During the long break between classes, exactly as Xiao Tongqi had predicted, a crowd gathered in front of the bulletin board following the start of club recruitment on Monday.
Students from all three grades were present.
Fang Chenxi went down with Xiao Tongqi and the others to take a look.
Jiang Ling leaned against the hallway railing, watching them through the window.
Fang Chenxi was a very eye-catching presence, so it was easy to spot her at a glance.
As if sensing her gaze, Fang Chenxi looked up.
Jiang Ling immediately ducked down, grumbling internally.
‘Does she have spider-sense or something?’
Fang Chenxi seemed a bit pitiful.
Jiang Ling knew she shouldn’t think that way.
However, the damn girl insisted on looking so pathetic.
Ever since they had greeted Ji Qingyan that morning, Fang Chenxi had been radiating an aura of resentment so thick that one could almost see black smoke rising from her head.
She was supposed to be the Heroine.
Was her mental fortitude really this weak?
They had only had a small argument; how did she end up like this?
Besides, Jiang Ling had already told her it was fine.
‘Sigh.’
But when she realized she had somehow ended up standing in front of the bulletin board herself, she was startled.
‘Jiang Ling, are you stupid?!’
She had told herself countless times to stay as far away from the Heroine as possible.
This time, even though no one had come to bother her, she had delivered herself right to their doorstep!
Fang Chenxi was just a short distance ahead of her.
Realizing she must have been possessed to come down here, Jiang Ling turned around to head back.
Suddenly, a group of five or six girls rushed forward, seemingly in a hurry to see the notices.
They didn’t notice Jiang Ling and pushed their way through, accidentally shoving her toward the front.
“Hey, hey, someone’s here! Can’t you see me?”
Flustered, Jiang Ling could only cry out in a small voice.
Suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped around her shoulders.
Jiang Ling froze.
Warm fingers inadvertently brushed against the back of her neck, sending a ticklish sensation through her that made her instinctively shrink her neck.
Fang Chenxi had noticed her.
Looking worried, she pulled Jiang Ling’s body into her embrace.
A faint fragrance hit Jiang Ling’s senses, leaving her momentarily unsure of where to put her hands.
Finally, she settled on grabbing the hem of Fang Chenxi’s clothes.
She was small and weak; if she didn’t hold on, she would just be tossed around by the crowd, which would be even worse.
Jiang Ling felt like a drowning person clinging tightly to a rope.
Although she was very uncomfortable with this level of contact, she had no choice.
“Thank you.”
Fang Chenxi was doing her best to hide the smile that kept tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Under the guise of protecting Jiang Ling from being squashed by the crowd, she pulled her even tighter into her chest.
Jiang Ling felt soft and smelled lovely.
Up close, her blonde hair was as smooth as the surface of a lake rippling under a clear sky.
Fang Chenxi secretly twirled a small lock of it with her finger, and in her panicked state, Jiang Ling didn’t even notice.
“Jiang Ling? You came too.”
Xiao Tongqi turned her head and was surprised to find Jiang Ling, who had said she wasn’t coming, standing right behind her.
Furthermore, she was in Fang Chenxi’s arms.
The two were acting very intimately, and Jiang Ling’s face was flushed a peach-blossom pink.
‘Heh, they were bickering this morning, and now they’re acting this close.’
Xiao Tongqi shot Fang Chenxi a look that said ‘I get it.’
Fang Chenxi looked away awkwardly, but her hands remained firmly on Jiang Ling’s shoulders.
“Hey, stop pushing, will you? Have some manners! If you keep pushing, nobody gets to see anything.”
A few students near the front who were tired of being shoved around started to shout.
As people began to maintain order, everyone became more mindful, and the surrounding chatter quieted down.
Jiang Ling was finally able to breathe easily.
Before she could say anything, the hands on her shoulders let go.
Jiang Ling blinked, surprised. It didn’t seem like Fang Chenxi’s usual style, but considering how well Fang Chenxi had looked after her, she still muttered a thank-you.
“It’s nothing.”
‘Good job, Fang Chenxi.’
Fang Chenxi silently encouraged herself.
She felt as though she had finally figured out the secret to dealing with Jiang Ling.
She shouldn’t force herself on her; if she gave it enough time, Jiang Ling would eventually come to her on her own.
All she had to do was remain calm and stop acting like a total creep.
After leaving Fang Chenxi’s embrace, the clear fragrance vanished instantly.
Jiang Ling felt strangely out of sorts.
Biting her lower lip, she felt like she had really been corrupted by Fang Chenxi.
In contrast, Fang Chenxi seemed perfectly composed.
She was currently looking at the bulletin board with Xiao Tongqi and the others with great interest.
Jiang Ling forced herself to focus and look as well.
There were indeed many clubs at Tianhua Middle School.
At a glance, there were nearly ten posters for club recruitment.
She didn’t know if there were others that hadn’t been posted yet, but in Jiang Ling’s mind, this was already quite a lot.
Back in her university days, there were only about ten clubs in the entire school.
However, since this was high school, the “fun” clubs she remembered from stories were scarce.
Things like an E-sports Club or an Anime Club basically didn’t exist.
They were all very serious clubs, with the occasional Light Music Club that sounded relaxing just from the name.
Jiang Ling searched through the notices, but she didn’t see any sign of the Literature Research Society.
‘Maybe Ji Qingyan didn’t put a poster up.’
“Is there any club you want to join?”
Fang Chenxi asked.
Jiang Ling turned her head.
After confirming that the question was directed at her, she shook her head.
She hesitated over whether to tell Fang Chenxi she wanted to join the Literature Research Society, but ultimately decided against it.
The relationship between Ji Qingyan and Fang Chenxi was… well, it wasn’t just “seemingly” bad; it was obviously terrible.
It was better not to tell her.
So, Jiang Ling just made up an excuse, saying she hadn’t decided yet.
“What about you?”
“Me? I’ll probably go back to the Sports Club,” Fang Chenxi said habitually.
“Back to?”
“I was in the Sports Club in middle school,” Fang Chenxi realized her slip of the tongue and quickly tried to cover it up.
Fortunately, Jiang Ling didn’t mind.
She simply said, “You really love sports that much? Sporty girl.”
Fang Chenxi let out an amused laugh, knowing Jiang Ling was getting back at her for calling her a “literary girl” two days ago.
“I’m not certain yet. If I find a more interesting club, I might choose something else. This is high school, after all. I don’t really want to do the exact same things as before.”
Jiang Ling nodded.
As they talked, the conversation gradually drifted off-topic.
“Have you thought of the monthly exam punishment yet?”
Jiang Ling asked, suddenly remembering the bet.
“Hmm, I have something in mind, but you might not accept it,” Fang Chenxi said, keeping her in suspense.
Her phoenix eyes were mischievous as she smiled.
“Ha! Do I look that fragile to you?”
But fearing that Fang Chenxi might actually suggest something cruel, Jiang Ling added hesitantly, “As long as it isn’t too over-the-top, I’m fine with it.”
“Tell me yours first.”
“Hmm… If you lose, you have to obey my every word for one week. Of course, my commands won’t be anything unreasonable. They’ll be things you can handle,” Jiang Ling said.
This was the best punishment she could think of.
Since someone like Fang Chenxi had such a strong desire for control, making her act like a “puppy” would definitely be humiliating for her.
“That’s a very interesting punishment.”
“Then my punishment is… you have to come to my house, put on a maid outfit, and serve me for an entire day.”
Fang Chenxi arched an eyebrow and continued, “Of course, I won’t force you to do anything unreasonable either. It’ll all be things you can handle.”
‘A maid outfit?’
Jiang Ling reacted as if she’d been triggered.
She instinctively wondered if Fang Chenxi had discovered her secret, but she couldn’t be sure.
After agonizing over it, Jiang Ling chose to trust Lu Yuyao.
Still, a maid outfit was a bit much.
Seeing Jiang Ling’s hesitant expression, Fang Chenxi guessed what she was going to say and let out a fake sigh.
“It’s just wearing a maid outfit. Honestly, compared to your punishment, I feel like this is almost a reward for you.”
“But if you’re too scared, forget it. There’s no need to force yourself.”
Jiang Ling bit her lip.
She knew perfectly well that Fang Chenxi was provoking her, but she threw caution to the wind.
“I’ll do as you said. What do I have to be afraid of?”
It wasn’t that she wasn’t afraid, but Jiang Ling didn’t think she would lose.
It was the same logic as before:
‘If I can’t even outscore a high schooler, I’ve truly lived my life for nothing!’
“But, you have to pay for the maid outfit.”
“Of course. Why would I make you pay for it?”
Fang Chenxi agreed with a beaming smile.
Jiang Ling felt like she was definitely plotting something bad, so she added one more rule.
“You aren’t allowed to buy anything… provocative.”
“You sure know a lot, Jiang Ling.”
“I… anyway, I just won’t allow it!”