Chapter 55: The eldest lady and her inner circle

“Miss Tang, do you want your manicure done the same way as last time today?”

After the two finished their skincare treatments, a staff member nearby asked Tang Jin’er.

“No need.

Please help me remove all of these later.”

“Alright, Miss Tang.”

Once the staff member left, Miss Student Yuan Zhixian looked at Tang Jin’er with some confusion:

“Huh, Jin’er, why aren’t you doing your nails this time? And you’re removing all of them too? Weren’t you always the one who loved having beautiful nails before?”

“Ah, Zhixian, I think you Little Purity Elementary School Girl just don’t understand~”

“Understand? Understand what?”

Yuan Zhixian was completely puzzled.

“Hmph, since you’re so curious, I’ll tell you a little secret.”

Tang Jin’er glanced left and right to make sure no one was around, then leaned in close to Yuan Zhixian and held up two of her slender fingers.

“Zhixian, you’re way too innocent. I’ve already said I’m chasing after Wang Yan, so how could I possibly be doing my nails right now?

What if things move super fast between us and we suddenly reach that stage? How am I supposed to go into battle then?”

Saying that, the girl wiggled her delicate fingers.

“!”

Yuan Zhixian instantly flushed red at Tang Jin’er’s blunt topic, quietly gasping with embarrassment:

“Wow! Jin’er, I didn’t expect you’d be so prepared this early!”

“Hmph, of course~”

Tang Jin’er withdrew her hand proudly and lifted her chin with confidence.

“But, Jin’er, are you sure you’ll be the one on the offensive?”

The blonde girl hesitated slightly.

“Hmph, do you even have to ask? Who am I? I’m Tang Jin’er!

“You’re just a Little Purity Elementary School Girl like Zhixian. Ever since I accepted my own orientation, I’ve been secretly studying this kind of knowledge!”

“So that means you have a wealth of Theory Knowledge but no Actual Combat Experience?”

The blonde girl’s voice echoed somewhat untimely in Tang Jin’er’s ear again.

“Oh! Theory Knowledge… theory is super important too!”

Tang Jin’er shot Yuan Zhixian a dissatisfied glare, then asked:

“Don’t tell me you have Actual Combat Experience?”

Yuan Zhixian honestly shook her head.

“See! That’s why, since none of us have Actual Combat Experience, we need to study hard before hitting the Battlefield!

“When the real fight breaks out, the one lacking knowledge will definitely be at a disadvantage!”

Saying this, Tang Jin’er clenched her fist and punched the air to psych herself up.

“Oh! I get it now!”

Yuan Zhixian suddenly understood, then looked up at the boastful Tang Jin’er with admiration.

“Th-then, Jin’er, could you teach me? I want to gain the upper hand when I compete with Lingling too!”

“Ah, no problem, no problem!”

Tang Jin’er chuckled, then began imparting all sorts of Forbidden Knowledge to our adorable Miss Yuan.

“How’s it going, Miss Student Yuan Zhixian? Did you master all the skills I just taught you?”

After some time, Tang Jin’er stood with hands on her hips, looking sternly at Yuan Zhixian.

“Reporting, Teacher Tang Jin’er, I’ve learned everything!”

Miss Yuan was full of confidence and enthusiasm for studying.

“Good job, Zhixian!”

Tang Jin’er patted her best friend’s back with a pleased smile.

“Then it’s settled—we have to gain the initiative in our respective romances!”

“Yeah! Right! Whoever loses first has to be a Pillow Princess forever!”

Still exhilarated from learning new things, Yuan Zhixian raised a hand, holding up three fingers and swore to the heavens.

Uh, maybe that’s a bit too intense of a vow…

Tang Jin’er hesitated but, thinking of her role as a theoretical instructor, gritted her teeth and accepted the oath.

“Alright! Whoever loses first has to be a Pillow Princess forever!”

“Oh, by the way, Zhixian, there’s one question I don’t know if you’ve thought about.”

On the street outside the Beauty Salon, Tang Jin’er suddenly stopped.

“?”

“What question, Jin’er?”

Yuan Zhixian walked a few steps ahead, then stopped and turned to look at the girl in the red dress.

“Well, Zhixian, isn’t Su Ling a yandere? Usually, a yandere’s love for someone needs a really important reason, right? Like they left a deep impression on her, or helped her in a crisis or something.”

Holding her small handbag, Tang Jin’er pushed up her large sunglasses and continued:

“But Su Ling has only been in C City for a little over two months, right?

“So what exactly made her fall in love with you?”

“Miss, are you thinking about Miss Yuan?”

***

Inside the President’s Office of the Su Group, Secretary Wang watched Su Ling, who had been staring at her phone for nearly half an hour, and couldn’t help but ask.

“Ah, ah, yes…”

Su Ling shyly put away her phone, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

“Well, Secretary Wang, did you know? Today Zhixian went to the Beauty Salon with Tang Jin’er.”

After a while, Su Ling put her phone away and started chatting with Secretary Wang.

“Hmm, it seems Miss Yuan is getting back to her social life.”

Secretary Wang nodded as if it were nothing unusual.

“Yes, yes, and get this, before going out today, Zhixian proactively reported her itinerary to me!”

“Hmm, it looks like even when Miss Yuan goes out to have fun, she doesn’t forget about Miss.”

“Hehe… oh right, and also, Zhixian asked me to install a Tracker on her phone!”

“Hmm, looks like… hmm???”

Secretary Wang froze for a moment, then finally spoke again:

“Miss, are you sure it wasn’t you who installed it, but that Miss Yuan actually requested it herself??”

“Oh, well, I’m not that controlling anymore now… Trackers and all, uh, well, maybe a little bit…”

The black-haired girl lowered her head in slight embarrassment halfway through her sentence.

“But it really wasn’t me who asked for it, Zhixian took the initiative!”

Su Ling hurriedly explained.

“I see…”

The secretary adjusted her Gold-Rimmed Glasses.

“Then it seems Miss Yuan really cares about your feelings……”

“Hehehehe……”

The lovestruck black-haired girl hugged her phone tightly, gleefully spinning around in the Boss Chair.

“Oh, right, enough about me. Secretary Wang, how are things progressing with Tang Jin’er?”

Su Ling stopped spinning in her chair, peeking out curiously from behind the backrest.

“Actually, there’s been no progress.”

Secretary Wang adjusted her glasses again, her tone flat:

“Since that day, Miss Tang hasn’t seen me again. The so-called pursuit left no trace. I guess she’s given up…”

“Wang Yan! Are you off work?”

Just then, a fiery red figure burst through the door:

“Got time today? I’ll treat you to that super delicious handmade ramen!”

Tang Jin’er appeared at the doorway like a whirlwind of sunshine and energy, her voice clear and filled with undeniable youthful enthusiasm.