NOVEL NEXT 88. White and Black Must Look Beautiful
It was the third day of the National Day holiday, which also meant it was the last day off for high school seniors like Ling Ning.
Today, Ling Ning decided not to go to the café. Instead, she treated herself to a long, comfortable sleep at home. She had planned to spend the entire day playing with her daughter. During regular school days and weekends spent working, she barely had any time for her precious girl. So, she had decided that during this rare National Day break, she would make up for it. Plus, Ling Ye had been talking about the new spin-off of “Magical Girl Xiao Ai,” titled “Magical Girl Sae,” which was being released during the holiday. Today seemed like the perfect day to go see it together.
Ling Ning stayed in bed for a while longer, grabbing her phone and booking tickets online. She soon realized that the spin-off was quite popular—the theaters were almost fully booked. She had to check several theaters before finding seats.
“Having a phone sure is convenient,” Ling Ning thought, cuddled up under her blanket.
After lazing around a little more, Ling Ning finally crawled out of bed, realizing her habit of sleeping in had gotten worse. She made a mental note to find a way to fix that laziness eventually.
Once she had washed up, Ling Ning stood in front of her wardrobe, pondering her outfit for the day.
“If I’m taking my daughter out, I should probably dress a bit more maturely…” Her eyes scanned the wardrobe, thinking about how having too many clothes made deciding what to wear even harder.
When her gaze landed on a long black dress, her eyes lit up. Remembering the look she had once achieved with that dress, she immediately sat at her vanity and got to work.
She put her long hair up and went for a more mature makeup look. After a few more finishing touches, she slipped into the elegant black dress—a classic “mature wife” version of Ling Ning was ready.
Ling Ning stood in front of the mirror, nodding in satisfaction. “Dressed like this, no one will mistake me for Ye Ye’s sister today.”
After getting herself ready, Ling Ning opened the door to her daughter’s room. A blast of cold air greeted her, as if it could freeze her soul. Ling Ye seemed to be awake already, curled up in her blanket, playing with her phone.
“Ye Ye, time to get up.”
“I know…” Ling Ye replied lazily—until her eyes fell on the mature-looking Ling Ning. In an instant, her drowsiness vanished, and she stared wide-eyed, looking adorably stunned.
Seeing her daughter’s reaction, Ling Ning smiled triumphantly. “So? What do you think of Mom’s new look?”
“It’s… nice.” Ling Ye stammered for a long moment before finally managing two words. She then jumped out of bed and ran straight to the bathroom.
“Is she… embarrassed?” Ling Ning tilted her head, muttering to herself.
After Ling Ye finished washing up, she changed into a white dress and silently climbed onto Ling Ning’s lap, handing her a comb. As for why she chose white—well, Ling Ye thought, “White and black must look beautiful together.”
As Ling Ning combed her daughter’s hair, she marveled at how soft and smooth it was. She found herself smiling, her mood lifted by the simple act.
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Ling Ning walked leisurely down the street, holding her daughter’s tiny hand. She noticed that more people seemed to be staring at her today than usual. Was it because of the makeup?
They stopped at a park, and Ling Ning saw a familiar figure—it was her language teacher, Yu Wen. He looked relaxed, as if he were simply out for a stroll.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Ling Ning’s mind. With a sly smile, she led Ling Ye straight up to Yu Wen and said sweetly, “Hello, are you Xiao Ning’s teacher?”
Yu Wen turned at the sound of her voice, seeing a beautiful woman who looked about 80% like his student, Ling Ning—the same student who was always sleeping in class. He immediately understood; this must be Ling Ning’s mother. With a smile, he nodded.
“Xiao Ning always talks about how great her language teacher is. It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Ling Ning said warmly.
“Oh, not at all, not at all. Ling Ning is a very good student. She performs well in school, though she does have a habit of napping in class,” Yu Wen replied, smiling ear to ear, but as a teacher, he couldn’t help pointing out some of her flaws.
“Sigh,” Ling Ning pretended to sigh helplessly, then said, “Teacher, I really can’t do much about it. Xiao Ning just loves studying too much. The moment she gets home, she opens a book and studies non-stop, without eating or drinking. She studies until the early hours of the morning. I’ve tried talking to her, but she just won’t listen.”
Yu Wen’s eyes widened in realization. So that explained it! He rarely saw her studying, yet she knew so much—sometimes even more than what he had taught. He realized he had misjudged her before.
Seeing her daughter’s expression growing increasingly strained, Ling Ning knew that Ling Ye was about to lose it. If she did, they’d both be in trouble. Ling Ning quickly added, “Teacher, could you maybe try to talk her out of it at school? I’m worried that her health won’t hold up if she keeps this up.”
“Of course, of course.”
“Well, my little one and I have some other things to take care of. Next time we have the chance, I’ll treat you to a meal, teacher.” With that, Ling Ning took Ling Ye’s hand and left.
Once they had left the park and Yu Wen was out of sight, Ling Ye finally burst out laughing. She didn’t care about the strange looks from passersby—she laughed right there on the street, and Ling Ning couldn’t help but join in.
Passersby couldn’t help but think: such a beautiful mother-daughter pair, but there must be something wrong with their heads.
After a while, they finally managed to calm down. Ling Ye wiped away tears from laughing so hard and said, “Mom, why did you lie to the teacher like that?”
“Well, he’s a good teacher. I do feel a bit guilty for tricking him. But this way, life at school will be easier. Anyway, Ye Ye, you mustn’t learn to do things like this, okay?”
Since the theater Ling Ning had booked tickets for was quite far away, she quickly hailed a taxi. No way would she make her daughter squeeze onto a crowded bus or subway.
Traffic during the National Day holiday could be summed up in one word: “jam.” Fortunately, the taxi driver was a chatterbox, sharing all kinds of funny stories and jokes along the way. While Ling Ning wasn’t particularly interested, Ling Ye was clearly enjoying it, even chiming in from time to time.
With that lighthearted atmosphere, they finally arrived at their destination.
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Author’s Note:
Does anyone know what the title’s reference is?