Chapter 35: Sharing the Stage

Ji Qingyan spotted Lu Yuyao.

Lu Yuyao, looking through the window, also saw Ji Qingyan sitting upright and drinking tea.

She turned her head to ask Jiang Ling,

“So, is that the ‘rumor’ heroine?”

Jiang Ling’s lip twitched, and she felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of guilt.

“What rumor heroine? That’s our Club President, Ji Qingyan.”

“Ji Qingyan.”

Lu Yuyao nodded as if committing the name to memory, but she couldn’t help asking,

“So, is she really the girl you pinned down?”

“Yes…”

“You should have just said so.”

Lu Yuyao huffed and looked back at the elegant, serene figure.

The girl’s appearance was nearly perfect.

“Now I’m starting to think you wanted to take advantage of her on purpose,”

Lu Yuyao muttered under her breath.

Jiang Ling didn’t hear her.

Jiang Ling scratched her head, unsure why Lu Yuyao was pressing the issue.

“Let’s go. Come sit inside for a bit. I assume you came here for a tour?”

“You’re quite clever, aren’t you?”

Jiang Ling was right, but not entirely.

It was a rare occasion where Lu Yuyao wanted to go home with Jiang Ling.

Lately, Jiang Ling was always lingering in what she called the club, as if something there was drawing her in.

Whenever Lu Yuyao asked, Jiang Ling would just tell her to head back first.

Combined with the previous rumors, Lu Yuyao had become increasingly curious about this Literature Research Society.

Today happened to be the perfect day for a visit.

“Hello, Senior Ji,”

Lu Yuyao said sweetly.

She acted so well-behaved that Jiang Ling felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

‘Where did all that playful and lively energy go?’

Ji Qingyan paused for a moment.

Lu Yuyao already knew her name, likely because Jiang Ling had just told her.

“Would you like some tea?”

Ji Qingyan asked.

“We have black tea and green tea.”

“Either is fine.”

“Green tea, then.”

Ji Qingyan stood up with a composed grace, acting as a proper host.

She filled a disposable paper cup with tea and placed it on the table in front of Lu Yuyao.

“Thank you.”

Ji Qingyan’s cold eyes shifted toward Jiang Ling, seemingly asking who this girl was.

‘Why does this feel like I’m bringing a mistress home for my main wife to inspect?’

Jiang Ling felt strangely guilty, especially under Ji Qingyan’s gaze.

She cleared her throat and introduced Lu Yuyao.

“This is… my cousin, Lu Yuyao.”

“Mm… cousin, that’s right,”

Lu Yuyao repeated.

Perhaps she was dissatisfied with the title of “little sister,” but that was the only thing Jiang Ling could come up with.

‘So she’s his cousin.’

For some reason, Ji Qingyan felt a weight lift from her heart, and her gaze toward Lu Yuyao grew even gentler.

Lu Yuyao found the sudden shift in attitude strange.

She looked at Jiang Ling, but Jiang Ling was busy drinking tea.

Consequently, Lu Yuyao began chatting with Ji Qingyan.

Perhaps it was Lu Yuyao’s natural talent, but her personality was inherently lively.

She was gentle and non-threatening to everyone, which made Ji Qingyan feel very comfortable around her.

While the two chatted, Jiang Ling sat nearby and listened.

Their conversation shifted from initial polite pleasantries to every possible aspect of a girl’s life.

Girls’ conversations were always like this; Jiang Ling had experienced it before.

Jiang Ling was surprised, however, to see Ji Qingyan talking so much.

Although her responses were still brief, she was saying much more than usual and even taking the initiative to ask questions.

Upon learning that Jiang Ling and Lu Yuyao were currently living together, Ji Qingyan’s eyes blinked, and her lips moved slightly.

“Is it just the two of you?”

“Your parents are certainly trusting, letting two high school students live out on their own.”

“Well… it’s not really a big deal. I usually take care of Yuyao. My parents passed away early, so I became independent at a young age,”

Jiang Ling interjected casually.

She didn’t think much of it, but both Lu Yuyao and Ji Qingyan fell silent, looking at her with eyes full of pity.

A flash of panic appeared in Ji Qingyan’s eyes.

Realizing she had touched upon a sensitive subject, she seemed at a loss.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

Jiang Ling remained nonchalant, not caring about the topic at all.

She waved her hand to show Ji Qingyan it was fine.

“It happened so long ago. I don’t mind anymore.”

She truly didn’t care.

After all, they weren’t her real parents, and her memories of them were pitifully sparse.

It was difficult for her to truly feel the loss.

Despite that, Lu Yuyao and Ji Qingyan didn’t know the truth.

The once lively atmosphere suddenly stalled.

Feeling a bit of a headache, Jiang Ling quickly thought of a new topic to bridge the silence.

“By the way, Yuyao, have you joined a club yet?”

Lu Yuyao nodded gently.

“Really?”

“What club?”

“The Manga Club.”

Jiang Ling looked confused for a moment, then remembered the drawing pens she had seen in Lu Yuyao’s bedroom.

It seemed Lu Yuyao really was learning how to draw.

Jiang Ling smiled, pretending this was the first she had heard of it.

“You know how to draw?”

“Do you have any finished pictures? Let me see.”

“No, I just wanted to join to learn. I’m only a beginner.”

As she spoke, Lu Yuyao’s eyes flickered.

Jiang Ling caught her guilty expression but didn’t press her, simply saying she had to see them once they were finished.

Ji Qingyan silently listened to the two sisters chat.

She felt that something was slightly off, but she quickly dismissed her suspicions.

She simply marveled at how close Jiang Ling and Lu Yuyao were—their bond seemed different from typical cousins.

***

Lu Yuyao and Jiang Ling didn’t stay for long.

At Lu Yuyao’s suggestive glance, Jiang Ling had to bid Ji Qingyan a temporary farewell.

“Come back and visit when you have the chance,”

Ji Qingyan said softly.

It was unclear if she was just being polite.

However, Lu Yuyao replied with a smile,

“Definitely, if I get the chance.”

Watching the two of them leave the club, Ji Qingyan’s gaze fell back onto the book in her hands.

It had been on this page when Lu Yuyao arrived, and it was still on this page now.

Ji Qingyan suddenly realized that lately, she hadn’t been able to focus on her reading at all.

Xia Yu and Ding Rui arrived late.

As the two sat down to drink the still-warm tea Ji Qingyan had poured, Xia Yu looked at the empty seat and then at Ji Qingyan.

“Didn’t Senior Jiang come today?”

Ji Qingyan suddenly felt the urge to tease her.

Her slender fingers gently turned a page as she said indifferently,

“She just left with a beautiful junior.”

For Xia Yu, it felt like being struck by a bolt of lightning.

“Do you want to go see your sister’s training?”

Jiang Ling hesitated before finally asking.

“She’s been training at the Sports Club lately. She mentioned recently that she hoped you’d come watch if you had the chance.”

Jiang Ling told a small lie, but it didn’t matter.

She only needed Lu Yuyao to know that Fang Chenxi wanted her there.

Naturally, Lu Yuyao didn’t think too much of it.

She nodded and gestured for Jiang Ling to lead the way.

“Let’s go.”

As soon as they entered the field, they ran right into Fang Chenxi, who had just finished her training.

Her face was flushed pink, and sweat-drenched strands of hair clung to her forehead.

Her long, powerful legs looked like two ivory chopsticks, and her entire being exuded a sense of wild beauty.

Jiang Ling found this version of Fang Chenxi quite novel and couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances.

“What are you two doing here?”

Fang Chenxi was drying herself with a towel.

Seeing the two of them appear made her feel a bit flustered.

She subconsciously looked at Jiang Ling, tightened her grip on the towel, and hid it behind her back.

‘I just broke a sweat. Will Jiang Ling be disgusted if she sees me like this? I should have dried off before coming out.’

A hint of regret flickered in her heart.