Hearing this, Jiang Ling was dazed for a moment, realizing only belatedly what the “buns” Mo Ran was talking about referred to. Her face flushed with shame and annoyance as she rushed forward. “You’re not allowed to eat them!”
“Ha… you startled me.”
Fang Wannan patted her chest and looked at the suddenly appearing Jiang Ling, her brows furrowing as she asked, “What’s with all the fuss so early in the morning? It’s just buns. Don’t you like them?”
The question left Jiang Ling speechless. ‘I can’t exactly say I was eaten alive last night…’
“Cough! I don’t really want to eat them today. Let’s have something else, big sister~”
Jiang Ling simply changed the subject, swaying while pulling on Fang Wannan’s arm, certain that the other woman would fall for this tactic.
Sure enough, Fang Wannan frowned with an air of helplessness, though a faint smile played at the corners of her lips. “You’re getting picky now?”
“All right, go and rest. I’ll cook some wontons for you.”
Mo Ran had already bought frozen wontons the day before. She waved for the two of them to head out. “It seems Shen Yue has finished everything on her end. I expect she’ll send the song over today.”
“That fast?”
Jiang Ling couldn’t help but exclaim, sincerely admiring Shen Yue’s efficiency in her heart. She then thought of the other woman’s night-owl schedule and took out her phone to send a message.
[Are you awake?]
The reply came back in seconds.
[Just about to sleep.]
Jiang Ling wore an ‘I knew it’ expression and sent a “Goodnight” back. Hearing the notifications for their NOVA group chat chiming incessantly, she clicked on it.
Bai Xue had sent the song. Jiang Ling immediately clicked it to play. Fang Wannan glanced over and said, “Turn it up.”
She turned the volume to the maximum, and the entire room was filled with music. Jiang Ling closed her eyes and leaned against the sofa, listening intently to the song they had created together with Shen Yue.
She had to admit, perhaps because she viewed NOVA through a filtered lens, the more she listened, the more she liked it. With an excited and joyful expression, she sat up straight and leaned toward Fang Wannan. “Nannan, your singing is so good.”
“Hmph, stop flattering me. Unsolicited kindness always hides an ulterior motive.”
Fang Wannan curled her lip, but she slowly straightened her body to make Jiang Ling more comfortable.
“Oh, I’m just expressing my feelings!”
Jiang Ling wasn’t annoyed at all, her eyes curving into little crescents.
Mo Ran placed the wontons on the dining table and called toward the living room, “Food is ready.”
“Coming!”
After listening to the music, Jiang Ling was in a state of high excitement. She was even smiling while she ate, and her pace was not as fast as usual; instead, she seemed a bit distracted.
“Behave and eat. Don’t think about other things.”
Mo Ran gave Jiang Ling a subtle look and then spoke leisurely.
This instantly pulled Jiang Ling’s thoughts back. She subconsciously quickened her eating pace and then looked at Mo Ran with a hint of bashful annoyance, her voice carrying a trace of coquettishness. “Oh, I’m just happy!”
Mo Ran actually understood Jiang Ling’s excitement, so she didn’t really scold her. She offered a helpless reminder, “If you want to go out for some fresh air, you’d better do it today. Xiao Yu will probably start dance rehearsals tomorrow.”
This reminded Jiang Ling that she did indeed plan to go shopping soon.
After finishing her meal, Jiang Ling hurried back to her room, picked out a set of convenient casual clothes, and called Song Meng.
“Hello?”
Song Meng answered quickly, her voice tinged with surprise. “Calling me this early… did something happen?”
“Can’t I call you even if nothing happened?”
Jiang Ling didn’t even notice how playful her tone was. She asked cheerfully, “Are you free today? Can you go shopping with me? Oh, right, right! Our song is out! I want you to hear it!”
She chattered away like a little bird that had found its favorite food, flapping its wings desperately.
Naturally, Song Meng wouldn’t refuse. After agreeing on a location, the two set off to meet.
The commercial street wasn’t far from the dormitory, so Jiang Ling arrived first. She stood in an open area by the roadside, her heart full of joy, even quietly humming their song.
She couldn’t be blamed for her excitement. After all, this was truly a song that belonged to them, unlike their previous dance covers and song covers. From start to finish, it was infused with the hard work of everyone in NOVA. How could she not be happy?
When Song Meng arrived, she saw the other girl leaning against the wall, bobbing her head with a relaxed expression. Bluetooth earbuds were tucked into her ears, making them look even more delicate.
Afraid of startling Jiang Ling, Song Meng walked around to stand right in front of her and waved.
“You’re here!”
Jiang Ling responded immediately. She pulled out her earbuds, held them out, then quickly pulled them back, her face full of distress. “It’s too noisy here. You probably won’t be able to hear it clearly… Let’s listen once we find a quiet place!”
Song Meng had no objection to this. Seeing the heartfelt joy on the other’s face, she couldn’t help but smile as well. “What do you plan on buying today?”
“Actually, I don’t really have anything specific in mind. I just felt like staying at home all the time wasn’t good. I had to come out for some air, so I might as well buy a few things.”
As Jiang Ling spoke, her hair swayed, and a section of a necklace peeked out from under her turtleneck sweater. Song Meng saw it clearly — it was the one she had gifted her.
She asked as if casually, “You’re wearing the necklace?”
“Yeah, I wear it often.”
Jiang Ling didn’t catch the underlying meaning in Song Meng’s words. Instead, she answered seriously, “I like it a lot, and it’s very versatile. Even though the bell chimes, it isn’t too loud. I alternate wearing this with the necklace I bought before.”
As she spoke, she suddenly fell silent, and her pace quickened.
Song Meng was a bit surprised. Just as she was about to chase after her, she heard Jiang Ling’s soft words drifting through the air.
“I was supposed to wear that other one today, but because I was seeing you… I specifically changed into this one.”
After saying that, as if feeling ashamed, she rubbed her lip with the back of her hand and stiffly changed the subject. “Let’s go check out that store!”
Hearing this, Song Meng didn’t expose her, her eyes filled with tenderness.
“Okay.”
After walking a large circle, Jiang Ling was carrying a bag containing some makeup and jewelry. Having nothing else she wanted to buy, she pulled Song Meng to a cafe to rest.
“Ha… as I thought, shopping is still so tiring.”
Jiang Ling rubbed her aching wrists and then scanned the QR code. She skillfully ordered for Song Meng based on her preferences, her face showing a hint of pride. “Hmph, impressive, right? Today, it’s my treat.”
“You’re very impressive.”
Song Meng agreed with a smile, showing no sign of impatience.
In fact, she was quite curious. Because Song Meng knew that Jiang Ling’s voice and tone were excellent, she should be able to handle any song well.
After some small talk, Jiang Ling suddenly remembered her purpose for calling Song Meng out today. She immediately picked up her phone from the table. “Oh right, I wanted to let you hear our song!”
As she spoke, she tucked one earbud into her own ear and then held the other half out to Song Meng, though her movements were a bit unnatural.
Song Meng propped her chin on her hand and watched her fidgeting, unable to resist teasing her. “Why are you so nervous?”
Just as Song Meng was about to reach out to take it, she saw Jiang Ling silently tuck the earbud into her ear for her. Jiang Ling’s fingers brushed against the curve of her ear, bringing a slight numbness and a shiver.
Jiang Ling’s voice overlapped with the slowly beginning accompaniment.
“I am very nervous.”
She lowered her eyes, a pink flush spreading across her neck.
“Because I wanted you to be the first one to hear the song I sang.”