Chapter 123: Full of Suspicious Points
Around noon.
Ding Heng stood in front of the stove, stirring the noodles in the pot with chopsticks.
The bathroom door was ajar, and the sound of running water could be heard.
Hua Qing sat on a low stool, holding a showerhead to wash her feet.
The warm water washed over my feet, taking away the sticky feeling. Red marks appeared on my fair soles, the imprints left by the ruler.
Hua Qing squeezed out the ointment Ding Heng had given her and rubbed her soles vigorously, her face burning hot.
She never expected that Ding Heng would make her do that kind of thing with her feet after hitting her feet.
"abnormal."
Hua Qing muttered something under her breath and continued rubbing.
"Scumbag."
Rub it a couple more times.
"Nausea."
The sound of water stopped.
She straightened up, grabbed a towel, and dried her feet.
Because of the long-term use of the ointment, the thick calluses that I had developed from dancing have completely disappeared, my toe joints are smooth and clean, and the dry cracks on my heels have also completely disappeared.
Her entire foot was incredibly white and smooth, gleaming with a warm, jade-like luster under the light.
"..."
Hua Qing stared at her feet, examining them closely, as the scene from earlier flashed through her mind.
Ding Heng gripped her ankle tightly, his hands gently... ,Then……
Hua Qing shook her head violently and turned the screen away.
What a jerk! What does he think of her prized feet?!
Who knows what other bizarre new ways to play might come up in the future...
Hua Qing hung the towel back up, put on her slippers, and pushed open the bathroom door.
In the living room, Ding Heng placed two bowls of noodles on the dining table and handed over chopsticks: "Just a simple meal for lunch."
Hua Qing hummed in agreement and walked over to sit down.
Neither of them mentioned what had just happened; they each ate their noodles in silence, occasionally picking up a side dish with their chopsticks.
After Hua Qing swallowed the last bite of noodles, she looked up and asked, "You have class this afternoon, right?"
Ding Heng put down his chopsticks: "I've already skipped two classes this morning, senior, you don't want me to skip again this afternoon, do you?"
"Why did you start skipping classes in your freshman year?"
"There's no way around it, there's just not enough time."
"It's all your own doing, juggling so many relationships..."
Hua Qing couldn't help but mutter to herself, her voice very soft, but Ding Heng heard it clearly.
He leaned closer with a mischievous grin and asked, "What's that you're muttering about, senior?"
"N-nothing."
Hua Qing quickly picked up the bowl and drank the soup, her toes instinctively clenching tightly inside her slippers.
I don't want to be punished again...
After finishing his noodles, Ding Heng cleaned up the dishes.
"Then I'll be leaving first."
"oh."
Hua Qing stood up and went to the entrance to put on her shoes.
Ding Heng turned to look at her: "Where are you going, senior?"
Hua Qing buried her head in tying her shoelaces: "Can't I go out for a walk by myself?"
The two went out together, took the elevator, and went downstairs to the parking lot.
Hua Qing was about to walk towards her white new energy vehicle when suddenly a hand reached out and wrapped around her waist.
"Eh..."
Before Hua Qing could react, Ding Heng had already pulled her into his arms.
"What are you doing! Aren't you going to class?"
Ding Heng opened the passenger door and gently pushed Hua Qing inside.
"It's more important to keep my senior company."
"Don't skip class."
Hua Qing struggled to get out of the car: "Besides, I haven't put on makeup or changed my clothes..."
She was wearing a simple sweatshirt and casual pants, her hair was simply tied in a ponytail, and she had no makeup on.
I didn't realize anything was wrong while I was at home, but I only realized the problem now that I'm about to go out.
In Hua Qing's subconscious, she must dress formally when going out with Ding Heng.
Ding Heng held her down and bent down to help her fasten her seatbelt.
"No need, senior is already pretty enough."
"You're just saying nice things..."
Hua Qing's pretty face flushed slightly, and she stopped struggling.
She sat obediently in the passenger seat, letting Ding Heng close the door and walk around to the driver's seat.
As the car slowly drove out of the residential area, Hua Qing leaned back in her seat, watching the street scene rushing past the window, feeling inexplicably uneasy.
……
The car stopped near the shopping plaza.
Ding Heng parked the car, took Hua Qing's hand, and walked into the crowd.
As soon as I entered the mall, I bumped into two people.
Hua Qing paused in her steps.
Lin Man, and He Li from the dance troupe.
What a coincidence!
Besides... why would Lin Man go shopping in such a remote mall?
The two groups stared at each other for a second before He Li spoke first: "Senior Hua Qing? What a coincidence!"
Hua Qing asked in confusion, "Hmm... What a coincidence, why did you all go so far?"
He Li responded, "My home is nearby, and Lin Man happened to come to visit me."
"Yeah?"
Hua Qing nodded and didn't think about it anymore.
Lin Man smiled innocently: "Senior, you're quite plain today."
Hua Qing felt a lump in her throat.
simple!?
Does that mean I'm not as good-looking as you today?
"I just came out for a casual stroll with my boyfriend; I didn't plan to dress up specially."
Hua Qing remained expressionless, but tightened her embrace around Ding Heng, as if asserting some kind of dominance.
He Li was completely unaware of the undercurrent between the two and excitedly made the suggestion.
"Hey, since we've bumped into each other like this, why don't we go shopping together?"
"I……"
"OK!"
Hua Qing instinctively wanted to refuse, but Lin Man had already spoken first.
She ignored Hua Qing and looked directly at Ding Heng, giving him a flirtatious wink: "Handsome, you don't mind, do you?"
Ding Heng smiled and said, "I don't mind. It's more lively with more people."
Hua Qing's words stuck in her throat, and she could only swallow them back.
Was she overthinking it? She felt that Ding Heng and Lin Man's eye contact seemed a bit too frequent...
The four of them started shopping together, with He Li and Lin Man at the front, and Hua Qing and Ding Heng half a step behind.
Passing by a budget clothing store, He Li pulled Lin Man inside.
Hua Qing originally wanted to wait outside, but Ding Heng gestured for her to come in with him.
There weren't many people in the store; a few sales assistants were tidying up the clothes.
He Li picked and chose in front of the clothes rack, while Lin Man followed beside her, occasionally picking up a piece and trying it on, showing no interest whatsoever, or rather, she had never bought clothes this cheap before.
Hua Qing's gaze unconsciously drifted towards Lin Man, then she looked down at herself, and that inexplicable awkwardness welled up in her heart again.
If I had known I would run into Lin Man, I would have dressed up properly before going out!
Ding Heng suddenly leaned over: "Senior, there are couple outfits over there, want to go check them out?"
Hua Qing turned her head and saw ordinary couple hoodies with cartoon patterns, one black and one white.
She looked away: "Childish."
"Give it a try."
Ding Heng picked out two pieces: "This white one is for my senior, and I'll take the black one."
The sales assistant immediately approached: "Sir, you have excellent taste. These are our new couple outfits. The fabric is very comfortable. Would you like to try them on? The fitting room is over there."
"Should I give it a try, senior?"
"Um."
After a slight hesitation, Hua Qing picked up the clothes, walked into the fitting room, and pulled back the curtain to go inside.
The curtain fell, and Hua Qing took a deep breath and began to take off her coat.
The next second, the curtain of the innermost changing room was suddenly lifted by a corner, and a seductive face peeked out.
Lin Man blinked at Ding Heng, a smile curving her lips. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she reached out and pulled Ding Heng inside.
In the cramped space, Lin Man leaned leisurely against the wall, her long legs, encased in black stockings, crossed.
"What do we do now?"
Ding Heng didn't say anything, and hung the clothes in his hand aside.
Lin Man glanced at the men's hoodie, then looked at him.
"Are you really planning to wear matching outfits with Hua Qing?"
"Otherwise what?"
Lin Man gave an "Oh," her tone devoid of emotion.
Ding Heng took a step forward.
The space was already small, and when he moved, the two of them were almost pressed together.
Lin Man subconsciously shrank back.
"What are you doing...?"
Ding Heng looked down at her and suddenly reached out his hand.
"Sizzle..."
A very soft sound.
Lin Man froze, looking down at her thigh, where a tear had appeared in her black stockings.
"Why did you tear them again? My stockings are very expensive!"
Ding Heng ignored her, placed his palm on the crack, and gently touched the skin there.
A warm sensation came up from her leg, and Lin Man bit her lower lip, remaining silent.
Ding Heng's hand didn't stop; it slowly moved upwards along the crack.
Lin Man's breathing began to become erratic.
"Hurry up, you can't take too long, Hua Qing will get suspicious."
Ding Heng remained silent.
His fingers hooked the edge of the tear and gently pulled it outwards.
There was another "hissing" sound.
The opening got a little bigger.
Lin Man glared at him, but dared not utter a sound.
Ding Heng's fingers slipped inside and gently traced along the inside of her thigh.
Lin Man trembled and bit her lower lip hard. The voice of the sales assistant came from outside.
"Beautiful lady, this dress suits you quite well. Would you like to try a different color?"
"No need, thank you. Let's wait until my boyfriend comes out and then we'll see."
Hua Qing has already changed her clothes.
Lin Man held her breath, not daring to move.
But Ding Heng's hands were still moving, unhurriedly, as if he were playing with some interesting toy.
Lin Man finally lost her alluring demeanor, and a hint of embarrassment and annoyance appeared on her face.
"Could you please not go too far..."
"Don't worry, it's just for show."
Ding Heng's smile was harmless.
When Hua Qing arrived at the rest area, she only saw He Li; Lin Man was nowhere to be found.
She asked curiously, "He Li, where's Lin Man?"
He Li looked up: "Huh? She said she went to try on clothes, and she hasn't come out yet."
"Would Lin Man buy such inexpensive clothes?"
"Maybe they want a change of pace."
"How long have you been gone?"
"It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Hua Qing frowned.
It's one thing that Lin Man is missing, but why hasn't Ding Heng come out yet?
Why does it take him, a grown man, so long to change a hoodie?
Hua Qing returned to the fitting area, her gaze sweeping over each of the cubicles.
Suddenly, the curtain in the innermost cubicle seemed to be swaying slightly.
Hua Qing's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
A few seconds later, the curtain was pulled open.
Ding Heng came out, already dressed in a black hoodie.
"Have you tried it?"
He walked over and looked Hua Qing up and down: "As expected, Senior looks good in anything."
Hua Qing pouted: "Why are you so slow?"
"I received a phone call."
Ding Heng gave a casual reply and shoved Hua Qing away, saying, "This one's fine, I'll pay."
As Hua Qing turned to leave the fitting area, she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye.
Lin Man walked out of the dressing room, her hair a little messy and her collar slightly askew.
There were two clear slits on the black stockings, running from the middle of her thighs all the way to near her knees.
That's... the changing room where Ding Heng just changed his clothes!?
Or did I misread it?
Something flashed through Hua Qing's mind, but she couldn't quite grasp it.
When I arrived at the cashier, the clerk had already packed up the clothes.
"Two items after the discount cost 371 yuan. Do I need to become a member?"
"No, thank you."
Hua Qing handed over the payment code, not letting Ding Heng pay the bill.
This month, she has already received over 30,000 yuan in "pocket money" from Ding Heng's so-called girlfriend. She still feels guilty about spending Ding Heng's money.
The four then went to a milk tea shop on the fifth floor of the mall.
He Li went to order, Lin Man scrolled through her phone at her seat, and Hua Qing and Ding Heng sat close together.
Hua Qing picked up the freshly delivered fruit tea and sipped it slowly, glancing at Lin Man from time to time.
Lin Man's hair had been tidied up, her neckline was back to normal, the folds in her skirt had been smoothed out, and her black stockings were flat and smooth.
Lin Man's hair had been tidied up, her neckline was back to normal, the folds in her skirt had been smoothed out, and her black stockings were flat and smooth.
The two cracks seemed to not exist at all; it was just her own illusion.
But Hua Qing felt something was off, like... the lipstick.
When they met earlier, she remembered that Lin Man's lips were a reddish-orange hue, which matched her sweater perfectly.
Now... the color looks like it's been rubbed off and then a light red layer has been temporarily applied.
Hua Qing lowered her eyes and continued drinking her fruit tea.
However, some images uncontrollably surfaced in my mind.
In the dimly lit fitting room, a man and a woman...
She shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off the thoughts she shouldn't have.
Ding Heng asked with concern, "What are you thinking about, senior?"
"I... cough! cough! cough!"
Hua Qing was startled and almost choked on her fruit tea: "N-nothing."
Ding Heng smiled gently and held Hua Qing's hand lightly under the table.
Feeling the warmth of the man's palm, Hua Qing slowly relaxed.
Never mind, I guess I was just overthinking it.
Hua Qing comforted herself...