“It’s not what you think!”
Fang Wannan frantically shook her arm, trying to correct the memory in Jiang Ling’s mind. Her voice sounded especially guilty, “Yesterday… nothing happened yesterday!”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling, whose heart had already grown numb, deftly pulled at her own clothes. The fresh hickey on her neck and the bruises on her thigh left Fang Wannan utterly speechless.
She let out two awkward laughs, her mind racing for an excuse.
“This was because, because… right, because I drank too much!”
Even though Fang Wannan knew that blaming everything on alcohol at a time like this was shameless scumbag behavior, she felt too embarrassed to admit the truth, remembering how she’d spilled nearly all her secrets the night before.
Her voice was stammering, “I-I don’t even really like working with you!”
After saying that, Fang Wannan pressed her lips together, her expression looking a bit unnatural.
Hearing this, Jiang Ling couldn’t help but recall Fang Wannan’s unusually candid demeanor when drunk the night before, and for a moment she became stubborn as well, her voice skeptical, “Really? But last night you were crying and saying you wanted to work with me, hugging me and kissing me and doing all sorts of things, not even letting me reply to other women, saying things like mm-mm-mm—”
“Shut up!”
Fang Wannan’s cheeks were flushed bright red, and without another word she covered Jiang Ling’s mouth, her whole body steaming like a boiling kettle.
Ahh, as if she would ever do something so embarrassing!
“Of course it was because I was drunk! How could I possibly get angry over something so trivial?”
Fang Wannan slowly pulled her hand back, clearing her throat and trying to appear composed.
So Jiang Ling gave an exaggerated “oh” and turned her head, her voice deliberately teasing, “Then next time, I’ll go work with Xiaoyu instead. After all, you don’t even want to work with me…”
Before she could finish, her body was spun around.
Fang Wannan bit her lip and stared intensely into Jiang Ling’s eyes. After a long pause, she muttered,
“Dummy.”
She didn’t wait for Jiang Ling to react before pulling her into a tight embrace.
“I suppose I can reluctantly work with you. Once this chance is gone, there won’t be another… so you’d better cherish the opportunity!”
As she spoke, her hug tightened.
This left Jiang Ling momentarily short of breath and no longer in the mood to tease. She quickly agreed, “Okay, okay, let go of me first—I can’t breathe!”
Fang Wannan clicked her tongue and released her hold on Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling first loosened her collar, then couldn’t help but recall the scene from yesterday when Fang Wannan had lost control and shouted out her true feelings.
She hesitantly asked, “You said you’d get jealous seeing me with someone else. Could it be that you actually… like me…?”
“How could something like that ever happen?!”
Fang Wannan, who had just calmed down, broke character instantly at these words. With her utterly unconvincing blushing face, she gritted her teeth and retorted, “At most, that’s just friendship, got it!”
At that, Jiang Ling muttered under her breath, “Whose best friend gets drunk and then spends the night together—”
“Isn’t that happening right in front of you!”
Fang Wannan hurriedly cut Jiang Ling off, her eyes darting around, but she kept her face straight and said, righteously, “Don’t compare me to anyone else. Everyone has their own way of dealing with things. It just so happens that I… I’m just like this, that’s all.”
By the end, even she sounded a little guilty, her voice growing softer.
“In short—”
“I-I just don’t have much experience interacting with friends, so I felt helpless, that’s why I ignored you.”
Fang Wannan lowered her head, fidgeting with her fingers.
She’d never really had close friends growing up—at most, just some superficial, unavoidable interactions, which she found extremely tiresome. For a long time, she thought friends were nothing more than something dispensable.
But after spending time with everyone in NOVA, that belief had completely disappeared.
Still, in Fang Wannan’s mind, there was a subtle difference between Jiang Ling and the other members.
At least, when dealing with others, she didn’t experience those confusing emotions.
At the same time, Fang Wannan was ashamed of her growing possessiveness, unable to grasp the right boundaries, which was why she had started giving Jiang Ling the cold shoulder.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling finally understood what she meant.
Oh… she’s just a spoiled kid who likes to act cute~
At this moment, Jiang Ling had completely forgotten how, last night, she had been the one crying and whimpering beneath this “spoiled kid.”
An overflowing sense of tenderness made her gently cup Fang Wannan’s trembling hand, her voice firm, “I’m sorry, but from now on, I’ll be more attentive. I promise, I’ll never neglect you again.”
Such a straightforward promise made Fang Wannan’s ears turn bright red.
She hurriedly pulled her hand back, scooped up her scattered clothes, and dashed into the bathroom.
“I-I’m going to take a shower—”
Watching Fang Wannan flee, Jiang Ling chuckled softly, then stood there frowning at the wall, lost in thought.
Eh, what was she forgetting?
Song Meng stared at her chat window with Jiang Ling for a long time. Not a single message had come in since last night.
Is she still not awake?
It must have snowed all night yesterday. By the time Jiang Ling finished tidying up and stepped out of her room, she saw a silvery-white world outside the window, and her eyes immediately sparkled.
As far as she knew, it didn’t snow often here, and even then, nowhere near as much as in the north. But seeing everything blanketed in white, Jiang Ling was perfectly content to just stand and stare for a while.
Mo Ran had just finished making breakfast. Watching Jiang Ling staring dreamily out the window, she followed her gaze and suddenly understood, putting down her plate as she asked casually, “Want to go play in the snow?”
“Can I?!”
Jiang Ling replied almost before the words were out, her eyes shining.
“It’s not practice time yet. If we play for a little while after breakfast, it should be fine.”
She brought a finger to her lips, signaling for silence. “But don’t tell Bai Xue-jie, okay? Hehe.”
Jiang Ling nodded eagerly like a pecking chick and began eating breakfast with a happy heart.
Today’s breakfast was as hearty and nutritious as always, and Jiang Ling couldn’t help but gush, “Your cooking is just too good, wuwu, I wish you could cook for me for a lifetime!”
Hearing her blurt it out, Mo Ran paused, spoon in hand. When she looked up again, her eyes were filled with amusement. “Oh my, isn’t it a bit too soon to make such a heartfelt confession to your sister so early in the morning?”
“Huh?”
Jiang Ling stuffed her mouth with food, looking confused.
“Saying you want someone to cook for you for a lifetime—isn’t that something people only say when proposing?”
Mo Ran rested her chin on her hand, countering leisurely.
“Pffft…!”
Jiang Ling nearly spat out her porridge at that, hurriedly snatching the tissue Mo Ran handed her with a smile, frantically wiping her mouth and shaking her head, “That’s not what I meant!”
“That’s too bad~”
Mo Ran’s teasing tone made Jiang Ling avert her eyes, mumbling as she changed the subject, “I’m done eating, let’s go play!”
Watching Jiang Ling cheer like a child, Mo Ran didn’t tease her any further. She quickly fetched two pairs of thick gloves.
“Put these on before going out.”
Mo Ran grabbed Jiang Ling, who was trying to dash off, and slipped the gloves onto her hands.
“It’s only for a little while…”
Jiang Ling tried to argue, but was immediately cowed by the gentle, chilly look in Mo Ran’s eyes.
Once they were dressed, the two finally stepped outside.
Seeing the snow, Jiang Ling happily grabbed a handful and tossed it at Mo Ran.
The fine flakes scattered through the air, finally landing lightly on Mo Ran’s body.
She smiled, and simply made a snowball and threw it back.
The two were having a blast. Fang Wannan, now composed, glimpsed them through the window. She froze, then stomped out, pulling on her gloves with a huff.
Fang Wannan stared at Jiang Ling, who was having the time of her life, lips pursed and fists clenched. Without a word, she charged between the two, looking a little resentful.
“You just promised me you wouldn’t ignore me…”
“Why didn’t you invite me to play?!”