At the sound, Jiang Ling’s smile instantly froze on her face.
2
“Hurry up and say it.”
Mo Ran urged softly, her smile undiminished.
“There must be some kind of mistake!”
Jiang Ling’s voice stammered, “Who brainwashed you? Was it Xiaoyu’s manga, or some other nonsense?”
Listening to her almost shrill scream, Mo Ran didn’t look away, speaking unhurriedly, “No, I just happened to have some free time the last couple of days, so I browsed the comments section. The fans all seem to say I’m a motherly-type idol, I thought it was pretty interesting.”
“So you want me to call you that?!”
Seeing Jiang Ling’s utterly incredulous expression, Mo Ran tightened her grip on Jiang Ling’s chin. “Yes.”
“You… I! I won’t!”
Jiang Ling was momentarily stuck, her face full of resolve.
As a dignified girl of five feet, she would absolutely never lose her precious dignity in a place like this!
At this, Mo Ran raised her eyebrows. Under Jiang Ling’s fiercely resistant gaze, she looped her arms behind Jiang Ling’s neck and, without another word, pressed her firmly against her chest.
“Mmmpfff—”
Suddenly buried in that softness, Jiang Ling almost lost her breath in an instant. The suffocating force, mixed with the dizzying fragrance of a young girl, swept over her.
She struggled to greedily draw in air from the gaps, trying to protest, but her lips and tongue naturally pressed against the thin fabric of Mo Ran’s clothes. Her face flushed hot in an instant, and she whimpered, “Mmm…”
“Be good now.”
Mo Ran hugged her tightly, her voice almost bewitching, “Really not going to call me that?”
With that, she straightened her back slightly, pressing that beautiful shape even tighter against Jiang Ling’s cheek, making her presence unmistakably clear.
Jiang Ling felt that if she didn’t give in now, it wouldn’t be a matter of dignity anymore, but of survival.
So, with tears in her eyes, she clutched Mo Ran’s sleeve, her fingers trembling, and forced out a short, weak, indistinct sound from her throat—
“…Mom.”
After saying it, Jiang Ling felt as if her entire face and even her neck were on fire. Her mind went blank, her lips and tongue dry, and she didn’t even have the strength left to speak.
What kind of bizarre development is this?!
Mo Ran, after a brief daze, curled her lips into a smile, “Pretty obedient, aren’t you.”
The moment she released her grip, Jiang Ling reflexively darted several steps back, gulping in fresh air. Only then did the redness on her face fade slightly.
“I-I’m going back to practice!”
Almost fleeing, Jiang Ling rushed out the door.
Mo Ran savored the recent scene over and over, the smile in her eyes deepening. She gently stroked the spot on her chest where Jiang Ling had just been pressed.
“Hiss, that title is unexpectedly quite fun.”
At the same time, Xu Nuo posted news on the official website that NOVA would be performing at the upcoming comic convention, along with some pictures of merchandise that would be sold in limited quantities at the event—first come, first served.
This news made all the fans eager to attend, each one expressing their excitement.
[Wow, I was already planning to go to the con, this is killing two birds with one stone!]
[I must get my hands on the merch, ahhh!]
[Hehe, babies, I’m coming!]
And since this convention was crucial for Lin Xiaoyu’s future prospects, everyone put in extra effort during practice, working even harder than usual.
After finishing yet another run-through, Bai Xue pressed the music pause button, “Overall, it’s good, but Jiang Ling, some parts are half a beat too fast. Pay attention to that.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Ling nodded immediately, repeating the pointed-out mistake a few more times on the spot.
“How’s your duo dance coming along?”
Bai Xue wiped her sweat and looked toward Lin Xiaoyu.
“We’ve finished learning all the moves; now it’s all about the details.”
Lin Xiaoyu answered honestly, her gaze unconsciously landing on Jiang Ling, who was facing the mirror, practicing with intense focus. She added, “She doesn’t have much confidence in herself.”
“Mm, I figured as much.”
Bai Xue wasn’t surprised, giving the original track for their performance a rough look before saying, after a moment’s thought, “Have you considered your costumes?”
Jiang Ling happened to walk over just as she heard this, and couldn’t help but recall her earlier discussion with Fang Wannian, raising her hand to signal, “We’ve thought about it, Nan Nan and I…”
As she spoke, she made eye contact with Fang Wannian.
“Ahem!”
Fang Wannian immediately turned away in a fluster, wiping her sweat and drinking water, looking busier than ever.
Jiang Ling knew she was still bothered about what happened last time, so she sensibly didn’t look again, instead retracting her gaze and continuing, “We think we can use two completely opposite characters to represent this dance.”
“Mm, that’s a good idea.”
Bai Xue looked approvingly, continuing to ask, “Like what, for example?”
Hearing this, Jiang Ling met Mo Ran’s encouraging eyes and braced herself, “It should be… an angel and a demon.”
This made Xu Nuo, who was sprawled in the corner sketching, light up at once. She jumped up and walked over, “Angel and demon? Now that’s my specialty!”
“Are you talking about the story where a pure, adorable, paper-white angel gets ravaged by a yandere, perverted demon with a crazy obsession and huge boobs? I already have the plot in my head—mmph mmph—”
“Shut up and finish your sketch, you pervert!”
By now, Jiang Ling was no longer flustered as she covered Xu Nuo’s mouth.
It just came from practice, nothing more!
Even with her mouth forcibly shut, Xu Nuo’s face was still brimming with excitement, mumbling something like “Ling Ling-chan’s hands smell so good, let me sniff, let me sniff…”
“Ugh, anyway, just ignore this pervert for now.”
Jiang Ling pushed the now delirious Xu Nuo back into the dark corner and continued, “The overall costume concept is basically black and white. As for the style—”
Busy as if she was driving a hundred taxis, Fang Wannian immediately spoke up, “I can help with that.”
“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?”
Lin Xiaoyu frowned slightly. She really didn’t want to inconvenience too many people over her own matters.
“Don’t worry, it’s easy enough. I needed to make new clothes these days anyway. As long as you can provide the design, I guarantee I can make it for you.”
Fang Wannian didn’t mind at all, giving a brief explanation.
“Design, huh…”
Jiang Ling pondered, and before she could speak, she felt a scorching, hungry gaze stuck firmly on her.
She wanted to ignore it, but thinking of the stage, she forced herself to endure and looked at Xu Nuo, who was practically displaying her feathers like a peacock, “Go ahead, what do you have in mind?”
“I have one!”
Xu Nuo replied almost instantly, flipping her tablet around. The contents of the screen were immediately presented to everyone in the room:
A petite figure, a halo above her head, angel wings spread, kneeling on the floor. Her skin and clothes were both as white as snow, nearly blending into each other; behind her, a demon with horns on her head had her fingers prying apart the angel’s plump rear, and further down was a hazy mess. All around them floated heart bubbles and an endless string of interjections.
Jiang Ling couldn’t take it anymore. She pressed the power button, turning off the screen, her face burning with embarrassment.
“I wanted you to design the costumes—”
“Who the hell told you to draw a lewd pic?! And with built-in censorship too?!”
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