Jiang Ling had an ominous premonition.
Specifically, it was because the other four people were now surrounding her, as if performing some ancient and mysterious ritual, murmuring among themselves.
“Team wife?”
“Don’t you think she’s perfect for that role?”
“I’d say team bully.”
Faced with the young lady’s sharp retort, Mo Ran couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
“No difference~ Everyone loves seeing girls being all cute and close, right? I think it’s a great idea.”
“Agreed.”
Lin Xiaoyu raised her hand slightly, her expression serious and well-behaved.
“Not entirely impossible.”
Though Fang Wannan was sharp-tongued, she didn’t object.
Bai Xue’s smile widened, and she propped her chin thoughtfully.
“Didn’t Xiao Ran buy some JK uniforms, cat ears, and Lolita stuff before, saying they’d come in handy eventually?”
“Oh~”
Mo Ran immediately took action, dragging out a large box.
Looking at the dazzling array of adorable props inside, Jiang Ling’s expression stiffened.
“Excuse me, what are you all talking about?”
“Cat ears first? They’d suit her well.”
“Um, I haven’t agreed to anything…?”
“JK uniform, then. She’s about high school age anyway, all youthful and vibrant. Perfect.”
“Uh…?”
Jiang Ling stared blankly as the group began holding props up to her, finally realizing with dawning horror that she was likely about to be dressed up in these things for some kind of embarrassing performance.
A chill ran through her, and she took several steps back, shaking her head in panic.
“No way, no way, I absolutely won’t wear them!”
“Come on, what’s so bad about it~”
Mo Ran flashed her signature idol smile, holding a pair of remarkably realistic fluffy white cat ears, her eyes glinting as she grabbed Jiang Ling’s shoulders.
“No, no, no!”
Jiang Ling, flustered, tried to escape, only to turn and find her retreat blocked by the quiet Lin Xiaoyu.
Lin Xiaoyu was holding a tail that matched the cat ears, studying its design intently.
“Just tie it on, right?”
“Tie it on?!”
Jiang Ling let out a horrified squeak, shrinking back and looking pitifully at the older girls approaching with charming smiles, trembling all over.
Well, unless something unexpected happened, she was about to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime transformation…
“Since she’s wearing the earrings, how about a maid outfit next?”
Bai Xue pulled out a cute maid outfit from who-knows-where, joining the chaos.
“No, no, don’t take my clothes off, waaah… Wait, the inner layers too? You’re kidding, right?!”
“Bai Xue-jie, you’re my only sister, please don’t touch there!”
“I’m not pure anymore, aaaaah!”
After what felt like an eternity, the commotion finally settled.
Jiang Ling stared blankly at herself in the mirror.
Her long, cascading black hair was topped with a pair of exquisitely crafted white cat ears, so lifelike they seemed real, twitching slightly when she shook her head.
Below that was an utterly embarrassing maid outfit: instead of a collar, a black ribbon tied around her neck accentuated its delicate fairness.
The lace-trimmed dress barely reached the tops of her thighs, paired with semi-sheer black stockings that hugged her slender legs, her bare feet standing on the floor.
And that wasn’t all.
Jiang Ling, face flushed red, stared at the tail sprouting from behind her, complete with a pink bow tied at its base.
Her toes curled in mortification.
What in the world was this?!
As Jiang Ling wallowed in extreme embarrassment, the others let out simultaneous gasps of admiration.
“So cute!” Mo Ran unconsciously stepped closer, grinning as she fiddled with the cat ears on Jiang Ling’s head, then patted her.
“Good girl, Little Bell, we’re taking photos later.”
“Photos too?!”
Jiang Ling, on the verge of tears, asked pitifully.
“Yeah, why else would we dress you up like this?”
Fang Wannan picked up her line, her gaze flickering and her ears slightly red as she muttered, “Tch, not bad, I guess.”
Lin Xiaoyu’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the cat-girl version of Jiang Ling, her fingers instinctively pulling out her phone and snapping a quick “click” while Jiang Ling wasn’t looking.
Jiang Ling whipped her head around, catching Lin Xiaoyu calmly putting her phone away.
“You took a picture, didn’t you?!”
“Just for keepsakes.”
Lin Xiaoyu replied coolly, unfazed.
“Delete it, delete it now!”
Jiang Ling, frantic, rushed toward Lin Xiaoyu to grab her phone.
Seeing this, Lin Xiaoyu casually raised her arm, holding the phone out of Jiang Ling’s reach, a faint smile flashing in her eyes.
“Sure, grab it, and you can delete it.”
Jiang Ling stared at the impossible distance, her face flushed as she stood on tiptoes, stretching desperately but unable to reach, hopping in place like an indignant little bunny.
“Ugh, so annoying, give it back—”
“Get it yourself.”
Watching the scene, inspiration struck Mo Ran.
She whipped out her phone, recorded a seven-or-eight-second video, then tinkered with it, adding a trendy pop song before showing it to Bai Xue.
“How’s this vibe?”
Bai Xue looked at the screen, where Jiang Ling, biting her lip with teary eyes, was being mercilessly teased by Lin Xiaoyu, looking both pitiful and irresistibly cute.
“Perfect, that’s the effect.”
She nodded in approval.
Mo Ran gave an OK gesture and stopped Jiang Ling, who was still trying to jump for the phone.
“Alright, alright, time for the photoshoot.”
“I’m absolutely not doing it!”
Jiang Ling declared, resolute and unyielding.
Fang Wannan raised an eyebrow.
“One photo, ten thousand.”
Jiang Ling fell silent.
“…There’s always an exception.”
And so, fueled by conviction (and money), Jiang Ling began the humiliating photoshoot.
Mo Ran signaled for Bai Xue to stand next to Jiang Ling, thrilled by the chemistry-filled scene.
“Bai Xue-jie, just act naturally, I’ll snap candid shots.”
Candid shots feel more authentic, without that staged vibe.
“Oh?”
Bai Xue raised an eyebrow, looking down at Jiang Ling, who stood a few steps away, sulking.
She pulled Jiang Ling’s hand, forming a cat-paw pose in front of her chest, and said with a playful smile, “Meow for me a couple of times.”
“Bai Xue!”
Jiang Ling shouted, exasperated.
“Right here.”
Bai Xue’s flawless smile left Jiang Ling no room to argue.
Blushing furiously, she turned away, her cheeks and neck flushed with an alluring pink, trembling slightly under the weight of her embarrassment.
“You don’t want the group’s debut to flop, do you, Miss Jiang Ling?”
Bai Xue pressed closer, her charming smile laced with a hint of sadistic glee.
It’s all for the group, all for the group.
Jiang Ling mentally chanted to herself, suppressing her embarrassment and the tingling anxiety within.
With teary eyes, she lifted her gaze, raised her fists to her cheeks in a cat-paw pose, and slowly opened her mouth.
“Meow…”