“No, you’ve actually misunderstood…”
Jiang Ling sat on the chair, shrinking back. Within her line of sight sat all the older sisters of NOVA, every single one of them staring at her with serious expressions.
Shen Yue sat beside her, looking at everything before her with a dazed expression.
“Misunderstood?!”
Fang Wannan laughed in pure anger. She slammed her phone onto the table, the screen filled with missed calls she had made to Jiang Ling. “You just promised us you wouldn’t pull that disappearing act, but you forgot the moment you turned around. Now you’ve even brought a woman back. Jiang Ling, I think you’re getting bolder and bolder, aren’t you?”
Hearing this, Jiang Ling bit her lip, not daring to make a sound.
To be honest, it had been a long time since she had seen Fang Wannan lose her temper, so much so that Jiang Ling had almost forgotten that the woman with the most explosive temper in the house was none other than her.
—
“Listen to my explanation.”
Jiang Ling’s voice was dry, carrying a hint of a plea.
She should have seen this coming.
‘If I didn’t go looking for trouble, I wouldn’t be in this mess. Waaah!’
But things had already come to this, and the priority was to explain the situation as quickly as possible. So, Jiang Ling braved Fang Wannan’s almost literal fiery gaze and forced herself to speak. “Let me introduce her. Her name is Shen Yue.”
This caused Fang Wannan, who was about to say something else, to pause. She looked at the slightly restrained Shen Yue sitting across from her and clicked her tongue. “Why does that name sound so familiar…”
“Ham-burger.”
Lin Xiaoyu explained with a flat expression.
Jiang Ling immediately shot a look of extreme gratitude toward her. As expected, at a time like this, only her dear roommate would stand by her side—
But Lin Xiaoyu slowly looked away, having no intention of paying Jiang Ling any attention.
This caused Jiang Ling’s head to slump in defeat as she once again realized the severity of the situation. Even Xiaoyu was this angry, let alone Bai Xue and Mo Ran.
Before Jiang Ling could think further, Fang Wannan asked with some exasperation, “So you’re saying this is that composer?”
“Yes.”
Jiang Ling’s expression was listless, and she didn’t dare to meet the eyes of the sisters around her. She felt a chill running down her back.
Fang Wannan hesitated several times, but in the end, her reason overcame her anger. She tried her best to speak calmly. “Then you brought her back because?”
When the topic was mentioned, Bai Xue’s gaze followed immediately, staring intently at Shen Yue.
Feeling the gaze, Shen Yue looked up. After seeing Bai Xue, she was clearly stunned for a moment. Then, she asked tentatively, “Are you… Bai Xue?”
“It’s me.”
Bai Xue immediately nodded in response, her eyes filled with a bit of complexity.
They had actually only met a few times and hadn’t really communicated much. However, she estimated that Jiang Ling had already told Shen Yue about her before they arrived, so Bai Xue wasn’t surprised that she knew who she was.
“I plan to sell the song to you.”
Seeing Bai Xue nod, Shen Yue didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point.
Upon hearing this news, everyone’s faces simultaneously broke into joyful smiles. After all, the song they were most satisfied with from the beginning was the one from Shen Yue’s hand.
“I’m very happy to hear that.”
Bai Xue’s expression looked as if a heavy burden had suddenly been lifted, and much of the fatigue between her brows dissipated.
Things hadn’t been going very smoothly on her end, so being able to get this news was indeed a stroke of luck.
“And she even wrote some b-sides.”
Jiang Ling interjected from the side, trying to change the subject so that everyone wouldn’t focus their gaze on her.
“Oh?”
Mo Ran immediately arched an eyebrow. Without a word, she walked behind Jiang Ling and wrapped her arms around her neck in a back hug. Her voice slowly sounded in Jiang Ling’s ear, “Is that so?”
It was clearly just an ordinary question, but Jiang Ling somehow heard a sense of danger in it.
She subconsciously swallowed and nodded with a very strained smile. “Yes, yes.”
Shen Yue looked at the scene before her, her eyes carrying a bit of a sigh as she looked at Jiang Ling. There was even a bit of… pity?
But Jiang Ling had no room to argue. She could only silently close her mouth in Mommy Mo Ran’s “broad embrace.”
After a brief moment of shock, Shen Yue took out the several songs she had prepared in advance and began to introduce them one by one with some shyness. “This song is more of a melodic ballad, and this one…”
Everyone was drawn in by these exceptionally pleasant songs and was full of praise.
“It’s really good.”
Lin Xiaoyu was the first to give her evaluation. Whether it was the title track or the b-sides, she could almost imagine her own dancing figure, bright and brilliant.
“Yes, I agree.”
Although Fang Wannan still cared about Jiang Ling’s matter, she still gave the most objective evaluation in the face of serious business. “It really is much better than the ones we heard before. I feel like my ears have been purified.”
“I think so too. Don’t you agree, Lingling?”
Mo Ran gently scraped Jiang Ling’s cheek with her finger, her voice carrying an indistinguishable emotion.
Jiang Ling could only bite her lip and weakly nod in agreement.
Shen Yue tactfully looked away and turned toward Bai Xue, who should be the team leader. Her voice was a bit dry as she asked, “What do you think?”
She hadn’t provided songs for anyone in a long time, so it would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous. Fortunately, the people present didn’t look scary and didn’t give Shen Yue a strong sense of pressure.
“I think it’s perfectly fine. If anything, your agreement to sell the songs to us has solved our urgent problem.”
Bai Xue spoke from the bottom of her heart, looking truly relieved.
“What about the lyrics?”
Jiang Ling watched them chatting happily and asked in confusion.
Hearing this, Bai Xue moved her gaze to Jiang Ling. “I found a few people. In the next few days, I’ll have them write several versions of the lyrics, and we’ll all look at which one is better together.”
Following that, Bai Xue and Shen Yue talked in detail about the specific matters of the cooperation, and the sky darkened before they knew it.
“It’s getting late anyway. Why don’t you stay for dinner?”
After finishing the business talk, Bai Xue was clearly much more refreshed. She immediately invited Shen Yue, who was preparing to leave.
“Huh? No need…”
“It’s fine, don’t be polite.”
Fang Wannan directly interrupted her refusal. With a face full of pride, she pointed at Mo Ran, who was still holding Jiang Ling and whispering something. “This one’s cooking is at the level of a Michelin chef. If there’s anything you want to eat, just tell her.”
“I want French fries.”
Lin Xiaoyu raised her hand, her face written with simple longing.
“Do you really need Mo Ran… uh, Sister Ran to make something like that? I’ll make them for you!”
Jiang Ling, who was tightly restrained by Mo Ran, didn’t let go of any opportunity to suck up. She hurriedly showed her determination, blinking her eyes at Mo Ran with a gaze full of pleading.
This was a chance to make up for her mistakes!
“Since when do you know how to fry potatoes?”
Mo Ran looked at Jiang Ling with a half-smile. “If you get hurt in a moment, won’t I still be the one taking care of you?”
This left Jiang Ling speechless for a moment. Her gaze dodged several times before she finally looked up firmly.
“I can do it!”
Regarding this, Mo Ran didn’t repeatedly refuse and crush her self-esteem. Instead, she released the arm restraining Jiang Ling and walked toward the kitchen.
“Then come to the kitchen with me.”
—
The kitchen wasn’t far from the living room. As soon as Jiang Ling entered, she saw Mo Ran slam the kitchen door shut with a clean and swift motion.
Instantly, a sense of foreboding enveloped Jiang Ling’s heart.
She hurriedly turned toward the refrigerator. “Where are the fries—”
Before she could finish, she was pressed from behind by Mo Ran. Her body was pinned against the cold refrigerator, causing her small face to crumple, her expression filled with panic.
She knew she would probably be “interrogated,” but she didn’t expect it to come so quickly!
A sense of crisis made Jiang Ling speak in a hurried tone, “There are still guests waiting outside. Sister, let’s do this later… Ngh?!”
She felt a sharp bite on the side of her neck from Mo Ran. She helplessly and miserably tilted her chin back, her mind going blank. She could only push back with a strained voice, “Don’t…”
Mo Ran had indeed used quite a bit of force, at least in Jiang Ling’s view. It wasn’t like the gentle pecking kisses from before, but rather a ruthless biting and grinding.
It left Jiang Ling at a loss for a moment. Her trembling fingers didn’t know what to grasp, so she could only desperately claw at the edge of the refrigerator door. Although her body was confined in Mo Ran’s arms, she was still swaying unsteadily.
“You said there are guests outside?”
Mo Ran slowly looked up, staring at the teeth marks she had bitten into her. The danger in her eyes gradually intensified. “You’re thinking about another woman while you’re with me?”
Feeling her extremely oppressive words, Jiang Ling had a bitter taste in her mouth but couldn’t speak. she could only struggle to pull the corners of her lips to argue, “No, I’m not.”
“You’re not?”
Feeling Jiang Ling’s trembling body, Mo Ran didn’t give her another chance to argue. She slowly moved her lips and teeth along the side of her neck until that fair skin was covered in marks she had left. Only then did she contentedly rub the area with her thumb.
“Mmm, it looks much better this way. Don’t you think?”
Mo Ran seemed to be intentionally teasing Jiang Ling. Her hand slid down to pinch her waist, and she leaned into her earlobe with an exceptionally seductive tone, blowing gently. She even reached out with the tip of her tongue to touch it.
“Eek!”
Jiang Ling immediately shivered sensitively, and tears welled up in her eyes, teetering on the edge. But because her body was being held down firmly, she could only beg for mercy with a pitiful and soft voice, “I was wrong! I was wrong!”
“Wrong about what?”
Mo Ran asked back almost immediately, following up on her advantage, as if she were determined to hold Jiang Ling accountable for her faults.
This caused Jiang Ling to be silent for a while. Then, she said tentatively, “Wrong for… pulling a disappearing act?”
“And?”
“And for not replying to your messages.”
The more she spoke, the more guilty Jiang Ling felt. She had unknowingly done so many unforgivable things.
“Continue.”
Mo Ran’s voice was low and hushed. Though it was husky, it wasn’t unpleasant. It was like a deep cello, coaxing Jiang Ling’s dizzy mind to continue speaking.
“Is there more…?”
That confused answer made Mo Ran prop up Jiang Ling’s body, which was shaking uncontrollably from the stimulation. With a forceful turn, that pitiful, tear-filled little face was presented before her eyes.
This appearance was the most capable of arousing one’s desire for protection and possession.
“And you didn’t do what you promised your sister.”
Mo Ran tilted Jiang Ling’s chin up, the look in her eyes dark and unreadable.
“Tell me, how should I punish you?”