In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Ling Ning was gradually becoming more accustod to the pace of life in this world. During these two weeks, she had delved into Ling Ning's mories twice more, though neither ti uncovered anything particularly significant. However, she did gather plenty of useful information from those glimpses.
Ling Ning's life over this period had been quite fulfilling. On most days, she worked at the café, and during her off days from there, she worked at Qin Qing’s house. In short, she was always working. Ling Ning had no idea how she managed to keep up with this pace. In her previous life, she had been notoriously lazy, even waiting for her editor to hound her before she would write anything. How had she turned into this diligent worker?
Speaking of writing, Ling Ning had managed to finish outlining her new novel over these two weeks. The story was about an ordinary middle-aged man who, in an effort to save his daughter, signed a contract with a perverse creature, donned his daughter's underwear, and beca a magical girl tasked with saving the world.
Ling Ning had pinned high hopes on this novel. She had poured all her free ti into it—staying up late nearly every night until the early hours. Once, inspiration had struck so powerfully that she pulled an all-nighter. The next morning, she looked in the mirror and nearly scared herself; even the magic of makeup couldn't hide her exhaustion.
Fortunately, Ling Ning was no stranger to sleepless nights—she had beco used to pulling all-nighters while scrambling to et deadlines back when her editor would hound her. In fact, staying up for two or three nights in a row had been almost routine. However, those habits didn't suit her new life. As Qin Qing always said, lack of sleep was a woman's worst enemy, and Ling Ning had learned this firsthand.
Thinking about it, Ling Ning realized she had begun paying attention to her own appearance without even noticing. In her past life, she would go half a month without shaving, looking almost like a wild man. Now, though she didn't wear much makeup, she at least cared enough to look presentable whenever she left the house.
Working for Qin Qing did have its perks—Ling Ning's wardrobe was now overflowing with new clothes, with even more piled up in the corners of her room because there wasn't enough space for them. Though most of the outfits were dresses, Ling Ning still preferred pants. She just couldn't get used to the breezy feeling of wearing a skirt, even though she had to wear a maid uniform at the café every day.
That scoundrel, Chu ngyao, still hadn't swapped her short skirt for a longer one. But Ling Ning had found a solution—safety shorts, the ultimate tool against societal evolution. Wearing those gave her a sense of instant security.
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"Why... why is 'Land of Eternal Silence' getting so few custors lately?" Luo Xiaoning was sitting at the bar, her small white hands clasped together as if she were a commander, her red-and-black eyes scanning the area.
"Oh~" Chu ngyao responded nonchalantly, her eyes still glued to her phone, muttering things like "zero degree," "black hole," and "weakness" under her breath.
"Oh, what do you an 'oh'!" Luo Xiaoning was infuriated by Chu ngyao's dismissive attitude. She slamd her hand on the bar to get everyone's attention, but the sound was so faint that even Zhou Xiaoxiao, who was sitting right there playing on her PSP, didn't seem to hear it.
Gritting her teeth, Luo Xiaoning slamd the bar again, this ti harder. Finally, she got everyone's attention, though now her hand throbbed painfully. To maintain her dignity as the store manager, she had to pretend nothing had happened.
"With the way you all are slacking off, how could we possibly get custors?" Luo Xiaoning huffed, her irritation even causing her to forget her usual chuuni tone.
"Well, the location is bad to begin with, your promotions aren't exactly stellar, and your target audience is an all-girls school that's currently on sumr break. Other than weekends, why would anyone co?" Chu ngyao spread her hands in a shrug. "Young people should focus on catching up with ani instead of trying to make big news all the ti."
"This... this..." Luo Xiaoning wanted to argue but found herself at a loss for words. She knew Chu ngyao was right. However, she wasn't one to give up so easily. Squinting her eyes in thought, she then said in a mysterious tone, "Tis are changing, and we need to evolve too."
"For example?" Chu ngyao asked, her interest piqued.
"It's too monotonous! Every day in the sa maid outfit—it's boring! Just think about all the costus we have in the dressing room, just sitting there collecting dust. It's a waste!" Luo Xiaoning waved her arms, visibly excited.
"So?" Chu ngyao asked.
"So, I’ve decided to change our the regularly. This week is the maid the, but next week will be an ani the! Those cosplay outfits in the dressing room are waiting for you."
"Admit it, you just want to see us in those outfits, right?" Chu ngyao deadpanned, looking at Luo Xiaoning with a knowing expression. After all, they had grown up together—there was no way she wouldn't understand what was going on in Luo Xiaoning’s head.
"Hehe~" Luo Xiaoning giggled, hugging Chu ngyao’s arm and looking up at her with big, watery eyes—a tactic that always worked on Chu ngyao.
Sure enough, upon seeing Luo Xiaoning’s expression, Chu ngyao sighed and said, "Alright, alright, whatever you say. But make sure you write a detailed plan, and don’t expect to help you with it. I’ve got to head ho tonight."
"Eh~" Luo Xiaoning pouted before shalessly adding, "Can't you write it before you go?"
"Get lost." Although Chu ngyao was well-acquainted with Luo Xiaoning's shalessness, she still felt like punching her square in the face.
"You two get along pretty well, huh~" Ling Ning said with a smile, watching the playful bickering between the two. Xia You, sitting nearby, nodded in agreent, a glimr of envy in her eyes.
"Who... Who gets along with her! I'm going to draw so flyers, and in a couple of days, you guys better be ready to hand them out!" Flustered, Luo Xiaoning tossed out her words before fleeing to her little hideout.
As she walked past Ling Ning, the latter couldn't help but notice the blush on her face. If those two didn’t have sothing going on, Ling Ning wouldn’t believe it even if she was beaten to death.
"Alright, back to work, everyone. Why are you staring at like that? I don’t get along with her either!" Chu ngyao said before heading off.
"She wouldn't really make us hand out flyers, would she?" Ling Ning murmured to herself. The thought of standing out on the street in a maid outfit filled her with dread—it would be like public punishnt.
"Maybe she was just joking... right?" Zhou Xiaoxiao's smile had also stiffened, clearly sharing the sa concern as Ling Ning.
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Author's Note:
Well, it looks like I got the chapter order mixed up—this is the real Chapter 19. Sothing just felt off.
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