Chapter 70: Unconventional Methods

***

"Ah, sorry, Xiao Ning, I didn't notice."

Watching Ning Xue apologize in such a flustered way, Bai Ning felt like she had been a bit too presumptuous herself.

How could anyone possibly notice 1 centimeter? When she grows 10-plus centimeters taller it'll definitely be obvious, and by then she'll be able to keep Jiang Xiyue in check with one hand.

"Alright, I didn't say anything else either. I was just a little excited about growing a bit taller, that's all. Let's drop it for now and sit down first."

She gestured toward the sofa beside them, signaling Ning Xue to go sit down. "Take a break. Look at how much you're sweating, your lips are all dried out too. I'll go get you a glass of juice."

As she said this, she made her way toward the kitchen. Aunt Li had taken the day off today to go home and visit family, so only Bai Ning and Ning Xue were home.

Having been here quite a few times already, Ning Xue found her way to the sofa without any trouble.

The soft cushions and that familiar scent made Ning Xue, who hadn't been sleeping well these past few days, feel a sudden wave of exhaustion and relief wash over her.

She had been working night shifts for the past few days. Even though her major was management and she had good grades, theory was one thing and practice was another. That high paycheck wasn't going to come easily.

And what she hadn't expected was that she had assumed it would just be some ordinary bar, but it turned out to be a lesbian bar. Still, it didn't make her feel uncomfortable. After all, she was one of them.

"What's wrong, are you that tired?"

Carrying the juice over, Bai Ning glanced at Ning Xue leaning back on the sofa with her eyes closed and asked casually.

"Not really, just a little sleepy."

Giving a small nod, Ning Xue answered without much pretense.

"Do you want to go rest for a bit now? We can hang out later."

A faint look of concern crossed her face as she extended the glass of juice toward Ning Xue.

"It's fine. Even if I tried to sleep right now I wouldn't be able to."

As tempting as Bai Ning's offer was, since the idea of resting on Bai Ning's bed was something she didn't even dare imagine how comfortable it would be, Ning Xue still turned it down.

"Where have you been working part-time these past few nights? How did you end up this worn out?"

Watching Ning Xue take the juice, Bai Ning asked offhandedly.

She remembered that in order to look out for Ning Xue, she had quietly arranged jobs for her that were all easy day shifts. She hadn't been paying close attention for the past few days, so how had Ning Xue suddenly ended up on night shifts?

Hearing Bai Ning's questioning, Ning Xue's hand gave a slight tremble. She thought for a moment that Bai Ning had found out.

But looking at the genuine curiosity on Bai Ning's face, it seemed like she was just asking out of pure interest. Ning Xue took a sip of juice and answered with a composed expression.

"Just a regular bar. It's a quiet lounge bar. They pay a bit more there."

Knowing she probably couldn't hide it from Bai Ning anyway, if she lied, Bai Ning would likely go check up on it, and if she found out Ning Xue had been working at a lesbian bar, she might start becoming guarded around her. That was the last thing Ning Xue wanted.

So she chose to take the initiative. Even though Bai Ning had said she shouldn't go work part-time at bars, as long as she brought it up herself first, Bai Ning probably wouldn't be suspicious.

Sure enough, Bai Ning's brow furrowed slightly when she heard "bar," but she didn't say anything more. They were all adults, after all, and she herself would occasionally go to bars to have fun, so she wasn't going to be a hypocrite about it. She did give a small reminder though.

"Still, be careful. It's a bar after all, all kinds of people show up there. Your safety comes first."

Ning Xue was a villainess, after all. Even if she was unlikely to run into anything life-threatening, what if she got pushed to the edge by some low-life and ended up going full dark mode? She'd be keeping a close eye on things.

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Watching Ning Xue put on that obedient little look, and since they'd already brought up bars, a name suddenly floated into Bai Ning's head.

"Hey, have you ever heard of a bar called 'Her Space'?"

After saying it, Bai Ning wasn't entirely sure herself, but she seemed to recall Xia Zhichu mentioning it by that name.

"Huh!?"

The moment Ning Xue heard Bai Ning's words, a look of panic flashed across her face. Right on cue, the glass of juice slipped in her startled grip and spilled part of its contents onto Bai Ning's foot.

[Ning Xue: surprised, flustered, afraid, feedback value +258]

System: [Ding! Correction Quest issued. The villainess has actually spilled juice all over you. Faced with this kind of insult, there is no way you're just going to let it go. Strike back with authority, and make the villainess clean it up using an unconventional method.]

Like a chain reaction that had been set off, Bai Ning heard the voice in her head and her mind went completely blank for a moment.

What on earth, why did she react so strongly? And what did "unconventional method" even mean?

"Oh no, I'm so sorry, Xiao Ning, let me clean that up right now."

Looking at the orange juice on Bai Ning's fair foot and on the carpet, Ning Xue was flustered, her face flushing red. She stood up and was about to go find something to clean it with.

Watching Ning Xue get up and about to walk off, Bai Ning's mind was spinning like crazy.

She definitely couldn't let Ning Xue go grab a mop or something, that would fail the quest. But if not a mop, she couldn't think of any other way.

But there was no time for Bai Ning to think this through. Seeing Ning Xue already on her feet and about to walk away, she couldn't let the quest fail. In a moment of impulse, the words practically flew out of her mouth.

"No, no need, just clean it up directly!"

She squeezed her eyes shut as the words came out. Bai Ning felt like her brain was about to steam right out of her head, her face burning red.

The moment the words landed, she could practically feel Ning Xue's stunned stare boring into her.

Bai Ning: [Stupid system, look at the quest you issued. Does this even seem right to you? Why do I feel like I'm the villainess here?]

System: [Not my problem, that's what the quest says.]

Ning Xue seemed to have been completely caught off guard by Bai Ning's words. Still wearing the lingering panic from moments ago, she stared at Bai Ning with a bit of a dazed look.

Several seconds passed before she fully processed what had just been said. She looked at Bai Ning's fair little foot, now curled up shyly from the awkwardness, which made it look terribly cute.

She didn't even dare imagine how good this would taste!

Ning Xue's cheeks "whoosh" went up in flames, a visible flush spreading across them at a speed noticeable to the naked eye.

She swallowed, lowered her head slightly, clenched both fists, frantically suppressing the corners of her mouth from curling upward, and blinked.

Then, in an extremely soft voice, carrying a mix of bashfulness and just a trace of anticipation, she asked carefully:

"R-really?"

She wasn't the only one feeling shy at this point. Bai Ning felt like she was completely red herself right now, not even noticing Ning Xue's unusual reaction.

The words were already out there. Hearing Ning Xue ask again, there was no way she could take any of it back now, not when Ning Xue had heard her loud and clear. The only thing left to do was turn her blushing face away and throw caution to the wind.

"Ah, yeah, but if you don't want to then forget it."

She turned her face away, cheeks rosy, and said so.