Chapter 572 : Please Behave
“I’ll head home now. Ling Ning, no need to see me off. I can manage on my own; it’s not far anyway~”
“Eh?! Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you back?”
Su Ya shook her head lightly. “There’s really no need~”
As if something came to mind, Ling Ning hesitated before saying, “Alright then. Be careful on your way home, and don’t forget to send me a message once you’re back. Oh, by the way, Xiao Ya, about those photos—aren’t they…”
Su Ya tilted her head. “Photos? What photos? I don’t quite follow. It’s getting late, so I’ll take my leave now~”
With that, Su Ya turned and walked away.
Watching her retreating figure, Ling Ning’s face fell into a look of despair. How had it come to this? Her precious photos of Su Ya in a maid outfit were gone—just like that. And there was no way the stingy Chu Mengyao would give her a second copy. Ling Ning was utterly heartbroken.
Meanwhile, as Chu Mengyao cleaned up nearby, she glanced at the despondent Ling Ning and let out a faint, satisfied smile. There was no way she would give Ling Ning a second set. After all, Ling Ning would have to help out again next time, and another copy could always be “negotiated” then.
Both Su Ya and Ling Ning had chosen photos as their form of payment. Interestingly, while Ling Ning wanted pictures of Su Ya, Su Ya had requested photos of Ling Ning in her maid outfit.
And Chu Mengyao? She had an endless supply of those.
Watching her boss’s expression, Jiang Xue instinctively took a few steps back. Every time her boss had that look, someone was bound to be on the receiving end of her schemes. She just hoped it wouldn’t be her this time.
Noticing Jiang Xue’s apprehension, Chu Mengyao cleared her throat and adjusted her expression. “Xiaoxue, you can change and head home now. I’ll handle the rest here.”
“Oh~”
Jiang Xue nodded and headed to the changing room. As she changed, she glanced at her master’s locker. Ling Ning had probably already left by now. While that was somewhat of a relief—it meant fewer intrusive thoughts—Jiang Xue couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment.
After changing, Jiang Xue stepped out of the café and into the cold evening air. The chill was biting, but her master’s scarf around her neck provided a comforting warmth.
Just as she prepared to head home, she felt something latch onto her leg. Looking down, she realized that someone—hidden under her skirt—was hugging her thigh. Judging by the clothing, it could only be one person.
“Um… Master? What are you doing? Also, please behave!”
At her words, Ling Ning slowly stood, her face filled with despair. “Disciple, how about I treat you to dinner tonight?”
“This feels so sudden. Also, with that expression, it’s a bit unsettling…”
“I didn’t want it to come to this, but… never mind. Even if I explained, you wouldn’t understand. Let’s just say we’re celebrating your second-place win in the Water Dragon Awards,” Ling Ning said with a soft laugh.
“Is that so?”
“Mm. Let’s invite Chen Ruo to join us as well.”
“Alright~”
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“So boring, so boring. I really want some spicy snacks~”
Wrapped in a blanket, Chen Ruo lay on her bed, mumbling nonsense to herself. Then, her phone suddenly rang.
Grumbling, she squirmed and searched for her phone. It had been on the bed just moments ago, so where had it gone? After a brief search, her face turned red—her phone had somehow ended up tangled in her blanket in a rather… inappropriate position.
After some effort, she retrieved it. To her surprise, the call was from Ling Ning, which made her curious. Why was Ling Ning calling her at this hour?
“Hello, is this Chen Ruo?”
Hearing Ling Ning’s voice, Chen Ruo blinked and replied softly, “Yes, may I ask what you need, Ling Ning?”
“Well, it’s like this…”
Ling Ning explained her invitation for dinner.
“That sounds great!”
Chen Ruo cheered but quickly hesitated. Embarrassed, she added, “Um… but I’m not very good with directions.”
“No problem. Xiaoxue and I are already downstairs. Oh, and feel free to bring Xiao Yue along too.”
Chen Ruo immediately agreed and hung up, then rushed out of her room to tell her daughter, “Xiao Yue, Ling Ning has invited us to dinner~”
Lin Yue, who had been deciding what to cook for dinner, paused in surprise. Frowning slightly, she muttered, “Ling Ning inviting you to dinner? She must be up to something.” Though she didn’t want to go, her mother’s excitement made it clear there was no avoiding it.
“Fine. But you’d better not wander off,” Lin Yue warned.
“Don’t worry about me~”
Once Lin Yue agreed, Chen Ruo hurried back to her room to change into something suitable. After all, given the cold weather and Ling Ning waiting downstairs, she couldn’t keep them waiting long.
Dressed and ready, Chen Ruo reappeared in the living room, looking far more formal than necessary. Lin Yue, by contrast, kept things casual—it was just dinner with acquaintances, after all.
When they reached the building entrance, they found Ling Ning and Jiang Xue waiting.
“Good evening, Chen Ruo and the lovely Xiao Yue~” Ling Ning greeted them with a cheerful smile.
“Good evening, Ling Ning.”
Looking at the adorable Chen Ruo, Ling Ning was suddenly reminded of a certain oversight. The underwear and stockings Chen Ruo had lent her yesterday—she had forgotten to bring them back.
Fortunately, Chen Ruo didn’t seem to mind, so Ling Ning decided to return them another time.