Chapter 44: Fans

She looked at him with a rather probing expression, her hands obediently folded in front of her as she spoke, displaying an air of utmost politeness. Yet in her eyes, there shimmered an excitement that words couldn’t contain.

Jiang Ling was stunned for two or three seconds, then belatedly realized that she had been recognized!

She hurriedly checked her outfit—yes, it was neat and proper, nothing out of place anywhere else. Then, just as she had practiced earlier, she gently lifted the corners of her lips into a warm, sweet smile.

“Hello, yes, that’s me.”

As soon as she spoke, the girl before her immediately covered her cheeks with both hands, her voice almost shattering the sky.

“Ahhhhh!”

The sudden commotion quickly drew the attention of several passersby, who glanced over in confusion. Jiang Ling suddenly panicked, quickly grabbing the girl’s wrist and hurriedly dragging her to a secluded corner.

Seeing no one around, Jiang Ling finally let go, her voice tinged with helplessness: “Don’t make prairie dog noises in such a crowded place! It’s like I did something to you… uh, that?”

Before she could finish, she looked up to see the girl staring dazedly at the wrist Jiang Ling had just gripped tightly, her eyes even more excited than before, mumbling something under her breath—

“Ha… the wrist that Lingling-chan touched, I’ll never wash it again for my whole life…”

“Please don’t say that!”

Jiang Ling shook her head in horror, unconsciously stepping back half a step.

“As expected, the real person is cuter than in the videos… such a small face, almost as big as my hand. The casual outfit is a cute hoodie and shorts, right? I think I caught a glimpse of a swimsuit earlier, and that white little skirt looked so pure, hehe…”

The girl muttered to herself, her face growing redder and redder, even making some suspicious sounds. Jiang Ling expressionlessly turned and ran.

Officer! Help me!

There’s a pervert here!

But after only a few steps, the girl seemed to realize her rudeness and quickly lowered her voice, speaking rapidly: “Sorry! How could a useless person like me deserve to appear before Lingling-chan? I’ll immediately go find a trash can and stay there obediently until I rot and stink to death, wuwuwu…”

With that, she actually rushed straight toward the trash bin by the seaside.

Jiang Ling involuntarily took a sharp breath and grabbed her arm to stop her: “Wait, what nonsense are you talking about?”

“You even made Lingling-chan worry about me. A useless person like me really—”

“Shut up!”

Jiang Ling held back the urge to cover her mouth and shouted. Just then, her phone in her pocket rang at an inconvenient moment.

【Still not out yet?】

It was a message from Bai Xue. Jiang Ling realized she had wasted too much time here. She glanced at the girl whose glow was fading, frowned thoughtfully for a moment, then replied.

【You all go ahead, I have something to take care of.】

Inside the drink shop.

Jiang Ling stirred the bubbling cup before her and looked at the nervous girl sitting opposite, only now clearly seeing her face.

Her slightly messy blue-green hair looked like it had faded from a brighter dye. Thick glasses, as heavy as beer bottles, perched on her nose. Was this the barrier through which she had been looking at Jiang Ling earlier?

Curiosity getting the better of her, Jiang Ling leaned forward slightly, which immediately caused Xu Nuo’s cheeks to flush suspiciously. She awkwardly leaned in as well and stammered, “Um, if you wanted a kiss—”

“Not at all!”

Jiang Ling quickly withdrew before the girl could say anything more outrageous and asked first, “So, you must be my fan, right?”

“Mm-hmm!”

Xu Nuo nodded repeatedly, eyes full of admiration. “I saw your dancing videos online and instantly fell in love! Ah, but this is just a coincidence. I’m working here temporarily today, it’s purely chance—I’m not a sasaeng fan, really!”

She emphasized this repeatedly, afraid Jiang Ling might misunderstand her.

Yet Jiang Ling’s gaze remained skeptical.

Really?

Then who was the one just now making suspicious noises while touching the wrist I’d held?

Of course, she didn’t say this aloud.

“Anyway, thank you for liking me. To be honest, I don’t really feel it yet since we haven’t even had our first official performance, but still, thank you.”

Jiang Ling sincerely expressed her gratitude. She immediately saw Xu Nuo clutch her chest, grinning like a silly kid: “Hehe, Lingling-chan said thank you to me, hehe…”

Ah, this person was hopeless.

“I should get going.”

Jiang Ling finished her drink. After confirming Xu Nuo wasn’t about to sneak off to a trash bin, she had no reason to stay and prepared to leave for the dorm.

“Um, um!”

Xu Nuo watched her about-to-leave figure, as if mustering courage. She hesitated before quietly pulling out her phone and muttering, “Could we take a photo together? If not, that’s okay! Sorry, I guess I shouldn’t make such a bold request… someone as gloomy as me…”

“Stop!”

Just as Xu Nuo was about to burst into a rap battle on the spot, Jiang Ling raised a hand to stop her. “Sure, let’s take one.”

Xu Nuo’s eyes lit up as she moved to Jiang Ling’s side, stiffly raising her phone to frame the two of them.

Facing the camera, Jiang Ling naturally gave a gentle smile.

“Click.”

Afterward, Jiang Ling glanced at the photo.

In it, she smiled softly and made a peace sign—nothing wrong at all… if anything, the odd one was the girl beside her, grinning like a goofball.

A perfectly normal girl shouldn’t be able to smile so slyly, right?!

Jiang Ling couldn’t help but let out a barely audible sigh, reaching out for the phone: “Let’s do it again. This time I’ll take the photo.”

“Really?!”

Xu Nuo quickly handed over the phone, full of anticipation.

Jiang Ling held the camera a bit farther back and looked at Xu Nuo’s forced smile, her voice tinged with helplessness: “How about we take one without smiling?”

“Eh, so Lingling-chan prefers a cold look over a smile? That’s cute too, even cuter! Ah—”

Xu Nuo immediately fell back into her obsessive adoration.

Jiang Ling rubbed her forehead. “Forget it.”

This time she didn’t smile and smoothly took the photo.

Just to be safe, Jiang Ling double-checked.

Both of them in the photo were expressionless but had soft features, radiating a quiet atmosphere. Much better than the strange photo from before.

After the shoot, Jiang Ling didn’t linger. After saying goodbye to Xu Nuo, she left.

Xu Nuo, however, zoomed in on Jiang Ling’s face on the photo until it filled her entire view, a suspicious blush creeping over her cheeks. “Hehe, Lingling-chan…”

Of course, Jiang Ling didn’t see this.

Today’s schedule was just rest. So even though she returned to the dorm, Jiang Ling didn’t go to the dance studio. She planned to practice properly all day tomorrow—this would do for now.

As she pushed open the door, she saw Lin Xiaoyu cuddling her phone, completely absorbed.

“Reading comics again?”

Jiang Ling asked while taking off her jacket.

“Yeah, this one’s about the Flower of the Cold Empire being enchanted and bound by a contract, branded with an X mark, becoming the protagonist’s plush ball.”

“I didn’t ask what it’s about! Also, can you read something healthy for once? Stop always talking about plush balls!”

“This is pretty healthy.”

After a pause, Lin Xiaoyu looked up at Jiang Ling, and as she walked closer, she reached out and tugged her clothes down a little.

“Eh?”

Jiang Ling stumbled back onto the bed, their eyes locking, the distance imperceptibly close.

Lin Xiaoyu stared into her eyes and said:

“So, the ‘thing’ you mentioned earlier… was that a secret meeting with a stranger outside?”