Unexpected (GL) - Chapter 12

There was a pet hospital near Jinghai University. It only took a few bus stops to get there. When they got on the bus, there was only one seat left, and it was at the back. Qin Ning held Xie Jing’s wrist and steadily walked into the bus. She only let go when they reached the seat and gestured for her to sit.

“I’m not sitting. You sit,” Xie Jing said, trying to sneak away, but Qin Ning pushed her down.

“You sit. Put the cat on your lap,” Qin Ning said. “That way neither of us will be too tired.”

Xie Jing thought for a moment and agreed it made sense, so she didn’t struggle anymore. She looked at Little Guai inside the cat carrier, then looked up at Qin Ning again. Qin Ning was looking out
the window. One of her hands held the overhead strap, and the other was braced on the back of Xie Jing’s seat, shielding her completely and blocking the crowd behind.

Normally, this angle would be awkward to look at someone from, but Qin Ning’s chin line was very defined, her jaw narrow, and her skin tight. She had no double chin to ruin her image. Even from
below, she looked incredibly cool—like a real cool girl. And this cool girl wasn’t very talkative either. Her lips were always pressed together tightly, without even a fine line at the corners. It
was obvious she didn’t smile often.

While Xie Jing was staring at Qin Ning in a daze, Qin Ning was also watching Xie Jing’s reflection in the window. She slightly tilted her head, revealing a faint white tendon along her neck that
stretched down diagonally to her collarbone. It moved under the skin as she turned her head.

Xie Jing was stunned. She never knew someone’s neck could look so beautiful.

“What is it?” Qin Ning asked as she suddenly lowered her head and met Xie Jing’s eyes.

Caught staring, Xie Jing didn’t blush or panic. She raised her eyebrows and confidently said, “I’m looking at you. You look so good—can’t I look?”

Qin Ning looked down and stared at Xie Jing for a moment, her gaze sweeping across her face. After a while, she sighed and said, “It’s useless.”

“How is it useless?” Xie Jing said. “If I had a face like yours, I’d strut everywhere sideways!”

Qin Ning lowered her eyes and said simply, “So you’re saying I have a crab face?”

Crab face my ass, Xie Jing thought, unable to hold back a laugh. “You really don’t know how lucky you are.”

Qin Ning smiled at that and casually said, “If I gave this luck to you, would you want it?”

“Of course! But I’m already too late to be born with a face like yours. Still, I can have you as my bestie.”

Xie Jing looked Qin Ning up and down, then suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her down. Qin Ning was forced to bend over. Their noses were less than half an inch apart, and their breath mingled.

Xie Jing’s eyes were sincere. She turned her head slightly and slowly opened her mouth.

Qin Ning leaned in, held her breath, heart pounding.

Then she heard Xie Jing whisper, “—From now on, I’ll protect you in the game.”

Qin Ning: “…”

She knew it—she shouldn’t have expected anything serious from this childish girl.

The warmth of Xie Jing’s breath still lingered at her ear. Her voice echoed in Qin Ning’s mind. She stayed dazed until the bus arrival announcement pulled her out of the trance.

“We’re getting off. Hurry up.” Xie Jing bent down with the cat carrier and squeezed past Qin Ning, walking to the back door and holding the railing, waiting for her.

After getting off the bus, they walked for a few more minutes before reaching the pet hospital. Little Guai was excited in the new environment, jumping up and down inside the carrier, not scared at
all.

Xie Jing tried placing him in front of a little male cat. Little Guai immediately quieted down and turned his furry butt to the transparent carrier window, tail flicking. Then she put him in front
of a little female cat. The moment she let out a “meow,” Little Guai started purring excitedly, pressing his nose against the carrier window.

Xie Jing thought, Great, this cat’s been around me so long, even he’s turning gay.

Soon, Qin Ning finished paying and came over. Seeing Xie Jing squatting on the ground looking helpless, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Xie Jing shook her head. “How much was the vaccine?”

Qin Ning looked at the receipt. “168 yuan per shot. I paid for three. The rabies shot can only be done three months later. Neutering has to wait until next April at the earliest.”

Xie Jing said, “It’s fine. April it is. There should be some senior girls staying on campus for winter break. They can take care of Little Guai.”

“Okay.” Qin Ning picked up the cat carrier, and Xie Jing followed closely, holding a cat treat just in case.

Qin Ning took Little Guai out and held him. He poked his head out to lick the treat in Xie Jing’s hand. The vet snuck behind Qin Ning and quickly injected the vaccine into Little Guai’s neck.

Little Guai just kept chomping on the treat, completely unfazed by the shot, as if he didn’t feel any pain at all.

The vet, calm and collected, said, “Massage the injection area. If nothing happens in a few minutes, you can leave.”

Xie Jing nodded like crazy and started massaging the back of Little Guai’s neck. Since Qin Ning was holding the cat tightly, she had to lean close. She could smell a faint lemon scent from Qin Ning—
fresh and pleasant.

She’d seen Qin Ning’s shampoo and body wash before—they were all lemon scented. She must really love lemons.

After five minutes of massaging, Xie Jing finally pulled her trembling hand back, rubbed her sore wrist, and told the vet that the kitten seemed fine.

The vet took a quick look and nodded. “You can go.”

“That was pretty fast,” Xie Jing said.

On the way back, Xie Jing transferred the money to Qin Ning. There was no way she’d let Qin Ning pay for the cat’s vaccines. It was her impulsive decision to neuter the cat out of sympathy. Qin Ning
had already done more than enough by coming along—she couldn’t let her spend money too.

They got back to Jinghai University around 6 p.m. After settling Little Guai in the cat shelter, they went to the South Dorm building to return the cat carrier. It was borrowed from a law student
friend of Qin Ning’s who used to have a ragdoll cat. But due to her heavy course load, she sent the cat home and left the carrier unused.

It was Xie Jing’s first time at the South Dorm. She didn’t go up and waited downstairs. Qin Ning came down quickly—but she wasn’t alone. Walking beside her was a girl with long curly chestnut hair,
pale skin, light-colored eyes, and a delicate nose. She looked mixed-race.

“This is your new roommate?” Gu Shiwei smiled and greeted Xie Jing, then gave Qin Ning a meaningful look.

“Yeah.” Qin Ning ignored Gu Shiwei’s teasing smile and asked Xie Jing, “What do you want for dinner?”

Xie Jing looked between the two and quickly said, “You two go ahead. I won’t interrupt your little couple’s dinner.”

Gu Shiwei laughed. “Ha—”

Qin Ning frowned slightly and said, “We’re not what you think. She’s my classmate from before I switched majors.”

Xie Jing nodded, “Yeah yeah yeah, I get it. No need to explain.”

Qin Ning stared at her, clearly not believing she really got it.

“Don’t worry, I have the same taste as Qin Ning,” Gu Shiwei whispered in Xie Jing’s ear.

Qin Ning: “…”

Ah… so that’s how it is…

But Xie Jing didn’t understand. Why should she be relieved? Even if they did have the same taste, what did it matter to her?

She had no idea what she’d said wrong. Wasn’t she just kindly giving them some alone time? Why did Qin Ning still seem upset?

“Come on, let’s eat. I’m starving,” Gu Shiwei said. She saw Qin Ning standing stiffly and pulled her over to Xie Jing. Without waiting for an answer, she dragged them both to the cafeteria.

Since it was already late and the weekend, there were only leftovers in the cafeteria. After a few bites, all three of them had the same bland expression.

Then Gu Shiwei suggested they go to the night market. There was a snack street behind the school with food from all over the country—from famous dishes like Chinese crepes and spicy crawfish to rare
local snacks. No one left that street hungry.

Xie Jing was very tempted. Qin Ning wanted to say it wasn’t sanitary, but seeing Gu Shiwei’s excited face and Xie Jing’s eager look, she kept quiet.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the street behind the school. Around six or seven was peak time for the market. The smell of grilled squid hit them before they even stepped in.

Qin Ning bought a bag of tangerines at the entrance, then walked into the market with Xie Jing beside her.

Gu Shiwei had already bought some grilled gluten skewers. She handed one each to Xie Jing and Qin Ning, then dashed deeper into the night market.

Qin Ning couldn’t believe someone from a billionaire family could be so obsessed with street food. On the outside, Gu Shiwei looked like a rich heiress, but in reality, she was very down-to-earth.

She reminded Qin Ning of her mom. When school first started, her mom had personally helped her move into the dorm, making her bed and organizing her desk efficiently. If you ignored her expensive
suit and diamond-studded watch, she really seemed like the perfect housewife.

But in reality, Gu Shiwei’s mom, Gu Qingfeng, was a well-known businesswoman in Jinghai—a powerful woman with an iron will. Yet she changed bed sheets for her daughter without hesitation, just like
the down-to-earth Gu Shiwei wandering the night market now.

“Want some liangpi?” Gu Shiwei asked, holding a plastic container filled with spicy cold noodles.

Xie Jing was about to nod, but Qin Ning grabbed the back of her collar. “You can’t eat cold stuff these days.”

Xie Jing: “…”

Qin Ning was unbelievable.