Chapter 681 : A Spiraling Chaos
“Mm?!”
Ling Ning stared at Bai Jie, her face inches away, and felt the familiar sensation of lips against hers. Instantly, her drowsiness vanished. What was going on? How had things come to this?!
Moments later, Bai Jie realized Ling Ning was awake.
Straightening up, she froze, her expression a mix of panic and bewilderment. What was she supposed to say now? She had intended just a quick kiss before leaving, but somewhere along the way, she had lost herself. Now, there was no explaining this away—not that any explanation would suffice.
The room fell into an awkward silence.
After what felt like an eternity, Bai Jie seemed to steel herself, looking at Ling Ning with a serious expression. “I can’t forget.”
“Huh?!”
“I can’t forget what happened last time. I don’t know why, but ever since then, you’ve been on my mind. I keep thinking about you, Ling Ning. It’s driving me crazy.”
“This...”
Ling Ning was utterly dumbfounded. Things were already chaotic enough, and now Bai Jie was like this. How was she supposed to explain this to her clingy, lovestruck childhood friend?
In her mind, she pictured Bai Jie introducing her to Bai Yiyue with a smile: “Here, let me introduce your stepmom.”
Nope. That thought alone was horrifying. This was spiraling out of control.
“Uh, I think this isn’t right. What happened last time—it was just an accident,” Ling Ning said hesitantly, trying to defuse the situation.
“I know it was an accident.”
Bai Jie replied with a bitter smile. She had tried to treat it as such, but the so-called accident had given her a lingering obsession with Ling Ning that she couldn’t shake.
It was maddening. Bai Jie had even entertained dark fantasies of keeping Ling Ning locked away in a place only she knew about, where Ling Ning would be hers and hers alone.
If Ling Ning were just an ordinary person, Bai Jie might have already pursued her. But Ling Ning was the one Bai Yiyue loved. What was she supposed to do?
Seeing the turmoil on Bai Jie’s face, Ling Ning felt a headache coming on.
Their conversation lapsed into another tense silence.
“Um, Sister, what do you even like about me?” Ling Ning finally asked.
“I don’t know. I just know that being with you makes me happy. We share similar interests, you help me when I’m in trouble, chat with me when I’m bored, and take care of me when I’m sick... When I’m with you, I feel at ease because you’re there.”
Bai Jie’s voice was steady and sincere. “Honestly, I think I started feeling this way the first time I met you.”
Ling Ning blinked. Their first meeting had been when Bai Yiyue introduced her to Bai Jie. It had been a pleasant conversation, sure, but nothing extraordinary... or so she had thought.
“Um, it’s getting late, I should...”
As Ling Ning stood up, Bai Jie pushed her back down onto the sofa. “It’s not late at all.”
Ling Ning stared at Bai Jie in dismay. She wasn’t even being given a chance to escape!
“So, Ling Ning, aside from Yiyue, there must be other girls you like, right?”
“How did you... cough, cough!”
Ling Ning was stunned. How did Bai Jie know about that?
“Don’t underestimate my observational skills. Once, I even saw you and Xia You kissing in the classroom. There weren’t many people around, but there was still a risk of being caught, you know.”
Bai Jie’s words hit Ling Ning like a bolt of lightning. She was dumbstruck. There was no denying it now—Bai Jie had seen everything.
“Don’t worry, I’m not here to compete. Let’s just be lovers, okay? No one will know, and no one will find out. You can still live your normal life without worrying about me. Once you’ve made your final choice, we’ll end things. How does that sound?”
Bai Jie’s tone was seductive, like a serpent tempting Adam and Eve with the forbidden fruit.
“It’s a perfect solution, isn’t it?”
Being someone’s lover was something Bai Jie had never considered before. Saying it out loud now, she felt like she must have gone insane.
“I... mm?!”
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“Sigh.”
Standing at her front door, Ling Ning felt a wave of melancholy as she thought back to what had just happened. Why had she agreed to Bai Jie’s request? What on earth had come over her?
Now, the already chaotic relationships in her life had become even more tangled. She felt completely at a loss.
With another sigh, Ling Ning pulled out her key and unlocked the door.
Inside, her daughter was typing away at her desk in the living room. Hearing the door open, Ling Ye turned around and greeted her cheerfully. “Welcome back! You’re home early today, Mom~”
“Mm, your Sister Bai Yiyue had work, so I came back early,” Ling Ning said, forcing a smile.
“Huh? Is that so?”
Ling Ye’s sharp eyes noticed something off about her mom’s expression.
Then she spotted the scarf around Ling Ning’s neck. In this weather, a scarf seemed unnecessary.
Sensing her daughter’s gaze, Ling Ning blinked and explained, “Oh, this? It’s a gift from your Sister Bai Yiyue’s mom, so I decided to wear it home.”
“Oh~”
After placating her daughter, Ling Ning retreated to her room. Once inside, she locked the door and immediately removed the scarf. Looking at the faint hickeys on her neck, she sighed deeply.
Why did Bai Jie insist on leaving marks on her? It wouldn’t have been so bad if they were somewhere less visible, but why her neck?
And to think they had agreed she would be the one in control. Yet somehow, she had ended up being the one pinned down. Again.