Chapter 612 : Ling Ning’s Door to a New World
“I’m home~”
Xu Qing opened the door to her house. As expected, her parents weren’t back yet—probably working overtime again. It looked like she and her younger sister would be having fast food for dinner tonight.
With a sigh, Xu Qing made her way to her bedroom door. The lights in the living room were on, indicating that her sister, Xu Xiaoxiao, was already home. Opening the door to her room, Xu Qing was startled to find someone inside.
That someone, of course, was Xu Xiaoxiao.
Xu Xiaoxiao was seated at the computer, engrossed in watching an anime. So focused was she that she didn’t even notice Xu Qing enter the room.
It wasn’t until Xu Qing deliberately made a noise that Xu Xiaoxiao finally realized her sister had returned.
“Gah! Sister, can’t you walk with some noise? Don’t you know it’s terrifying to scare people like that?” Xu Xiaoxiao exclaimed seriously.
“You were just too absorbed,” Xu Qing said, exasperated.
Xu Xiaoxiao chuckled awkwardly. She had indeed been too engrossed; the protagonist was about to face off against the final boss, after all. She hadn’t expected her sister to come home at such a crucial moment.
Suddenly, Xu Xiaoxiao turned toward her sister, curiosity lighting up her eyes. “Sister, you’re back pretty late today. Don’t tell me you went to see Ling Ning again~”
Ever since Xu Qing had taken her sister’s advice to avoid Ling Ning, she had been rushing home right after class. Over the past month, Xu Xiaoxiao had gotten used to her sister being home before her.
But today was different. It wasn’t just a little late—Xu Qing had returned after nightfall. Naturally, this sparked Xu Xiaoxiao’s suspicions, though her tone was mostly teasing.
Xu Qing avoided her sister’s gaze and mumbled, “N-No, I just got delayed by something.”
Being sisters, Xu Xiaoxiao knew Xu Qing’s tells when she was lying. Smirking, she pointed behind Xu Qing. “Sister, there’s a cockroach!”
“Where!?”
Xu Qing spun around instinctively, ready to dodge. But before she could spot anything, she felt her hand being grabbed. Realizing she had been tricked, she sighed in defeat.
“So, you did go see Ling Ning, didn’t you?” Xu Xiaoxiao asked confidently.
Faced with her sister’s smug expression, Xu Qing sighed and sat on the bed. “I didn’t go to her. She came to find me, and I couldn’t avoid her.”
“Oh~” Xu Xiaoxiao nodded knowingly. “And how did it feel when she found you?”
“How did it feel?”
Xu Qing closed her eyes, reflecting on the moment Ling Ning had grabbed her hand earlier that day. She wasn’t sure how to describe the feeling, but...
Seeing the faint smile that appeared on her sister’s face, Xu Xiaoxiao sighed dramatically. It seemed her sister was beyond saving. She didn’t even need to hear an explanation to understand.
As Xu Qing opened her mouth to speak, Xu Xiaoxiao raised a hand to stop her.
“It’s fine. I can already guess how you felt. You’re a lost cause, Sister. You might as well just marry Ling Ning already.”
“Wha—!?”
Xu Qing’s cheeks flushed faintly at her sister’s words.
“I’m not saying this without reason!” Xu Xiaoxiao pushed up an imaginary pair of glasses, adopting an air of authority. “The whole point of avoiding Ling Ning was for you to forget about her. But let me ask you—have you forgotten her?”
“I...”
Xu Qing opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words to refute her sister. It was true. Despite the time that had passed, she hadn’t been able to forget Ling Ning. The moment Ling Ning had grabbed her hand, the floodgates of suppressed longing had burst open.
“See? You don’t even need to say anything. You know yourself better than anyone. If you can’t forget her, then fight for her! Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘With enough effort, no wall is unbreakable’?”
“Xiaoxiao, where do you even learn these things? Is this what they teach you at school?” Xu Qing retorted, finally snapping out of her daze.
Feeling her sister’s hand on her waist, Xu Xiaoxiao laughed nervously. “I’m just trying to help you, Sis. Don’t shoot the messenger!”
“Hmph, fine. I’ll let it slide this time since your advice isn’t entirely useless.”
As Xu Qing let go, Xu Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she leaned closer with a mischievous grin. “Sis, I have a plan. Interested?”
“Go ahead.”
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“I wonder if Xiao Qing Qing will still try to avoid me~”
Ling Ning was in the bathroom, enjoying the soothing warmth of the shower. Her thoughts wandered back to the events of the afternoon, a small smile curving her lips. Soon, it would be vacation. Even if Xu Qing tried to avoid her, she could simply go to her house.
There’d be no escaping then~
The thought made Ling Ning’s smile widen. After finishing her shower, she returned to her room and casually opened her wardrobe to pick out clothes for the next day.
Her eyes fell on the jacket she had worn to Bai Yiyue’s concert. Hesitating briefly, she took it out—not to wear but to pack it away in a storage box.
She still liked the jacket, but after what had happened, she didn’t dare wear it outside again, even though the storm had passed.
As she shook the jacket, something small fell out of the pocket. Picking it up, she saw it was a USB drive labeled “TOP SECRET.”
It seemed she had forgotten to return it to the store when she’d picked it up.
The USB looked vaguely familiar, though Ling Ning couldn’t place where she’d seen it before. Setting the jacket aside, she carried the USB to her computer.