Novel Turned Yuri – Chapter 17

Sneakily protecting her, Lin Qing is so adorable

Lin Qing, a high school sophomore at the age of seventeen, has never been to a classmate’s house.

This can’t really be considered her fault. Girls who are too beautiful naturally face a certain barrier on campus. Lin Qing has never had any close friends since childhood, and therefore, never had the opportunity for such encounters.

Now, faced with the possibility that the self-study room may not welcome them during this time, Lin Qing was somewhat surprised by the solution proposed by Qiao Yu. The idea of going to Qiao Yu’s house to study together made her inexplicably nervous.

But if you were to ask her if she wanted to go, well, she actually kind of did.

Lin Qing planned to be honest with herself but decided to inform her family first. After making an agreement with Qiao Yu and confirming the approval from home through WeChat, she headed back home.

Lin Qing’s mom is an elementary school teacher. She has always been lenient with her daughter, and when she heard that Lin Qing was going to a friend’s house to study, there was no intention of stopping her; instead, she showed a pleasantly surprised expression.

“Qingqing made a good friend?”

Being teased like this by her mother for the first time, Lin Qing felt a bit shy and nodded uncomfortably.

Mother Lin affectionately ran her fingers through her hair and said with a smile, “Mom definitely won’t stop you. Just remember not to stay out too late and come back early.”

“Oh, remember to tell your Auntie too.” She playfully winked at Lin Qing, “She’s been wanting to chat with you for a while. Don’t be afraid of her.”

To be fair, Mother Cong has been pretty good to her – always ready to fulfill any request. For instance, right after the bus incident, she promptly arranged a car for both her and Cong Ye.

Lin Qing has a positive impression of her, so upon hearing her mother’s words, she descended the stairs upon hearing the movement indicating her return.

“Auntie.”

Wearing slippers, she walked down the stairs and stood before Mother Cong, who had just taken off her coat.

“I have something I’d like to talk to you about.”

Mother Cong was taken aback by Lin Qing’s sudden greeting, and her heart bloomed with joy.

After all, who wouldn’t like such a poised and neat young lady like Lin Qing?

Moreover, Mother Cong had a good relationship with Lin Qing’s mom back in the day, but they lost touch due to life’s unpredictable turns. Now that they finally reunited, Mother Cong had a soft spot for Lin Qing, treating her like her own daughter.

A whirlwind of thoughts raced through her mind—bullet comments like, “Qingqing can have any request fulfilled by Mom Cong.” Despite this, she remained composed on the surface, nodding in agreement and signaling for Lin Qing to continue.

“This week, I want to study with Qiao Yu. I plan to go to her house every day after school. I might come back later than usual, but I’ll be back before dinner.”

After Lin Qing finished speaking, she looked somewhat shyly at Mother Cong’s serious face. “Is it okay?”

Okay? Of course, anything is okay!

Deep down, she felt her daughter was truly adorable. How could she have given birth to a boy back then? Mother Cong almost instantly agreed, risking not even considering what Lin Qing was planning to do.

Fortunately, her self-control kicked in, and she barely managed to hold back. As she pondered Lin Qing’s words, she felt something was amiss and furrowed her brow.

“With Qiao Yu?”

She doesn’t know much about Qiao Yu, only that she’s Old Qiao’s only daughter and has a somewhat strained relationship with Cong Ye. However, the rumors she heard suggest that Qiao Yu has a bad temper and poor grades. Judging by that, she and Lin Qing don’t seem to be on the same wavelength.

Mother Cong recalled seeing her in Old Qiao’s car a few days ago. Qiao Yu was sitting next to Lin Qing, looking slender and tall, with long legs. Her facial features resembled her father’s, giving her a robust and handsome appearance among girls. She seemed unapproachable, and Lin Qing definitely couldn’t compete with her.

Even though Qiao Yu had escorted Qinqqing home that day, and Qinqqing had spoken well of her, who knows if this well-behaved child had been deceived? Qiao Yu hangs out with Yeye, and if Qinqqing goes to her house and gets bullied, what will she do? Nowhere to run!

Mother Cong couldn’t shake off her worries. She felt the need to discreetly remind Lin Qing to be cautious in choosing her friends, so she deliberately cleared her throat and began.

“…I remember this Qiao Yu is a bit… free-spirited. How did Qingqing become friends with her?”

Lin Qing blinked, taking a moment to ponder Qiao Yu’s personality and approach to life—seemingly carefree. She then smiled gently, and the dimples on her cheeks added an extra touch of liveliness.

“She’s been really good to me and helped me out a lot. Naturally, we became friends.”

Mother Cong experienced a mix of emotions. She had never seen Lin Qing smile so naturally! Why did Lin Qing’s smile always seem polite when directed at her, but when it came to talking about Qiao Yu, it was completely different?

Her heart eased a bit, but her ingrained impression of Qiao Yu lingered. She was still worried that Lin Qing, with her straightforward nature, might be naively deceived. Taking a firm decision, she decided to express her concerns directly.

“Qingqing, I’ve heard that Qiao Yu is a second-generation rich kid who isn’t academically inclined. You’re still young and might not see things clearly. But be careful of people who approach you with ulterior motives—”

“Mother Cong!”

Her words were abruptly cut off by Lin Qing, who suddenly raised her voice.

Lin Qing was usually polite and gentle, never displaying such behavior before. Mother Cong was momentarily stunned before regaining her composure. Seeing Lin Qing tightly pursing her lips, her lively eyes now fixed directly on her, there was an unyielding depth of black in the eyes.

“Qiao Yu is not that kind of person.”

She dropped a few short words and, without looking back, went upstairs, casting a deep glance at her.

Mother Cong stared blankly at the slender and straight figure of Lin Qing with her calm shoulders. Slow to react, she belatedly realized that Lin Qing was in a bad mood.

Her mind went blank with a bang, and she belatedly became aware that she seemed to have angered Lin Qing.

The mighty CEO, feeling alarmed, hesitated under the stairs for a while, but didn’t dare to catch up. She slumped onto the sofa with a dejected air, earnestly reflecting on her recent actions.

However, based on the information she heard, Qiao Yu seemed to be that kind of person. Could it be that the information was incorrect?

As she was pondering this, Cong Ye peeked his head down the stairs, looking at her with suspicion.

“…I ran into Lin Qing on the second-floor corridor just now, and I’ve never seen her so unhappy. Did you do something to her?”

This is not good.

After hearing Cong Ye’s testimony, Mother Cong felt a sense of sadness. She thought about how Lin Qing had come down today to greet her and even exchanged a few words. How did things end up like this?

She remembered that Cong Ye was one of the sources of information about Qiao Yu. Suddenly raising her head, her gaze turned sharp as she looked at Cong Ye.

Her son instinctively shrunk his neck, cautiously walking a few steps up the stairs. Extending one hind leg, he looked ready to escape at any moment.

“Cong Ye, I need to ask you.”

To avoid repeating mistakes, Mother Cong carefully chose her words.

“That Qiao Yu… How’s your recent relationship with her?”

“Huh?”

Cong Ye was taken aback, clearly not expecting to hear that name from his mother at this moment.

He pondered without understanding, feeling a headache whenever he thought of Qiao Yu. Especially recently, for some reason, whenever he was around her, trouble was sure to follow.

Recalling the painful experience of being kicked out of the self-study room by the teacher, he grumbled discontentedly.

“Not good. Our relationship is very poor.”

Mother Cong’s pupils trembled. Oh my, this information isn’t up to date. Qiao Yu has changed her ways; she doesn’t associate with Yeye anymore!

No wonder she angered Lin Qing earlier. Didn’t she just speak incorrectly!

Feeling anxious, she heard Cong Ye incessantly talking bad about Qiao Yu: “…just two days ago, things went wrong again. Qiao Yu this semester is like she’s possessed or something, even more annoying than before—”

Cong Ye talked for a while before realizing something strange, abruptly stopping and looking at Mother Cong with confusion.

“…Why are you asking about Qiao Yu? Does this have anything to do with Lin Qing being upset?”

As soon as he spoke, he suddenly understood, his eyes widening in shock, slowly covering his mouth.

“You didn’t talk bad about Qiao Yu in front of Lin Qing, did you?”

Cong Ye looked at her with the eyes of someone watching a warrior, feeling a bit of empathy as someone who had been there.

In this matter, he might be the most qualified person—after all, he was the one who let Qiao Yu take the bus that made him scared of Lin Qing. Seeing Lin Qing’s reaction, he didn’t expect that without even meeting Qiao Yu, Mother Cong could step on a landmine. Could this be an inherited trait of being oblivious to social cues and situations?

Seeing his expression, Mother Cong felt like she had made a colossal mistake. Stammering, she said, “Qingqing just said she wants to go to Qiao Yu’s house to study this week after school. I was worried she might be bullied, so I mentioned—”

“Go to Qiao Yu’s house???”

Well, now her son wasn’t even letting her finish her sentences.

Cong Ye, halfway through listening, had an intense and stunned reaction. Recalling the time Qiao Yu and Lin Qing were whispering to each other at the school gate after school, it turns out they were discussing this matter!

This made him angry. He felt like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, angrily pulling out his phone and sending Qiao Yu a voice message.

“Qiao Yu, do you have any conscience? How long have we known each other! Have you ever invited me to your house? Lin Qing has only known you for a few days! You, this—,” he paused for a moment, unable to find the right adjective, then continued in a sharp tone, “—this ungrateful jerk!”

…The term used seems a bit strange.

Mother Cong looked perplexed at Cong Ye, who just said that his relationship with Qiao Yu wasn’t good, now angrily sending a barrage of voice messages berating her. The content was a scathing rebuke, accusing her of ingratitude for not inviting him to her house, expressing a sentiment that seemed universally indignant.

Her son and daughter’s unusual behaviors were all related to Qiao Yu, which suddenly sparked a strong interest in Mother Cong about this person.

Qiao Yu, who was diligently writing at the table, was startled by the consecutive notification sounds from her phone and quickly grabbed it.

Thinking it was a message from Lin Qing, she was surprised to find that the full screen was filled with voice messages from Cong Ye. Each one was nearly sixty seconds long, and the screen kept scrolling upwards, indicating an ongoing deluge of messages. She wondered how many he had sent.

Qiao Yu, with a facial expression akin to an elderly person scrutinizing a phone, squinted at the messages. Though she was reluctant in her heart, out of respect for their modest friendship, she extended her hand and clicked on the first voice message.

‘Qiao Yu, do you have any conscience—’

Qiao Yu quickly dismissed the voice messages.

What on earth!

She stared at the screen in terror, having no idea what Cong Ye was up to. Considering whether to simply ignore it, she noticed that after a brief silence, Cong Ye sent another voice message. This one was shorter, only thirty seconds.

…just to get the gist. That way, when Cong Ye asked, she could claim she’d already heard it.

Qiao Yu decisively tapped on the screen and immediately extended her arm, bracing herself for Cong Ye’s angry voice emanating from the phone.

‘—I’m telling you, this isn’t over! By the way, my mom seems to have spoken ill of you to Lin Qing, making her upset. Now she says she wants to invite you to our house tomorrow night to have dinner together and apologize to you and Lin Qing.’

Huh?

Before Qiao Yu could grasp the sudden turn of events in his words, Lin Qing’s chat window popped up with a ding.

Lin Qing: I’m sorry, but I might not be able to come to your house.

Reading Lin Qing’s message, Qiao Yu had a feeling that she could sense Lin Qing’s gloomy expression on the other side of the screen.

She listened to Yiyi’s voice message again and probably understood the situation, finding it both amusing and absurd.

It seemed that the original owner of this reputation had quite a bad image, causing other parents to be so wary of her.

She listened once again to the voice message from Cong Ye, and she probably understood the situation. It was a moment of mixed emotions, finding the situation somewhat ironic.

It seemed that the original’s reputation was not very favorable, causing parents to be so wary of her.

She could empathize with Mother Cong’s feelings; after all, with a girl like Lin Qing, who could feel at ease letting her be alone with a “bad kid”?

Mother Cong had good intentions; she just didn’t expect Lin Qing to get upset because of the bad things said about Qiao Yu.

Qiao Yu switched back to Lin Qing’s chat interface and saw that she had sent several more messages, suggesting they study together in the classroom. Lin Qing didn’t mention at all that Qiao Yu was disliked by Mother Cong.

Qiao Yu felt an indescribable sensation in her heart, as if something soft had gently bumped into her, making her appreciate how adorable it was for Lin Qing to secretly protect her.

She gently raised her eyebrows and began to reply to Lin Qing.

Qiao Yu: It’s okay.

Qiao Yu: I can come to your place.

Putting away her phone, she recalled the woman she had observed that day, scrutinizing her carefully. Behind that searching gaze, there was hidden concern for Lin Qing.

If any discord arose between Lin Qing and Mother Cong because of her, it would be truly regrettable.

She had to make a good impression to live up to the kindness Lin Qing had shown her.

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