171: Chapter 172 It's all Jiang Jing's fault

Looking at her obedient and alluring appearance, Jiang Jing was extremely satisfied.

With a thought, he directly exchanged a bottle of [advanced beauty serum] that shimmered with a faint glow from the System Mall.

"Here, your reward."

Jiang Jing handed the exquisitely designed, obviously extraordinary little bottle to Leng Ba.

"What is this? It's so beautiful!"

Leng Ba took it curiously; it felt warm and smooth to the touch, and there seemed to be energy flowing within it.

"High-end stuff, an upgraded version of the 'huanyan beauty serum'."

Jiang Jing explained, "As for the effects... simply put, as long as you use it, your skin condition will remain unchanged for at least five years, without any signs of aging."

"What?! Fi... five years?!"

Leng Ba's eyes widened instantly, her voice rising due to extreme shock and joy. She looked at the little bottle in her hand in disbelief, then looked at Jiang Jing, her hands trembling with excitement!

For a female celebrity, especially one who relies on her looks to make a living, this was even more tempting than any jewelry or mansion!

With this, she wouldn't have to worry about cosmetics for at least five years—it was simply too cool!

"Brother Jiang Jing! I love you to death!!!"

Overwhelmed with ecstasy, she screamed in excitement, jumped up suddenly, and hung onto Jiang Jing like a koala.

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and planted a passionate, lingering French kiss right on his lips!

This reward was exactly what she wanted!

After some intimacy, Leng Ba packed up and prepared to go home; after all, it had been quite a while since she left yesterday.

Thus, with a complex mix of sweetness and guilt, Leng Ba said goodbye to Jiang Jing and returned to her home.

She unlocked the door, poked her head in cautiously, and her heart skipped a beat at the scene in the living room.

There sat Da Mimi, Tong Liya, Nazha, Zhu Xudan, and Li Xibing, all lined up on the sofa in various postures, but their gazes were all fixed squarely on the door, landing on her as she just entered.

Their expressions were incredibly complex—inquisitive, teasing, filled with deep envy, and carrying a hint of amusement, as if to say: "Oh, you finally decided to come back?"

Leng Ba immediately felt her scalp tingle. She forced an awkward smile and waved her hand: "Hi, everyone... you're all here?"

"Hmph."

Da Mimi was the first to let out an ambiguous scoff, crossing her legs with her queenly aura in full force.

Tong Liya picked up her teacup, blew on it gently, and glanced over, seemingly prepared to watch the show.

Nazha simply crossed her arms, her beautiful eyebrows raised high.

Although Zhu Xudan and Li Xibing didn't say anything, the fire of curiosity and gossip was burning brightly in their eyes.

This setup was exactly like a tribunal.

Leng Ba felt extremely uncomfortable under their gaze. She gave a dry laugh and made small talk: "He... hehe, the weather is really nice today, isn't it? So sunny... um, have you all eaten lunch? Do you want... should I order some takeout? I heard there's a new pastry shop that's quite good..."

Her voice grew quieter and less confident as she spoke, and her eyes darted around, afraid to look at her sisters.

Seeing her obviously guilty appearance as she tried to muddle through, the others exchanged glances, their lips twitching uncontrollably as they fought to keep from laughing out loud.

In the end, Da Mimi held back her laughter, tried her best to keep a straight face, and played the role of the big sister. She cleared her throat and began the "interrogation":

"Ahem! Don't try to change the subject! Classmate Leng Ba, please be serious! We are currently interrogating you!"

She said in an exaggerated tone, "You said you were going to sign a contract last night, and this signing... lasted until noon today? Isn't that a bit too long? Hmm?"

She drew out her tone and stared at Leng Ba with burning eyes: "Do you know how [worried] we were about you?"

"Exactly, exactly!"

Nazha immediately followed up, suppressing a laugh, "Does signing a contract require pulling an all-nighter?"

Zhu Xudan also added softly: "We were all afraid you had run into some trouble..."

Li Xibing nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: "Extremely [worried]!"

Tong Liya was the most ruthless, delivering a gentle blow: "Leng Ba, looking at your complexion... you seem a bit tired, but your skin is unnaturally radiant. This signing process... must have been very exhausting, right?"

Facing the barrage of concerned yet trap-filled questions from her sisters, Leng Ba's face turned bright red, and in a moment of heat, she blurted out:

"Oh! It's all Jiang Jing's fault..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized what she had done, covered her mouth, and her eyes went wide.

Crap! She had let it slip!

The living room fell silent instantly.

All eyes were focused on her, and the expressions on their faces revealed one meaning—"Oh~~~ so that's how it is!"

"What is it Jiang Jing's fault for?"

Da Mimi pressed on, leaning forward, her eyes sparkling with gossipy glee, "What did Jiang Jing do to you? Tell us in detail?"

"Ah? No! I mean... it's all Jiang Jing... he, he was talking to me about business!"

Leng Ba scrambled to cover up, gesturing wildly while trying to explain, her speech completely incoherent.

"He thinks highly of me, right! Very highly! And then... he kept me talking for a long, long time, talking about... what to pay attention to regarding the endorsement! Future development! Brand image! And... and..."

She stuttered more and more, and her story became increasingly ridiculous; she didn't even know what she was saying anymore.

Her attempts to patch up her lie were full of holes, and she was sweating with anxiety, which was absolutely hilarious.

"Pfft—"

Finally, someone couldn't hold it in anymore.

First, Zhu Xudan couldn't help but laugh out loud, and then Li Xibing's shoulders began to shake.

Nazha burst into laughter, "Hahaha," and collapsed onto the armrest of the sofa.

Even the usually gentle Tong Liya covered her mouth and laughed until she was shaking.

Da Mimi was even slapping the sofa armrest, laughing without any decorum: "Hahahaha! Leng Ba, can't you come up with a better excuse! Talking about future development until noon the next day? Talking about brand image and precautions left you looking flushed and weak in the legs? Hahahaha!"

"Oh! You... you guys are so annoying! I'm not talking to you anymore!"

Leng Ba was mortified, stomped her feet in shame and anger, and covered her face as she tried to flee to her room.

From behind her came the even more unbridled laughter and teasing of her sisters:

"Don't run, Leng Ba! Tell us more about how Jiang Jing thinks highly of you!"

"Share some of those precautions with us! We want to learn too!"

"Hahahaha..."

Leng Ba rushed into her room as if escaping, and slammed the door shut with a bang.