Unexpected (GL) - Chapter 23

“Ah… I see… then I wish you both the best.” Shen Xinghe finished her meal without tasting anything. She felt an emptiness in her heart, like she had missed something very important.

When Xie Jing returned to the dorm, she honestly told Zhou Yan everything about Shen Xinghe wanting to invite her to join the photography club. Zhou Yan looked at her and asked, “Are you really not
going to get back together with Shen Xinghe?”

“No,” Xie Jing replied, turning to look at Qin Ning with a firm expression. “From now on, Shen Xinghe and I are just friends.”

Zhou Yan narrowed her eyes. “Why are you staring at Qin Ning when you say that? Are you worried that Qin Ning would mind if you dated Shen Xinghe?”

She looked back and forth between the two of them and felt something was off. The way Xie Jing acted around Shen Xinghe felt like someone sneaking around behind their wife’s back. Even if they were
just close friends, it felt too tense.

“Of course she wouldn’t mind,” Xie Jing quickly brushed off the topic, feeling guilty as she urged them to play a game.

Zhou Yan wasn’t in the mood to play, so in the end, only Qin Ning went online. Xie Jing had been busy lately and hadn’t played in a while, so she felt rusty. After losing two rounds, she gave up on the competitive mode and opened another game.

The new game was Zhu Xian World, which had just launched its open beta a few days ago. Xie Jing had been wanting to try it. Qin Ning also registered a new account, and after adding each other as
friends, they started leveling up together.

While fighting monsters, Xie Jing got bitten by a giant centipede and lost most of her health.

Qin Ning said, “Come here.”

Xie Jing, without even waiting to exit combat, controlled her low-HP character and ran over. Qin Ning waved her hand and instantly healed her to full health, then waved again and wiped out the
special monsters Xie Jing had brought.

“Love you~” Xie Jing typed quickly in the private chat: I hereby declare you the Super Invincible Universe’s Strongest Double-Mastery Queen of Lingxi.

“…” Qin Ning, with a ridiculously long title over her head, finally replied, “Thanks for the praise, girlfriend.”

Their faces looked calm and serious, but their private chat was flying with messages. Zhou Yan, who had been watching a drama, peeked over and asked, “Are you two arguing with someone in LOL’s toxic
zone? Sounds like you’re about to smash your keyboards.”

Xie Jing and Qin Ning both paused. They had forgotten they were supposed to be playing a game, not chatting. And you usually don’t need to type this much in a game. Miscalculated. Xie Jing thought she should get a silent keyboard soon.

“We’re not arguing. Watch your show in peace,” Xie Jing said and started typing less.

Zhou Yan nodded. “Okay.”

Later, when Zhou Yan got out of bed to use the bathroom, she curiously came over to watch for a bit. But Xie Jing’s mouse sensitivity was too high, and Zhou Yan got dizzy from the 3D graphics.

“Guess I’m getting old. Gaming’s not for me.” Zhou Yan said while pulling out her phone to watch Haikyuu!! again. Watching anime while lying down suited her better.

After Zhou Yan left, Xie Jing relaxed and spun her character in front of Qin Ning. Qin Ning did a double jump, her ID bouncing up and down on the screen. One was named “Star,” the other “Moon.”
Couple IDs, symbolizing that they always protect each other.

【Xie Jing: “Feels like we’re secretly dating behind our parents’ backs.”】

【Qin Ning: “Should I dye my hair yellow?”】

【Xie Jing: “No need for that…”】

A minute later, Qin Ning sent Xie Jing a screenshot from another game. In the picture, a character stood on a skateboard with a golden crown overhead and a caption: Oi, Lao Zhou, call your daughter
to do a dungeon run.

“Pfft…” Xie Jing couldn’t hold back her laughter and almost spit out the lollipop in her mouth. Qin Ning’s serious meme-making was just too funny.

After playing around for a while, they continued leveling up. Zhu Xian World had a monthly card system—42 yuan for a month—so they had plenty of time to level.

Xie Jing stopped at level 28. She yawned, turned off the game, and went to the balcony to wash up. Qin Ning followed. The dorm had heating, so they were dressed lightly. Qin Ning wore a white silk
nightgown, tied with a ribbon at the waist, showing off her slim figure.

Xie Jing looked down at her own fluffy bunny pajamas and deeply felt the difference between women.

No way. She was an adult now. She needed to grow up. She decided to buy a silk nightgown too.

After brushing her teeth, Xie Jing bent down to wash her face. When she turned around, Qin Ning was standing right in front of her. Without thinking, Xie Jing tiptoed and kissed her gently on the
cheek.

“Good night~”

A faint tea scent lingered on Qin Ning’s nose. Xie Jing’s lips were cool and soft from brushing her teeth, touching only briefly before pulling away.

Qin Ning stood there, stunned for two seconds. Just as she was about to pull her back for another kiss, a loud voice broke the moment:

“What are you doing?!”

Zhou Yan’s voice cracked as it echoed through the dorm. Both girls froze in place.

Xie Jing thought, Oh no. She saw.

Qin Ning: “…”

“I knew something was off with you two. Now tell me honestly—when did you get together?” Zhou Yan said sternly. “Confess, and you’ll be treated lightly. Resist, and you’ll be punished harshly.”

A minute later, all four girls were sitting face-to-face in pairs in the dorm room.

Xie Jing was about to speak to ease the tension, but Qin Ning beat her to it.

Qin Ning said, “As you saw, Xie Jing and I are together.”

Zhou Yan took a deep breath. “Since when?”

Qin Ning: “Since her birthday.”

Zhou Yan: “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Qin Ning: “We were afraid you’d be shocked.”

Zhou Yan thought, So you knew I’d be shocked, and you still dated in secret. She clutched her chest. “Then what about Shen Xinghe?”

Qin Ning: “Xie Jing mistook her for me in the game before.”

Xie Jing finally found a chance to speak: “Yeah, actually, the one I’ve always liked is Qin Ning.”

Zhou Yan glanced at her. “So, how far have you two gone?”

Qin Ning: “Kissing.”

Xie Jing: “Kissing.”

They answered without hesitation, which oddly made Zhou Yan feel better. She had no more questions for now. She turned to Chen Yuan and gave her a look, signaling it was her turn.

Chen Yuan, peering through thick glasses, looked at both of them and finally said, “Wow, what a coincidence. You’re both… into girls?”

Qin Ning: “…Yes.”

Xie Jing: “That’s right!”

“Then you two are really meant for each other. I… I wish you happiness,” Chen Yuan said sincerely. “You’re both very brave.”

Qin Ning: “Thank you.”

Zhou Yan: “……”

On that bright moonlit night, Zhou Yan’s perfect life hit its first Waterloo. She couldn’t understand—how could Qin Ning like girls?

She looked at Xie Jing and thought, Could this be contagious or something?

And so, Xie Jing and Qin Ning came out in Dorm 211 and even became an “in-house couple.” But even after their relationship was public, they were more cautious than before. Since that night, Xie Jing
didn’t kiss Qin Ning in the dorm again.

Until the night before winter break, when they were about to part ways, Qin Ning dragged her into a dark stairwell and made up for all the missed kisses.

They kissed for half an hour.

“My lips are swollen from all that kissing,” Xie Jing said, pulling away and swallowing.

Qin Ning immediately apologized. “Sorry, I couldn’t stop.”

Xie Jing muttered, “It’s not like we won’t see each other again.”

Qin Ning said, “You’re flying back to Jiangcheng tomorrow.”

Xie Jing looked at her. “Aren’t you going home too?”

Qin Ning stayed silent, her deep eyes locked onto Xie Jing’s.

Seeing her expression, Xie Jing asked, “You’re not going back?”

Qin Ning replied, “No.”

“Why?”

“I… moved to Jinghai after middle school.”

“So you went to high school in Jinghai?” Xie Jing’s eyes lit up. “No wonder I didn’t recognize the school name when you mentioned it before. We’re from totally different places.”

“Yeah,” Qin Ning said. “So we’ll probably be apart for a while.”

Xie Jing waved her hand. “No big deal. Winter break is short. We’ll see each other again soon.”

Qin Ning squinted. “You really think that?”

“Of course. I’ll be gaming at home—it’ll go by fast,” Xie Jing said, even checking the school calendar to confirm the break was just over a month.

The next second, Qin Ning snatched her phone and kissed her to shut her up, to stop her from saying anything else about “short separation” or “fast time.”

The next morning, after finishing her exam, Xie Jing left for break. Qin Ning took her to the airport, and before takeoff, they kissed each other on the cheek, unwilling to part.

After kissing, Xie Jing said seriously, “Don’t worry, Qin Ning. I won’t wash this cheek all winter.”

Qin Ning: “…”

Who’d believe that? Her silly girlfriend just loved saying sweet nonsense to make her smile.

“Stay safe,” Qin Ning said.

“You too!” Xie Jing replied.

When Xie Jing arrived in Jiangcheng, her parents picked her up. The three of them spent a few joyful days eating and having fun. After that, Xie Jing returned to her usual routine of staying home
and playing games.

At first, she was happy and even leveled up her Zhu Xian account to the max. But after a few days, her enthusiasm faded. Games weren’t fun without Qin Ning.

Without her around, even her favorite games felt boring.

It had also been several days since Qin Ning last messaged her. Xie Jing couldn’t help opening the chat and sending some stickers:

【Xie Jing: “Qin Ning, I miss you. Really, really miss you.”】

【Xie Jing: “Don’t you miss me too? Why haven’t you messaged me these past few days?”】

【Xie Jing: “Girlfriend, please talk to me.”】

【Xie Jing: “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have ignored you while gaming. I know I was wrong. Can you talk to me again?”】

Xie Jing clutched her phone, lying on the bed, eyes glued to the screen, afraid to miss any reply from Qin Ning.

But she waited and waited, and still got no response.

She thought about calling but was afraid of disturbing her. So she kept waiting.

Eventually, she fell asleep while waiting. When she woke up, she quickly turned on her phone again—but there were still no messages from Qin Ning.

Did something happen to her? Xie Jing was starting to worry when suddenly, her phone rang in her hand.