NOVEL NEXT 19. Just Joking... Right!?
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Ling Ning was gradually becoming more accustomed to the pace of life in this world. During these two weeks, she had delved into Ling Ning’s memories twice more, though neither time uncovered anything particularly significant. However, she did gather plenty of useful information from those glimpses.
Ling Ning’s life over this period had been quite fulfilling. On most days, she worked at the café, and during her off days from there, she worked at Qin Qing’s house. In short, she was always working. Ling Ning had no idea how she managed to keep up with this pace. In her previous life, she had been notoriously lazy, even waiting for her editor to hound her before she would write anything. How had she turned into this diligent worker?
Speaking of writing, Ling Ning had managed to finish outlining her new novel over these two weeks. The story was about an ordinary middle-aged man who, in an effort to save his daughter, signed a contract with a perverse creature, donned his daughter’s underwear, and became a magical girl tasked with saving the world.
Ling Ning had pinned high hopes on this novel. She had poured all her free time into it—staying up late nearly every night until the early hours. Once, inspiration had struck so powerfully that she pulled an all-nighter. The next morning, she looked in the mirror and nearly scared herself; even the magic of makeup couldn’t hide her exhaustion.
Fortunately, Ling Ning was no stranger to sleepless nights—she had become used to pulling all-nighters while scrambling to meet deadlines back when her editor would hound her. In fact, staying up for two or three nights in a row had been almost routine. However, those habits didn’t suit her new life. As Qin Qing always said, lack of sleep was a woman’s worst enemy, and Ling Ning had learned this firsthand.
Thinking about it, Ling Ning realized she had begun paying attention to her own appearance without even noticing. In her past life, she would go half a month without shaving, looking almost like a wild man. Now, though she didn’t wear much makeup, she at least cared enough to look presentable whenever she left the house.
Working for Qin Qing did have its perks—Ling Ning’s wardrobe was now overflowing with new clothes, with even more piled up in the corners of her room because there wasn’t enough space for them. Though most of the outfits were dresses, Ling Ning still preferred pants. She just couldn’t get used to the breezy feeling of wearing a skirt, even though she had to wear a maid uniform at the café every day.
That scoundrel, Chu Mengyao, still hadn’t swapped her short skirt for a longer one. But Ling Ning had found a solution—safety shorts, the ultimate tool against societal evolution. Wearing those gave her a sense of instant security.
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“Why… why is ‘Land of Eternal Silence’ getting so few customers lately?” Luo Xiaoning was sitting at the bar, her small white hands clasped together as if she were a commander, her red-and-black eyes scanning the area.
“Oh~” Chu Mengyao responded nonchalantly, her eyes still glued to her phone, muttering things like “zero degree,” “black hole,” and “weakness” under her breath.
“Oh, what do you mean ‘oh’!” Luo Xiaoning was infuriated by Chu Mengyao’s dismissive attitude. She slammed her hand on the bar to get everyone’s attention, but the sound was so faint that even Zhou Xiaoxiao, who was sitting right there playing on her PSP, didn’t seem to hear it.
Gritting her teeth, Luo Xiaoning slammed the bar again, this time harder. Finally, she got everyone’s attention, though now her hand throbbed painfully. To maintain her dignity as the store manager, she had to pretend nothing had happened.
“With the way you all are slacking off, how could we possibly get customers?” Luo Xiaoning huffed, her irritation even causing her to forget her usual chuuni tone.
“Well, the location is bad to begin with, your promotions aren’t exactly stellar, and your target audience is an all-girls school that’s currently on summer break. Other than weekends, why would anyone come?” Chu Mengyao spread her hands in a shrug. “Young people should focus on catching up with anime instead of trying to make big news all the time.”
“This… this…” Luo Xiaoning wanted to argue but found herself at a loss for words. She knew Chu Mengyao was right. However, she wasn’t one to give up so easily. Squinting her eyes in thought, she then said in a mysterious tone, “Times are changing, and we need to evolve too.”
“For example?” Chu Mengyao asked, her interest piqued.
“It’s too monotonous! Every day in the same maid outfit—it’s boring! Just think about all the costumes we have in the dressing room, just sitting there collecting dust. It’s a waste!” Luo Xiaoning waved her arms, visibly excited.
“So?” Chu Mengyao asked.
“So, I’ve decided to change our theme regularly. This week is the maid theme, but next week will be an anime theme! Those cosplay outfits in the dressing room are waiting for you.”
“Admit it, you just want to see us in those outfits, right?” Chu Mengyao deadpanned, looking at Luo Xiaoning with a knowing expression. After all, they had grown up together—there was no way she wouldn’t understand what was going on in Luo Xiaoning’s head.
“Hehe~” Luo Xiaoning giggled, hugging Chu Mengyao’s arm and looking up at her with big, watery eyes—a tactic that always worked on Chu Mengyao.
Sure enough, upon seeing Luo Xiaoning’s expression, Chu Mengyao sighed and said, “Alright, alright, whatever you say. But make sure you write a detailed plan, and don’t expect me to help you with it. I’ve got to head home tonight.”
“Eh~” Luo Xiaoning pouted before shamelessly adding, “Can’t you write it before you go?”
“Get lost.” Although Chu Mengyao was well-acquainted with Luo Xiaoning’s shamelessness, she still felt like punching her square in the face.
“You two get along pretty well, huh~” Ling Ning said with a smile, watching the playful bickering between the two. Xia You, sitting nearby, nodded in agreement, a glimmer of envy in her eyes.
“Who… Who gets along with her! I’m going to draw some flyers, and in a couple of days, you guys better be ready to hand them out!” Flustered, Luo Xiaoning tossed out her words before fleeing to her little hideout.
As she walked past Ling Ning, the latter couldn’t help but notice the blush on her face. If those two didn’t have something going on, Ling Ning wouldn’t believe it even if she was beaten to death.
“Alright, back to work, everyone. Why are you staring at me like that? I don’t get along with her either!” Chu Mengyao said before heading off.
“She wouldn’t really make us hand out flyers, would she?” Ling Ning murmured to herself. The thought of standing out on the street in a maid outfit filled her with dread—it would be like public punishment.
“Maybe she was just joking… right?” Zhou Xiaoxiao’s smile had also stiffened, clearly sharing the same concern as Ling Ning.
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Author’s Note:
Well, it looks like I got the chapter order mixed up—this is the real Chapter 19. Something just felt off.