Chapter 10: A Weekend Alone
During class on Friday, Zhang Shaoqing was busy discussing his weekend plans with Wang Jie.
“Tonight, just the two of us will hit up the KTV, and then I need to head home. I won’t be back until Sunday evening; I have to visit my grandparents.”
“Sounds good, I’ve got some plans this weekend too,” Wang Jie responded.
Ning Chu glanced over at Wang Jie, feeling a bit surprised.
What plans could this homebody have outside of the usual nonsense Zhang Shaoqing drags him into?
“The girl I like... it’s her birthday, so I’m going to see her,” Wang Jie said with a shy smile. “I was hoping you guys could help me figure out what gift to get her.”
Wen Yang immediately perked up, clearly intrigued.
Ning Chu, on the other hand, slumped down onto her desk in boredom.
“Hey, is this a secret crush, or are you already together?” Zhang Shaoqing leaned in, wrapping an arm around Wang Jie’s shoulders. “Tell us more!”
“She’s my girlfriend,” Wang Jie replied, smiling sheepishly like a boy experiencing his first love. “But we’ve only held hands so far.”
Wen Yang looked shocked. “Wow, so you’ve been keeping this quiet, and now you’re the first one among us to get a girlfriend?”
“We’ve been together since high school,” Wang Jie admitted.
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Shaoqing slapped his thigh. “Then you should get her a new phone!”
“...”
Ning Chu suddenly felt that Wang Jie might be in danger.
He’s such an honest guy, only holding hands so far, and in a long-distance relationship too. In stories like these, honest guys usually don’t fare well.
However, in the plot she wrote, Wang Jie barely had any screen time, so if something did happen, it definitely wouldn’t be her fault.
“What does she look like?” Wen Yang joined in on the gossip, curious.
Wang Jie pulled out his phone and showed them a photo.
The girl looked quite ordinary, wearing thick glasses, but she had a particularly sweet smile.
Ning Chu let out a sigh of relief.
At least she wasn’t some extraordinarily beautiful girl.
But soon, Ning Chu had bigger concerns than Wang Jie’s love life.
Wang Jie was going to celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday, Zhang Shaoqing was heading home to see his grandparents, and Wen Yang had a tutoring job lined up...
So what about her? Were they just going to leave her alone in the dorm?
The thought of being left alone made her a bit anxious.
“Are you really going to do that tutoring job?” Ning Chu couldn’t help but ask, lightly poking Wen Yang, who was preparing his lesson plan.
“Yeah, don’t worry. The student’s a boy, the parent’s a man, and it’s only a four-hour session. I’ll be back in the evening,” Wen Yang reassured her, already well-prepared. “I found the job through a reliable platform. The parent has already paid, and once the tutoring session is done, the platform will transfer the money to me. I won’t get scammed, though the platform does take a commission.”
He handed his phone to Ning Chu, showing her the lesson materials he was preparing. “The student is in eighth grade, and he’s struggling with math.”
All the excuses Ning Chu had prepared were stuck in her throat. All she could manage was a weak, “Platforms aren’t always trustworthy.”
“It’s better than having no guarantee at all.”
“I...” She felt flustered, lowering her head and nervously picking at her nails.
The problem was, Ning Chu wasn’t actually worried about Wen Yang’s safety.
In the plot, the protagonist does have a scene where he ends up giving some extra “health education” to a high school student while tutoring, but since this was a boy, and not the protagonist, that scenario was unlikely.
What she was really worried about was being alone in the dorm!
With no one else around, who knew what could happen?
Without the protagonist nearby, anything could go wrong! Zhang Shaoqing and Wang Jie wouldn’t be around either, so if something did happen, there’d be no one to help.
Ning Chu was tempted to ask if she could tag along with Wen Yang, not to tutor, but just to quietly watch TV or play on her phone at the student’s house.
But saying something like that would make it seem like she was clingy, like she couldn’t be without Wen Yang, even for work.
No way could she say that out loud—it would be too embarrassing.
“Are you scared of being alone in the dorm, Ning Chu?” Yan Xinya suddenly interjected from her spot, wagging her tail playfully.
Both Ning Chu and Wen Yang turned to look at her.
“Come on, it’s a boys’ dorm! Isn’t it normal for Ning Chu to be scared, considering she’s a... well, Ning Chu?” Yan Xinya explained, her wolf ears twitching.
Wen Yang paused, but Ning Chu quickly shook her head, almost violently. “No way! Why would I be scared? That’s not who I am!”
“I’m just worried Wen Yang might get scammed instead of actually tutoring! But since Wen Yang has everything prepared, then go ahead!”
Her attempt at convincing failed miserably.
Yan Xinya shot Ning Chu a disappointed look, while Ning Chu discreetly kicked her under the table.
Stop meddling!
She had wanted to ease Wen Yang into staying, but now she’d just made things worse by panicking and saying too much.
Wen Yang laughed and nodded. “Exactly, she’s not that delicate.”
Although Ning Chu could be a bit paranoid when out in public, there was no way she’d feel the same way in the dorm—a place she spent most of her time sleeping and relaxing.
“Such a dense guy...” Yan Xinya muttered under her breath, turning her head away. “And such a tsundere girl.”
The bell rang, signaling the end of class.
Ning Chu propped her chin on her hands, watching her classmates rush out the door, and sighed deeply.
Thank goodness it’s just the dorm. Nothing should happen if I’m alone.
Instead of worrying about something happening in the dorm, she should be more concerned about Wen Yang getting seduced by some vixen while he’s out working.
Recently, she had eased up on monitoring Wen Yang, or rather, they had both become accustomed to being inseparable. Wen Yang had even started avoiding girls on his own initiative.
But now, as soon as she let her guard down, Wen Yang was already eager to take on a tutoring job.
Ning Chu massaged her temples in frustration. The classroom had almost emptied out when she finally stood up, grabbing her books and holding them against her chest to hide her figure.
“No choice, I’m really broke,” Wen Yang said, seeing her troubled expression and smiling wryly. “If I don’t get a side job soon, I’ll starve. I can’t just keep freeloading off you forever, can I?”
I wouldn’t mind.
“Hmm...” Ning Chu murmured, leading the way out the door.
Wen Yang noticed she seemed upset and hurried after her, promising, “Don’t worry, I won’t talk to any girls on the way to the job. If I see a girl, I’ll just run, okay?”
“I’m leaving around noon, and I’ll be back by seven in the evening. I’ll even bring you dinner.”
Ning Chu couldn’t help but feel that this guy was already acting like her boyfriend, with how he automatically avoided other women.
She glanced back at Wen Yang, reminding him of their relationship. “If you meet someone you like, and she’s a good person, go for it. Don’t miss out on a good girl.”
But I’ll be the judge of whether she’s a good girl or not.
“Mm-hmm,” Wen Yang responded half-heartedly.
As they walked back to the dorm, Ning Chu couldn’t help but blurt out, “Are you really going? How about we both deliver food at the cafeteria instead? They even provide meals.”
“The tutoring pays more, and as for you delivering food...”
“What about it? It’d be good exercise!”
Wen Yang checked the weather forecast. “It’s going to be thirty-seven degrees the next two days, and there’s no elevator in any building except the new dorms.”
“Then forget it.”
Well, you’re already set on this...
“No flirting with girls out there! They’re all trouble!”
“Okay.”
“Come back right after you’re done. Don’t wander around—I want spaghetti for dinner.”
“Got it.”
“There shouldn’t be too many people on the bus at noon, but definitely don’t take the subway! I heard there are women who like to harass guys on the subway.”
“That actually happens?” Wang Jie looked up, dumbfounded.
Ning Chu rolled her eyes. “They only harass good-looking guys.”
“Understood.”
Wang Jie watched as Ning Chu followed Wen Yang out, nagging like a mother. He muttered to himself, “Why is Ning Chu acting like a mom?”
He lowered his head, continuing to fiddle with his hair in a small mirror.
This time, he was going to meet his girlfriend, so even though he usually didn’t care much about his appearance, he had to make an effort today.
“By the way, Wang Jie, when are you leaving?”
“My train leaves in an hour.”
Ning Chu came over, eyeing Wang Jie up and down, frowning as she rubbed her chin. “You look too plain.”
After finishing with Wen Yang, she started fussing over Wang Jie.
Wang Jie looked resigned. After living in the same dorm for two months, he knew what kind of person Ning Chu was.
She worried about everyone.
“There’s not enough time now, but you should have gotten a perm. Your hair’s too soft and flat against your scalp,” Ning Chu said, glancing at Zhang Shaoqing’s desk. “I remember Zhang Shaoqing has some hair gel. I’ll grab it.”
She wanted to make Wang Jie look a little sharper—no way was she letting him end up as the miserable character in those sad stories.
“You’re usually so quiet, so be sweet when you see your girlfriend. And since you’re in a long-distance relationship, make sure you’re a bit more enthusiastic when you first meet.”
“Hey, this hat of Shaoqing’s looks good! Try it on!”
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“This shirt is nice too! Put it on, put it on!”
“These shoes...”
Wang Jie finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Isn’t it a bit much to use so much of Shaoqing’s stuff?”
“I already asked him last night,” Ning Chu replied, pulling out her phone to show him the chat history with Zhang Shaoqing. “He said we could use whatever we want. Too bad you don’t have a driver’s license, or he’d have let you borrow his car so you could pick up your girlfriend in style.”
“...”
“I’m off.”
Ning Chu turned to see Wen Yang, who had already put on his shoes and was heading for the door. She quickly followed after him. “You’ll be back by seven?”
“Yeah, you’ll have time for a nap, and I’ll be back before you know it.”
Watching Wen Yang leave, she stopped in her tracks and turned around. Wang Jie had also finished packing his things and was dragging his suitcase out the door.
“Wen Yang! Wait up, I’ll walk with you!”
And then, the dorm was empty.
Ning Chu closed the door behind her, locked it, and picked up Black Bean, cradling the cat in her arms as she sat back down in front of the computer.
The dorm, usually filled with noise and activity, was suddenly eerily quiet with just her alone. The silence was unsettling.
Black Bean squirmed in her arms, trying to get away, and then bit her hand.
The sharp little sting made Ning Chu frown. “Bite me again, and I’ll take you to get spayed tomorrow!”