Hearing this, Jiang Ling looked up at Song Meng with a bit of confusion.
Hm?
Why did it feel like this person’s words had a sour undertone?
Jiang Ling stared at Song Meng’s dark, shining eyes, mumbling a little awkwardly, “Of course we didn’t do anything. Do you think everyone is like you?”
Her ears turned red, and she turned her head slightly aside. “Let me go.”
Although she wasn’t that famous, she did have some fans. With so many people passing by, if someone took a photo and posted it online, even if she jumped into the Yellow River she wouldn’t be able to explain herself.
Clearly, Song Meng had thought of this too. She sat up a bit, putting some distance between them, so it looked like two friends having a normal conversation.
But she asked again, “Really?”
“Really!”
Listening to her slightly suspicious tone, Jiang Ling pouted. “Xiao Yu is not the type to do anything weird to me…”
As she said this, the image of Lin Xiaoyu blindfolding her for a photo and biting her for a kiss suddenly flashed in her mind, and her confidence wavered.
“Hm?”
Song Meng caught her hesitation at the end, her gaze darkening, as if lost in thought.
Jiang Ling stammered, “Anyway, we really didn’t do anything, don’t overthink it. Wait—why am I even explaining this to you?”
Only after saying this did she realize something was off, glaring at Song Meng with a mix of shame and anger.
Creak.
The sound of the door opening behind them interrupted their conversation. Jiang Ling instinctively looked over and met Lin Mother’s calm face.
She was carrying a bag, something inside it, though Jiang Ling couldn’t see clearly. She was about to step aside for Lin Mother, but then heard her speak, “You’re Jiang Ling, right?”
Just like the first time they met, Lin Mother asked this again. But unlike before, this time there was neither forcefulness nor a layer of unfamiliarity; instead, she was very gentle.
So Jiang Ling nodded immediately. “Yes, Auntie.”
“I watched your performance today very carefully. I heard you joined midway, with little practice time, and I was surprised, because you did very well.”
Lin Mother praised Jiang Ling generously, her face sincere and without any pretense, leaving Jiang Ling at a loss for what to do for a moment.
She scratched her head, smiling shyly. “Xiao Yu definitely did much better than I did, Auntie, you flatter me.”
“She’s practiced for so many years, it’s only natural she’s better than you… Also, I have to thank you.”
Lin Mother shook her head with a smile, and then a hint of guilt flickered across her eyes. “If it weren’t for what you told me, I might still be trapped in my own self-righteous thoughts.”
Her apology and gratitude made Jiang Ling dazed for a moment. Then Lin Mother continued, “In fact, no one ever told me things like that. Everyone thought that since I was outstanding, I’d surely raise an excellent daughter. And I always believed that myself.”
“But your words made me think for a long time—was Xiaoyu really happy because of this? Or was I just doing it for my own selfishness?”
After a while, Lin Mother shook her head with a bitter smile. “Sorry, I’m talking too much. In short, I won’t interfere with Xiaoyu’s thoughts anymore, you can rest assured, I always keep my word.”
Having finished, she nodded calmly, and left with steady steps under Jiang Ling’s complicated gaze.
Almost as soon as she left, Lin Xiaoyu, wearing the same calm expression, stepped out of the room.
Jiang Ling couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: As expected of mother and daughter—their expressions looked like they’d been carved from the same mold.
“What did she say to you?”
Lin Xiaoyu looked at Jiang Ling, her voice very soft.
Jiang Ling pondered a moment, then answered concisely, “She said she won’t interfere with what you want anymore.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaoyu said nothing more, turning to look at Song Meng standing beside Jiang Ling, her voice even softer. “And she is?”
For some reason, Jiang Ling suddenly felt nervous, but forced herself to speak casually, “Song Meng, my classmate. You’ve met her before, haven’t you?”
Lin Xiaoyu nodded slowly. “I think I remember her.”
As she spoke, she reached out her hand to Song Meng. “Thank you for looking after Ling Ling.”
The air hung still for a moment.
But soon, Song Meng returned her handshake with a gentle smile. “No need for thanks. She actually looks after me more.”
Jiang Ling glanced left and right between them, unable to get a word in, and could only watch them talk. Though their conversation wasn’t serious, for some reason she felt a chill down her back.
“Uh, why don’t we go inside and talk?”
Jiang Ling could sense the curious glances from people passing by, so she coughed and suggested it herself.
When both of them fell into a strange, synchronized silence, Jiang Ling frowned, taking one of each of their hands and leading them inside. “What are you two spacing out for?”
Once inside, after they sat down, Jiang Ling tried to pull her hands back, but neither of them budged.
Confused, Jiang Ling looked at Lin Xiaoyu first, noticing her face was calm, but her grip was tight, saying nothing.
Surprised, she was about to ask, when she felt Song Meng tickling the other hand she held, causing her to shrink back a little and look over.
Song Meng intertwined their fingers skillfully, lips curled slightly. “Your hand feels cold. Let me warm it up for you.”
Jiang Ling had no real reason to refuse, so she watched as Song Meng rubbed her hand, her palm suddenly burning hot.
Seeing this, Lin Xiaoyu stared at their clasped hands for a while, then directly slipped Jiang Ling’s other hand between her own thighs.
“Xiao Yu?!”
This made Jiang Ling panic, her voice trembling out of shape.
Lin Xiaoyu, however, held her escaping hand firmly, explaining in her usual calm tone, “It’s warmer here.”
Because her hands and feet were naturally cold, she could only warm them like this. Somehow, that made a bit of sense… Like hell it did!
Jiang Ling speculated about her thoughts, then shook her head hard, utterly baffled. “What are you two doing? This is so weird! I’m not even cold!”
After that, she tried to pull her hands away, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t escape the two of them.
Song Meng even pressed closer on purpose, her breath brushing Jiang Ling’s ear. “Aren’t we just worried you’ll catch a chill?”
“I won’t… ah!”
Jiang Ling tried to retort, but found her other arm tightly pinned against Lin Xiaoyu’s chest.
“When it’s time to sleep, I’ll give her a nice ‘warm up.’”
“…You’re sharing a room?”
Faced with Song Meng’s sudden question, Jiang Ling froze for a moment, but still nodded instinctively.
“Ha, remember my mom said she wanted to meet you before? How about coming home with me tonight?”
Right after Song Meng spoke, Lin Xiaoyu followed up, “Tonight our members are having a celebration banquet, I’m afraid she won’t be able to go with you.”
The volley of voices on either side left Jiang Ling bewildered, nearly unable to breathe, her face flushed bright red.
Just then, Xu Nuo walked in and saw this scene:
Song Meng and Lin Xiaoyu sandwiching Jiang Ling between them, their bodies nearly pressing against her, while fragments of “sleep with me,” “no, she should come home with me” floated in the air.
Xu Nuo sucked in a breath, her fingers trembling as she pointed at the three before her.
“You… What are you two doing to my Ling Ling-chan?!”