Chapter 26: Absolutely Not, Absolutely Not – Ticklish
Dong Ling guessed that Song Mingzhi had just taken a shower, because she opened the door while drying her hair, the answer was obvious.
Song Mingzhi in her pajamas looked more relaxed and casual, a change from her usual aloofness.
She had removed her makeup, and Dong Ling again saw the faint mole on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
Song Mingzhi looked up at the thinly clad Dong Ling while drying the ends of her damp hair.
Dong Ling then realized that Song Mingzhi might be nearsighted, because when she looked at her, she subconsciously moved closer and squinted.
“I just noticed an itch on the back of my thigh, I’m worried it might be a rash, because it feels like there are small bumps, but I can’t see it myself, so I wanted to ask you to take a look.”
Dong Ling explained her prepared excuse with a worried and troubled expression.
Dong Ling didn’t usually lie or deceive, but after encountering the system, she found herself telling more and more fibs.
To make it more convincing, Dong Ling had repeatedly scratched the skin on the back of her thigh just now. She didn’t need to look to know that the area must be red.
“Where? Let me see.”
Song Mingzhi stopped what she was doing and looked at Dong Ling’s leg.
If it was an allergy, then they would need to go to the hospital again.
Dong Ling turned sideways, lifted her knee-length bathrobe to her hip, and pointed to the area above the back of her knee.
“Is it hard to see like this?”
Dong Ling realized they were both standing, and Song Mingzhi was taller than her. If she wanted to see the back of her thigh clearly, she would have to bend down or squat to get a closer look, and that posture seemed awkward no matter how she thought about it.
Dong Ling looked at the chair in the room, and was about to sit down when she realized it wouldn’t work. If she sat down, the area would be covered, unless she bent her leg, but that posture was too difficult and there was a high risk of exposure.
Although she didn’t mind, it was better to avoid making things too awkward.
After thinking it over, Dong Ling hesitated for a moment, then pointed to Song Mingzhi’s bed: “I’ll lie down here, otherwise it’s hard to see.”
Song Mingzhi’s expression was complex, but she nodded.
Dong Ling didn’t notice her slightly strange look and lay down on Song Mingzhi’s bed, pulling her bathrobe up a little higher.
Fortunately, the air conditioning was on in Song Mingzhi’s room, so she didn’t shiver from the cold.
Song Mingzhi saw the large red marks on Dong Ling’s thigh, the scratch marks from her nails were also very obvious. She couldn’t help but frown slightly, but when she looked closer, she didn’t see any small red bumps under the marks.
“There’s no rash.”
“Really? But it feels very uncomfortable, and it feels like there are small bumps.”
Dong Ling scratched the skin again for emphasis.
“You can touch it and see if there are any small bumps.”
There were none, of course. Dong Ling stared blankly at the quilt, not worried at all about being seen through by the person standing behind her.
Dong Ling didn’t have the ability to conjure up a rash on command. Whether Song Mingzhi believed it or not, she had already said the key words. As long as Song Mingzhi touched it, the task would be considered complete.
Song Mingzhi hesitated, her hand hovering in mid-air, unsure whether to touch or retract.
Dong Ling sounded so certain that even she, who was already a little nearsighted, started to doubt her own eyesight.
Song Mingzhi finally made up her mind and reached out, but before her fingertips touched Dong Ling, her hand was grabbed and pushed away.
Song Mingzhi: ?
“Sorry, sorry, it was a reflex, I’m ticklish, try again?”
Dong Ling apologized repeatedly, her body reacting faster than her mind.
Hearing her first half of the sentence, Song Mingzhi was about to say “Then forget it,” but then she heard the second half and could only try again.
This time, she didn’t encounter any resistance, but Dong Ling’s body language spoke volumes.
Dong Ling immediately clutched the quilt and tensed her entire body, the ticklish sensation making her want to grab her leg and sprint a hundred meters, then fly away from the scene.
“Can you be a little… gentler… I’m… very ticklish…”
Dong Ling’s words were almost stuttered, for someone with sensitive skin, a light touch was far more unbearable than a firm one.
Song Mingzhi’s fingers paused as soon as they touched, she looked at the trembling Dong Ling, heard the almost inaudible whimper from her nose, and deliberately scratched harder.
The moment Song Mingzhi’s hand touched her, Dong Ling also felt her damp hair, she could even picture Song Mingzhi’s current posture.
In that instant, Dong Ling almost bounced off the bed. Without waiting for Song Mingzhi to retract her hand, she scrambled away.
“Are there any small bumps?”
Dong Ling looked at Song Mingzhi expectantly, breathing heavily, after all, she had to commit to the act.
“I didn’t feel any.”
Song Mingzhi told the truth, looking at Dong Ling lying on her bed, and deeply understood what Wang Buli had said.
Her reaction was a bit too exaggerated.
“There are, but I’m too ticklish. I don’t feel that uncomfortable now, I’ll check again after I wake up. If it’s still uncomfortable tomorrow, I’ll go to the hospital.”
Dong Ling said as she slowly got off the bed and put on her slippers. Hearing the task completion notification from the system in her mind, she smiled at Song Mingzhi.
5% secured, not bad.
Song Mingzhi didn’t have time to say anything, she could only watch as Dong Ling left like the wind.
The room seemed to retain her fragrance, the scene from just now still flashing in her mind.
Black hair, the back of her knee, fair skin, red marks, scratch marks, vivid images intertwined.
Song Mingzhi was inexplicably lost in thought. She didn’t know why she sighed, dried her hair again, and went to the bathroom to blow-dry it.
Dong Ling, on the other hand, was in her room, touching the still tingling skin, and cheering with 021.
021 applauded: [Genius! Girl! I’ve never seen such a genius, you’re definitely the best host I’ve ever handled!]
021 skillfully used the system’s rhetoric, encouragement and flattery were always the right approach, showering her with praise.
Dong Ling fell asleep easily in this joyful atmosphere, completely forgetting the night’s turmoil.
Song Mingzhi, sleeping not far from her, wasn’t as peaceful. In her dreams, she vaguely felt a soft body pressing against her back, with a moist, sweet fragrance.
The next day, sunlight filtered through the thin clouds, casting a seemingly warm glow in the cold air.
Dong Ling woke up naturally. It was already 10:30 am when she came out of the bathroom after washing up.
Song Mingzhi was sitting in the living room working on her laptop, a bowl of oatmeal beside her.
“I didn’t order breakfast because I didn’t know when you would wake up. I can order some for you now if you need.”
Song Mingzhi pushed up her glasses. She wasn’t planning to go out today, so she didn’t wear makeup, looking relaxed and casual.
“No need, I’ll just have some oatmeal.”
Dong Ling casually placed her phone on the coffee table. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a message from her brother, asking her to come home for lunch. It was almost lunchtime, so she would just have some oatmeal.
Dong Ling went to the kitchen. The oatmeal and milk were placed on the counter, next to a clean small pot. Dong Ling poured the milk into the pot, pressed the button, and waited for the milk to heat up.
While preparing the oatmeal, she heard her phone ring.
Dong Ling shouted from the kitchen: “Mingzhi, can you see who it is?”
“A local number without a name.”
Song Mingzhi picked it up, intending to take it to the kitchen.
“Then answer it for me.”
Dong Ling casually said as she poured milk into the oatmeal and stirred.
Song Mingzhi answered the call and said “Okay.”
A cold voice came from the other end: “Who is this? Where is Dong Ling?”
Song Mingzhi immediately recognized the voice and suddenly changed her mind about handing the phone to Dong Ling.
She looked at Dong Ling’s figure through the glass and replied unhurriedly: “This is Song Mingzhi, Ling Ling is in the kitchen.”
“Who is it?”
Dong Ling came out of the kitchen with a bowl and asked casually, seeing Song Mingzhi on the phone.
“I don’t know, she asked who I was, and where you are. Here, I’ll take it, be careful, it’s hot.”
A glint flashed in Song Mingzhi’s eyes. She took the bowl from Dong Ling’s hand and returned the phone.
“Okay, this is Dong Ling, who is this?”
Dong Ling smiled at Song Mingzhi and sat down on the sofa, stirring her oatmeal with a spoon.
“Why are you with her? It’s New Year’s Day, aren’t you at home? When did you become so close to her? She even dared to call you Ling Ling, does she have no sense of propriety as an employee?”
“What does it have to do with you, Xuan Du? Aren’t you being a little too nosy?”
Dong Ling clicked her tongue lightly and swallowed the oatmeal from her lips.
“Calling me so early in the morning just to pick a fight, what do you want?”
Dong Ling’s tone was cold, which amused the person on the other end.
“Okay, okay, I guess it’s my fault for trying to give you New Year’s greetings. We always used to call each other at this time, Dong Ling, I don’t understand, why did you distance yourself from me because of those insignificant people?”
Dong Ling took a sip of milk and said calmly: “I didn’t distance myself from you because of anyone, I refuse to interact with you because of your own actions.”
“What did I do? Because I wanted to be your only friend? Was I wrong to want that? Friendships are inherently selfish, why can’t I be your only important friend, just like you’re my only important friend?”
Xuan Du was puzzled. She didn’t understand six years ago, and she still didn’t understand now.
“Xuan Du, relationships aren’t about comparisons. You always think you’ve been wronged, so you want everyone to compensate you, but many people haven’t wronged you at all. I’m not your possession either, when will you learn to respect others?”
Dong Ling wasn’t completely unaffected by Xuan Du. It was precisely because of Xuan Du that she liked people who were understanding and respectful, like Song Mingzhi.
“I don’t want to say anything too harsh. I’ve told you again and again, but you haven’t changed, and you won’t change.”
Dong Ling walked into the guest room while talking on the phone and closed the door.
“I’ll only say this once, don’t use Song Mingzhi to threaten me again. If you touch her, I won’t let you off the hook.”
Dong Ling hung up the phone with a cold expression, dragging that number into the blacklist as well.
How Song Mingzhi addressed her was none of Xuan Du’s business. Song Mingzhi was now her precious darling, she wouldn’t just be happy with “Ling Ling,” even if Song Mingzhi called her “baby,” she would be delighted.
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