Chapter 81: Mind Reading (22)

m577: [At 9 o’clock direction, taking photos now.]

m577 had become an unrelenting reporting machine.

Tong Ling adjusted her posture and elegantly savored her meal.

After finishing breakfast, Tong Ling engaged Xing Anji in conversation about club activities, offering appropriate suggestions along the way. She expressed interest in future joint event planning and her willingness to contribute to the club’s endeavors.

Although labeled as a date, it essentially involved just chatting between two individuals. Most of the time, Tong Ling simply needed to maintain a listening demeanor, while the young man before her eagerly showcased himself, launching into continuous chatter.

To improve the dating atmosphere, mastering attentive listening and timely responses made all the difference.

With their first date concluded, Tong Ling distinctly felt a significant increase in their friendship level.

As they said goodbye, Xing Anji, reluctant to part, asked if they could continue meeting and conversing like this in the future. Tong Ling assured him that yes, of course, since they were friends; she would never reject pure friendship.

The meeting time had been set beforehand, and although Xing Anji felt their encounter was too brief, he understandingly watched Yan Ling depart. They would see each other again at the club, with plenty of future interaction opportunities, which eased his reluctance to part.

Jin Yingyao received a message from the detective he’d assigned to tail Yan Ling, reporting that she had gone out early for a date.

This news infuriated Jin Yingyao; while he knew Yan Ling wasn’t one to stay idle, rushing off on a date just as the weekend began seemed excessively hasty. Was it with Xiao Lingfei or Gu Li? At least Xiao Lingfei had a legitimate claim, but Gu Li… would that hypocritical fellow openly go on dates? Jin Yingyao believed that someone like Gu Li, devoid of moral boundaries, could indeed do anything. If Gu Li were with Yan Ling, it would be perfect for gathering incriminating evidence, which he could later present to Xiao Lingfei’s face.

“Who is she dating?” Jin Yingyao messaged several detectives, ensuring they kept close watch by sending photos of both Gu Li and Xiao Lingfei along with his question. “Is her date either of these two men?”

The detectives’ responses were unanimous, all denying his suspicion. If Yan Ling wasn’t dating either of those two, then who was it? Could it possibly be… Lu Yifan?

Jin Yingyao hastily instructed the detectives to send him a photo, silently praying that it wasn’t indeed Lu Yifan. He cherished their friendship deeply; while Lu Yifan might have been naive, thankfully he never harbored any inappropriate feelings towards Yan Ling. Jin Yingyao couldn’t bear the thought of his friend falling prey to Yan Ling’s twisted clutches.

As Jin Yingyao busily received updates, he rushed towards the address provided by the detectives. In this situation, there was no way he could sit idly by—he had to personally keep an eye on her!

Upon receiving the photo from the detectives, Jin Yingyao furrowed his brow, carefully examining the young man pictured. The person looked familiar, perhaps someone from one of the clubs…

“Damn!” Seeing Yan Ling hand breakfast to the boy in the photo, Jin Yingyao angrily cursed, “What terrible taste! Why would she go out with someone like him? His status is far below mine and even Xiao Lingfei’s!”

Didn’t she only show interest in her friends before? Why is she now approaching random people?! Yan Ling, have you lost all taste?!

Fuming with anger, Jin Yingyao arrived at the destination only to find no one in sight. Quickly, he messaged the detectives again, “Where exactly are they?”

“Mr. Jin, Miss Yan is currently on XX Street in District B. We’re busy tailing them; she has met up with another individual,” the detectives replied.

Jin Yingyao checked his location—he was still in District A. How could Yan Ling have reached District B and arranged a meeting with someone else so swiftly?

“Was it the same person from earlier?” Jin Yingyao asked.

“The breakfast encounter didn’t last long, and they parted soon after.”

“And who’s the current companion?”

“We’ve sent photos, Mr. Jin. Please check your messages.”

Jin Yingyao hastily opened the images. He didn’t recognize the person Yan Ling had met, but it was clear that this individual was also a student of Saint Hieria.

The boy looked far inferior compared to him, not to mention the foolish grin in the photo. Jin Yingyao’s lips curled downward disdainfully as he muttered, “Who’s this guy now!”

“What are they doing?” Jin Yingyao continued probing for information.

Detective: “Miss Yan went to a bookstore with him. Photography is not allowed inside, but they appear to be selecting books…”

What’s so interesting about picking out books?, thought Jin Yingyao, still seething with anger. He promptly requested the exact address of the bookstore from the detective and rushed in that direction.

Detective: “They have exited the bookstore. Photos sent.”

Jin Yingyao only saw this message after getting out of his car. He opened the photo, revealing a radiant smile on the girl’s face as she held a book in both hands. She was handing it to the boy standing before her, who bashfully lowered his head.

Unconsciously, Jin Yingyao’s finger touched the screen where the girl’s image was displayed. Realizing he had been staring at the photo, he angrily withdrew his hand, muttering, “Creep! How can you smile like that with anyone!”

By the time Jin Yingyao reached the bookstore, the person he sought was no longer there.

Jin Yingyao felt frustrated…

He knew he arrived too late once again. Suppressing his annoyance, he asked the detective, “Where did they go?”

Detective: “Miss Yan separated from him. Miss Yan got into a vehicle, and we’re currently following.”

How can Yan Ling run so fast! Can’t she just stay put for once?!

The detective reported, “The car has stopped at A City’s XX Street [Location shared]. Miss Yan is meeting with… a newcomer.”

Even the detective sounded visibly surprised; this was the third person Yan Ling had encountered that morning.

Jin Yingyao blinked in confusion. He had just rushed from A City, and now he needed to return there again?

No, no, no - that wasn’t the main issue. The key point was… “Photos, photos! Who is this newcomer?”

The detective sent over some images.

Jin Yingyao opened them and recognized the person immediately!

It was Qiao Rui, an A-ranked student at Saint Hieria, with both background and status superior to the previous two individuals. It seemed Yan Ling did have options after all.

Unconsciously, Jin Yingyao began comparing himself to Yan Ling’s new acquaintance, quickly finding fault with him as usual.

Qiao Rui’s family background fell short compared to Jin Yingyao’s. In terms of merits, being the soccer team captain was his only notable attribute, but even then, his performance in matches was average. Unlike Jin Yingyao, who consistently excelled and won championships in his field, Qiao Rui paled in achievements when measured against him.

Moreover, Qiao Rui was quite arrogant and jealous of others’ talents. Xiao Lingfei had once joined the soccer team but was later deliberately kicked out by Qiao Rui on some pretext. Privately, that guy boasted about wanting to become S-ranked himself, claiming Saint Hieria’s current standings were undeserved. In short, he was incredibly annoying.

How could Yan Ling go on a date with Qiao Rui?! The tension between Qiao Rui and Xiao Lingfei was practically common knowledge at Saint Hieria!

Jin Yingyao gritted his teeth, angrily pressing for more details, “What did they do after meeting up?”

The detective replied, “They went shopping. They entered a shoe store, where Miss Yan was picking out shoes for him.”

Jin Yingyao seethed internally.

His anger flared intensely—picking out shoes! She hadn’t even chosen shoes for Jin Yingyao yet; how dare Qiao Rui think he deserves such attention! Disgusting!

Ironically, despite Jin Yingyao’s scathing criticism, Qiao Rui was indeed a handsome and charming young man, rare in appearance, holding his own against even those ranked S4.

Tong Ling was aware of the conflict between Qiao Rui and Xiao Lingfei, but would it hinder her from earning votes through him? Absolutely not.

Despite antagonizing S4 yet still garnering widespread affection and achieving A-grade votes, this alone made Qiao Rui quite exceptional.

Unlike other boys who blushed and stammered nervously in her presence, Qiao Rui effortlessly initiated conversations from their first meeting. He was witty and charming, handling the date with ease—a clear indication of his extensive experience.

Tong Ling couldn’t help but remark to the system, “This one seems like another adept at vote farming.”

M577 sarcastically responded, 【So you finally admit your dates are primarily for votes…】

“I pursue votes on the foundation of developing friendships,” Tong Ling clarified. “It’s different from someone like him with ulterior motives; I won’t deceive others by pretending to be interested in them.”

Qiao Rui claimed he liked her, but it was evident how insincere his feelings were.

M577 questioned, 【Then why did you agree to go on a date with him? Isn’t it challenging to get votes from someone like that?】

“Only dating admirers would be too boring.” Tong Ling’s lips curved upwards, her smile unwavering. “We need to add some excitement to these outings occasionally.”

Qiao Rui undoubtedly felt proud to have secured a date with the college’s “goddess.” Moreover, he had heard rumors of Yan Ling’s special relationship with Xiao Lingfei. If he could win her over from under Xiao Lingfei’s nose…

With this thought, Qiao Rui became even more assertive and proactive in front of Yan Ling.

After spending some time together, Qiao Rui quickly realized that the college goddess lived up to her reputation - she was poised, elegant, and reminiscent of a refined aristocratic daughter. Normally, such girls would easily bore him, as he disliked overly proper individuals.

Yan Ling possessed traits he typically abhorred, but… why did he feel she was different from those dull, privileged young ladies?

His carefully prepared conversation topics seemed inadequate around her. Initially boasting confidently, Qiao Rui gradually grew more cautious. Eventually, he let Yan Ling lead the dialogue, finding their conversations much more comfortable this way.

Yan Ling was exceptionally well-mannered and intellectually engaging; every topic she brought up piqued Qiao Rui’s interest. Even when discussing the history of football, he listened attentively, thoroughly enjoying it.

Qiao Rui couldn’t recall when exactly the girl had led him inside the store to pick out shoes. Yan Ling seemed aware of his upcoming soccer match next week and selected a new pair for him. Both in appearance and practicality, the sneakers perfectly matched his preferences. Holding the new footwear, Qiao Rui completely forgot his initial intentions and impulsively confessed his feelings to her on the spot.

This was not the casual confession he had made over social media before, but rather a heartfelt declaration expressing his genuine desire to pursue a romantic relationship with her.

Yan Ling appeared taken aback by his confession. “Qiao Rui, I’ve already said we can be friends… If you’re meeting me today solely to court me, then there’s no need for future encounters.”

Feeling utterly mortified, Qiao Rui wished he could sink into the ground right then. How could he forget? His earlier offhand confession had been rejected long ago. They were supposed to meet as “friends,” and Yan Ling’s agreement wasn’t due to his looks or background; it stemmed purely from her kindness.

“I-I misspoke,” Qiao Rui hastily apologized. “I just really love these shoes and couldn’t help myself… I won’t mention those things again. Can we still be friends?”

The girl tucked stray strands of hair behind her ear and smiled gently at him, “Of course.”

Qiao Rui’s heart stirred, and at that moment, his preferences suddenly shifted.

Yan Ling embodied the ideal type he favored; such a refined young lady was exactly what he wanted in a lover.

Their date ended soon after. As they prepared to part ways, Qiao Rui hesitated, reluctant to separate. Unfortunately, Yan Ling had a busy schedule and gave him an apologetic smile before getting into her car. Standing by the roadside, Qiao Rui watched the departing vehicle and quickly sent a text message: Next weekend, do you have time?

Jin Yingyao rushed back to downtown A City just in time this round, witnessing firsthand as Yan Ling bid farewell to Qiao Rui.

Seeing Qiao Rui’s lingering reluctance, Jin Yingyao rolled his eyes in disgust on the spot. Before he could even catch his breath, Yan Ling got into her car and headed to her next destination.

Jin Yingyao stood speechless.

The detective hesitated, then spoke up, ”…Mr. Jin, Miss Yan has left again. Shall we continue following?”

Taking a deep breath, Jin Yingyao replied, “Yes, follow!”

He was determined to find out how many places Yan Ling would visit and how many people she’d meet throughout the day!