the possibility seemed slim. She was probably overthinking it.
“Did Xia You find out the name of the person she likes?”
“No, but I did learn her surname—it’s Wu. For some reason, Xia Li refused to say anything else after revealing that much.” Xia You wore a helpless expression.
Ling Ning nodded and reassured her, “It’s probably nothing to worry about, so don’t overthink it.”
“Okay.”
Since Ling Ning was chatting with Xia You while playing, her performance in the game was subpar. Watching her character repeatedly sacrifice itself to save her Mom’s, Ling Ye pouted and said, “I’m done playing. I’m going to write instead.”
“Eh?! Ye Ye, stay and play with Mom a little longer~”
“Nope!”
Watching her daughter leave, Ling Ning could only smile helplessly. “Xia You, want to play a round?”
Without saying much, Xia You took the controller and started playing alongside Ling Ning. The two had been teammates for a while, and while their coordination wasn’t perfect, it was significantly better than aimless button-mashing.
As Ling Ning focused intently on the game, Xia You hesitated before speaking. “Um… Ling Ning, I ran into Xu Qing nearby earlier.”
Ling Ning’s hands paused mid-action.
“How was she?”
“She was crying a lot. She said her unrequited love had ended or something.”
“I see. I told her about our relationship.”
“I figured as much.”
Ling Ning set the controller down and said, “I guess trying to make everyone happy is impossible, isn’t it?”
Xia You glanced at Ling Ning and said, “Usually, people who say things like that are the first to meet a ‘bad end.’”
Ling Ning suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
“But if it’s Ling Ning, I can’t bear to let that happen. You should try. How will you know without trying? Even if it leaves scars, even if no one understands, I’ll always stay by your side.”
“Because without you, Ling Ning, I have nothing else. And beyond you, I don’t want anything else.”
Ling Ning opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but no words came. In the end, she simply hugged Xia You, leaning close to whisper in her ear, “You really are the best, Xia You~”
“So, what will Ling Ning do now?”
“Even if you ask me that, I have no idea. For now, both Xu Qing and I need some time to calm down,” Ling Ning said helplessly.
“I see~”
“That’s how it is. By the way, Xia You, could you keep your hand away from there? Ye Ye’s still in her room.”
“It’s fine. Ye Ye won’t come out of her writing session so quickly. Besides, with Ling Ning’s stamina, it won’t take long~”
“Don’t—mmph!”
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“Finally finished! I feel like my inspiration tonight was amazing~”
Ling Ye stretched in satisfaction after staring at the thousands of words on her computer screen. For some reason, creativity had struck, and she ended up writing over 10,000 words—enough to cover updates for the next few days. She could now enjoy some well-earned free time.
After saving her work, Ling Ye stood and walked out of her room, humming contentedly.
Entering the living room, she saw her Mom and Sister Xia You still gaming. Judging from the progress on-screen, it didn’t seem much further along than before she started writing.
“You’ve been playing all this time and made so little progress?” Ling Ye asked suspiciously.
“No… it’s not like that. We were just chatting about life earlier and only just started again,” Ling Ning replied, blinking innocently.
Raising an eyebrow, Ling Ye studied her Mom’s face. It seemed a bit flushed, her eyes carrying a seductive gleam, and her entire demeanor exuded an inexplicable allure.
As for Sister Xia You, she appeared completely unaffected, focused entirely on the game.
Though everything seemed normal on the surface, Ling Ye couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Perhaps sensing her daughter’s scrutiny, Ling Ning coughed lightly and said, “Ye Ye, it’s getting late. You should head to bed. Mom will be going to bed soon, too.”
“Okay~ Then I’ll sleep with Mom tonight!”
“Alright.”
Cheering, Ling Ye skipped into her Mom’s room.
Only after Ling Ye left did Ling Ning breathe a sigh of relief. She shot Xia You a faintly resentful glance. How many times was this already? If her daughter caught them, it would be the end for her.
“Does Ling Ning want more?”
“No!”
“I said no!”
“If you’re too loud, Ye Ye will hear~”
“Mmph!”