“Between breath and mist, the clouds drift; on my fingertips, dust scatters. I gauge five millennia of radiance, piercing eyes of ancient chaos awaken…”
On her way to pick up a side gig at the café, Ling Ning’s phone suddenly started ringing. She looked at the unfamiliar number displayed on the screen and wondered who could be calling—hopefully, it wasn’t a scam.
Curious, Ling Ning picked up.
“Hello? Who’s this?”
“Is this… the perverted f— I an, Ling Ning?”
Hearing that familiar yet strange voice, Ling Ning felt she’d heard it sowhere before. But once the words “perverted freak” ca out, she imdiately knew who it was.
There was only one person who would call her that—the cute host she’d t at the convention. Honestly, how could anyone mistake an energetic beauty like her for a perverted freak?
But why was Lin Xi calling her now? Did she want to ask for dical expenses or sothing?
“Lin Xi, is that you?”
“Hmph. Surprised you rember… per—” The next part of Lin Xi’s sentence was muttered too softly for Ling Ning to catch, but she was pretty sure it was sothing along the lines of “perverted freak.”
“I wanted to ask if this silver four-leaf clover bracelet belongs to you.”
Hearing Lin Xi’s words, Ling Ning’s eyes lit up. Her daughter’s bracelet was indeed a silver four-leaf clover! She’d thought it was lost forever.
“Yes, that’s mine! Did you find it? I’ll co get it right away!” Ling Ning said excitedly.
“Wait!”
Lin Xi tried to say sothing more, but the line went dead—Ling Ning had already hung up. She hadn’t even told her where to pick it up yet! Honestly, it was just a bracelet; was it really worth all this fuss?
Lin Xi sighed. Fine, since that perverted freak had helped her ho last ti, she’d wait downstairs. After all, she’d given her a fake address. If Ling Ning ended up at the wrong door, it would be awkward.
She assud Ling Ning wouldn’t be able to get there that fast, so she decided to finish the ani episode she was watching—just ten more minutes.
What Lin Xi didn’t know was that Ling Ning was already close by. The route to the café took her past Lin Xi’s area, and once she’d received the call, she’d dashed over without a second thought. Her daughter’s bracelet was far more important than any side gig.
Since she’d just brought Lin Xi ho a few days earlier, she still rembered where she lived.
Standing at Lin Xi’s door, Ling Ning impatiently rang the doorbell.
Lin Xi, in the middle of her ani, was startled by the sound. She hadn’t been expecting anyone—her friends were all still in class. Who could it be? Maybe her cosplay costu delivery?
She hobbled over to the door, only to find not a delivery person but the one person she least wanted to see—the perverted freak, Ling Ning.
How had she managed to find her actual apartnt when Lin Xi had given her a fake address? Could she have been stalking her all this ti? The thought sent a shiver down Lin Xi’s spine.
“G-good morning!” Ling Ning greeted her with a smile, slightly out of breath. After running all the way there, her delicate fra was struggling to keep up.
“H-how did you find this place!?” Lin Xi asked warily.
“Huh?” Ling Ning blinked in confusion. “Isn’t this Apartnt A on the seventh floor? You gave the address, rember?”
“This is the eighth floor!”
“Huh? Eighth floor?” Ling Ning blinked again. Maybe she’d pressed the wrong elevator button? Still, a little mistake had led her to the right place. She hadn’t realized Lin Xi had given her a fake address—but that made sense. She was just a stranger, after all.
“Well, co on in.”
Now that Ling Ning had found her way to her door, Lin Xi felt it would be rude to just hand over the bracelet and kick her out. After all, if not for this “perverted freak,” she wouldn’t have made it ho safely that day.
Watching Lin Xi hobbling around, Ling Ning asked gently, “Is your leg feeling any better?”
“More or less. The doctor said it’ll be fine as long as I don’t walk too much.”
Thinking of her injured leg, Lin Xi felt a bit annoyed. But she’d used it to get a doctor’s note for a week off school. All she had to do was return for the final exams, and with her grades, she wouldn’t have any trouble passing.
“Here’s your bracelet.”
Lin Xi handed over the bracelet. She couldn’t understand why anyone would treasure a cheap trinket like this so much.
“Thank you so much!” Ling Ning said gratefully, looking at the returned bracelet as if it were a priceless treasure.
Lin Xi rolled her eyes. “It’s… nothing, just happened to pick it up.” She just hoped Ling Ning would leave soon; being around this “perverted freak” made her feel unsafe.
Ling Ning could read her thoughts clearly. Honestly, she had no interest whatsoever in Lin Xi’s petite figure. If she had to do sothing indecent, she’d much rather be on her own than harass Lin Xi.
“Well then, I’ll be off. Thank you again for returning my bracelet.” Ling Ning downed the glass of water she’d been offered, got up, and made for the door, figuring she could still make it to the café in ti.
“Eh?”
Lin Xi hadn’t expected her to leave so readily. She’d thought Ling Ning would co up with so excuse to linger.
Just as Ling Ning reached for the door, she heard a shrill scream from behind her.
“AHHH!!! THERE’S A COCKROACH!!!”
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Author’s Note:
A third chapter? This must be the work of a generous benefactor!
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