Chapter 665 : My Sexual Orientation Is Totally Normal!... Probably
"It's been so long since I came to the clubroom~"
During lunch break, Ling Ning and Xia You headed straight to the clubroom. As expected, Lin Xi and Luo Xiaoyu were there, and even Zhao Rui was lounging in a chair, scrolling through her phone.
Lin Xi, who had been watching a video with Luo Xiaoyu, stood up upon seeing Ling Ning enter. "Well, if it isn’t Ling Ning! So, you still remember you’re part of this club, huh?"
"How could I forget? I haven’t been coming to the club because I’ve been busy. You know what my job is like—when it gets hectic, I can’t even make it to school. But look, now that the term’s started, here I am~"
Ling Ning didn’t seem fazed by Lin Xi’s attitude. She cheerfully greeted everyone in the room before plopping down next to Xia You. Lunch breaks for Ling Ning meant one of two things: napping in Ye Xuan’s office or coming to the clubroom for a peaceful rest.
Apparently reading Ling Ning’s mind, Lin Xi smirked disdainfully. "You’re just here to nap, aren’t you?"
"How can you say that? Even napping counts as participating in club activities, doesn’t it? Why don’t you say anything about Luo Xiaoyu watching anime or Zhao Rui playing on her phone?" Ling Ning replied with a sweet smile.
"Tch."
Lin Xi rolled her eyes and sat back down. Arguing with Ling Ning seemed far less productive than finishing the anime she hadn’t yet completed.
After their brief exchange, Zhao Rui walked over and crouched beside Ling Ning. "Junior Ling Ning, are you going to nap? Do you need your Senior’s lap for a pillow?"
The moment those words left her mouth, Xia You’s gaze sharpened. Was Zhao Rui deliberately pretending she wasn’t there?
Blinking innocently, Ling Ning replied, "That’s not necessary, Senior. I’ll just use Xia You’s lap, and I even have a pillow. There’s really no need to go to such trouble~"
"Don’t be shy. With the relationship we have, a lap pillow is nothing to trouble over, right?"
Their conversation, neither too loud nor too soft, was audible to everyone in the room. Lin Xi frowned slightly. Why did it seem like Zhao Rui and Ling Ning’s dynamic had shifted over the break? Did something... unspeakable happen between them?
As for Luo Xiaoyu, her expression turned intrigued. The tension in the air hinted at something strange about to unfold. Could this be one of those infamous "love rivalry" moments, like in anime?
"Thank you for the offer, Senior," Xia You interjected calmly. "But Ling Ning is quite particular about her napping preferences. She’ll be more comfortable on my lap."
At that, Zhao Rui finally turned her attention to Xia You, her expression feigning surprise. "Oh my, Junior Xia You! I didn’t even notice you were there. Maybe it’s because your presence is just so faint?"
With Zhao Rui’s words, the temperature in the room seemed to plummet, an icy tension filling the air. It was obvious that things were about to escalate.
Sitting at the center of this impending storm, Ling Ning quickly spoke up. "Alright, everyone, stop it! I’m not taking a nap, okay? I’m just here to sit for a bit!"
"What? Junior Ling Ning’s not napping? Well then, my house isn’t far from school. You can always come over to nap. I’ve got heating in winter, air conditioning in summer—it’ll be so comfortable, in every sense of the word," Zhao Rui offered with a grin.
"Thank you, Senior, but I’ll pass for now."
"Aw, what a pity."
As Zhao Rui finally returned to her chair and resumed scrolling on her phone, Ling Ning let out a sigh of relief. If the conversation had gone on any longer, Xia You might have lost her cool.
Reaching out, Ling Ning patted Xia You on the head gently, as if to soothe her.
"Hmph."
Xia You let out a soft, disgruntled snort. If not for Ling Ning’s presence, she would have already taught Zhao Rui a lesson about why knives are so sharp.
Watching the silent stand-off between the two, Ling Ning felt utterly resigned. For some reason, she had a gut feeling that this sort of thing would happen more often in the future. If it kept up, she might end up being locked in someone’s basement and turned into a "hot weapon."
Shaking her head to dispel the thought, Ling Ning wandered over to Lin Xi and Luo Xiaoyu, leaning in to glance at their laptop screen.
"Hey, are you two really watching yuri anime in the clubroom? Isn’t that a bit much?" she asked, blinking in disbelief.
Luo Xiaoyu tilted her head slightly, and upon realizing how close Ling Ning was, she quickly looked away. "What I’m watching is the pure love between girls. Also, I want to see how the main character gets gradually turned into a 'hot weapon.' Seriously, the slow-burn seduction in this is incredible. It’s amazing how it makes the protagonist accept things they never would’ve before."
Apparently hitting her stride, Luo Xiaoyu grew more animated as she spoke, her voice gradually getting louder.
Ling Ning reached out and placed a hand on Luo Xiaoyu’s head. "Alright, stop, stop. You’re talking so fast I can’t even keep up, and I don’t want to know this much about it!"
"Tch~"
Luo Xiaoyu pouted before returning her attention to the screen.
Turning her gaze to Lin Xi, Ling Ning teased, "Dear Senior Lin Xi, don’t tell me you’re also into pure love stories between girls now?"
"I... I am. So what? And anyway, this might be labeled 'adult content,' but it’s not explicit. The romantic scenes are tasteful, and it’s actually a really good yuri series."
"If I recall correctly, you used to watch mainstream shounen or shoujo series. Yuri wasn’t really your thing. Have you finally crossed the point of no return?"
Lin Xi froze for a moment before stammering, "W-What are you talking about? My sexual orientation is totally normal, okay!"
"...Probably."