Chapter 103: Should I reject her for her sake?

Hearing this, Jiang Ling stood at the door, her lips moved a few times, but in the end, she could only dryly ask, “Are you done practicing?”

“…Ha.”

She heard Fang Wannan let out a heavy sigh, almost without any attempt to hide it.

Immediately after, there was a thud against the door.

“I only came over because I saw some idiot sending me stupid messages in the middle of practice.”

Fang Wannan leaned all her weight against the door, her nearly whispered words so light that they were hard to catch.

“Sorry.”

Almost reflexively, Jiang Ling apologized immediately, but beyond that, she found herself completely speechless.

The atmosphere grew silent.

Time ticked by, and Jiang Ling could only stand there in vain, desperately recalling the events of the past few days, trying to find the reason behind Fang Wannan’s strange behavior from the tiniest of clues.

It seemed like Fang Wannan had started acting off ever since they chose their project partners.

Wait.

Jiang Ling’s not-so-bright little brain suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Could it be—

She wanted to partner with Mo Ran, but Jiang Ling got there first?

After all, Mo Ran was strong in both singing and dancing, practically the ACE of the group. It would be normal for Fang Wannan to want to work with her.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling immediately realized what a terrible mistake she’d made and hurriedly spoke up, “Wannan!”

Being suddenly called by name, Fang Wannan’s delicate body trembled, and her fingers unconsciously twirled the hair by her ear.

“What is it?”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t realize what you wanted!”

Jiang Ling confessed earnestly through the door, filled with remorse.

How could she not have noticed?

Fang Wannan was clearly stunned by this, her hand frozen mid-twirl, her voice suddenly tinged with fluster she couldn’t quite hide, “Huh? W-what do you mean, what…what did I want…”

She stammered, her face turning red.

“I—I didn’t want anything! Don’t get the wrong idea, I just—”

Fang Wannan hadn’t finished speaking when she felt the door behind her give way, and in a panic, she took two steps forward. The light from inside immediately cast her shadow on the ground.

“Wannan.”

Jiang Ling stared at her slender back and spoke again with unusual seriousness, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“Huh?”

The blush on Fang Wannan’s face deepened, spreading to her fair neck like a sunset, and her previously fierce voice softened until it was barely recognizable, “That kind of thing…how could I possibly say it out loud…”

She pressed her fingers lightly to her lips, hearing her own heart pounding so loudly it was impossible to ignore.

Staring at her trembling shoulders, Jiang Ling took a deep breath and then spoke in a slightly apologetic voice, “The issue with partners has been troubling you a lot, hasn’t it?”

Fang Wannan’s pupils suddenly contracted, and she all but pressed her whole hand against her burning cheek in near escape, her voice muffled.

“No, it hasn’t…”

She turned away, but the look of frustration and melancholy on her face softened considerably.

Noticing the obvious gentleness in Fang Wannan’s voice, Jiang Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief.

So that was it!

She knew it—why would Fang Wannan get mad at her for no reason?

In the end, Jiang Ling really had been too selfish, always picking partners based on her own ideas without ever considering how her teammates might feel.

Her heart filled with a guilt unlike anything she’d ever felt before. After being cared for by everyone for so long, she’d gotten carried away.

So she stepped forward, closing the distance between herself and Fang Wannan.

“I’ll talk to Sister Bai Xue about changing partners.”

At this, a trace of surprise flashed through Fang Wannan’s eyes, quickly replaced by overflowing joy, which she then worked hard to suppress.

She shook her head sensibly. “Changing already-set partners would only cause trouble for everyone… Just knowing you care is enough.”

By the end, Fang Wannan’s face was tinged with a suspicious blush, as if she’d just said something outrageous.

Which only made Jiang Ling feel even more guilty.

No matter the situation, her adorable teammates always put others first.

So Jiang Ling, almost forcefully, turned Fang Wannan—who was still deep in thought—toward herself, meeting her flustered, darting eyes.

“No matter what, I’ll do my best to meet your wishes. If I get turned down, I’ll just try again next time.”

Faced with Jiang Ling’s burning gaze, Fang Wannan shyly looked away, her brows drawn, her palm-sized face full of embarrassment.

“…Okay.”

Only after getting her approval did Jiang Ling finally relax. She let go of Fang Wannan’s shoulder and, without pausing, strode straight toward the practice room, calling out as she went, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely get you a chance to work with Xiao Ran!”

Her voice faded into the distance and disappeared into the air.

The satisfaction still lingering on Fang Wannan’s face instantly froze.

She bit her lip hard and stomped her foot fiercely.

“Ahhh, that idiot!”

Mo Ran had been lazily looking over a cookbook when she saw Jiang Ling approach, her face serious as she spoke in the most solemn tone possible, “Is it still possible to change our partner stage?”

“Hmm?”

Mo Ran tilted her head in confusion. “What’s wrong? Weren’t we practicing just fine? Did something happen all of a sudden… Are you feeling unwell? Come here, let big sister take a look.”

As she spoke, she put down the book and opened her arms, full of concern.

“It’s not me.”

Jiang Ling waved her hand and continued, “Hasn’t Wanan been acting a little off these days?”

“Eh, you actually noticed?”

Mo Ran’s eyes sparkled with interest, as if she hadn’t expected Jiang Ling to notice at all.

“How could I not notice when it was so obvious! But I couldn’t figure out why she was mad, so I thought about it really hard just now, and finally, I figured out the real answer.”

Jiang Ling puffed out her chest proudly, her whole face practically saying, “Ask me, quick!”

“So, what answer did you come up with?”

Mo Ran asked, indulgent as ever.

“There’s only one truth—”

“And that’s, she wanted to partner with you, but I beat her to it!”

Jiang Ling mimicked the signature pose of a famous detective from memory, pointing confidently at Mo Ran, her delight impossible to hide.

Hearing this, Mo Ran was stunned for a moment, then suddenly covered her mouth and burst out laughing. “Pfft… Hahahahaha!”

Jiang Ling blinked in confusion as she watched Mo Ran laugh so hard she bent over.

Did she get it wrong?

Mo Ran laughed to her heart’s content, already able to picture Fang Wannan’s tangled expression in her mind. Wiping away tears, she asked, “You really think that?”

“Um… Is there something wrong with that?”

Jiang Ling nodded, honest and clueless, completely unaware of the problem.

After a while, Mo Ran finished laughing and beckoned her over.

Jiang Ling obediently came close, and Mo Ran’s voice floated into her ear like a gentle breeze, her breath hot, carrying an indescribable, probing undertone.

“So, are you going to turn me down for her?”