Chapter 73: Beyond-Plan Existence

The night passed without a word.

Morning.

Before the alarm went off, Jiang Ling woke up.

She had slept very comfortably.

Outside the window, the sound of rain was still faint, but it seemed to have lessened.

Jiang Ling yawned and sat up, but suddenly noticed the unfamiliar surroundings.

Her eyes were dazed for a moment before she realized with a start that she was in Fang Chenxi’s bedroom.

She instinctively turned her head.

Fang Chenxi was lying beside her, on her side.

Fang Chenxi seemed to be a restless sleeper; the blanket had been kicked loose, covering only her thighs, leaving her fair, jade-like legs exposed.

But thankfully, the pillow was still lying horizontally between them.

Fang Chenxi hadn’t crossed the line.

Jiang Ling suddenly remembered the suspicion she had before falling asleep last night, and her gaze toward Fang Chenxi became complicated.

Her heart was in turmoil.

Consequently, she didn’t know what attitude to take toward this heroine.

‘Really, maybe I should just give up.’

The thought flashed through Jiang Ling’s mind again.

She was always like this—when faced with a problem she couldn’t solve, she always wanted to let it slide.

Just like when she played games in her past life.

If her full squad got surrounded, she could only obediently unload her bullets and wait to die, hoping to minimize the loss.

But this wasn’t a game.

Suddenly, the preset alarm went off.

Jiang Ling was startled.

She quickly pulled her phone out from under the pillow and turned off the alarm.

She looked back.

Fang Chenxi’s eyelashes fluttered, and her body shifted slightly.

She seemed to be waking up.

Jiang Ling quickly looked away, pretending she had just woken up, and prepared to get out of bed.

“Hmm… Jiang Ling?”

Fang Chenxi, seeing Jiang Ling sitting on the edge of the bed, murmured drowsily, rubbed her eyes, and sat up.

Yawning, she asked,

“Why are you up so early?”

She seemed to have forgotten her habit of sleeping naked.

The blanket slipped off her body, revealing large areas of snow-white skin.

The softness on her chest trembled slightly with her movements, indicating its size.

Fang Chenxi seemed to favor sky blue.

Jiang Ling was stunned.

She turned away in embarrassment and annoyance, all the previous inner conflict vanishing.

She put on her slippers and quickly opened the door.

“Put your clothes on first!”

Jiang Ling fled in panic.

Fang Chenxi’s eyes were dazed.

She looked down at her body and seemed to understand something.

For the first time, Fang Chenxi’s cheeks flushed, as pink as peach blossoms in April.

“Are you still having breakfast?”

“Mm.”

Having been a maid for a day, a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt.

Jiang Ling decided to make Fang Chenxi breakfast before leaving.

Of course, she had already changed out of the maid outfit.

It was overcast, so her clothes wouldn’t dry quickly.

But Fang Chenxi said that when she went to the bathroom last night, she had put Jiang Ling’s clothes in the dryer.

Hearing this, Jiang Ling’s eyes widened.

‘Why didn’t you say so earlier!’

As always, she was malicious.

Jiang Ling felt Fang Chenxi suited being the villain more than she did.

At the dining table, both were silent, heads down, eating egg pancakes.

The atmosphere was awkward.

Just yesterday, they had been chatting and laughing.

Both had their own thoughts.

Jiang Ling was scared by her own suspicion and didn’t know what attitude to take toward Fang Chenxi.

Fang Chenxi, because of Jiang Ling’s murmured words from last night, felt uncomfortable.

Jiang Ling said she was afraid.

But in the past life, it was Jiang Ling who caused trouble everywhere, obstructing her and Lu Yuyao.

After being reborn, she hadn’t taught Jiang Ling a lesson.

Her behavior toward Jiang Ling could even be described as friendly.

But Jiang Ling?

She was still afraid, as if Fang Chenxi were an evil person who did nothing wrong.

‘We’re both reincarnators. Jiang Ling should understand that…’

Fang Chenxi suddenly thought.

Actually, she should understand too.

If it weren’t for the change in Jiang Ling’s personality, she wouldn’t have become interested in Jiang Ling.

At first, teasing Jiang Ling was her only joy in the darkness after rebirth.

Only Jiang Ling could give her a different kind of freshness.

It made her realize that in this scripted Book World, there were still unexpected surprises.

Another existence beyond the plan, just like her.

“I’m done eating.”

The sudden words broke Fang Chenxi’s train of thought.

She looked up.

Jiang Ling was wiping her mouth with a napkin, then stood up, took her plate to the kitchen, came back out, and stood in front of her.

“Wash the dishes yourself later. I’m going home now.”

Jiang Ling didn’t dare meet Fang Chenxi’s eyes.

Her gaze wandered, as if she had done something wrong.

“Mm, okay.”

Jiang Ling was changing her shoes in the entryway when she heard Fang Chenxi’s footsteps approaching.

She looked up and saw Fang Chenxi stop by the sofa, her face full of hesitation.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s still raining outside. Remember to take an umbrella.”

Jiang Ling thought Fang Chenxi’s concern was strange.

She wasn’t stupid; taking an umbrella in the rain was common sense.

But she didn’t reject her good intentions.

She just nodded lightly.

“Okay.”

From the entryway came the sound of the door closing.

Fang Chenxi sat down on the sofa, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

What had she been about to say?

‘Want to stop her? Want to tear through the window paper between them?’

‘But what would the consequences be?’

‘If she suddenly told Jiang Ling the truth, would Jiang Ling be scared away and then believe she couldn’t be friends with her, completely distancing herself?’

Jiang Ling’s murmur last night convinced Fang Chenxi that she would do exactly that.

‘Jiang Ling is unexpectedly timid.’

Fang Chenxi suddenly noticed the maid outfit neatly folded on the coffee table.

She reached out and stroked it.

The soft fabric still seemed to carry Jiang Ling’s warmth.

Her eyes suddenly lit up.

‘Why do I keep getting caught up on this?’

‘Jiang Ling clearly doesn’t know she’s a reincarnator. I’m the one in control.’

‘The development of events should be in my hands.’

‘Whether Jiang Ling believes me or not isn’t that important.’

Fang Chenxi chuckled softly, nodded slightly, and her eyes shone with the same confidence as before.

Lu Yuyao woke up very early.

After submitting her manuscript yesterday, she had rarely given herself a day off.

Perhaps because Jiang Ling wasn’t around, the inspiration she had recently recovered was nearly exhausted, and she felt quite frustrated.

But it was okay.

Jiang Ling would be back soon.

Opening the door, a blast of cold wind hit her.

Only wearing thin pajamas, Lu Yuyao shivered and went back to put on a jacket.

It was still raining outside.

The rain pattered rhythmically, playing a melody that belonged only to autumn—pleasant to the ear.

When she first woke up, the rain had lightened, but now it seemed to be getting heavier again.

Lu Yuyao simply sat under the awning by the front door, holding a cup of hot milk.

She had gotten used to hot milk every morning.

When Jiang Ling wasn’t around, she heated one for herself.

It was raining so hard.

Should she go pick Jiang Ling up?

But they didn’t have any transportation that could shelter from the rain.

If she went, she’d have to take a taxi.

Lu Yuyao pouted.

She knew she just wanted to see Jiang Ling quickly.

“I’ll just call her. It’s been a while since I talked to Qingyan-jie anyway.”

Lu Yuyao and Ji Qingyan rarely met.

After the building was divided between the freshmen and sophomores, her teaching building was farther from Dongyue Building, and she didn’t usually have a chance to see her.

They sometimes greeted each other on WeChat, but that was different.

Having found a seemingly legitimate reason, Lu Yuyao took out her phone, pulled up Ji Qingyan’s WeChat, and called her.

“Hello?”

Ji Qingyan on the other end seemed to have just woken up.

Her voice was soft, not as cool as usual, but still pleasant.

“Qingyan-jie.”

Ji Qingyan didn’t have many friends.

The familiar voice told her it was Lu Yuyao.

Ji Qingyan had indeed just woken up.

She was still lounging in bed when she saw Lu Yuyao’s sudden call, so she sat up.

“It’s Yuyao. What’s up?”

Ji Qingyan’s voice returned to its usual coolness as she asked suspiciously.

Calling so early in the morning—there must be something.

“Nothing. My sister is at your place, right? So I called to ask if she’s up yet.”

“Jiang Ling?”

Ji Qingyan was momentarily confused.

Why would Jiang Ling be at her house?

But her usual alertness made her react instantly.

Jiang Ling must have told Lu Yuyao something, which is why she was asking.

So she kept her composure and went along with Lu Yuyao’s words.

“Jiang Ling probably hasn’t woken up yet. I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

Now it was Lu Yuyao’s turn to be confused.

“Aren’t you two sleeping together? Jiang Ling said she was sharing a room with you.”

What exactly had Jiang Ling told Lu Yuyao?

Ji Qingyan narrowed her eyes, curiosity growing.

She reacted quickly and immediately added,

“Ah, I was still half asleep. Jiang Ling is lying right next to me, not awake yet.”

Ji Qingyan’s responses were always a beat slow, which wasn’t like her.

Lu Yuyao became suspicious.

Could it be that Jiang Ling hadn’t actually gone to any club activity and was lying to her?

Seeing the sudden silence on the other end, Ji Qingyan sensed trouble and took the initiative.

“Do you need her urgently? Should I wake her up?”

“No, it’s nothing important.”

Ji Qingyan’s tone was calm, which somewhat dispelled Lu Yuyao’s suspicions.

Since Jiang Ling wasn’t awake yet, she didn’t want to disturb her.

After a brief chat with Ji Qingyan, she hung up.

Ji Qingyan’s eyes suddenly turned cold.

She rubbed her phone screen with her fingers, clearly understanding now.

Jiang Ling was using her as an excuse while she herself was off doing who knows what.

Ji Qingyan suddenly felt very irritated.

She hated this feeling.

But she still opened the chat window with Jiang Ling, typed a message, and sent it.

Jiang Ling, still as cautious as ever, took a detour before returning home.

But as she pushed open the door, she saw Lu Yuyao sitting on the recliner under the awning, her eyes fixed on Jiang Ling.

“Why are you up so early?”

Jiang Ling asked in confusion, holding the umbrella as she walked up to Lu Yuyao and stopped.

“It’s so cold this early in the morning, and raining too. Go inside and sit.”

Seeing that Lu Yuyao had waited for her in the yard on purpose, Jiang Ling was slightly moved.

Truly, there were differences among heroines.

Lu Yuyao was always so gentle, so considerate.

But Lu Yuyao said nothing.

Her delicate face tilted up slightly as her gaze swept over Jiang Ling.

Lu Yuyao gave a light snort and suddenly asked in a sweet but accusing tone,

“Where were you yesterday?”

“I went to Qingyan’s for the club activity. I told you that.”

“Still lying!”

Lu Yuyao’s tone rose, her eyes sharpening.

But even with that intensity, it only made her look more charming.

“Qingyan-jie told me you never went to her place.”

“Tell me, where were you messing around?”

The scene was exactly like a wife scolding a husband who came home late after lying.

Jiang Ling showed no sign of panic.

Instead, she sighed in deliberate disappointment.

“How could I lie to you? I really did go to Qingyan’s house.”

“Qingyan must be joking with you. Honestly, even she would joke like that.”

Jiang Ling’s tone was calm, her words full of reproach toward Ji Qingyan.

Lu Yuyao narrowed her eyes, carefully observing Jiang Ling’s facial expression.

Suddenly, she got up from the recliner, a smile spreading across her face.

“Oh, how could I not believe you?”

“I was just doing a skit.”

Lu Yuyao began to cover for herself, framing the interrogation as a skit.

Her serious expression made it impossible to tell if she was lying.

“Don’t you think this kind of skit is interesting? It feels like a good start for a lewd manga.”

“For example, a husband tired of everyday life sneaks out to have fun behind his wife’s back, comes home, confesses under the wife’s pressure, and then gets thoroughly drained.”

“NTR and stuff—let’s not. I’m a firm believer in pure love.”

“I was just giving an example. Have you ever seen any NTR elements in the pictures I’ve drawn?”

Lu Yuyao smiled, shoving the empty milk cup into Jiang Ling’s hands, her last doubt completely gone.

See, how could Jiang Ling lie to her?

“Have you had breakfast? If not, I’ll make it.”

Since Lu Yuyao was up so early, Jiang Ling figured she hadn’t eaten yet.

“I already ate. I even heated milk.”

Lu Yuyao raised the empty milk bottle.

“That’s very good of you,” Jiang Ling said with a smile.

“I’m not asking for your praise.”

Lu Yuyao pouted.

“Let’s go inside. It’s cold out here.”

Even wearing a jacket, in the rainy autumn morning, the temperature was freezing.

If she hadn’t wanted to watch the rain and wait for Jiang Ling, she wouldn’t have stayed in the yard.

“Okay, I’ll leave the umbrella outside.”

Lu Yuyao went inside first.

Standing under the eaves, Jiang Ling folded the umbrella, relief washing over her face.

Finally, she breathed a sigh.

Good.

Ji Qingyan had just sent her a message, telling her about Lu Yuyao’s sudden call.

That way, she could prepare mentally and manage to handle it.

But—

Jiang Ling took out her phone.

The screen was still on their chat window.

[Yuyao just called, asking where you went.]

[Ah, I understand. Thank you, Qingyan.]

[No need to thank me.]

Usually, Ji Qingyan would just reply with “Mm” or “Okay,” short and to the point.

But this time, she said “No need to thank me.”

So, the problem was big.

A bitter smile appeared on Jiang Ling’s face.