Chapter 42: The Service Center
On a regular day, students would still be in the classrooms at 8 p.m., but today was the weekend, so the teaching buildings were likely occupied only by the diligent students holed up in the library.
Ning Chu had hurried out without bringing an umbrella, so now she stood awkwardly in the lobby of the dormitory, staring out at the pitch-black, rainy night, then back at Wen Yang with a hint of hesitation.
“Maybe I should head back?”
“Let’s go together,” she said immediately, stepping closer to Wen Yang so they could share the umbrella.
Though she wasn’t exactly comfortable with getting too close to Wen Yang, sharing an umbrella seemed harmless enough.
Every time she passed through the dorm lobby, her gaze would drift toward the dorm supervisor’s office. Through the window, she could see the small girl in there, excitedly chatting with the older dorm supervisor. Though the age difference was large, Ning Chu had long since given up on intervening in this budding love story.
The punishments for disrupting the storyline were becoming unbearable.
As they stepped out into the pouring rain, Ning Chu instinctively moved closer to Wen Yang, and he tilted the umbrella toward her.
The small foldable umbrella wasn’t enough to cover both of them completely. Wen Yang’s right shoulder was already getting soaked by the rain as they walked.
“I really don’t like going out at night...” Ning Chu muttered. Though 8 p.m. wasn’t too late, the heavy rain made the night feel darker, and the campus paths were almost completely empty, save for the occasional food delivery driver wearing a raincoat.
Walking through the rain like this should have felt unsettling, but with Wen Yang by her side, it felt more like a peaceful stroll.
In just a few steps, her pant legs were already soaked, but fortunately, she was wearing slippers and didn’t have to worry about her shoes getting wet.
“Wen Yang, let’s just pay the electricity bill and head back quickly,” Ning Chu said, hoping to avoid any distractions. “What if we run into a ghost?”
“Superstitious nonsense.”
He really didn’t believe in ghosts...
“Just remember, if something seems off, run immediately,” she said with a serious tone. “I’ll cover you.”
Wen Yang glanced down at her, amused by her serious expression and her outlandish words. He chuckled and nodded. “Alright, I won’t help you if it comes to that?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about me!”
Over the past few weeks, there had been no signs that the ghost was dangerous, so Ning Chu wasn’t really at risk.
But Wen Yang was different!
She didn’t want to see the Wen Yang she had been trying to guide for two months end up as a ghost’s meal.
Besides, Wen Yang wasn’t strong enough to deal with a ghost yet! Even the battle-hardened male protagonist in the novel had barely survived an exorcism.
The rain intensified, forcing Ning Chu to move even closer to Wen Yang for shelter.
Their arms occasionally brushed against each other, and each time, she would take a step back to put a little distance between them.
The campus, usually brightly lit, felt dim under the veil of rain. As they left the narrow dorm path and stepped onto the wider road leading to the shadowy silhouette of the teaching building, Ning Chu’s anxiety grew.
She had always been afraid of the dark, and heading to the ghost-haunted teaching building at night, even with Wen Yang by her side, made her uneasy.
Instinctively, she glanced at Wen Yang’s muscular arm, its defined lines visible even in the rain.
Part of her wanted to hold onto his arm for reassurance, but that would feel too feminine, and she didn’t want Wen Yang to get the wrong idea.
Sensing her unease, Wen Yang gently placed his arm around her shoulders. “If you’re afraid of the dark, why come out at night?”
She froze for a moment, glancing at the arm draped casually over her shoulder. It felt more like friendly roughhousing between brothers, and she didn’t mind. She even moved a little closer to him.
“I didn’t feel comfortable letting you go alone.”
Wen Yang’s body temperature was always warmer than hers, like a furnace. Just being close to him chased away the cold, and the anxiety she had felt moments before began to dissipate.
But after a few minutes, Ning Chu suddenly realized something and glanced back at Wen Yang’s chest, which was pressed against her back.
Wait a minute... this didn’t feel like a casual, brotherly arm around the shoulder. It felt more like she was being pulled into an embrace...
But before she could say anything, they had already reached the entrance of the teaching building.
Once inside, Ning Chu quickly slipped out from Wen Yang’s hold and hurriedly glanced toward the service center.
“Why can’t we just pay bills online? What if we run out of electricity in the middle of the night?”
She had complained about this before, but now, standing in her wet pants, she was especially irritated.
“Maybe the school administrators are just dumb.”
After spending so much time with Zhang Shaoqing, Wen Yang had picked up the habit of blaming everything on the school leadership.
He shook the umbrella dry before folding it up and following Ning Chu. “Want to stop by the library and grab a couple of books to read?”
It seemed like a reasonable suggestion, but Ning Chu shook her head vigorously. “No way!”
“What’s the matter?”
“We’re paying the bill and heading straight back.”
Wen Yang shrugged, agreeing to her demand.
They reached the service center, and Wen Yang stepped inside the small room. Glancing back, he noticed Ning Chu standing at the door like she was on lookout, her face tense as she nervously scanned the surroundings.
She really believed in ghosts, huh? He didn’t understand it, but seeing her so on edge was kind of cute.
Approaching the counter, Wen Yang leaned forward and handed over their dorm’s electricity card. “I need to pay the bill.”
“How much?” the girl behind the counter asked.
“Two hundred...”
As the girl took the card, their hands briefly touched. Her hand was cold and soft, and Wen Yang reflexively pulled his hand back.
Feeling guilty, he glanced back at the doorway, worried Ning Chu might have seen and gotten jealous.
The girl working at the service desk was quite pretty...
Though she worked for the school’s logistics department, she looked no older than seventeen or eighteen. She wore a red camisole, and from Wen Yang’s angle, he couldn’t help but notice the deep cleavage she revealed.
It was a reflexive reaction for any guy.
Still, feeling like he was doing something wrong, he quickly averted his gaze, his cheeks turning slightly red.
“All done,” the girl said with a sweet smile, handing back the card. “Why are you blushing, little brother?”
“Uh...”
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Wen Yang forced an awkward smile and reached for the card, but the girl held it tightly between her fingers.
“I’m bored, you know. How about staying and keeping me company?”
Caught off guard, Wen Yang glanced back at the door, where Ning Chu was standing, and panic flashed across his face.
“I-I’ve got stuff to do back at the dorm...”
“What could be so important? It’s just me here all alone, working the night shift. It gets pretty lonely~”
“I...”
Ning Chu, noticing how long Wen Yang was taking, turned back to see him blushing, clearly being flirted with by the girl behind the counter.
She froze for a second before rushing over. “What’s taking so long?”
What the heck! Another bad woman trying to seduce Wen Yang, even here?!
Ning Chu’s sharp eyes quickly glanced at the girl’s nametag: An An?
That’s such a lazy name! She’s definitely just a minor character!
Wen Yang, looking flustered, yanked the card from An An’s fingers and stammered, “We were just... talking.”
“Sure you were!”
Poor little virgin. He could handle lower-level women and sternly reject them, but when faced with a higher-tier girl openly flirting, he completely lost his composure.