Jiang Ling followed Bai Xue to a slightly more secluded spot with a bewildered expression. Seeing the older girl’s solemn gaze, her heart skipped a beat.
Before Bai Xue could say anything, Jiang Ling immediately dropped into a deep bow to apologize. “I was wrong!”
This made Bai Xue, who had prepared a long lecture to educate Jiang Ling, click her tongue in frustration. She poked Jiang Ling’s forehead with her fingertip. “You’re certainly quick to apologize. Do you even know what you did wrong?”
“I shouldn’t have acted so impulsively!”
Jiang Ling answered in a heartbeat, even offering a somewhat flattering smile.
After all, she really had been inconsiderate in this matter. Although her intentions were good, if the people from the House of Fang hadn’t arrived in time, her actions would have been exceptionally foolish.
“Since you understand, then remember: you are not allowed to let something like this happen again.”
Bai Xue didn’t intend to keep nagging her. She paused for a moment, looking somewhat helpless. “Whether it’s you, Mo Ran, the others, or me, we are all indispensable parts of NOVA. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
Jiang Ling nodded like a chick pecking at grain, listening obediently to Bai Xue’s words.
This adorable appearance made Bai Xue unable to resist curling her lips into a smile. “Alright, let’s go home. Didn’t you want to eat sweet and sour pork ribs? Sister is treating you today. We’ll go to the supermarket and you can buy whatever you want.”
“Hooray!”
***
With Bai Xue’s financial support, Jiang Ling walked through the supermarket with an air of arrogance. She pointed at things like a conqueror surveying her domain, loading a massive pile of snacks into the shopping cart.
“Aren’t we here to buy groceries?”
Lin Xiaoyu picked up a bag of potato chips from the cart, looked at it, and then put it back. She had no intention of snitching. “But this flavor is delicious, so I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything.”
Behind them, Mo Ran looked helplessly at the shopping cart overflowing with snacks. She stepped forward and joined Jiang Ling in pushing the cart. “That should be enough, shouldn’t it?”
It wasn’t that she didn’t want Jiang Ling to eat snacks, but this amount was truly a bit ridiculous.
Hearing Mo Ran’s voice, Jiang Ling instinctively withdrew her hand just as she was about to grab more.
‘Dammit… what’s with this natural sense of pressure?’
Before she could think further, a familiar figure appeared within her field of vision.
Just as Jiang Ling was about to speak, she heard Fang Wannian speak up beside her in surprise, “Isn’t that Shen Yue?”
Following her gaze, everyone looked over together.
Sure enough, a young girl stood in the fruit section not far away with a focused expression. She was comparing the products in her hands, looking quite distressed.
“Shen Yue!”
Fang Wannian didn’t think much of it as she waved and called out.
Hearing the voice, Shen Yue raised her eyebrows in surprise and looked over. After her eyes met Jiang Ling’s, a cunning smile spread across her lips.
“You guys are here to buy groceries too?”
She walked over and greeted them naturally.
Jiang Ling also smiled and raised her hand, but her movements stiffened the moment she saw the small mole under the girl’s eye.
‘Shen Ran?’
She opened her mouth, but she saw Shen Ran sizing her up with great interest. The girl even licked her lips in a somewhat seductive manner, clearly plotting something in that head of hers.
Jiang Ling thought of the group of protective sisters behind her and wisely chose not to expose her identity here. Instead, she said with emphasis, “Shen Yue, what are you here to buy?”
Hearing Jiang Ling’s voice, Shen Ran’s smile widened. However, she was very cooperative and immediately adopted Shen Yue’s usual posture, responding naturally, “Just buying some instant food to stock up. I usually stay up too late composing, so I don’t have the energy to cook.”
“I see.”
The others, who didn’t know Shen Ran, didn’t notice anything unusual. They continued browsing the supermarket while chatting.
Throughout the entire process, the most nervous person was undoubtedly Jiang Ling, the only one who knew Shen Ran’s true identity.
She was truly afraid that Shen Ran would suddenly feel playful and do something unexpected, so her nerves were tight the entire time they shopped.
Such a state naturally couldn’t escape Mo Ran’s eyes. She asked doubtfully, “What’s wrong with you?”
“Ah… it’s nothing.”
Jiang Ling didn’t know how to explain it, so she gave a casual response. Suddenly, a soft sensation pressed against her other arm.
“Are you tired?”
Shen Ran leaned against her arm, the playfulness in her eyes impossible to hide.
“Cough!”
Jiang Ling coughed heavily, trying to pull her arm away. But she couldn’t budge it at all, so she could only force a dry laugh. “Haha, yeah…”
“Then let’s finish buying things and head back quickly.”
Hearing that, Bai Xue spoke up immediately. Fang Wannian and Lin Xiaoyu simultaneously quickened their pace, grabbing the ingredients they needed in just a few moves.
Jiang Ling finally realized that they were only browsing the supermarket to play with her. While feeling a bit embarrassed, she also felt exceptionally happy. She stopped worrying about the predatory Shen Ran by her side and successfully checked out.
“Do you want a ride?”
As they headed out, Bai Xue looked at Shen Ran and asked.
“Thank you, but there’s no need. I drove here.”
Shen Ran waved her hand, thanking Bai Xue for the kindness. Then, just as Jiang Ling was about to get into the car, she suddenly hugged her from behind, leaning in to whisper in her ear.
“Keep an eye on your teammates.”
Then, as if she had said nothing at all, she straightened up and walked away with a smile.
Jiang Ling watched her departing back in a daze, her mind feeling a bit chaotic.
‘What does that mean?’
She wanted to call out to Shen Ran to ask for clarification, but Mo Ran’s voice urged her from the side. “Lingling?”
“Mm, I’m coming.”
***
The next day’s filming went very smoothly. The Director was full of praise, and after more than half a day, everything was finished.
“Hard work, everyone.”
The Director revealed a satisfied smile and took the lead in applauding. “Let’s offer our blessings to NOVA, who will be debuting soon!”
They had been gentle and cooperative with the staff during the filming, so everyone naturally followed along with well-intentioned applause. Some of the more extroverted people even whistled.
Feeling the overwhelming enthusiasm, Jiang Ling smiled shyly. After bowing with her sisters to express their gratitude, they returned to the dormitory.
Once back, she collapsed directly onto the sofa. “It’s finally over — “
Most of the work was finished. The remaining parts were just miscellaneous bits that shouldn’t take much time.
Bai Xue checked her phone and clapped her hands. “There’s something I need to tell you all.”
Everyone’s attention converged on her.
“I sold this house and bought a new one in a place with better privacy. After all, this place is too close to where we used to hold our public performances. It’s easy for security risks to arise.”
As she spoke, she sent the new address to their group chat. She looked at Fang Wannian and added, “I saved a room for you.”
“Okay, I’ll tell my mother and move over.”
Fang Wannian nodded in understanding.
This change felt a bit novel to Jiang Ling. She climbed up from the sofa and pulled the equally collapsed Lin Xiaoyu toward their room. “Let’s go, time to pack our things.”
“Carry me.”
Lin Xiaoyu looked exhausted, leaning almost her entire body weight onto Jiang Ling.
“Stop talking nonsense!”
Despite saying that, Jiang Ling still struggled to lead Lin Xiaoyu forward. Once they finally returned to their room, she felt a bit sentimental for a moment.
‘Are we really leaving this place?’
She had many memories here — happy ones, sad ones… and some that couldn’t be told to others.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ling’s ears turned red. She shook her head to drive the thoughts away. While organizing, she browsed a short video app, watching cute cats and dogs to keep her mood pleasant.
After tidying up her bed and the items on her desk, Jiang Ling naturally scrolled down and saw NOVA’s official account. It seemed they had already started the hype, and the comments below expressed great anticipation.
Jiang Ling curled her lips into a smile and continued scrolling, but then her gaze froze.
She stared at the familiar footage on the screen and the eye-catching headline in the title. Her body froze in place —
**[#NOVA member Mo Ran suspected of slapping someone at the filming site]**