Chapter 34: Strange and Weird

The first period on Monday afternoon was Physical Education.

This was why Jiang Ling had chosen to spend her lunch break at the club.

The PE teacher apparently had something to do in the morning and couldn’t make it to the afternoon class.

He had already asked Fang Chenxi to notify everyone that the afternoon PE class would be a free period.

Jiang Ling didn’t want to wander aimlessly around the playground; it was incredibly boring.

She wasn’t particularly close with her classmates yet.

In fact, due to the rumors, everyone felt a bit awkward whenever they spoke to her.

Jiang Ling was happy to enjoy the peace.

It was better to stay at the club with Ji Qingyan for company.

When Jiang Ling woke up, Ji Qingyan was still sleeping, her head resting on her arms.

Her peaceful sleeping face looked even lovelier under the reflection of the sunlight.

Jiang Ling didn’t rush to wake her.

She went to wash her face first, and upon returning to find her still asleep, she mischievously leaned close to Ji Qingyan’s ear.

“It’s time for class! Still sleeping?”

Ji Qingyan’s body jolted, and she sat up almost instantly.

Her dazed expression made Jiang Ling burst into laughter; it was rare to see Ji Qingyan with such a look.

Seeing Jiang Ling giggling nearby, the belated Ji Qingyan realized she had been tricked, and her beautiful brows furrowed.

Jiang Ling didn’t know that Ji Qingyan had a severe waking-up temper.

“Don’t — “

Jiang Ling cried out.

Her body suddenly went weak as a strange sensation rose from her heart, a tingling numbness spreading through her entire being.

Jiang Ling had leaned in very close, and her small, jade-like ear was right before Ji Qingyan’s eyes.

Ji Qingyan bit down directly, her teeth gently leaving a shallow mark on the earlobe.

Jiang Ling’s body softened, and she slumped toward Ji Qingyan, leaning against her shoulder.

By the time Ji Qingyan realized what she had done, Jiang Ling had forced herself to pull away from her shoulder, her cheeks already flushed deep red.

Both of them remained silent.

Cold water splashed against her cheeks, and Ji Qingyan finally cleared her head a bit, though her face still felt incredibly hot.

What had she just done?

The image of that small, jade-like earlobe and the soft sensation lingered in Ji Qingyan’s mind.

She felt like she was going crazy.

How could she have bitten Jiang Ling’s earlobe for no reason?

At that moment, she had simply felt annoyed at being woken up.

With Jiang Ling right beside her and seeing her teasing expression, the heat of the moment had taken over Ji Qingyan’s head.

It was all because of her waking-up temper.

It was so hot.

Ji Qingyan scooped up another handful of water and splashed it on her face, yet her cheeks remained burning.

Pushing the door open, Ji Qingyan’s eyes met Jiang Ling’s.

In the next second, Jiang Ling quickly looked away.

Ji Qingyan could see that her cheeks were also very red.

For the first time, Ji Qingyan felt like the few steps from the door to her seat were excruciating.

Neither of them spoke.

Ji Qingyan subconsciously flipped open a book and held it, but she couldn’t concentrate at all.

“Do you want some tea?”

Jiang Ling was the one to break the heavy silence.

Ji Qingyan nodded.

The water boiled quickly.

Jiang Ling poured two cups of tea, one for herself and one for Ji Qingyan.

Ji Qingyan took it, let it cool for a moment, and took a small sip.

The fresh aroma of the tea seemed to calm her mood significantly.

She took the initiative to speak.

“How is your new book doing lately?”

Ji Qingyan remembered that Jiang Ling’s new book should be reaching a new stage soon — the First Recommendation.

The rules of the website where Jiang Ling published her book were as follows:

At 60,000 words, one would apply for the First Recommendation.

It lasted for two days, but it required the Follow-up Reads to reach at least 50.

Then came the Second Recommendation at 80,000 words, which was much more intense.

Compared to the previous one, this recommendation was more effective and lasted for five days, but the data requirements for the book would also be higher.

Furthermore, these two were the only recommendations available before the book went behind a paywall.

Over the past few days, Jiang Ling had maintained a rock-solid update schedule of two chapters every day.

Her word count had reached 60,000.

Ji Qingyan knew the collections for the new book were decent; having around 1,000 collections at 60,000 words was considered a passing level.

However, to see what level the book could actually reach, one had to look at the growth in collections and Follow-up Reads after receiving the first two recommendations.

Still, Ji Qingyan had confidence in Jiang Ling’s book.

“I’ve already applied with the editor. The First Recommendation will start this Wednesday,”

Jiang Ling replied.

Mentioning this made Jiang Ling a bit nervous.

After all, this was her first time entering the webnovel industry.

Everything felt fresh, and she was only now learning that there were so many tricks to the trade.

She had never paid attention to such things when she was just a reader.

“Don’t be nervous. Your book’s performance is actually quite good among the new books in this batch,”

Ji Qingyan comforted her, perhaps sensing Jiang Ling’s anxiety.

The two chatted about the state of the new book, and it seemed as if no one was dwelling on the little incident from earlier.

The atmosphere gradually relaxed, and time slipped away minute by minute.

For the first time, Jiang Ling felt that a PE class could pass so quickly.

Jiang Ling was getting into the conversation; she was very interested in Ji Qingyan’s explanations of writing techniques.

Right now, she was like a parched sponge that couldn’t get enough water no matter how much it absorbed.

Hearing the bell ring for the end of class, the two looked at each other.

Jiang Ling sighed; it seemed they could only stop here for today.

After school, Xia Yu and Ding Rui might come over, and they wouldn’t be able to discuss these things then.

“Let’s head back to the classroom,”

Jiang Ling suggested.

Ji Qingyan nodded.

“Wait for me on the Fifth Floor after school.”

As soon as class ended, Jiang Ling checked her phone and saw a message from Lu Yuyao.

‘Why meet her on the Fifth Floor? What for?’

Jiang Ling muttered under her breath, catching Fang Chenxi’s attention.

Fang Chenxi leaned in, and since it was a message from Lu Yuyao, Jiang Ling felt there was no harm in letting her see it.

To her surprise, after Fang Chenxi took a look, she pulled back as if she wasn’t interested in what Lu Yuyao had said at all.

This caught Jiang Ling off guard.

Jiang Ling hadn’t forgotten her original goal — to try her best to get Lu Yuyao and Fang Chenxi together.

So, she took the rare initiative to invite Fang Chenxi.

“Yuyao is waiting on the Fifth Floor. Do you want to come with me?”

Fang Chenxi raised an eyebrow, her phoenix eyes staring at her until Jiang Ling felt flustered.

Ultimately, she shook her head.

“I have training later, so I won’t be going.”

“You’re really hardworking, going to training every day,”

Jiang Ling teased.

The Sports Club wasn’t the Sports Team.

In the end, it was just a club and wasn’t that professional; students weren’t actually required to train every day.

Jiang Ling knew why Fang Chenxi did it, so she didn’t say anything more.

“After all, I don’t want to fail again this time,”

Fang Chenxi said softly, giving Jiang Ling a deep look.

Jiang Ling didn’t catch what she said.

Since Fang Chenxi wasn’t going, Jiang Ling left first.

Jiang Ling had already guessed why Lu Yuyao wanted to meet on the Fifth Floor.

Ji Qingyan entered the classroom and, as usual, brewed a pot of tea first.

Turning around, she saw Jiang Ling lingering at the door and tilted her head.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

Jiang Ling smiled.

“Waiting for someone.”

“Ta-da! I’m here!”

Just as she spoke, a bright and youthful figure burst out from behind her.

With a cheerful voice, Lu Yuyao poked Jiang Ling’s shoulder with a smile.

“Are you waiting for me?”

“Who else?”

Ji Qingyan’s hand paused as she held her cup, her gaze falling on the unfamiliar Lu Yuyao.

She thought to herself,

‘Another one?’