Xie Ling looked at the heart icon under the dynamic post, debating whether to cancel it. Suddenly, the screen flashed, and the person who had posted the update started a voice call.
She looked at the incoming call page and fell into a panic. Why be so direct? It was just a like!
It was truly just a slip of the finger!
The system had not even spoken yet, had it?
Before she could let her imagination run wild, the electronic sound of Little Rebel rang in her ears.
Xie Ling’s expression tightened, fearing it might be a violation notice. She listened:
“Thesis event, task progress 100%.”
“Reward: 500 points, redeemable for 50 Frustration Points. Would you like to redeem?”
Xie Ling’s heart, which had been hanging in her throat, finally dropped. She did not have time to worry about why Ji Xue was requesting a voice call and nodded repeatedly: “Redeem, redeem, redeem.”
Little Rebel’s voice sounded listless: “Redemption successful. Current Frustration Points +50.”
Xie Ling just wanted to check the point breakdown when a loud ringing sounded in her ears.
The voice call on her phone screen had already disconnected. Having received the task reward, she suddenly realized the severity of the situation.
The task was completed?
Then Ji Xue probably was not calling her because of the like on her post.
Just as she was thinking this, her phone screen flashed, and the voice request came through again.
Xie Ling looked down at it, muttering to herself that what is meant to be cannot be avoided, and placed her finger on the accept button, albeit very slowly.
“Hello?” Ji Xue’s voice was crisp and cold.
Xie Ling lowered her head and murmured an acknowledgment, her calm exterior filled with guilt.
Her voice in the receiver sounded clearly different from when they were face to face: “The professor could not reach you, so she asked me to notify you to come back this afternoon. She has something to discuss with us.”
Xie Ling let out an “ah” and asked a question she already knew the answer to: “This afternoon? What is it about?”
The phone was silent for two seconds before Ji Xue’s voice rang out again: “I am not sure. The professor did not say. She only mentioned it was very important and that we must arrive early.”
Xie Ling knew she could not escape; what was meant to come had arrived. She had to respond: “All right, I understand.”
The call ended. Xie Ling took a deep breath to adjust her mood, trying her best not to let her friends, who were still busy picking out dolls, see anything unusual.
The weak Little Rebel reminded her in her ear again: “You cannot change the result of the event. Forcibly reversing it is a violation. The points redeemed will be deducted in full, and you will suffer electric shock punishment exceeding your current level, or even be sent back to your original world.”
Xie Ling’s brow jumped. She blinked, trying to hide her unease. She looked up at the spotlights above, patted the light switch on the wall, and indicated she understood.
Qian Lu came out holding a limited-edition doll in each hand, followed by Ren Xuan and Tang Wenwen, who looked nervous.
Xie Ling looked at them and squeezed out a smile that looked uglier than if she were crying: “Are you all done picking?”
Qian Lu, who was walking in the front, looked at her vigilantly: “What? You are not regretting it, are you?”
“How could I? Am I the kind of person who goes back on her word?” Xie Ling curled her lips. Feeling emotionally off, her explanation sounded pale and powerless.
Tang Wenwen and Ren Xuan could not help but look at Xie Ling with two parts more wariness.
Xie Ling felt awkward under their gaze. To ease the strange atmosphere, she took the initiative to change the subject, turning back to look at the wall clock: “It is almost time for dinner. Stay and eat at noon.”
Tang Wenwen, who had subconsciously moved next to Qian Lu, became nervous immediately. Before she could finish, she interrupted: “No, thank you. I have plans for lunch. Maybe another day, or even in the evening works.”
Xie Ling responded with a sluggish “oh.” Before she could even say the polite formalities, Ren Xuan added: “Yes, I have to go to the company this afternoon. My father is eating with a client at noon, and my mother wants me to go along. How about the evening instead?”
“.”
Qian Lu looked at the two beside her and hurriedly followed up: “Yes, let us meet in the evening.”
Xie Ling certainly understood what they were thinking; they were likely worried that she might change her mind. She looked at them, unable to laugh or cry, and nodded helplessly.
“All right then, let us meet in the evening. I happen to have something to do this afternoon as well.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the three people holding dolls rushed to the door and ran off.
Xie Ling shook her head with a light laugh and took out her phone to search for the school address in her memory.
The distance from where she lived to the destination was not very far, but the navigation showed it would take about an hour and a half. Since she was not very proficient at driving and would be driving slowly, it would take at least two hours.
Xie Ling thought about it. Since she had just eaten, there was no need to wait for the housekeeper’s lunch. Since the other three had already run off, she walked quickly to the kitchen to tell the housekeeper to cancel the additional dishes, gave a brief explanation of her plans, and returned to her room to change clothes, ready to leave.
Madam He’s efficiency was extremely high, so naturally, Chen Xia’s efficiency would not be low either.
As Xie Ling went downstairs, she was greeted by two tall, very recognizable, yet not ordinary-looking men.
She did not need to think; she knew exactly why these two had come.
“Miss, the captain sent us to come over and protect your safety.” One of the men with transparent-framed glasses smiled, his tone gentle.
Xie Ling understood, knowing that the captain they referred to was Chen Xia. She looked calmly at the black sportswear they were wearing, but her mouth could not help but twitch, secretly feeling fortunate that they were not wearing suits and leather shoes.
Otherwise, she would have looked exactly like some kind of delinquent.
Xie Ling looked behind them and waved the car keys in her hand. It was fortunate that she had taken the Audi keys before coming downstairs; otherwise, her little blue car might not have fit them.
“Where is Miss going?” The man without glasses was expressionless. His hair was cropped extremely short, looking clean and sharp, and his sword-like brows made him appear even more stoic.
Did he seem to provide a sense of security just by looking at him?
After unlocking the car, Xie Ling tossed the car keys to him. As she walked toward the parking space on the side, she said: “Do not call me Miss when you are outside. It is too high-profile.”
“But…” The two men looked at each other, and the man with glasses looked troubled.
Xie Ling responded with an “un.” She had not even touched the door handle with her outstretched hand when she saw a hand with clear knuckles appear on it.
“.”
She glanced sideways at him in displeasure and coldly brushed that extra hand away, her expression appearing very unhappy: “I had you come here to protect my safety, not to do these things for me. I can handle small tasks like opening doors myself.”
The man retracted his hand timidly and stood obediently at the side of the door, moving that brushed hand above the car door frame. Unexpectedly, he was glared at fiercely by Xie Ling, who had already sat inside the car.
After Xie Ling sat properly, she caught a glimpse of the man with the short hair already in the driver’s seat. She lowered the window to signal to the man with glasses standing outside, telling him to sit in the front passenger seat.
To a certain extent, she had some doubts about Chen Xia’s judgment regarding the two gentlemen in front of her.
However, fortunately, their driving skills were excellent.
Xie Ling had originally anticipated two hours, but she did not expect the man with short hair, Xiao Fu, to arrive in just one hour.
Xie Ling looked at the school gate and then glanced at the snack shops on both sides of the road. She cleared her throat and said: “Fu, Xiao Fu, is it? You can drive a little slower in the future. I am not in a hurry.”
“You will not get a ticket, so please rest assured.” There was still no emotional change on Xiao Fu’s face.
Xie Ling nodded: “That is good.”
The man with glasses in the passenger seat, Xiao Mu, was bored and looked around. Finally, he locked his gaze on the snack shop by the road, seemingly wanting to eat but not daring to get off the car without authorization. He had to turn back, clinging to the back of the chair to look at Xie Ling: “Can I go buy something to eat?”
“You want to eat too? Then you go. No, I will go buy it. I happen to want to eat some too.” Xie Ling had originally wanted to ask Xiao Mu to bring her a serving, but then she felt she was not that kind of mean boss, nor was she a delicate lady who only knew how to order people around. She decided to go herself and bring extra for them.
Xiao Mu was pleasantly surprised and looked at Xiao Fu in the driver’s seat in shock.
Xie Ling opened the door and got out of the car without waiting for him to decline, walking straight into the snack shop.
Xiao Fu looked at Xie Ling through the car window and said disdainfully to Xiao Mu: “Why are you looking at me? I am not the one who is greedy. If the captain finds out, you can just wait to be skinned.”
Xiao Mu swallowed his saliva and whispered to himself: “It should not be that bad.”
Xiao Fu snorted and took out his phone to continue playing the game he had not cleared last night.
Xie Ling looked back, recalling the build of the two men, and added their portions to her own, finally ordering five servings.
The boss responded with an “okay” and bowed his head to get to work, looking up at her from time to time. The eyes above his mask were curved, seemingly smiling.
He said: “Buying for classmates?”
Xie Ling froze for a second, then nodded gently: “Sort of.”
“Hmm, I have never seen you before. A freshman?” The boss asked again.
Xie Ling waved her hand to explain: “Oh no, I am about to graduate.”
“Is that so? I really cannot tell.”
Xie Ling laughed twice and did not speak again. She took out her phone to scan the QR code to pay. When she turned back, she saw someone else walking into the shop door.
“Boss, the usual.”
Ji Xue’s tone was cheerful and her voice was loud, completely different from when she faced Xie Ling.
Xie Ling had not expected to run into Ji Xue here and hurriedly shifted her gaze, starting to examine the pictures on the wall, repeating in her heart: cannot see her, cannot see her.
Little Rebel sneered in her ear: “It is useless. This shop has no seating, and the waiting area is less than five square meters. Unless she is blind, she will definitely see you.”
“.”
Xie Ling: “Is your low tide period over?”
Little Rebel: “None of your business.”
Xie Ling sneered and countered in her heart: “Then, it is none of your business.”
Ji Xue had just paid when she saw the person next to her body shake. She curiously turned her head to look. It was just a back, and she could not see that person’s appearance, but she still felt somewhat familiar, as if she knew her.
“Classmate?” She tried to call out.
Xie Ling’s whole body stiffened.
The boss gave an “eh” sound and said: “She said she is in the graduating class. I have never seen her before. You, oh right, you are graduating this year too, right?”
“Yes, I am already sending out resumes and looking for work in preparation for my internship.” Ji Xue’s voice was filled with a smile.
Xie Ling’s vision blurred. She hurriedly held onto the wall to stand firm, and large segments of text flashed through her unclear mind.