Chapter 75: Jade, jade feet?

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“Hmm?”

Faced with Jiang Ling’s pressing question, Bai Xue lazily lifted her tone with a hint of doubt: “Explain what? Isn’t this you throwing yourself into my arms?”

“………………… I didn’t expect you’d go this far!”

Jiang Ling bit her lip, an involuntary image from last night, full of lust, flashing through her mind, causing her legs to snap tightly together in an instant.

“What far?”

Bai Xue got out of bed, brushed her slightly messy hair, and the dazzling sunlight outside cast dappled shadows over her graceful figure.

She continued, “It’s already served on a silver platter, how could you not eat it? Besides, it seems like you quite enjoyed it, calling out yesterday…”

“I didn’t!”

Jiang Ling knelt on the bed, covering Bai Xue’s opening lips with her hand, eyes brimming with tears: “Don’t say anything. Nothing at all!”

Damn it, her mind kept recalling last night’s events by itself. Ahhh, is there a mosaic function anywhere?

Bai Xue curved her eyes slightly and fell silent.

Although Bai Xue hadn’t spared her last night, she hadn’t gone too far, so Jiang Ling only bore a few marks, not to the point of being immobile.

But even so, Jiang Ling felt a deep regret—

She wasn’t pure anymore, ahhh!

Though Bai Xue hadn’t taken the final step, she’d done almost everything else that could be done.

Jiang Ling sighed, suddenly remembering she still had a “Plan B” snowflake necklace. She immediately took out the exquisitely packaged small box and shyly handed it to Bai Xue: “Here.”

“What’s this?”

Bai Xue accepted it and slowly opened the box, her eyes instantly freezing upon seeing the shining necklace.

“Happy birthday.”

Jiang Ling whispered softly, suddenly overwhelmed by an indescribable shyness. She averted her gaze, dressed quickly, and briskly left the room.

However, just as she stepped out, she heard Mo Ran’s anxious voice not far off: “Xu Nuo? Xu Nuo!”

Startled, Jiang Ling hurried to Xu Nuo’s workspace and saw Xu Nuo sitting before the computer, face flushed, eyes tightly shut, drenched in sweat.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Jiang Ling quickly asked, while Mo Ran immediately placed the back of her hand on Xu Nuo’s forehead, frowning: “She must have a fever.”

“You take her to your room to lie down for a bit. I’ll go get medicine and cook something for her… You haven’t eaten either, right? Wait for me.”

After giving instructions, Mo Ran went straight to the kitchen, moving swiftly.

Jiang Ling looked at the dazed Xu Nuo, hesitated for a moment, and finally half-carried, half-supported her, placing Xu Nuo’s arm over her shoulder as she whispered, “Hold on, you’ll feel better lying in bed.”

Whether she heard Jiang Ling or not, Xu Nuo, still with her eyes tightly shut, slowly followed her back to the room.

“Phew.”

After laying Xu Nuo flat and comfortable on the bed, Jiang Ling let out a breath and quickly poured a glass of warm water onto the table, just in case.

Taking advantage of a pause while cooking, Mo Ran brought in the medicine. Jiang Ling gave Xu Nuo two pills, helped her sit up on the bed: “Take the medicine first, then rest.”

Xu Nuo groaned softly, looking very tired, but still opened her mouth and swallowed the pills with the water.

After seeing her take the medicine, Mo Ran finally relaxed and went back to cooking.

Bai Xue arrived upon hearing the news and frowned slightly at the sight of Xu Nuo asleep: “Did I give her too much work…”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. There could be other reasons.” Jiang Ling interrupted Bai Xue’s words and shook her head. “Anyway, let’s ask her when she wakes up.”

Hearing that, Bai Xue stopped blaming herself and instead smiled warmly at Jiang Ling. The two quietly left the room to let Xu Nuo rest.

By the time Xu Nuo woke up, it was already late afternoon.

She slowly opened her eyes, the ceiling coming into view, and immediately froze.

Huh? Wasn’t she just furiously sketching a design moments ago?

Xu Nuo rubbed her still-aching head and looked around curiously. Her gaze lingered on the desk and wardrobe, feeling increasingly familiar.

Before she could remember who owned the room, Jiang Ling saw her dazed expression and came in cheerfully: “Hey, you’re awake!”

“Ah!”

Xu Nuo jumped, startled, but as Jiang Ling quickly approached, she finally realized—

“I actually fell asleep on Ling Ling-chan’s bed?!”

Seeing her rapid breathing, Jiang Ling looked a little puzzled but didn’t deny it: “Yeah, you had a fever, so you slept on the bed.”

The calm and certain words nearly made Xu Nuo’s eyes roll back in shock.

She, she, she actually slept in the same bed as Ling Ling-chan!

Thinking this, Xu Nuo hugged the blanket tightly, greedily inhaling the faint, pure fragrance unique to a girl. Her already woozy head became even harder to clear: “Hehe, my Ling Ling-chan… smells so good! I’m going to hug this blanket and sleep with it forever, hehe…”

Jiang Ling expressionlessly watched her’s obsessive behavior, almost forgetting this person was a certified weirdo!

Suppressing the urge to smack Xu Nuo, she reined in the twitch at her lips and patiently asked, “So why did you get a fever and faint?”

“A fever?”

Xu Nuo stopped rubbing the blanket, recalling the previous scene, awkwardly scratching her head.

“I suddenly got some inspiration for merchandise, so I kept drawing. As for the fever and fainting, maybe I forgot to close the window?”

Hearing her uncertain reply, Jiang Ling frowned and asked again, “By the way, when did you start drawing?”

“Last night…”

“Spent all night in the wind, pulling an all-nighter on your drafts, who wouldn’t get a fever!”

Jiang Ling shouted frustratedly. Xu Nuo meekly shrank her neck, her eyes catching Bai Xue’s entrance drawn by the commotion, sparkling with excitement: “I thought of an amazing merch idea! I’ll go get the draft now, oh—”

She tried to get out of bed but, too weak, stumbled and fell back, her stomach growling loudly.

“DEPR…”

Xu Nuo laughed awkwardly, then Jiang Ling firmly pushed her back: “Rest properly, no moving around. Xiao Ran’s probably done cooking; I’ll bring it to you.”

After Jiang Ling left, Xu Nuo was about to nestle back into her idol’s fragrant blanket when Bai Xue asked, “So, what merch idea did you come up with?”

“Temperature-sensitive postcards!”

Xu Nuo’s eyes sparkled as if forgetting her hunger, she launched into an excited explanation.

“Although it looks like a normal postcard, once you place your hand on it and transfer your body heat, the clothes disappear, revealing a perfect swimsuit.”

As she said this, Xu Nuo’s breath quickened, her hands cupping her chest.

“Ah, just thinking of Ling Ling-chan’s swimsuit makes me all hot! That charming, petite figure, that tiny waist I could hold in one hand, and those adorable eyes looking up at me—I love it all!”

Jiang Ling, carrying a tray, reached the door just in time to hear everything. Her brow twitched, and without a word, she slammed the food onto the table.

“Bang!”

“If I’d known you got a fever because of this, I wouldn’t have cared—”

“Pervert!”

After saying this, Jiang Ling blushed deeply and left the room.

Xu Nuo cupped her burning cheeks, showing an excited, joyful expression, her legs constantly rubbing the blanket beneath her.

“Hehe, getting scolded by Ling Ling-chan feels so good…”

Seeing her in such a hopeless state, Bai Xue smiled faintly, almost imperceptibly: “Looks like your body’s fine. I thought I gave you too much work.”

“No, no, this time it’s totally my own doing.”

Xu Nuo quickly waved her hands, sounding a bit embarrassed.

“Good, then let Jiang Ling take care of you. I’m going to get back to work.”

Bai Xue knew well that although Jiang Ling said she wouldn’t care about Xu Nuo, her soft heart would eventually give in, so she left feeling at ease.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Jiang Ling returned with a plate of sliced apples: “Here, eat some fruit after your meal.”

“You cut this?!” Xu Nuo stared eagerly at the not-so-pretty apple slices. “Actually, I could’ve started with the fruit…”

“No. Eat your meal first, behave.”

Jiang Ling put the fruit plate a bit further away: “If you don’t finish your meal properly, Xiao Ran will scold you. Then I won’t be able to help.”

“Okay.”

In the end, Xu Nuo obediently finished the entire bowl of rice.

“Why eat so fast, seriously.”

Jiang Ling handed her the apple, her voice tinged with embarrassment: “Xiao Ran got busy, so I cut these. They’re not very pretty, just bear with it.”

“What do you mean ‘bear with it’?!”

Xu Nuo immediately sat up straight: “As long as it’s something from Ling Ling-chan, even if it’s just a scolding, I could eat three bowls of rice with it!”

“………… That’s kind of gross.”

“Not to mention these are apples cut by Ling Ling-chan herself! Look at that juicy color, perfect slices! I can’t wait to stuff them all into my—”

“Shut up!”

Jiang Ling, losing patience, stuffed an apple slice into Xu Nuo’s mouth, finally silencing her endless chatter.

“Mm, so sweet. No wonder it’s from Ling Ling-chan!”

Xu Nuo showed no sign of offense, instead closing her eyes happily while chewing.

“That’s because apples are naturally sweet, you green-haired perverted glasses girl, behave yourself.”

Jiang Ling said as she fed her another bite.

“All right!”

After the chaotic feeding session ended, Jiang Ling looked at Xu Nuo’s slightly improved complexion and softened her tone: “No matter what, you need to be careful in the future. This time it’s thanks to Xiao Ran noticing you. What if something bad had happened?”

“Mm, it’s just that I suddenly got an amazing idea!”

“I’m absolutely not taking any swimsuit photos. Give up on that.”

Jiang Ling flatly cut off Xu Nuo’s endless fantasies.

“How come~ But I’ve got other, more normal ideas too. I’ll go get them for you.”

Xu Nuo said as she lifted the blanket to get her tablet but was immediately pushed back by Jiang Ling: “Rest properly. I’ll get it for you.”

Jiang Ling quickly found the tablet in her workspace. Xu Nuo took it and started searching through folders, proudly holding up a drawing: “Ta-da!”

Jiang Ling was prepared for the canvas to contain some inappropriate content not fit for minors, but when her eyes landed on it, she couldn’t help but be surprised: “Eh?”

On the canvas were five cute chibi portraits, which, if Jiang Ling guessed right, were the entire NOVA group members.

“Though I’m still not satisfied with some parts, this is the draft,” Xu Nuo said, flipping to another canvas: “That was full body, this is just the head.”

“If we have chibi versions, we can make lots of merch, like acrylic cards, colored prints, badges—they’d all be super cute.”

She rambled on, looking refreshed and energetic, completely shedding her previous fatigue.

Jiang Ling studied them seriously but couldn’t help glancing at the small note beside the drawings:

04:17.

She really pulled an all-nighter.

Jiang Ling truly felt Xu Nuo’s dedication. Watching her eyes shine brightly as she explained, her heart softened.

“Listen, this merch idea, um?”

Xu Nuo was passionately explaining when suddenly she felt a firm hand clasp hers. Surprised, she looked up, meeting Jiang Ling’s complicated gaze.

“You worked hard.”

Jiang Ling spoke, seeming to have struggled for a long moment before continuing: “So if there’s anything you want me to do, just tell me. I’ll try my best to fulfill it.”

She now fully understood that Xu Nuo’s feelings for her were purely fan worship—the hardcore type.

So if she could satisfy her wishes, it would also be a form of encouragement, in a way.

Hearing this, Xu Nuo’s breathing instantly quickened.

“Anything…….. really?”

For some reason, a foreboding feeling flashed through Jiang Ling’s heart, but since the words were out, she didn’t take them back and nodded firmly:

“As long as I can do it.”

“In that case… may I ask where you got this outfit from?”

Jiang Ling tugged at the too-short hem of the uniform skirt, helplessly watching Xu Nuo, who was staring at her intently.

After learning that Jiang Ling would fulfill her wishes, Xu Nuo somehow produced a JK sailor uniform.

At that moment, Jiang Ling wore a white-and-blue JK uniform, lifting her arm slightly to reveal her slender waist. The skirt barely reached her upper thigh, and below, white stockings clung tightly to her skin, faintly revealing some flesh.

“So what you want me to do is wear the sailor uniform and white stockings?”

Though she didn’t understand what was so special about this request, she still turned in front of Xu Nuo.

Hearing this, Xu Nuo shook her head, cupping her cheeks with a gaze full of obsession and fanaticism as she fixed her eyes on Jiang Ling.

“Actually… it’s to step on me.”