LIGHTNOVELWORLD 51. Teacher Ye
“Ling Ning has gotten a lot prettier~,” Xu Qing said with genuine admiration, looking at Ling Ning, who was now sitting beside her. Compared to before, it was as if she was a completely different person. Although they’d had lunch together once during the break, she couldn’t help but notice that in this short time, Ling Ning seemed even more beautiful.
“Eh~ really?” Ling Ning touched her face, thinking she didn’t look that different.
Xu Qing shook her head, saying, “I won’t dwell on it, but back then, you always had this gloomy look and never paid attention to your appearance. But over the summer, I saw you change so much—you became more cheerful. Still, it felt like you weren’t quite yourself, if that makes sense. And now… well, you feel different again.”
Xu Qing thought hard about it but couldn’t find the right words, eventually giving up.
Ling Ning fell into thought after hearing Xu Qing’s words. She realized she had indeed changed recently, to the point where sometimes, she wasn’t even sure if she was still Ling Ning or Ling Ye. Like this morning, she’d wanted to wear a skirt—a garment that the former, male version of Ling Ning had kept at a safe distance. So why now? Why had she changed so much? Even though…
Actually, lately, she’d been diving into “Ling Ning’s” memories more often and more deeply, as if the ten-plus years of memories were on the verge of being fully absorbed.
“What’s wrong?”
Xu Qing looked at her friend’s dazed expression, slightly confused.
“N-nothing.”
Ling Ning snapped out of her thoughts, managing a faint smile. She picked up the new literature textbook, though her mind was clearly far away.
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On the first day back, they barely had any classes. Most teachers simply asked the students to introduce themselves and reminded them that the break was over, urging them to get serious about their studies again. They stressed that the college entrance exam, a major life event, was fast approaching, and that if they wanted to do well, they’d have to focus.
Some teachers spoke with such passion, but Ling Ning had heard it all years ago. Hearing it now left her unfazed—especially since she was no stranger to acing the college exams in her previous life. In that sense, she had no pressure at all.
The one significant event was the election of class representatives. Ordinarily, Ling Ning would never have taken on such a thankless role, but thanks to a group of “beauty worshippers” among the boys—egged on by Shen Shi—only the sports rep ended up being male, while all the other roles went to girls, with Ling Ning chosen as the class’s academic rep.
When she learned of this, Ling Ning felt deeply pained. She finally understood why Ye Xuan had given her that meaningful look earlier—it had all been for this.
“Sigh…”
Ling Ning sighed in resignation. At least she hadn’t been chosen as class president or vice president. Being an academic rep, she figured she could probably bluff her way through… hopefully~
Seeing Ling Ning elected, Shen Shi gave a knowing smile, feeling his efforts hadn’t been in vain. His “brilliant” reasoning was that, as the academic rep, Ling Ning could be approached under the pretext of discussing studies—perhaps even leading to some “hehehe” moments…
Ling Ning had no idea there was a scheme behind her election. Had she known, she’d definitely have beaten that rascal Shen Shi.
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Many people, after graduation, often reminisce about school and imagine how they’d live differently if they could go back. But for Ling Ning, returning to school didn’t spark nostalgia—it just felt… boring.
She found going to school a waste of time and thought working would be better—at least she’d be earning money. With so much idle time, she couldn’t help feeling a bit out of place. Yet quitting wasn’t an option because “Ling Ning” had always wanted to go to college, and she couldn’t let that dream slip away.
“Ahh~”
When the school day finally ended, Ling Ning stretched luxuriously. Apart from zoning out and napping, she hadn’t really listened to the teachers or even the student introductions, so she barely knew anyone outside of those she remembered from “Ling Ning’s” memories.
But that was fine—she had no desire to make new friends anyway. It wasn’t as if meeting people would get her any money. If it did, she’d certainly consider it.
Ling Ning shoved her books into her desk, grabbed her literature textbook, and walked out of the classroom. To her surprise, Ye Xuan was waiting outside, looking like she was waiting for someone.
“Well? Surprised?” Ye Xuan said, breaking into a rare smile as she saw Ling Ning.
“Pretty shocked, Teacher Ye Xuan!” Ling Ning emphasized “Teacher” to express her discontent.
“I only got my transfer here a few days ago, so I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”
“A transfer? Why go through the trouble of transferring? Isn’t it better at St. Freya?” Ling Ning asked, puzzled.
“Because what I’m looking for isn’t there.”
“What you’re looking for?”
Ling Ning looked blank.
Ye Xuan glanced, not-so-subtly, at Ling Ning’s long legs, nodding slightly. “That’s right.”
Although Ling Ning was curious, she didn’t press when Ye Xuan didn’t elaborate.
The two of them walked home in silence. Passing a grocery store, Ling Ning casually invited Ye Xuan over for dinner, not expecting her to agree. She thought Ye Xuan would politely decline, but surprisingly, Ye Xuan accepted. Wait, wasn’t she supposed to say no? This wasn’t part of the script!
While Ling Ning was buying groceries, Ye Xuan’s gaze lingered, focusing on her long legs. After days without seeing Ling Ning, she felt like something had been missing.
With a slightly heavy heart, Ling Ning bought extra ingredients and brought Ye Xuan home.
Ling Ye shot Ye Xuan a wary look, feeling like her gaze on her mother wasn’t quite right—it was like the look she herself sometimes had when gazing at her mom.
Ye Xuan also sensed that Ling Ye’s gaze toward Ling Ning was a little off, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint why. And so, the two found themselves caught in this odd atmosphere, staring each other down.
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Author’s Note:
Second chapter—don’t expect a third one!