Chapter 34: The value of the first 10,000

Jiang Ling looked several times, and in the end, she was still convinced that the person in front of her was indeed Mo Ran.

Jiang Ling stood frozen in place, which made Mo Ran glance up in puzzlement. She was slightly surprised but still efficiently packed the items on the table into a bag and handed it to her.

“Welcome to come again.”

Mo Ran smiled, but just as Jiang Ling was about to step forward, she gave a small wave, “I’m about to finish my shift, wait for me a moment.”

Not wanting to hold up the convenience store’s business, Jiang Ling agreed first and then stepped outside to wait.

The duckbill cap with the store’s logo covered her pink hair, with some stray strands tucked behind her ears, and a mask covered her chin. If Jiang Ling hadn’t double-checked several times, she probably wouldn’t have been recognized.

But, after all, was Mo Ran working part-time?

Jiang Ling pondered quietly, unexpectedly realizing how little she knew about Mo Ran. She only knew that Mo Ran always smiled at everyone, was good at cooking, and had the natural qualities of an idol… and that was all.

She couldn’t help but stare blankly at the glass in front of her, watching Mo Ran’s hardworking figure inside.

About ten minutes later, Jiang Ling saw Mo Ran take off her waitress jacket, revealing a fresh white short-sleeve shirt, then push open the door and walk toward her.

“Sorry, it took a bit longer than I expected.”

Mo Ran smiled apologetically. She had thought it would only take a few minutes but ended up making Jiang Ling wait outside for quite a while.

“Ah… it’s okay. I didn’t have anything to do anyway.”

To ease Mo Ran’s guilt, Jiang Ling said immediately.

Hearing this, Mo Ran didn’t press further: “Anyway, let’s go back first. I’ll make dinner for you.”

Jiang Ling tightened her grip on the plastic bag, not voicing any refusal.

Compared to bread, of course, she wanted a hot meal!

After returning home, Mo Ran skillfully opened the fridge and turned her head to ask, “Is there anything you want to eat?”

“I’m not picky. What were you planning to make?”

Jiang Ling didn’t like making choices, so she tossed the question back, reaching to twist open a bottle of cola on the table. The fizz erupted with a pleasant hiss.

By the way, Jiang Ling was a Pepsi fan because she thought it tasted sweeter.

“Ha…”

After taking a sip, the rich bubbles danced on her tongue, and Jiang Ling put down the bottle contentedly, only to meet Mo Ran’s approach holding a kitchen knife.

“Hey, hey, hey, put the knife down and talk!”

Instinctively, Jiang Ling backed up a little with her chair, her voice trembling slightly.

The sharp scraping sound of the chair legs made Mo Ran frown and press her free hand on Jiang Ling’s shoulder: “Don’t move. My ears hurt. I just wanted to ask if you want rice or noodles.”

Jiang Ling felt her reaction had been a bit too much, so she stopped and looked at Mo Ran rubbing her ear, unable to help but ask, “Are you sensitive to noise?”

Mo Ran’s motion abruptly paused for a moment, then she dropped her fingers and gave a helpless smile: “Nobody likes that kind of noise.”

This gave Jiang Ling a strange sense of discordance, though she couldn’t say why. Mo Ran was right—she herself disliked noises like fingernails scraping on a blackboard or chairs scraping the floor.

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Ling answered, “Rice, then.”

It was her response to Mo Ran’s earlier question.

Mo Ran gave an OK sign and quickly turned to start chopping vegetables. The rhythmic thuds of her knife hitting the board sounded steady, and Jiang Ling, not good at cooking, waited quietly.

After a while, Mo Ran carried the dishes to the table. “Have a bite. I’m a bit pressed for time today.”

On the table was a plate of fragrant and colorful stir-fried cucumber with meat, and in their bowls was egg fried rice made from leftover rice from lunch. Mo Ran had probably added some sausage and corn, making it more abundant.

Jiang Ling glanced at the pitiful, hard bread in her plastic bag.

Ah… Both were just filling one bite, but the level difference was huge!

She didn’t have time to complain and immediately picked up her bowl, eating with relish.

Mo Ran also sat beside her and began eating.

The atmosphere was quiet when Mo Ran suddenly spoke up: “Do you remember what I said last time in the practice room in the morning?”

Jiang Ling paused with her chopsticks in hand as a flash of memory crossed her mind.

Right, last time in the morning she had met Mo Ran in the practice room, who said she was only free in the mornings—could it be because she worked part-time in the afternoons?

Seeing Jiang Ling seemed to recall, Mo Ran nodded to confirm her guess: “I work part-time at a convenience store in the afternoon. In the morning, it depends. Sometimes I help at chain stores. The schedule changes daily.”

As she spoke, Jiang Ling asked naturally, “Isn’t it tiring?”

After all, Mo Ran still had to keep up with practice. Looking at this, she probably didn’t have much rest time at all.

Mo Ran nodded: “Tiring.”

“Then why—”

“Isn’t it good to be tired?”

Mo Ran paused her eating, looking seriously at Jiang Ling’s puzzled expression, as if talking to herself: “Because when you’re tired, you don’t have the time or energy to think about all those trivial things.”

Jiang Ling suddenly sensed the atmosphere had turned a bit heavy.

She realized Mo Ran might be hiding something she didn’t want to talk about, so she hurriedly raised her empty bowl: “I—I want a second helping!”

Mo Ran was momentarily stunned, then chuckled softly.

“Can’t do anything about you.”

Watching her turn around to scoop more rice, Jiang Ling secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She’d managed to get through it, but at what cost…

Jiang Ling, feeling a little helpless, rubbed her slightly bulging belly and forced herself to finish that delicious egg fried rice under Mo Ran’s watchful gaze.

The next day at the dance studio.

Before checking the dance, Bai Xue informed everyone of a message: “Because the last roadshow got rave reviews, I posted on the official account saying that anyone who wants to see our performance can freely comment, and we’ll fulfill the top hot comment’s request.”

Everyone had no objection to this—after all, it was a classic marketing move.

However, when they saw the top hot comment—

【I’m willing to offer my ten years of singlehood for the entire NOVA to wear maid outfits for a roadshow! Of course, the center has to be the number one, Ling Ling-chan, hehe slurp slurp…】

Jiang Ling silently turned off the screen.

“Should we just block this account?”

Bai Xue immediately shook her head laughing: “We agreed back then, no backing out. Besides, haven’t you already tried once? Practice makes perfect, Number One of Wan0~”

“Enough! Shut up!”

Jiang Ling covered her face, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“This isn’t bad at all. You can try on all those crazy accessories.”

Mo Ran quickly brought over the prop box, which was like a treasure chest.

“So you know those are all a bunch of junk?!”

Jiang Ling couldn’t help but complain, but Mo Ran’s eyes sparkled: “Heh, actually, I found some good stuff afterwards too.”

“Hmm, great minds think alike.”

Bai Xue rummaged and pulled out a bag of things and walked toward Jiang Ling.

Hmm?

Jiang Ling looked at them confused as they closed in. Beside her, Lin Xiaoyu raised her phone ready to record, and Fang Wannan rested her chin on her hand, swinging her leg like a spectator.

Surrounded and powerless to resist, Jiang Ling’s clothes were tossed everywhere in an instant.

“Can’t you find a room to change first…”

“Bai Xue! Don’t tie that collar around my neck! I’m not your toy!”

“Oh, the tail? Surprisingly acceptable… What the hell, why is it inserted?!”