"Hoo~"
Ling Ning let out a deep sigh after finishing her bath. The unpleasant sll of oil and smoke lingering on her body was finally gone. Barbecue was delicious, sure, but it always left that pesky odor behind. For soone like Ling Ning, who had a slight cleanliness obsession, it was particularly hard to bear.
So, right after finishing the barbecue, she hadn’t even bothered to eat properly before rushing to take a bath.
"What happened here?"
As soon as Ling Ning walked out of her room, she saw several people sprawled all over the living room. Aside from her daughter and Xia You, everyone else was lying around like casualties from a battlefield.
Hearing Ling Ning’s question, Xia You replied awkwardly, "Um…well, after you went to take your bath, Xiaoxiao said that barbecue without beer just doesn’t feel right. So, they went ahead and ordered so beers. And…then it turned into this."
To be fair, Xia You herself had drunk the most beer among them. Yet, she was still perfectly fine, while the others—who had been the loudest about wanting to drink—had all gone down for the count. It had taken her and Ling Ye a lot of effort to drag everyone into the living room.
"They deliver beer here?"
"Yeah, it’s from that small store at the entrance to the town. You just call, and the lady there will bring the stuff over. I only found out about it this afternoon when I went shopping."
"I see~"
Looking at the ‘bodies’ scattered across the living room, Ling Ning sighed helplessly. It seed like her bath was going to be for nothing.
"Xia You, let’s carry them into their rooms together."
"Okay."
With their combined—no, actually triple—effort, they managed to move the drunkards into their rooms. Really, if you can’t handle alcohol, don’t drink so much! They’d realize their mistakes soon enough when they woke up with hangovers.
After that, Ling Ning suddenly rembered the pile of stuff in the yard that still needed cleaning. So, she and Xia You went to tidy up the yard, washed the dishes, and stored the barbecue grill properly.
When everything was finally taken care of, Ling Ning let out a sigh of relief.
"Mom, I’m going to take a bath now. I still haven’t written any of my chapters today," Ling Ye said with a stretch.
Hearing this, Ling Ning suddenly rembered that her stockpile of manuscript drafts was running low too. It seed like after this vacation, she’d need to buckle down and replenish her stock and prepare for her new book.
"Xia You, you had so beer too, didn’t you? Don’t you feel anything?"
While working earlier, Ling Ning had clearly slled the alcohol on Xia You’s breath, and her red cheeks were obvious signs of soone who’d been drinking.
"I… I just had a little."
Xia You’s “little” turned out to be six cans of beer. For so reason, no matter how much she drank, she never got drunk. Her face would flush, but that was the extent of it.
"Ling…Ling Ning, let’s go for a walk."
"Sure."
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Perhaps because it was already late, the beach was almost deserted. Under the clear moonlight, the sand was clearly visible, even without additional lighting.
The two of them walked quietly along the beach, neither of them saying a word. It was as if they were savoring the peaceful atmosphere.
Xia You turned her head slightly, looking at Ling Ning bathed in the moonlight. Her figure appeared so beautiful and pure, almost like a goddess.
Lost in admiration, Xia You was startled back to reality by a sudden cold splash. She realized that Ling Ning had sohow run to the water’s edge and was playfully splashing water at her. Luckily, she was far enough away that only a few droplets landed on her face.
"Xia You, if you keep spacing out like that, you’ll end up soaking wet~"
A faint smile spread across Xia You’s lips. "Ling Ning, sneak attacks aren’t fair!" With that, she kicked off her shoes and joined Ling Ning in the water, playfully splashing her back.
If anyone else had been around to witness the scene, they would have surely found it incredibly picturesque.
"Phew, I’m exhausted! I’m done playing!"
Ling Ning plopped herself into the water without a care, her clothes already soaked from their playful splashing. Since she planned to take another bath later, she didn’t mind.
Watching Ling Ning’s drenched outfit cling to her figure gave off a certain indescribable allure.
Xia You slowly walked up to her, sat down in the sa manner, and suddenly embraced her.
Caught off guard, Ling Ning was left montarily stunned. "Wh-what’s going on?"
After a mont of silence, Xia You finally spoke. "Ling Ning, I…"
Before she could finish, a sudden flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. The sudden noise startled both of them, cutting Xia You off completely.
Looking up, they saw that the previously starry sky was now covered in dark clouds, with even the moon obscured. Occasional streaks of lightning illuminated the horizon. It was clear that rain was imminent.
"Xia You, let’s head back. Whatever you wanted to say, you can tell later."
Grabbing Xia You’s hand, Ling Ning started leading her back to the villa. Though the moonlight had disappeared, so artificial lights made the path visible enough.
Despite hurrying, they were caught halfway by a downpour, arriving back drenched to the bone.
"Damn this weather."
Seeing Ling Ning’s irritated expression, Xia You chuckled softly. "In this season, the weather here is always unpredictable. One minute it’s clear, and the next it’s stormy. I’ve gotten used to it."
"I just hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow, or half of my vacation plans will be ruined," Ling Ning muttered, unknowingly jinxing herself. She led Xia You to the bathroom to shower.
Of course, they showered together. It wasn’t the first ti, and besides, Xia You was afraid of thunder. Ling Ning couldn’t just leave her alone, could she?
After drying their hair, Ling Ning felt her exhaustion catch up to her. After an entire day of activity, sleepiness hit her hard. Lying in bed, with the soft fragrance of Xia You’s shampoo lingering, her eyelids began to droop.
"Hey, Ling Ning."
"…Mm?"
"I love you."
"…"
Facing no response, Xia You turned to see Ling Ning had already fallen asleep. Borrowing the dim glow of the nightlight, she could clearly see her closed eyes. There was no mistaking it—she was fast asleep!
Even soone as mild-tempered as Xia You felt the urge to yank the covers off and wake her up.
Was it her fate to always be interrupted during a confession?
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Author’s Note:
With today’s chapter, March cos to an end, and the reward updates are officially over. To celebrate surviving this spree, here’s a triple update for today!
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