Qin Xin was actively preparing her studies, immersing herself in a sea of knowledge, as if this would help her forget all her real-life troubles. Suddenly, there was a creaking sound as someone knocked on the door.
"I said not to disturb me while studying... Ningning senior?"
Qin Xin momentarily lost her composure but quickly adjusted: "Ningning senior, is there something you need?"
Bai Ningning stood at the door, hesitant to enter: "Am I interrupting you? If so, I can come back later..."
"No, you're not interrupting," Qin Xin pulled her inside and instinctively closed the door behind her. "I'm just taking a break."
But didn't you just say not to disturb you while studying? And why did you close the door?
Qin Xin also realized her actions were a bit strange and looked up: "The air conditioning is on, and if the door is open, the cool air will escape."
"Is that so?"
But there is air conditioning in the hallway too; the temperature inside and outside is about the same.
Bai Ningning thought for a moment; Qin Xin had not lived here long and spent all her time in her room, so she probably didn't know this. Since that was the case, there was no need to ask further.
This is what high emotional intelligence looks like, hmph.
"I'm just taking a break, not too busy," Qin Xin said proactively, "What do you need from me, Ningning senior?"
"I wanted to see how you all are doing and ask a bit," Bai Ningning hesitated, "Is everyone doing well?"
Qin Xin was taken aback: "Everyone?"
"Yes, the other juniors," Bai Ningning recalled carefully, "Including you, and Lan Lan, Xiao Yi, and the others."
The book on emotional intelligence mentioned that one should often bring up mutual friends in front of friends to make them feel that you are sentimental and nostalgic.
Bai Ningning had no other intentions; she just wanted to practice this. Wang Yangming once said that knowledge and action should be unified, and one should apply what they learn.
"They're all doing well; they really miss you," Qin Xin said, "They want to know when you can take everyone out to play again."
Bai Ningning's face paled slightly. "I… have been a bit busy. Between school, club activities, and everything your sister asks me to do, there's a lot on my plate."
The guide also mentioned—just one sentimental mention was enough. You don't actually have to follow through.
Bai Ningning was speaking the truth; aside from attending classes, she had various activities in the club, and her older sister had given her many tasks—let's not forget, she has the identity of a CEO's secretary.
However, this didn't sound quite right to Qin Xin. School classes and club activities were understandable, but your sister asking you to do many things...
Qin Xin felt a slight bitterness in her heart as she recalled the dazzling cosplay costumes on the balcony upstairs. Some of those outfits couldn't even be called clothes; they were merely scraps of fabric.
"Since everyone is doing well, I can rest easy," Bai Ningning turned to leave, "Qin Xin junior, you too, don't just focus on studying; remember to take care of yourself."
"…Mm."
Once she left and the door closed, Qin Xin sat back down, gripping her pen tightly.
Stay calm, endure, and wait!
In this situation, what other choice is there but to endure?
Beep beep beep— a new message popped up on WeChat. Qin Xin took out her phone and glanced at it. 'Again?' It was from their four-person family group chat.
The group was created over a month ago, but since a few days ago, her parents had been sending messages more frequently. And they weren't sending anything else, just sharing some motivational articles from marketing accounts.
For example, "Biological Sisters, Life's Greatest Wealth," "Closer Than Blood: Learning to Share," "Have You Shared with Your Sister (or Brother) Today?"... articles like these, and they always tagged her and Qin Yue when sending them.
Looking at the titles of these articles, Qin Xin suddenly felt that something was off.
...
Bai Ningning walked out of Qin Xin's room but didn't return to her own. There wasn't much fun in her bedroom, and at this time, it was more comfortable to lie on the bed and play on her phone.
That said, she had already spent the whole day at school playing on her phone and was a bit tired of it. Since it wasn't too late, she thought about it and decided to find Aunt Zou.
Aunt Zou was directing the maids in preparing dinner when she saw Bai Ningning arrive, looking a bit puzzled: "Miss Ningning, what brings you here?"
Why not accompany the eldest young lady? Or at least the second young lady?
"Aunt Zou, I want to learn something from you about massage," Bai Ningning got straight to the point, "It's useful."
Aunt Zou instructed the other maids to continue cooking and took off her apron to come out.
"Miss Ningning, what aspect do you want to learn about?"
Bai Ningning replied: "About how to massage someone to help them recover quickly from a cramp in their foot."
Yes, she was still thinking about the loli junior at school and planned to visit Nainai's dormitory in a few days to give her a massage.
As for why she refused to take Lan Lan, A Jin, and the other juniors out to play but was willing to give Nainai a massage, well... let's just say there are differences among juniors.
In any case, while Ningning didn't have time to take a few juniors out to play, she had plenty of time to give the loli junior a massage.
What she called teaching was actually just sharing a few tips; it wasn't too complicated. Aunt Zou went to the sculpture room to find a model.
Aunt Zou used a sculpture model to demonstrate the technique, while Bai Ningning watched intently, learning with full concentration.
She had always been a fast learner—whether it was Emotional Intelligence strategies or massage techniques, she absorbed knowledge quickly and applied it immediately.
"Got it," Bai Ningning said seriously after watching for just over ten minutes. "I've learned it."
As the saying goes—watching once means understanding, practicing once means mastering, and if you can do it comfortably for someone, then you've reached peak expertise.
"Miss Ningning, there's one thing I must mention," Aunt Zou suddenly said. "No matter what, muscle cramps are uncommon and generally not a good sign. After experiencing a cramp, one should avoid intense physical activity for some time."
Intense physical activity? Bai Ningning thought about Nainai—the petite artist junior. She was so small and delicate, hardly the type to engage in strenuous exercise.
"I'll pass the message along," she replied.
At least it's worth mentioning.
With her new skill in hand, Bai Ningning left the sculpture room, happily heading off to eat, shower, and sleep.
Yet another beautiful day.