Li Chu felt a bit dazed, her face flushing as she fumbled to hang up the video call. It was a subconscious reaction; her fingers moved faster than her brain.
Hearing the disconnect tone in her ear, Li Chu was dumbfounded.
Uh oh! How was she supposed to explain this to Teacher Ning?
Just… just… just… argh! Li Chu roared internally. She didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed and shy.
This was the first time she had properly heard Teacher Ning confess. Teacher Ning could actually sense her emotions, see through her thoughts, and express them so beautifully.
Li Chu’s heart was a chaotic mess, the little deer inside practically trampled to death.
Taking deep breaths, Li Chu told herself to calm down. She had initially wanted to play it cool, but now she felt there was no need for that. Thinking about accepting Teacher Ning, officially becoming a couple… that feeling seemed pretty good too.
Li Chu had just psyched herself up, ready to call back, when she saw a message from Ning Manqing on her screen.
【Teacher Ning】: Has your assistant arrived? It’s getting late, time to go home.
Li Chu’s joy was instantly extinguished, leaving her feeling a little lost. She gripped her phone, momentarily losing the will to reply. Why the sudden topic change…? I actually…
Li Chu’s fingers tapped on the keyboard, finally sending a message.
【Li Chu】: Okay.
She suddenly lost the courage to reply with an “I like you too.” It was as if all the mental preparation she had done had crumbled, her mind slowly cooling down.
Li Chu was annoyed. Why did she hang up? If Teacher Ning had asked again… she probably would have agreed.
But if she had those feelings, why didn’t she have the courage?
Li Chu didn’t know. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, trembling nervously, but she couldn’t type anything.
When Qian Duoduo arrived to pick up Li Chu, she saw a dejected beauty. Qian Duoduo immediately became worried. “Sister, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“Nothing. Let’s go back. I’m just a little tired from playing.”
Li Chu shook her head, continuing to mope.
When the video call was cut off, Ning Manqing wasn’t in a good mood. After a moment of shock and embarrassment, she inwardly berated herself for being too hasty. She knew that Tao Tao was a passive person and might even retreat if pushed too hard.
Ning Manqing rubbed her temples, telling herself to be more patient. She didn’t regret her confession tonight. It was fine; there was still plenty of time.
She didn’t want Li Chu to agree out of any hesitation or obligation. If that were the case, then Li Chu might not truly like her that much.
She thought for a moment before typing the message to change the subject. Seeing the reply, she sighed softly.
Li Chu’s dejection didn’t last long. She thought that talking to Ning Manqing the next day would be awkward, but it wasn’t. Everything was as usual.
Li Chu felt relieved. She was afraid of being asked why she hung up and also afraid that she wouldn’t be able to explain herself clearly. She couldn’t say that she was too surprised and too happy, only that the moment had passed, and now all those emotions seemed wrong.
As the end of the year approached, Tang Congnan asked her if she had any plans and whether she wanted to go home for the New Year.
“Is there work? I don’t need to go back.”
Li Chu really didn’t need to go home for the New Year. The original Li Chu didn’t go back, let alone her.
The original Li Chu didn’t go back, mostly because of her mother. After the original Li Chu went to college, her mother remarried. Her stepfather wasn’t very fond of her, and she had always lived on campus anyway, only going home for holidays.
After her mother had a child with her stepfather, the original Li Chu stopped going back altogether, only occasionally sending money.
Li Chu didn’t have any feelings for the original Li Chu’s mother and certainly wouldn’t force a mother-daughter bond.
Tang Congnan said, “That movie we talked about earlier might start filming soon. Aren’t you playing the lead in the first story unit? So you’ll join the production early and start filming after the New Year.”
“I don’t have any work arrangements for the New Year. Do you have anywhere to go? Otherwise, come to my house for the New Year.”
As Li Chu’s agent, Tang Congnan had some understanding of her family background and situation. He knew she would be spending the New Year alone again and thought he could invite her home. His family was quite lively.
“No way. What if people think I’m your girlfriend?” Li Chu joked. After all, she and Tang Congnan had a purely mother-daughter relationship.
“Get out! You still want to take advantage of me?” Tang Congnan looked incredulous, feeling his dignity tarnished.
“Wow, I’m such a beautiful and kind actress, who wouldn’t want me as their girlfriend?” Li Chu puffed up her cheeks. Hmph, Teacher Ning thinks about me day and night!
“Definitely not me.” Tang Congnan clasped his hands together and took three steps back.
“Alright, I’m just kidding. Are you coming or not? My family is quite lively.”
“I won’t go. I don’t want to disturb you. And who says I have nowhere to go? I can also go to…” Seeing Tang Congnan’s wary look, Li Chu abruptly changed the “Ning” in her mouth to, “Sister Zhizhi!”
“You scared me! I thought you were going to say Teacher Ning. Although you have a good relationship, don’t do that at this sensitive time. If you’re photographed spending New Year’s together, it’ll be a disaster. Even if there’s no relationship, it’ll be confirmed by the media.”
Although Tang Congnan trusted Ning Manqing, after all, she was an alpha who couldn’t act on her feelings for his “daughter,” other people didn’t know that.
Li Chu chuckled, hiding her guilt behind a guileless smile.
“But you’re pretty capable, huh? You managed to snag Ming Zhi on a variety show and infiltrate her circle of friends. Impressive!”
Tang Congnan truly felt that Li Chu had changed after differentiating. The feeling she gave off, inside and out, was very different from before. In any case, it was a positive development, and Tang Congnan thought it was a good thing.
“This is called like-mindedness!”
Tang Congnan: “Alright, alright. I’ll send you the outline in a couple of days. It’s probably not even a page long. You’re only acting in two episodes anyway.”
“Okay!”
The day before New Year’s Eve, Tang Congnan went home. Li Chu gave Qian Duoduo time off and stayed in her apartment. A few days earlier, she and Qian Duoduo had gone out to buy some New Year’s goods and stocked up. She didn’t buy too much since she was alone.
On New Year’s Eve, the streets were already deserted. Li Chu knew that Ning Manqing was returning to the country today. She didn’t go to the airport to pick her up because Ning Manqing was going back to the Ning family home.
【Teacher Ning】: My plane has landed.
【Teacher Ning】: Are you home alone?
【Xiao Chu】: Yes, I’m getting ready to put up couplets.
Li Chu took the couplets and the character “Fu,” carrying a chair to the door. The door was quite tall, and the chair she was standing on didn’t seem high enough. She couldn’t quite reach.
Li Chu stood on her tiptoes, trying her best to reach, but it still wasn’t high enough. A little discouraged, she continued messaging Ning Manqing.
【Xiao Chu】: I can’t reach qwq
The chair was the tallest one in the house. She could stack a high stool on top of it, but she didn’t dare step up without someone holding it steady. As for asking her neighbors for help, Li Chu felt too embarrassed. She hadn’t seen her neighbors since she moved in.
【Teacher Ning】: Wait for me. I’ll be there soon.
【Xiao Chu】: Aren’t you going home?
【Teacher Ning】: I can go back later tonight.
Seeing this message, Li Chu carried the chair, couplets, and “Fu” character back inside, happily waiting for Ning Manqing to arrive.
Ning Manqing had planned to go directly to Li Chu’s place after getting off the plane. If possible, she didn’t want to go back to the Ning family’s old house, but she knew it would cause a huge commotion if she didn’t. Her family would definitely nag her about it endlessly.
Ning Manqing arrived as quickly as possible. Li Chu’s apartment had a fingerprint and password lock. Ning Manqing knew the code, but she still knocked on the door.
Li Chu ran to the peephole, then opened the door.
“Teacher Ning, long time no see!”
Although they had been video calling and talking on the phone, it had actually been almost two months since they last saw each other.
“Have you lost weight?” Li Chu touched Ning Manqing’s arm, asking with concern. This wasn’t just a holiday greeting; she genuinely felt that Ning Manqing seemed to have lost some weight compared to when they were filming, probably due to exhaustion.
“No. Want to check?” Ning Manqing pinched Li Chu’s cheek, winking.
Li Chu realized that Ning Manqing was becoming more and more shameless in front of her. It seemed like she was constantly revealing her true nature as a shameless flirt!
“Let’s put up the couplets first.” Li Chu stuffed the couplets into Ning Manqing’s hands. She couldn’t understand why, even though she was also a flirt, she always felt a bit weaker in front of Ning Manqing.
Ning Manqing didn’t object to being put to work before she could even catch her breath. She stepped onto the chair, applied glue to the back of the “Fu” character, and then handed the glue to Li Chu, who was waiting beside her.
Seeing how easily Ning Manqing reached the doorframe with her long arms, Li Chu felt a pang of envy for her height. Alphas are so great! Long arms and long legs!
Li Chu thought happily, Teacher Ning’s fingers are also long. Pretty amazing.
While putting up the couplets, Li Chu gestured from behind, checking if they were straight.
“A little to the left… Yes, yes… A little higher.”
Li Chu directed, and Ning Manqing followed her instructions.
After the couplets were up, Ning Manqing carried the chair inside, took a tissue, and wiped off any marks on it. Li Chu poured Ning Manqing a glass of water and then patted the spot next to her, inviting her to sit.
“Are you planning to cook your own New Year’s Eve dinner?” Ning Manqing looked at the empty dining table. She had just passed by the kitchen and hadn’t seen any dishes.
“I’m planning to order takeout. I checked, and some hotels are offering it. I’ve already made a reservation.”
Li Chu wasn’t a very good cook. Although she was interested in trying new things, cooking brought her more trouble than pleasure. So she rarely cooked herself, unless it was simple frozen food.
With her limited culinary skills, she definitely couldn’t make the meat dishes for a New Year’s Eve dinner, so she had pre-ordered from a hotel.
“Sounds good.”
“Your family’s New Year’s Eve dinner must be even better.”
Li Chu teased. She could now openly acknowledge that she knew Ning Manqing’s family was wealthy.
“But my family’s New Year’s Eve dinner is missing something delicious.”
Li Chu knew what she was going to say, but she couldn’t help but ask, “Missing what?”
Ning Manqing’s eyes curved into a smile as she replied, “Missing a bit of Tao Tao.”
“So can I apply to eat early?”
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