Chapter 72: Study Materials

Meanwhile, not far from the fitting room, Fang Wannian was browsing through some clothes. Hearing a call, she raised her hand and pushed the door open.

Through the gap, Fang Wannian saw Jiang Ling’s somewhat helpless eyes. With a sigh of resignation, she stepped into the fitting room.

“I ask you, can’t you even wear clothes properly?”

Hearing this, Jiang Ling turned around shyly and flipped the hair draped over her shoulders. “Sorry, I just can’t reach it.”

Fang Wannian took a step forward, her fingers resting on the zipper.

She had long known that Jiang Ling’s figure was slender. From this angle, she could see the exposed butterfly bones clearly—delicate and fragile, as if they might flutter away at any moment, evoking a protective affection.

The skin before her was as pale as snow, faintly scented with shampoo from the hair Jiang Ling had brushed aside with one hand. Fang Wannian’s hand on the zipper trembled slightly.

“Stuck?”

Seeing Fang Wannian freeze for a while, Jiang Ling asked in confusion.

“Ah… no.”

Hearing this, Fang Wannian snapped back to focus and pulled the zipper up.

With a subtle sound, the open dress was drawn tight by the zipper, smoothly wrapping along the thin, close-fitting fabric, slowly enclosing the skin until it settled perfectly.

“There, done?” Jiang Ling felt a slight constriction on her body. “It fits just right.”

She didn’t notice Fang Wannian’s flushed cheeks as she walked out of the fitting room on her own, spinning once in front of the mirror. The skirt traced a graceful arc through the air.

Just by changing clothes, Jiang Ling already felt her aura had changed a lot compared to before. She finally understood what Bai Xue meant by “investment.”

After all, as an idol, one can’t just stick to a single style.

“So, what do you think?”

After a brief glance, Jiang Ling lifted her skirt slightly and smiled brightly as she approached Fang Wannian.

“Hmm… it’s okay, I guess.”

Fang Wannian quickly scanned the outfit, then withdrew her gaze and gave her honest opinion.

Jiang Ling wasn’t discouraged in the slightest; her smile only grew wider. “I got a compliment from Nan Nan~”

“How did you hear a compliment in that? Really, there should be limits to your imagination—”

After a pause, Fang Wannian averted her eyes and pulled her phone from her pocket, shaking it slightly. “Let me take a picture to show them.”

Before Jiang Ling could respond, Fang Wannian had already pulled her close, her full weight pressing against Jiang Ling’s arm. Facing the camera, she lifted a genuine smile.

“Click.”

“Ah! That one doesn’t count! My expression was awful!”

Jiang Ling immediately protested with flailing hands, trying to get another shot.

“Hmph, time to head to the next store.”

The two of them noisily went over the entire floor of the mall. Fang Wannian helped Jiang Ling pick out various new outfits in a wide range of styles.

“Bought enough, I guess.” Fang Wannian glanced at her watch. “It’s almost time to buy her birthday present. Have you decided what to get?”

At this, Jiang Ling hesitated briefly, then cautiously asked, “I’ll ask you a question. Just answer with your gut feeling—don’t think too much.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you think Bai Xue likes the feeling of control? Like, um, bondage or something…”

Jiang Ling chose her words carefully, trying to soften the question to get the answer she wanted.

Fang Wannian, however, answered without beating around the bush: “Oh, I think she’s definitely a hardcore masochist.”

“See, I knew it!”

Jiang Ling covered her forehead and sighed.

She always felt Bai Xue looked at her oddly sometimes, and judging by her usual words and actions, it really wasn’t just her imagination.

“So what are you going to get her? A full set of whips?”

Fang Wannian asked calmly.

“…Honestly, I’m a little tempted.”

Jiang Ling didn’t immediately reject the idea but filed it for consideration.

“They don’t sell stuff like that here. If you want, I can find someone to custom-make a set and have it shipped to you.”

Fang Wannian fiddled with her phone, found a contact, and quickly typed a few words before asking, “What are the requirements?”

“Um… I don’t really know either. Just something comprehensive, I guess?”

Jiang Ling thought hard for a long time but eventually gave up because she had zero practical experience.

“I’ll have it shipped directly to the dorm. Be careful not to get caught.”

After finishing this discussion, they left the mall.

“Ah, this ad is so noisy.”

Walking toward the parking lot, Fang Wannian rubbed her ears with a face full of irritation.

Jiang Ling followed the sound and saw that a large screen nearby was looping an ad for a sports brand, featuring Candy as the spokesperson.

Watching the four glamorous girls striking elegant poses on the screen, a memory of Bai Xue’s words flashed through Jiang Ling’s mind, darkening her gaze.

If she hadn’t heard it with her own ears, she would hardly believe that these youthful, radiant girls had already silently “withered” away in some dark corner.

“What are you standing there for?”

By the time she had finished her thoughts, Fang Wannian was already in the car, asking the dazed Jiang Ling.

“Ah, nothing.”

Jiang Ling quickly came back to herself and shook her head with a smile.

By the time Jiang Ling returned to the dorm, it was already very late.

Actually, Jiang Ling had also prepared an ordinary gift for Bai Xue: a modest necklace with a snowflake pendant. She thought it suited Bai Xue well and had bought it with her own money.

If the “custom gift” didn’t satisfy Bai Xue, she could give her this.

Jiang Ling’s thoughts drifted as she wondered—

Since the tools were ready, did she also have to put on a willing appearance?

With this question in mind, she pushed open the door, just as Lin Xiaoyu finished her shower and came out of the bathroom. Jiang Ling grabbed her, “Um, I kind of want to read some manga. Can you recommend a few?”

“What genre?”

Lin Xiaoyu plugged in the hairdryer and asked casually.

“S…m.”

Jiang Ling bit her lip, her voice barely above a whisper.

This made Lin Xiaoyu pause mid-motion, looking at Jiang Ling hesitantly.

“Have you finally undergone the one and only transformation of your life?”

“No!”

Jiang Ling argued painfully, “I just suddenly need to learn about this stuff, that’s all!”

“Need to learn for what?”

Lin Xiaoyu stared at her, issuing a soul-searching question.

“To, to…”

Jiang Ling was speechless but didn’t want her to find out what she had prepared for Bai Xue so soon. She hung her head dejectedly. “You’re right. I just finished the one and only transformation of my life.”

“Miss Jiang M?”

“Please don’t call me that… and why do you assume I’m the one being controlled!”

Lin Xiaoyu’s gaze was almost pitying. “Stop dreaming.”

Jiang Ling was defeated by the question.

But she quickly recovered. “So, show me the reference materials.”

“I sent them to your WeChat. Check them yourself.”

Lin Xiaoyu finished the simple operation and continued drying her hair.

Jiang Ling hurried to take a quick shower, then knelt on the floor, seriously examining the dozen or so manga Lin Xiaoyu had sent her. She decided to start with the first one—

《Super Popular Pure-Type Exhibitionist Who Likes Being Treated Roughly, and I, Her Roommate, Am Forced to Become Her Dedicated Dog Trainer》

…?

After seeing the title, Jiang Ling inevitably flipped her phone facedown on her lap, building up her courage for a long while before tremblingly opening it again.

“You can actually do this?!”

“Looks so painful…”

Jiang Ling grew redder and redder as she read. Eventually, she pressed her knees together, unconsciously rubbing her skin, her eyes moist as she bit her finger.

Just as she was about to open the next volume, the overhead light dimmed.

Looking up, Jiang Ling’s eyes met Lin Xiaoyu’s as she bent down and lifted Jiang Ling’s chin.

“Want me to practice with you?”