An Unexpected Morning Drive

Early morning, the alarm clock chimed punctually. Lin Ling’s hand fumbled blindly beside his pillow, eventually silencing the insistent device. Just as he prepared to drift back to sleep, his phone began to vibrate once more.

“Who could it be, this early in the morning? Can’t a person get some rest?”

Rising from his bed with a touch of irritation, Lin Ling glanced at his phone. Upon seeing the caller ID, he paused, bewildered.

The name ‘Qin Ruoxue’ glowed on the vibrating screen.

‘Why is she calling me?’

With a questioning frown, he pressed the answer button, and a familiar voice immediately filled the receiver.

“Hello, Lin Ling, are you awake?”

“Hey, why are you calling me so early in the morning?”

A brief silence fell on the other end of the line, followed by what sounded like her speaking to someone. Lin Ling couldn’t quite make out the words, and so he didn’t dwell on it.

“Oh, which building are you in? I’ll have the chauffeur park downstairs.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Lin Ling was still processing her words, as he peered through his window at the road below. A black car, rather unassuming in appearance, was parked by the curb. Not particularly knowledgeable about cars, Lin Ling couldn’t identify its model, but he found its design pleasing to the eye.

“I’m downstairs at your place right now. How about I pick you up for school from now on?”

“Ah? Maybe not.”

“But I’m already here, downstairs at your place. I can’t just leave, can I?”

What a move, acting first and reporting later! Lin Ling was utterly dumbfounded by her ‘fait accompli’ approach. The novel’s plot never mentioned Qin Ruoxue picking up the male lead for school; what was happening now? ‘Which damned butterfly had flapped its wings again!’

“Then… just for today? Consider it compensation for not taking you home yesterday.”

Lin Ling remained silent, simply dressing himself. He was now seriously contemplating whether he should find a different rental apartment.

“Hello? Lin Ling, are you going to say something?”

“You go ahead first. I just woke up and haven’t even eaten yet.”

“I brought some for you. Come down and eat, quickly.”

His movements froze mid-action, as a sudden chill crept over him. But upon closer thought, it wasn’t yet time for Qin Ruoxue’s ‘symptoms’ to manifest; surely he’d be fine?

‘Perhaps Qin Ruoxue simply felt uneasy about not seeing me home yesterday?’

Unable to make sense of it, Lin Ling simply decided to stop thinking. To be safe, however, Lin Ling first quickly ate some leftover food. Then, he retrieved the small knife Lin Yiting had left for him, tucked it into a hidden inner pocket, and finally headed out.

The black sedan, which had been waiting downstairs for an unknown duration, saw Lin Ling approach, and one of its windows glided down.

“Lin Ling, over here!”

The brown-haired girl cheerfully waved at Lin Ling, who returned her greeting with a simple nod.

Settling into the car, Lin Ling stole a glance at the brown-haired girl beside him, momentarily lost in thought. Although Qin Ruoxue was still in her school uniform today, the surrounding environment seemed to enhance her, imbuing her with a unique aura.

Coupled with Qin Ruoxue’s inherent beauty, Lin Ling found himself momentarily dumbstruck.

“What’s wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?”

The girl tilted her head, her golden eyes fixed intently on Lin Ling. The car’s interior was not spacious, and they were already seated close together. Seeing her like this, Lin Ling almost lost his composure.

Forcing himself to appear calm, Lin Ling quickly averted his gaze, unable to meet the girl’s eyes for even another second.

“Lin Ling, want some? I have steamed buns here.”

Catching the wafting aroma, Lin Ling swallowed hard. Although he had eaten a little at home, he had deliberately consumed very little to avoid Qin Ruoxue noticing anything amiss.

Now, faced with these fragrant, hot steamed buns, he instinctively felt a pang of hunger.

“Cough, cough, ahaha, you go ahead and eat. I just had something,”

“Hm? Lin Ling, you just swallowed, didn’t you? Didn’t you, didn’t you, didn’t you?”

Lin Ling’s expression stiffened. He had thought his action was subtle, yet Qin Ruoxue had clearly caught it.

“Hmph~ Fine, I won’t bother with you then. Eat if you want, don’t if you don’t.”

With that, Qin Ruoxue turned her head, pulled a bun from the bag, and took a hearty bite. Seeing that Qin Ruoxue had already started eating, Lin Ling’s guard finally lowered.

Cautiously, Lin Ling took a bun and bit into it. As his teeth broke through the soft dough, the savory flavor of pork mixed with vegetables burst forth instantly.

The mouth-watering taste overwhelmed Lin Ling’s taste buds, invigorating every cell in his body.

“Mmm~”

He involuntarily let out a sound of pure enjoyment, prompting Qin Ruoxue, who was beside him, to shoot him an annoyed glance before speaking.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t eating?”

“Ah… well…”

Honestly, Lin Ling felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. ‘Could he really tell her he was afraid she’d poisoned them? No, he couldn’t. If he did, Lin Ling suspected he might never get out of this car.’

“Hmph!”

Qin Ruoxue turned her face away, and picked up another bun, eating it bite by meticulous bite.

“Where did you buy these buns?”

“Oh? My family’s cook made them. Aren’t they delicious?”

Qin Ruoxue’s somewhat boastful tone reached Lin Ling’s ears, and he suddenly remembered. In the original novel, when Qin Ruoxue had kidnapped the male lead to her home, it was this very same cook who had been responsible for his meals. However, that person later resigned for various reasons.

“They truly are delicious.”

Lin Ling nodded in agreement, acknowledging the truth. The taste was indeed exceptional. At least, in his previous world, Lin Ling had never encountered such delectable steamed buns.

****

The sedan continued its journey, soon arriving at the school gates. Qin Ruoxue waved goodbye to the chauffeur, then happily walked into the campus with Lin Ling.

Lin Ling walked for a while, feeling somewhat apprehensive, but thankfully, he returned to his classroom without incident. Chen Sishi’s seat was empty, indicating she likely hadn’t arrived yet.

This suited him well, allowing Lin Ling a moment of peace. While Chen Sishi hadn’t yet done anything overtly inappropriate towards him, the mere sight of her captivatingly beautiful face still filled him with a sense of unease.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a sudden stir came from behind him. A pleasant, sweet fragrance wafted directly into Lin Ling’s nostrils. He didn’t need to look to know that Chen Sishi had arrived.

The silver-haired girl settled elegantly into her chair, then produced a workbook heavily reinforced with tape.

It was fortunate Lin Ling hadn’t dared to look back; had he seen the name on that workbook, he likely would have been scared half to death. This particular workbook was the very one Lin Ling had given to Chen Sishi earlier.

“Say~ Lin Ling, are you free this weekend?”

“Huh? This weekend?”

Lin Ling was still somewhat disoriented, and instinctively he almost agreed, before suddenly clamping a hand over his mouth. ‘This particular plot point had occurred in the original novel, though in the original, the male lead and Chen Sishi had already begun dating by this time. That weekend, the male lead coincidentally ran into one of his former side-character harem members. And by ‘ran into,’ I mean literally, a physical collision. It was also around this time that Chen Sishi’s abnormalities gradually began to surface.’

“Ahaha, I actually have plans this weekend, so I won’t be able to make it.”

“Oh? What kind of plans?”

Behind Lin Ling, Chen Sishi’s aquamarine eyes slowly dimmed, and the smile on her lips became terrifyingly rigid.