The Passerby Female Supporting Character – Chapter 36

Cute

“S-… Sorry…”

Song Linlin looked at the person beneath her, momentarily unsure what to do. She had been too bold and reckless just now; once she started kissing her, she couldn’t control her subsequent actions. Her mind was complete mush​¹, and if the other person hadn’t interrupted her, Song Linlin didn’t dare imagine what might have happened.

            

Beauty really does lead one astray​²!

Recalling what she had just done, Song Linlin couldn’t help but feel her face burning. She quietly swallowed the saliva that had pooled in her mouth due to nervousness, her fingers tangled together nervously, completely unsure where to put them.

Song Linlin nervously met the gaze of the person beneath her. Seeing the originally fair neck now covered in red marks she’d made, she couldn’t help but feel even more flustered, while deep inside, some inexplicable emotions surged within her.

            

Chi Qianning watched her quietly, her red irises meeting the other’s dark blue eyes. But after a few seconds, she actively averted her gaze, turning her head slightly, revealing reddened ears.

What made it worse was that Song Linlin also spotted a faint teeth mark on the other girl’s earlobe. The thought that she had caused this mark made Song Linlin too embarrassed to look directly at her either, and she averted her own gaze as well.

“You… get off,” Chi Qianning said, turning her head away and panting lightly.

            

“Oh, okay!”

Only then did Song Linlin realize she was still sitting on Chi Qianning’s body. She nodded immediately and scrambled off her, hands and feet working together. Afraid to get too close, she could only lie down right near the edge of the bed.

Song Linlin lay rigidly, her sleeping posture stiff, feeling uncomfortable no matter how she positioned herself. This made her pull the quilt up, covering her face and most of her head.

            

Her heart still hadn’t calmed down. Song Linlin could only force herself not to look at her, avoiding the awkwardness of eye contact, while inwardly screaming:

Song Linlin, are you a pervert?! How could you do something like that!

If possible, she desperately wanted to go back a few minutes and smack herself hard on the head to wake herself up.

            

But what was done was done, and Song Linlin couldn’t change anything. She could only silently accept reality. The atmosphere was just too awkward, so she could only hide herself and console herself inwardly:

If I can’t see, it won’t be awkward.

Neither of them spoke again afterwards. For the first time, Song Linlin felt the night was incredibly long. Usually, she only felt sleep was too short, never getting enough. But now, she lay with her eyes closed for ages, her mind still a chaotic mess, completely unable to fall asleep.

            

The night passed without another word. Song Linlin only managed to drift into a hazy sleep near dawn. It wasn’t a restful sleep; she had to climb out of bed not long after closing her eyes because it was almost time for morning class.

Song Linlin silently climbed out of bed, not daring to look at Chi Qianning. Although she had barely slept all night, she was, after all, a Golden Core cultivator; enduring several days without sleep was an easy task for her.

After quietly washing up, just before leaving, Song Linlin finally managed to say something: “Um… I’m heading out for morning class. I’ll be back before noon.”

            

She didn’t dare say she’d come back right after class. There was still a lot of time left after morning class ended, and Song Linlin wouldn’t have anything to do if she returned then. Right now, she felt incredibly awkward seeing Chi Qianning. Until she figured out how to break the awkwardness, Song Linlin felt it was best to hide for a bit.

Carrying this complex mood, she walked all the way to the morning class location. This time, she again sat in a remote corner in the back row, trying her best to minimize her presence.

However, she had barely sat down when someone in the same row, separated by an aisle, looked around and suddenly spoke to her: “Song Linlin, what about that person who sat next to you yesterday? Why don’t I see that Shimei?”

            

Song Linlin listlessly turned her head to look at the man opposite her. This guy really knows how to bring up a sore subject​³, she thought. Lacking enthusiasm, she asked back, “You mean Lin Qianqian?”

“Ah, her name is Lin Qianqian? Yes!”

The man nodded. Apparently, Chi Qianning’s visit yesterday had left a deep impression on those nearby. As they spoke, many people looked over, their eyes full of curiosity.

            

The person opposite continued to press: “Will that Lin-shimei be coming today?”

“How would I know…”

Being questioned by him made Song Linlin feel inexplicably irritated. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to him further, so she replied perfunctorily, “Don’t ask me, I don’t know either.”

            

“Alright then.” The man sounded a bit disappointed. Since Song Linlin said she didn’t know, he couldn’t very well keep asking. He could only sigh regretfully, and the others also retracted their gazes.

Looking at these people, Song Linlin suddenly felt a bit annoyed. She came looking for me yesterday, why are you all still thinking about her after seeing her just once?

Looks like I really can’t let Chi Qianning show her face in public​⁴ too much, otherwise she’ll attract too much unwanted attention.

            

Morning class passed in a haze as usual. Song Linlin’s mind was currently a mess; she couldn’t absorb the lecture even normally, and now that class was over, she didn’t even have an impression of what today’s duty instructor looked like. She had spent the entire time spacing out.

It wasn’t until after class, when Ye Tingran took the initiative to greet her and call her name, that Song Linlin finally snapped back to reality, realizing that more than half the people had already left while she was still sitting there.

Ye Tingran walked closer, asking with concern, “Song-shimei, what are you thinking about?”

            

“Nothing.”

Song Linlin forced a smile. Of course, she couldn’t let others know what she was thinking, so she could only give a vague response.

Seeing she had come back to her senses, Ye Tingran, with Zhiyu standing beside her—Zhiyu still looking as dignified and gentle as ever—proposed, “Song-shimei, are you coming with us to the Spirit Gathering Array today?”

            

There was only a month left until the competition. Recently, everyone had become more diligent. Even those who usually liked to slack off had started working hard. Everyone wanted to strive for a spot to enter the Mirror Moon Mystic Realm.

Mystic realms appeared for limited times; they were something one encounters by chance, not sought​⁵. Especially large-scale ones like this. Many inner disciples might join the Sect for years without ever getting the chance to visit a major mystic realm or ruin.

Only Song Linlin wished she could avoid the mystic realm at all costs​⁶.

            

“Hmm… Let’s go!”

Song Linlin thought for a moment and agreed. She had paid relatively late yesterday, so she still had some time left. Wouldn’t it be a waste not to use it?

This place was so expensive, Song Linlin couldn’t bear to waste it. Besides, she had told Chi Qianning she’d be back before noon. She could use this time to properly think about how to alleviate the awkwardness she felt whenever she saw Chi Qianning.

            

“Didn’t Shen Wanyi come?”

Song Linlin noticed it was just her, Ye Tingran, and Zhiyu. It seemed Shen Wanyi had run off right after morning class.

“Wanyi-shimei?”

            

Zhiyu looked around but indeed couldn’t find her. “Wanyi-shimei said she had something to do, and then I didn’t see her. She probably went off to handle other matters.”

Song Linlin nodded, “Alright then.”

She only asked about Shen Wanyi because going to the Spirit Gathering Array with just Ye Tingran and Zhiyu would be too boring. Those two were focused on cultivating, so naturally, she wouldn’t feel right disturbing them. After all, they were both people who wanted to go to the Mirror Moon Mystic Realm and were working hard for it.

            

Only Shen Wanyi, despite saying she wanted to go too, actually found it hard to settle down and focus on cultivation. Song Linlin could chat with her, so it wouldn’t be so boring there.

But since she wasn’t here, then forget it. Being left alone to think quietly wasn’t bad either.

“Let’s go then!” Song Linlin said.

            

The three of them went inside the Spirit Gathering Array together. Unlike Song Linlin who only had some time left, Ye Tingran and Zhiyu had both paid Sect Contribution Points for several days at once, clearly planning to spend the next few days here.

Sitting cross-legged on a cattail hassock, Song Linlin boredly watched the others, her mind replaying last night’s events. Thinking about it now didn’t make her blush anymore, but she still felt unbearably awkward when facing the other person involved.

Thinking carefully over the past few days’ events, Song Linlin seemed to find a connection. She realized that on the nights she and Chi Qianning slept together, the situation always seemed to spiral out of control, developing in peculiar directions.

            

Of course, part of this was due to Chi Qianning being in her estrus period, plus the fact that Song Linlin wasn’t exactly a human with strong willpower.

But besides these factors, it also seemed to be her fault for having too much free time.

As the saying goes, ‘A full belly leads to those kinds of thoughts…’​⁷ Basically, eating well and having nothing to do all day, being idle, naturally leads to things happening. Song Linlin felt the ancients’ words made a lot of sense.

            

She really was too idle. If she were busy every day… young people are prone to impulsiveness, mainly because if she exhausted her energy outside, she would definitely just want to sleep immediately after coming home, not thinking about doing anything else. After figuring out the reason, Song Linlin was equally troubled. She really didn’t have the desire to cultivate; it was too troublesome, and cultivating with her constitution was more difficult than for others anyway.

Cultivation? Better forget about it…

Then the only option was to go work for the Sect. Anyway, the Affairs Hall had so many tasks. Song Linlin thought working for the Sect was a pretty good idea. It would give her something to do, expend her excess energy, and make her days feel more fulfilling, so she wouldn’t be unsure what to do every day.

            

And most importantly, she could earn Contribution Points!

Having thought it through, Song Linlin felt as if a weight had been lifted from her chest. In just a short while, she had planned out everything she needed to do for the next few days.

Full of motivation, she stood up. Coincidentally, the jade token showed that her remaining time was almost up. Song Linlin said to Ye Tingran and Zhiyu, “Shijie, I have other things to do, so I’ll leave first!”

            

Song Linlin walked out of the Spirit Gathering Array, returned the jade token to the staff on duty there, and then left. It was almost mealtime now. She decided to eat first, then go home after she was full, say hello to Chi Qianning, and then go work for the Sect.

Actually, the canteen offered takeout. Song Linlin could totally bring food back to eat. But then she would definitely have to deal with the leftover food waste herself, which was too much trouble. She hadn’t even cleaned her own room in days; why would she be willing to do something like that?

Full and satisfied, Song Linlin walked back to her residence with light steps. She pushed open the door and subconsciously called out to the person inside, “I’m back!”

            

Having figured things out, Song Linlin didn’t feel as awkward this time. However, after her voice faded, she received no reply. Song Linlin didn’t mind the lack of response, but strangely, when she looked around, she couldn’t see Chi Qianning anywhere.

Strange, where did she go?

Song Linlin retreated back into the living room to look around, even checking the kitchen, a place she herself rarely went. Still, she couldn’t find anyone.

            

This discovery puzzled Song Linlin. Chi Qianning had disappeared without a sound. Where could she have gone?

Even if she went out, logically, she should have left a message…

Song Linlin couldn’t figure it out. She returned to the bedroom and sat on the bed with a sigh. The quilt was still exactly as she had left it, unchanged.

            

Turning her head to look at the innermost part of the bed, it was also flat, showing no sign of someone lying there. Without much expectation, Song Linlin lifted the innermost quilt.

But what met her eyes wasn’t the bedsheet. Instead, a small, silver-white snake appeared before her. Its body was coiled in rings, curled up under the quilt. Its silver scales shimmered with an iridescent light, making it, just like its human form, a truly beautiful creature.

Its eyes had been tightly closed. When Song Linlin abruptly lifted the soft quilt off it, it slowly opened its eyes, its pair of red irises looking at the human before it.

            

Song Linlin looked at it with pleasant surprise. She leaned down, getting closer to the small snake. It had been days since she’d seen Chi Qianning like this, and now Song Linlin found it quite novel.

Song Linlin couldn’t resist reaching out a finger to touch the little snake’s head, saying with a smile, “Wow! So you were here. I thought you went out.”

Previously, she hadn’t had much chance to admire Chi Qianning’s snake form up close. Now, Song Linlin examined it carefully.

            

Having gotten used to Chi Qianning’s cool and detached human appearance these days, looking at this tiny little snake now, the more Song Linlin looked, the cuter she found it.

The little snake didn’t shy away when she touched its head. It just opened its eyes and looked at Song Linlin, even nuzzling back against her fingertip.

The smooth scales sliding against her finger created a peculiar sensation. Song Linlin was instantly hit right in the feels by the cuteness​⁸, unable to stop herself from saying, “How can you be so cute!!!”

            

Normally, if Chi Qianning nuzzled her like this, Song Linlin would feel awkward. But now, even though she knew perfectly well it was Chi Qianning, she couldn’t control the feeling of cuteness welling up inside.

She subconsciously wanted to lean her face down and get close and snuggle with the snake. However, Song Linlin stopped halfway through the motion, remembering the words she kept emphasizing to herself on the way back.

No, no, I promised to stay calm!

            

A full belly leads to those kinds of thoughts… I just ate, gotta control myself!

So, Song Linlin could only regretfully sit back up. However, she casually reached out and scooped up the small snake coiled on the bed. Ignoring whether the other party agreed or not, she said to herself, “Let’s go, I’ll take you out to play this afternoon.”

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The author has something to say:

            

Sure enough, the snake form is best for snuggling.

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