She’s Just Too Hard to Win Over [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 9
When they got to the hospital, Ning Xue busied herself anxiously, but after the examination, the doctor only prescribed a few Loratadine tablets. He said Jing Ling was finejust a mild allergic reaction that would go away after taking two pills.
Ning Xue: …
So she’d been worrying for nothing?
She had indeed overreacted. Back when she was still doing missions, she’d once seen someone die from a drug allergy with her own eyes, so her first instinct was to assume the worst. Without a second thought, she had dragged Jing Ling straight to the hospital.
“I have allergy medicine at home.”
Jing Ling said this only after they were done, which made Ning Xue completely speechless.
“You couldn’t have said that earlier.” she sighed halfway through, then gave up. “Forget it, let’s head back. Classes are over anyway.”
Ning Xue carried the medicine and walked ahead. Jing Ling followed behind her, glancing down at her now-empty hand, her eyes dimming slightly.
Why wasn’t she holding her hand anymore?
Wait, why should they even hold hands? And why was she expecting Ning Xue to?
The more she thought about it, the more wrong it felt. With no answers, an odd sense of irritation rose in her chest, and her pace unconsciously quickened.
Ning Xue watched her back, confused.
Why was she angry again? This moody, unpredictable personality was truly hard to figure out.
By the time they got back, school had been out for more than an hour. Apart from the seniors who stayed for evening classes, everyone else had already gone home. The campus was unusually quiet.
The two of them walked side by side, similar in height and build, though Ning Xue was a bit more curvy, still within the “slender” range.
Their blue-and-white uniforms fit perfectly on them, as if tailor-made, simple yet stylish, subtly accentuating each of their features.
Ning Xue’s own body was tough, too. After taking the medicine at noon, she was almost fully recovered by evening, just a little tired. She didn’t even notice when she dozed off. When she woke up, she found herself leaning on Jing Ling’s shoulder.
Startled, she sat upright at once and smoothed out her wrinkled uniform. Jing Ling didn’t like physical contact, she’d asked before, so Ning Xue was sure that leaning on her like that must have made her uncomfortable.
Jing Ling’s irritation deepened when she saw that little movement. Without a word, she got up and left the bus, not even glancing back.
Just as Ning Xue was about to follow, a familiar voice called out.
“Xue’er, why are you home so late?”
She turned around and saw her father standing by the bus stop. He looked much better, his spirits up, his clothes cleaner and newer.
“Dad, where have you been these past few days?”
He used to go out drinking, but he’d never stayed out all night. When he disappeared for several days this time, she asked her mother, who coldly said she might as well consider him dead.
She’d even been thinking of reporting him missing if he didn’t come home soon, but here he was.
“A friend told me there was a warehouse job opening,” her father said. “I went to check it out these past few days. It’s all settled, I’ll start Monday. Just came back to let you know.”
His leg wasn’t great, so he couldn’t do heavy work anymore. Watching a warehouse wasn’t glamorous, but at least it was a job.
Besides, they were broke, and he wasn’t in a position to be picky.
“Then you should’ve gone straight home. It’s freezing out here.”
He gave an embarrassed laugh. “I was… afraid your mom would yell at me.”
“Oh, I see you wanted to use me as a shield, right?”
“No, no,” he said quickly. “Just hoping you could say a few good words for me when she starts scolding.”
Ning Xue sighed but linked her arm with his. “Let’s go home. If you’re that afraid of Mom yelling, maybe you should actually quit drinking.”
“I already have,” he said seriously. “I’ll work hard from now on and take care of the family.”
Ning Xue smiled. “I’ll remember that.”
Everything seemed to be heading in a better direction. Jing Ling’s favorability sure worked wonders it really motivated her to keep going.
Meanwhile, Jing Ling had slowed her steps after walking some distance. She thought Ning Xue would catch up, but she didn’t.
She turned around. No one.
Wasn’t she always tagging along like a little shadow? Why wasn’t she following now? Was she angry because Jing Ling hadn’t waited?
Should she wait for her here?
No. Ning Xue was the one who didn’t keep up Why should she wait?
Jing Ling hesitated for a while, then went home. When she unlocked her door, she glanced sideways out of habit. There was only a cold, empty iron door next to hers.
She withdrew her gaze, went inside, tossed her bag onto the coffee table, and collapsed onto the couch.
Since when did she start caring so much about other people’s feelings?
Ever since that day she’d met Ning Xue at the doorway, it felt like her emotions had been tethered to her, constantly swayed by her presence. She’d lost the calm detachment she once had.
The feeling was unfamiliar, not unpleasant, but certainly not good for her.
If Ning Xue were just an ordinary student, it wouldn’t matter. But if she was connected to them…
Having grown up in the mud, Jing Ling didn’t believe in coincidences. Someone could’ve been manipulating things from the very start, even the apartment she’d rented.
She leaned back on the couch, covering her eyes with one hand, her thoughts a tangled mess.
Her phone suddenly rang, slicing through the quiet. Jing Ling glanced at the caller ID, and her expression turned cold as ice.
Those people, why wouldn’t they just leave her alone?
Back at home, Ning Xue’s father did, indeed, get scolded the moment he stepped through the door.
Ning Xue tried to defend him, but her mother was talking nonstop, leaving her no chance to get a word in.
She exchanged a helpless look with her brother, and the two quietly slipped into the kitchen to start dinner, leaving their parents to hash things out.
Fang Ningcheng, her brother, was almost done cooking when their father came in with a bag of pork, proudly declaring he’d make braised pork and boiled pork slices.
Their mother warned them not to tell him about the lottery winning, otherwise, he’d slack off again.
The family of four squeezed around their small dining table. Even with her mother’s obvious impatience toward her father, the atmosphere was surprisingly warm.
Before eating, Ning Xue ladled out some of the braised and boiled pork, keeping it warm in a pot. After dinner, she brought it over to Jing Ling’s place.
It took a while before Jing Ling opened the door. She’d just showered, her damp hair clung softly to her forehead, the exposed curve of her neck faintly flushed.
“You didn’t take your medicine? You still don’t look well.”
Seeing Ning Xue seemed to calm the agitation that had been simmering inside Jing Ling all evening.
“I took it,” she replied quietly, then fell silent again.
The awkward atmosphere made Ning Xue’s scalp tingle. She held out the bowl.
“Braised pork and boiled pork slices for you.” She paused, then asked, “You’re not allergic to these, right? Maybe you could tell me what foods you are allergic to, so I’ll know what to avoid next time.”
Jing Ling lowered her gaze, her eyes gradually darkening.
Was she truly trying to be a friend or just using her for something?
When she didn’t take it, Ning Xue added with a smile, “Don’t want it? My brother made it it’s as good as anything from a restaurant.”
Jing Ling finally reached out. Their fingers brushed, and the fleeting warmth startled her. She jerked back so fast she nearly dropped the bowl.
Ning Xue glanced past her out of curiosity. The place was so bare, it hardly looked lived in.
“Do you live here alone? Where’s your family?” she asked.
Jing Ling lowered her eyes. “I don’t have any.”
An orphan? No wonder the system said she had deep trust issues. With that kind of childhood trauma, how could her personality not be twisted?
Without thinking, Ning Xue opened her arms and gently pulled Jing Ling into a hug—the only kind of comfort she could think to offer.
Jing Ling’s whole body stiffened, her pupils contracting sharply. But instead of pushing Ning Xue away, she found herself slowly lifting her arms to return the embrace.
Her hand hovered in midair, hesitating, before finally coming to rest on Ning Xue’s back.
Just then.
Click.
The door beside them opened. Fang Ningcheng poked his head out, blinking in surprise.
What are you two doing.