“W-Wait a minute! Actually, I already have soone I like!”
Ling Ning stared at her discipline in disbelief. She had felt a foreboding sense of unease all day, and now she understood why. That Jiang Xue had always liked girls was unexpected enough, but to hear that Jiang Xue liked her—Ling Ning had no idea how to respond.
Most troubling was the fact that she didn’t know how to handle this situation tactfully.
Watching Ling Ning’s expression, Jiang Xue pressed her lips together and said resolutely, “It doesn’t matter if you already like soone else, Master. I won’t give up!”
“Eh?!” Ling Ning blinked in surprise. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she hesitated before asking, “Can I ask... why do you like ?”
If she rembered correctly, she had never flirted with her discipline. At most, she’d been a ntor—soone to guide her, offering advice and support.
“Because it’s you, Master. You’re the one who guided when I was at my lowest point in life,” Jiang Xue answered with heartfelt sincerity.
“Even if you put it that way, I...” Ling Ning trailed off, her expression turning lancholic as she added softly, “I’m not soone worth your affection.”
With that, she gently pushed Jiang Xue away and got up.
Jiang Xue bit her lip as she watched Ling Ning’s retreating figure. Her eyes filled with stubborn determination. “No! I won’t give up! Master, you once told never to give up on anything!”
“That advice doesn’t apply to everything, especially not to situations like this!” Ling Ning sighed heavily. “Anyway, I’ll be heading ho now. Liking ... it’s truly not worth it.”
Without waiting for a response, Ling Ning walked to the door, put on her shoes, and left.
As the door clicked shut, Jiang Xue clenched her fists tightly. No matter what her Master said, she wouldn’t give up.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Ling Ning walked ho slowly, her usual calm smile replaced with a cloud of lancholy. What was happening? Her life seed to be spiraling into chaos.
Perhaps the idea of managing a harem was a complete fantasy after all.
She chuckled wryly to herself, feeling a deep fatigue settle in. It was exhausting to maintain the delicate balance of her relationships, only for unexpected incidents to keep throwing everything off course. She knew she couldn’t continue like this forever, but for now, she had no solutions.
Maybe taking a trip would help clear her mind.
Before she knew it, Ling Ning was standing at her doorstep. She retrieved her keys and opened the door to find her daughter, Ling Ye, curled up in the kotatsu, likely working on her novel.
Hearing the door, Ling Ye peeked out halfway, as if to greet her Mom, but imdiately retreated back under the kotatsu at the touch of cold air. “Welco back, Mom~” she mumbled from within.
“Mm. I was planning to make you a big dinner today, but I forgot. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow~”
“Okay!”
Ling Ye, focused on her computer, didn’t notice the slight weariness on her Mom’s face.
After a while, Ling Ning reappeared in the living room, freshly bathed. Her mood had improved sowhat, though the faint crease in her brow remained. She slid under the kotatsu and glanced at her daughter.
“Ye Ye, since we’re both on break, is there anywhere you’d like to go?”
“Nope. It’s so cold outside. I’d rather stay ho in the kotatsu,” Ling Ye replied, then added thoughtfully, “Of course, if Mom wants to go sowhere far away, I wouldn’t mind tagging along~”
“Hmm, I was thinking about taking a trip to B City.”
“B City?”
Ling Ye gave her Mom a puzzled look. “Why the sudden interest in B City?”
“Maybe because of the snow. There’s so much to do there.”
“As long as you’re happy, Mom, it’s fine with .”
For Ling Ye, it didn’t matter where they went. As long as she was with her Mom, even staying ho for the entire winter break would be perfectly fine.
“Alright, it’s decided then. But there’s no rush—we’ll go after I’ve handled a few things.”
Thinking of the mountain of work awaiting her at the company, along with other trivial matters, Ling Ning felt another wave of fatigue.
Just then, she noticed movent under the kotatsu. Ling Ye peeked her flushed face out from underneath, prompting Ling Ning to reach over and rub her cheeks affectionately.
“Mmph! Don’t squish my face!” Ling Ye protested, her words muffled.
“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” Ling Ning said, stifling a laugh.
Ling Ye pouted at her Mom. She had only co out to enjoy a simple mont with her, but sohow things had escalated into cheek squishing. Why did it always turn out like this?!
At that mont, Ling Ye noticed the bandage wrapped around her Mom’s hand. Concerned, she asked, “Mom, what happened to your hand?”
“Oh, this? It’s nothing—just a minor injury,” Ling Ning replied casually, waving her hand slightly to demonstrate. The movent clearly hurt, though.
“Hmm...”
“Alright, don’t give that look. I’m fine. By the way, have you thought about staying in the school dorms?”
Ling Ye froze for a mont before her face fell. “Mom, are you trying to get rid of ?”
“No, no! It’s just that dorm life could help you gain new experiences, make friends, and learn independence.”
“Absolutely not! I only want to stay with Mom!”
Ling Ning sighed, defeated by her daughter’s stubbornness. “Alright, fine. I was just suggesting it~”
She realized, once again, that her daughter’s tears were a weakness she couldn’t overco.
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