Chapter 70: Hot Pot
"They’re here, they’re here!"
Yan Xinya burst through the door, excitedly placing down the induction cooker. Her tail wagged so fast it was almost a blur as she rushed toward Ning Chu with a grin.
Just as Ning Chu turned her head, she was caught off guard as Yan Xinya wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her into a tight hug. Before Ning Chu could react, the wolf-girl eagerly leaned in to rub her face against Ning Chu’s.
Ning Chu instinctively leaned back, hands pressing against Yan Xinya’s head in a desperate attempt to push her away. “What are you, a dog? Stop rubbing your face on me!”
After managing to subdue Yan Xinya, Ning Chu glanced toward the door.
Lily had entered the dorm quietly, her usual icy expression in place as she nodded politely to both Ning Chu and Wen Yang.
See! This is how a proper girl acts!
Ning Chu lowered her head to look at the energetic Yan Xinya still squirming under her grip.
And this... this is just a big puppy.
Just as Ning Chu let her guard down, Yan Xinya seized the moment, nuzzling her nose against Ning Chu’s cheek with satisfaction before letting go.
"..."
Ning Chu sighed helplessly. While being close to a beautiful girl could be nice, it would be much better if that girl didn’t act like an over-excited dog.
Yan Xinya had been to the boys' dorm a few times before, so she felt completely at ease. After greeting Wen Yang, she confidently plopped herself down in front of Zhang Shaoqing’s computer and started searching for a movie to watch that night.
Lily, on the other hand, was more reserved, sitting quietly beside Ning Chu as she fiddled with her phone, not saying a word as usual.
“When are we eating? I’m starving!” the wolf-girl whined.
“Hold on, I need to wash the vegetables first,” Ning Chu replied, standing up and grabbing the large bag of ingredients she had bought earlier. “Wen Yang, don’t just sit there. Come help.”
“Got it.”
Wen Yang immediately quit his single-player game and followed Ning Chu out to the balcony.
This hot pot wasn’t anything fancy—just supermarket-bought mixed meatballs, vegetables, QQ noodles to fill them up, and some cheap beef and lamb rolls. Nothing too extravagant.
Although Ning Chu preferred something fancier like Chaoshan beef hot pot or seafood, living on a budget of 1,500 yuan a month—while also feeding a grown man—meant those options were just dreams for now.
The only thing even remotely related to seafood in tonight’s hot pot was some frozen squid rings.
Once the vegetables and pot were cleaned, everything was ready to go for their hot pot dinner.
“What movie did you pick?” Ning Chu asked as she sat down at the foldable table, waiting for the hot pot base to melt.
“A horror movie!”
Why do girls love horror movies so much...
Ning Chu pursed her lips in confusion, then called out to Lily, “Come on, the pot’s almost ready.”
“I bought some drinks. What do you want?”
“Sprite.”
Yan Xinya finally found the movie she wanted, set it to full screen, and turned up the volume before excitedly returning to the table.
She glanced over at Ning Chu and Wen Yang, who were sitting next to each other, and teased, “Ning Chu~ don’t get so scared that you end up clinging to Wen Yang!”
“Tch, I’d be more surprised if Wen Yang didn’t cling to me.”
“That would be nice too!”
“...”
Yan Xinya was the first to drop some lamb rolls into the pot, but her gaze kept drifting over to Ning Chu and Wen Yang.
Because the table was so small, the two of them were constantly brushing shoulders. Even though they weren’t overly affectionate or flirtatious, Ning Chu usually kept a bit of distance between them during interactions. Now, that distance was gone.
Is this what they call "absence makes the heart grow fonder"?
Who knew the one who always talked tough would eventually cave in like this.
How far have they gone?
Have they confessed yet? Kissed? Or has Wen Yang already gone all the way with her?
Yan Xinya shot a puzzled look at Lily, and moments later, her phone buzzed with a message from Lily.
"From my years of experience as an old pro, she’s still a virgin succubus! ROFL.JPG"
"Aren’t you one too?"
"..."
Although Ning Chu hadn’t seen their conversation, her sixth sense picked up on their silent exchange. Judging by the glances they kept throwing her way, they were probably talking about her behind her back.
She rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Can’t you two just focus on eating hot pot?”
“I’m not doing anything...” Yan Xinya muttered, chewing on her chopsticks, her guilty gaze drifting back to the movie. But it didn’t take long before her curiosity got the better of her, and she blurted out, “Are you two thinking of renting a place together?”
“Renting together...” Ning Chu’s face instantly turned red as she glared at the wolf-girl. “Stop spouting nonsense!”
Wen Yang shook his head. “We don’t have the money for that.”
“But isn’t it inconvenient for Ning Chu to stay in the boys’ dorm?”
“Well, yeah...”
Wen Yang agreed with the inconvenience in terms of living arrangements, while Yan Xinya was clearly thinking about the inconvenience of their relationship.
After a brief moment of thought, Wen Yang turned to Ning Chu. “Maybe I should start doing part-time work every night from next week?”
“No.”
“But—”
“A college student’s main job is to study, not to make money.”
Ning Chu pulled out her usual reasoning, ready to give Wen Yang a good talking-to.
Letting him work as a tutor on weekends was already lenient! How dare he try to push for more part-time hours during the week!
There were too many bad women outside!
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“I think she’s just worried some pretty girl will steal you away,” Yan Xinya interrupted with a cheeky grin.
Ning Chu’s speech was cut short as her face burned even hotter. Her plan was exposed in one shot. She snapped, “Watch your horror movie!”
She took a deep breath and, in a softer tone, said to Wen Yang, “If I want to move out, I’ll just ask my mom for money.”
“Alright, that sounds good.”
With that, the conversation ended for now. They started placing the hot pot balls and vegetables into the pot, and as they waited for it to cook, Ning Chu’s attention drifted to the horror movie playing on the screen.
It was pretty scary, with plenty of bloody, gory scenes—definitely an 18+ rating.
But Yan Xinya was completely absorbed in it, eating her noodles while watching, while Lily sat beside her, as calm and emotionless as ever. However, her head was lowered, clearly avoiding looking at the screen.
As for Wen Yang...
He seemed perfectly composed, though Ning Chu wasn’t sure if he was really that brave or just pretending to avoid looking weak.
Testing the waters, she extended a finger and lightly poked Wen Yang’s side.
“Holy—!”
Wen Yang jerked in surprise, nearly falling off his chair.
“Pfft!”
Ning Chu quickly covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. As she glanced to the side, she saw that Lily had been startled by Wen Yang’s outburst and was now sitting on the floor with a dazed expression.
“Hey, are you okay?”
For once, Lily’s face was flushed red with embarrassment. She stammered, “W-Wen Yang’s voice was so loud... it startled me...”
Right now, this succubus looked more like a cute, innocent girl next door—someone you just wanted to protect.
“Yeah, Wen Yang, why’d you have to yell so loud?” Ning Chu teased.
“Anyone would be startled if they got poked out of nowhere!”
Ning Chu helped Lily up, patting the dust off her as Lily’s face grew even redder.
“Hmm...”
Ning Chu quickly caught on to Lily’s unusual reaction and shot a glance at Wen Yang.
Luckily, Wen Yang hadn’t noticed anything.
You’re hiding it well, aren’t you? Even I almost didn’t notice!
She had originally planned to keep these two girls around until late to prevent Wen Yang from making any moves on her, but now it looked like she’d have to send them home right after dinner!