Chapter 172: You Jinx

Actually, Jiang Ning had considered this scenario a long time ago.

She’d thought through a few different scripts.

She even prepared a contingency plan with her older cousin Tian Wenhao in advance.

Although the targets she had anticipated weren’t exactly these three,

They weren’t far off either.

So,

After Miss Jiang spent several minutes explaining everything,

The group fell silent for a long time.

Tao Tao suddenly asked:

“You mean, back then it was more like being forced into it?”

“Yes,” Jiang Ning nodded.

“The store manager was sick, and my cousin isn’t good at expressing himself.”

“I couldn’t just watch him get bullied and his store get trampled.”

“So I had no choice but to take the title of manager and step up.”

Hearing this,

Tao Tao simply said, “Makes sense,” and didn’t press further.

At that moment,

Qi Wen also asked,

“Jiang Jiang, is your cousin really that bad at expressing himself?”

“Terrible,” Jiang Ning gave a vivid analogy.

“He thinks 1 in his head, but what comes out might be 3 or 4.”

“Really?” Qi Wen looked doubtful.

So Miss Jiang pulled out her phone and showed her some texts Tian Wenhao had sent a few days ago.

[Ning Ning! How could you touch that in my room!]

[That thing isn’t! How could you move that!]

[Ning Ning! Ming Xiu knows about that too now! How am I supposed to that with her now!?]

…

Several messages, full of “this” and “that.”

Qi Wen, completely confused, blinked blankly at the screen.

And nodded instinctively.

“Yeah, that’s… kinda…”

Just as Qi Wen was about to be convinced,

Jiang Ning turned her attention to Xu Suihe sitting across from her.

Only to be met with a half-smiling, half-mocking expression.

In just one glance,

Jiang Ning gave up on trying to fool this one.

She scratched her head,

Thinking about how to explain,

But Xu Suihe just gave her a bright smile and made a “shh” gesture.

What followed was dinner, with Xu the Clever watching Jiang the Smooth-Talker tirelessly reinforce a memory narrative for the other two.

Half an hour later,

The group came out of the restaurant laughing and chatting.

Before they parted,

Xu Suihe suddenly turned to Qi Wen and said:

“Mind if I borrow someone for a quick chat?”

Heh.

Borrow someone from Qi Wen?

You do know she’s famous for being possessive, right?

Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow and leaned a bit closer to Qi Wen,

Flashing a smug look at Xu Suihe.

But to her surprise,

Qi Wen just smiled brightly and said,

“Sure, just return her when you’re done.”

And then,

Before she could react, Jiang Ning was dragged by Xu Suihe into a corner.

“What do you want?!”

“You little liar.”

“I’m not!”

“Should I go talk to your ‘good classmate’ then?”

When Jiang Ning heard the emphasis on “good classmate,” she whipped her head around, frowning as she stared at Xu Suihe.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing. I just didn’t expect… you were really like this.”

As Xu said this,

Jiang Ning noticed a sparkle in her peach-blossom eyes.

Oh wait—

She was mistaken.

It was the reflection of a car’s blinking light.

Just as Jiang Ning was about to respond,

Xu Suihe beat her to it.

“Don’t be so quick to deny it.”

Then,

She stepped a few paces closer to Jiang Ning.

Instinctively,

Jiang Ning tried to step back.

But being backed up against the wall, she had nowhere to go, and could only watch as Xu Suihe stopped two steps away from her.

“Jiang Ning.”

Xu Suihe smiled, her eyes twinkling as she looked into hers.

“Do you know?”

“How I felt when I saw you and that little girl moving around under the table?”

Jiang Ning didn’t respond.

She looked over at Qi Wen, who was chatting with Tao Tao a short distance away.

And let out a small sigh of relief.

“Hee.”

“I was so happy.”

“Really, so happy.”

“Because…”

At that word, Xu Suihe stepped even closer.

Then leaned in, resting her face near Jiang Ning’s ear.

A soft, fragrant breath.

“Because…”

Just that sentence,

With that strange hint of scent.

In that instant,

Miss Jiang felt like she’d been shocked.

Especially when she was that close to those coffee-colored peach-blossom eyes.

At that moment,

She could even hear her own heartbeat.

Thump, thump.

After a while,

That dazed look in her eyes began to clear.

She took two deep breaths.

And slowly turned her body.

“I really don’t like you.”

“But what does that have to do with you?”

A rejection that clear—

Yet Xu Suihe didn’t retreat.

Still smiling sweetly, she gazed into her eyes.

Even reached out, brushing Jiang Ning’s hair tips.

As if murmuring to herself,

“Jiang Ning.”

“I want to be with you.”

“I refuse,” Jiang Ning didn’t dare meet her eyes, replying with her head slightly lowered.

But—

Xu Suihe just chuckled softly and said:

“Don’t worry.”

“I don’t care about what happened at school.”

“As long as you remember to come home.”

???

Isn’t that the line I used to use?!

Jiang Ning felt she was being shamelessly flirted with.

Irritation surged up instantly.

She shoved Xu Suihe away.

Rolled her eyes.

“Sorry, not interested.”

Then turned and walked off.

Xu Suihe didn’t chase after her.

She just stood where she was,

Watching that slightly flustered figure.

And let out a quiet laugh.

“If such a one is like a rainbow, only upon meeting do you know such beauty exists…”

——————

To be honest, today’s events were quite a shock to Jiang Ning.

It’s not that she couldn’t accept Xu Suihe.

On the contrary.

She rather liked the idea of something like that.

Just… not with someone in her close circle.

But today—

What shook her most was her own reaction.

Because she realized,

When Xu Suihe approached her,

Her body had the urge to hug her.

A strong one.

So what does that mean?

Does she actually have those kinds of tendencies?

Or has her physical instinct already been conquered by her mental state, now leaning toward “real man” mode?

Miss Jiang couldn’t make sense of it.

She kept thinking about it right up until evening self-study was about to end.

Thoughts of it kept popping up in her head.

So much so that Luo Shanshan sitting beside her thought Jiang Ning might be sick.

“Jiang Jiang…”

“Is it that time?”

“What time?” Jiang Ning, absentmindedly twirling her pen, looked back at Luo Shanshan.

Luo pulled a small white pad from her pocket and stuffed it into her hand.

“Your period.”

“By my count, it should be coming soon.”

“Better use one just in case—if it comes suddenly, your pants are done for.”

???

What the hell.

Are you fortune-telling now?

Jiang Ning shoved the little pad back with an annoyed face.

“Hasn’t come yet!”

But just as she snapped back, a familiar sensation suddenly flared up in her lower abdomen—like being pricked by a needle.

The feeling made Jiang Ning’s face change in an instant.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened her eyes and glared viciously at her ever-considerate deskmate.

“Luo Shanshan!”

“You’re such a jinx!”

—

Night fell.

Jiang Ning, freshly washed, climbed into bed like usual.

The first thing she did was pull out her phone.
She powered it on.

After the familiar startup screen passed, several messages popped up all at once.

One was from her carrier, warning that her balance had dropped below 20.

The other four were from four different people.

[Hero, it’s settled. We’re letting bygones be bygones. Neither side will pursue anything further. I’d say that counts as mission accomplished, yeah?] — from Hu Gugu, half an hour ago.

Letting bygones be bygones?

Jiang Ning figured Hu Gugu was trustworthy enough, but she wasn’t one to gamble on human nature.
So precautions still had to be taken.

[Thanks, Gugu. I’ll treat you to a meal sometime.]

The reply came back within seconds.

[Counting the two times before, that makes three meals you owe me, Hero.]

Uh…
A little awkward.

[I’ll treat you during summer break—food, drinks, fun, all on me!]

[Sounds great, Hero. I’ll be waiting!]

Tsk tsk.
Wonder if a full day at the internet café counts.
Knowing Hu Gugu, she’d probably be all for it.

Yao Yao might be harder to explain that to.
Whatever.
Deal with it later.

[Dear Jiang Xiaoning, the contract’s ready. When can you come sign it?] — from Li Mingyu, fifteen minutes ago.

Ew.
Do people ask for money this bluntly now?

[Let’s do Sunday. I’ll bring my card too.]

Jiang Ning pursed her lips, sent the message, but strangely—no immediate reply.
Probably in the shower.

Speaking of which—she couldn’t help picturing Gao Jingyi’s slender, long legs.

She thought about texting her, but after scrolling through her contacts for ages, she finally remembered—
Gao Jingyi didn’t seem to have a phone.

Might as well buy her one sometime.
She had money.
Just that kind of person.

Now, Jiang Ning opened the next message.
Looking at the sender—
Hm?
Tao Tao.

[Jiang Ning, the stuff you said to me today—it just doesn’t sit right the more I think about it.]

[Also, what was up with you guys today? Why were you all acting so weird?]

[Are you hiding something from me?]

Hiding something from you?
Ha.
As if you even know anything.

Jiang Ning didn’t reply to Tao Tao.
Nor did she respond to the message from Li Mingwei offering some kind of concern.

She just flopped onto her bed, planning to roll around under the blanket for a bit.

But right then, her phone buzzed.

She picked it up—
Hm?
Lin Ke?

What’s he doing messaging this late?

Jiang Ning tapped open the message.
It only had a few words.

[Boss, the polymer lithium battery sample is ready!]
(End of Chapter)