Before leaving, Jiang Ling prepared a meal for Lu Yuyao and left a message on WeChat.
“Eldest Young Lady, I have some things to do this afternoon, so I’m heading out. Lunch is ready. Remember to eat when you wake up. If it’s cold, just heat it in the microwave.”
Lu Yuyao hadn’t woken up yet.
Jiang Ling didn’t know how late she had stayed up last night, but when she saw those two dark circles on that fair face this morning, she figured it must have been very late.
‘Is she really that energetic about drawing Setu of me?’
Jiang Ling didn’t know whether to be happy or embarrassed.
Jiang Ling and Ji Qingyan agreed to meet in front of the Shopping Plaza in the city center.
It was the same one she often visited with Lu Yuyao.
There was a large fountain in the middle of the plaza, making it very conspicuous.
In truth, Jiang Ling couldn’t think of anywhere else to take Ji Qingyan.
Asking a girl out was something she had never done, not in this life or her previous one.
If it were just her, she would probably go to an arcade or hang out at an internet cafe.
But she couldn’t exactly take Ji Qingyan to places like that.
Therefore, the Shopping Plaza was definitely a safe choice.
This was a decision Jiang Ling made after consulting some netizens.
The weather today was nice and sunny.
There were many people around the plaza, but the temperature had visibly dropped, so most people were dressed warmly.
Jiang Ling even spotted someone wearing a down jacket, which felt a bit exaggerated.
She took out her phone to check the temperature; it was around 20 degrees.
What kind of extreme cold-sensitive constitution did that person have to be wearing a down jacket?
Jiang Ling looked down.
She was also dressed a bit thicker than usual in a hoodie and cropped pants.
Without Lu Yuyao’s demands, it was impossible for her to wear a skirt.
The weather was chilly, and wearing a skirt made her feel exposed.
“Jiang Ling.”
Hearing the familiar call, Jiang Ling looked up to see Ji Qingyan already standing in front of her.
She still had her usual cold expression, but Jiang Ling could see a hint of apology in her eyes.
“Sorry, have you been waiting long?”
“No, I just arrived.”
Jiang Ling spoke subconsciously and then paused.
‘Why does that sound so familiar?’
“The Club President looks very beautiful today,” Jiang Ling said, her eyes sparkling as she offered a sincere compliment.
Ji Qingyan clearly hadn’t expected Jiang Ling to be so blunt.
The corners of her mouth curled up unintentionally, but when Jiang Ling looked again, she was expressionless once more.
“It’s alright. Just my daily outfit.”
This wasn’t the first time Jiang Ling had seen Ji Qingyan in casual clothes.
However, compared to the traditional JK Uniform she wore at school, the combination of a knitted sweater and a short skirt gave Ji Qingyan a touch of youthful vitality and warmth.
At the very least, she didn’t seem as icy as she did at school, where she looked like a cold, distant beauty.
Even though she was still expressionless now.
After the initial greeting, the two of them suddenly fell into an awkward silence.
Jiang Ling wasn’t very good at going out with girls, and Ji Qingyan was a woman of few words.
After a brief moment of eye contact, Jiang Ling scratched her head and decided it was better to talk while walking.
The two of them walked side by side toward the Shopping Plaza.
Although they had agreed to hang out, neither Ji Qingyan nor Jiang Ling had actually decided where to go.
Even after searching online yesterday, Ji Qingyan hadn’t been able to make up her mind.
But Jiang Ling couldn’t let the atmosphere stay awkward.
After thinking for a moment, she turned to Ji Qingyan and asked, “Club President, have you eaten yet?”
“Not yet,” Ji Qingyan replied, shaking her head.
However, a trace of resentment flickered in the depths of her eyes.
She didn’t like how Jiang Ling kept calling her “Club President” when she usually called her “Qingyan.”
This made things easy.
Jiang Ling clapped her hands.
They would go eat first and decide the rest after they were full!
“Then what should we eat?”
“Hmm, anything is fine.”
“Anything” was the answer Jiang Ling feared most.
In a sense, “anything” could be interpreted as “nothing is right.”
So, she decided to choose for them.
She wasn’t completely tactless; for her first meal with Ji Qingyan, she had to pick something a girl would like.
They stopped in front of a nicely decorated private kitchen restaurant.
Jiang Ling turned to Ji Qingyan for her opinion, and Ji Qingyan simply nodded.
She truly didn’t mind.
Eating was just to fill her stomach; she was never picky as long as the food wasn’t too heavy or greasy.
After ordering a few nice dishes, Jiang Ling asked if she wanted rice.
The rice here was self-service for 2 yuan per person, but you had to serve yourself.
After getting a nod of approval, Jiang Ling stood up and brought back two bowls of rice.
“Club President, your rice is here.”
Jiang Ling mimicked the tone of a waiter and smiled as she placed the rice in front of Ji Qingyan.
However, Ji Qingyan didn’t say a word.
Those cold eyes stared straight at her, making Jiang Ling feel a bit unnerved.
‘What’s going on? Is the food not to her taste?’
She always said that a girl’s mind was the hardest thing to read, and even Ji Qingyan, who was different from other girls, was no exception.
“Why don’t you call me Qingyan anymore?”
While Jiang Ling was lost in thought, Ji Qingyan suddenly spoke.
Her cold voice held a hint of grievance.
Jiang Ling wondered if she had misheard, but when she looked closely, Ji Qingyan’s gaze was serious.
It seemed she really was upset because of the title.
“Aren’t ‘Qingyan’ and ‘Club President’ the same?”
In Jiang Ling’s view, both were equally close titles, so she didn’t think much of it.
“They’re not,” Ji Qingyan said immediately with a firm tone.
To Ji Qingyan, the fact that Jiang Ling kept calling her “Club President” was a signal of distance and estrangement.
She had clearly said before that Jiang Ling should call her Qingyan.
That usually cold face actually showed a bit of a pout.
Jiang Ling suddenly wanted to laugh.
How had she never noticed that Ji Qingyan could be this childish?
She immediately changed the way she addressed her.
“Qingyan, if you like it, then I’ll keep calling you Qingyan. I’m just used to calling you ‘President’ on WeChat.”
“Mm.”
The resentment in Ji Qingyan’s eyes finally dissipated a bit.
The food was served quickly.
The dishes Jiang Ling had ordered were Sautéed Shrimp and Sweet and Sour Pork.
To avoid waste, Ji Qingyan only ordered a bowl of Corn and Pork Rib Soup and a cold side dish.
The food tasted good, and though the portions were a bit small, it was just right for the two of them.
“The Sautéed Shrimp here is delicious. I feel like I should bring Yu Yao here to try it sometime.”
During their casual conversation, Jiang Ling tasted a shrimp and narcissistically thought it wasn’t as good as her own cooking, but it was still decent.
The chef was quite innovative, adding a refreshing hint of tea to the shrimp.
Just as she finished speaking, she noticed Ji Qingyan’s gaze lingering on her again.
Jiang Ling tilted her head in confusion.
Ji Qingyan immediately looked away and said flatly, “It is quite good.”
***
The topics between students always revolved around studying.
After finishing their meal, the two decided to rest for a while before leaving.
Jiang Ling was playing with her phone when Ji Qingyan suddenly brought up the Freshman Monthly Exam.
Ji Qingyan was a little worried.
Jiang Ling spent a lot of energy every day on writing.
Although Jiang Ling had said she wouldn’t let writing interfere with her studies, Ji Qingyan occasionally caught her daydreaming in class.
Even though Jiang Ling’s self-test scores from a while ago were decent.
But those were just practice papers from outside school, and the questions weren’t from the most recent years, so they didn’t have much reference value.
As expected, Jiang Ling looked full of confidence.
When Ji Qingyan asked, she said proudly, “Don’t worry, it’s impossible for me to fall behind in my studies.”
“I promised you that I wouldn’t let writing a webnovel interfere with my classes.”
This was a guarantee Jiang Ling had made to her back in The Club.
At that time, Ji Qingyan saw Jiang Ling devoting all her focus to her novel and couldn’t help but worry.
Jiang Ling had said that to ease her concerns.
“That’s good. But we’ll have to see how you do on the Monthly Exam. If your rank isn’t in the top ten, I won’t allow you to write for so long in The Club anymore.”
Jiang Ling’s face instantly collapsed into a grimace.
‘Since when did Ji Qingyan become such a nag? She even wants to manage my grades.’
However, under the authority of the Club President, she had no choice but to nod.