"Big Sis~ wah!"
Hei Dou suddenly jumped in front of her, making an exaggerated funny face.
"......"
Ning Chu looked at her with an expressionless face, her inner feelings undisturbed.
Though her mood was poor, she wasn’t about to take it out on Hei Dou, who was just trying to cheer her up. Still, she wore a look of utter lifelessness, uninterested in anything.
Her thumb kept swiping through short videos, but none of them held her attention for more than two seconds. Her brain was in a fog, a messy jumble of thoughts swirling in her mind.
"Sis?" Hei Dou leaned against the bed, tilting her head, her cat ears drooping slightly.
"I'm fine. Just let me have a quiet moment."
"Alright~"
Hei Dou had rarely seen Ning Chu this withdrawn, though she often had phases like this when she first arrived here and became a woman.
Over time, as she grew fond of the male lead she had created and gradually adjusted to her female body, her bouts of withdrawal became less frequent.
Outside, the sound of a door opening echoed through the apartment.
Hei Dou perked up, darting out of the bedroom with excitement: "Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!"
"Huh?" Wen Yang, who had come by for a meal and was about to help wash dishes to win favor with his future mother-in-law, saw Hei Dou rushing over, grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the room.
He was a bit puzzled but quickly sensed something was off.
Usually, Ning Chu would already be waiting at the door to greet him as soon as she heard the elevator. But today, even after he entered, there was no sign of her.
When he reached the bedroom, Wen Yang looked at the slender figure lying sideways on the bed and immediately understood.
With a warm smile, he approached her, gazing at her delicate back and asked, "Want to go out for a walk?"
"Don't feel like moving..."
"Then I'll sit with you for a while."
Wen Yang sat on the edge of the bed, holding Ning Chu's hand, their fingers tightly interlocked.
Ning Chu resisted slightly at first but soon relaxed, facing away from Wen Yang, staring blankly at the wall.
Hei Dou's big, curious eyes watched the two of them, her little head filled with questions. Her ears twitched, but she quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.
Ning Chu turned over, resting her head on Wen Yang's thigh.
For some reason, as soon as Wen Yang arrived, her gloomy mood began to improve noticeably.
It was as if some gentle, soothing force was seeping into her heart, easing her emotions.
With her other hand, she held onto Wen Yang's arm, muttering softly, "Wen Yang, do you feel like I'm not the same person I was at the start of the semester?"
"I don’t think so."
"I feel like I’ve become someone completely different..."
Wen Yang chuckled, gently rubbing her head resting on his thigh. "Don't overthink it."
"Mm."
Ning Chu's gaze shifted away, her lips pursing. She was about to say something when she suddenly felt her phone vibrate.
Curiously, she picked it up; normally, besides Wen Yang, there wasn’t anyone who would reach out to her on their own.
"Who is it?"
"Shaoqing’s message."
Ning Chu ruffled her messy hair and clicked open the message. A moment later, she sprang up. "Oh no! Shaoqing's here!"
"Huh?"
Wen Yang looked at her, puzzled.
"Maybe he ran away from home after another fight with his family? He’s already here!"
"Another fight? Isn’t that usual?"
"No, you don’t get it! My rental apartment is full of things I can’t let him see!"
Thinking about all the, ahem, lingerie, toys, and tails... Ning Chu couldn’t imagine ever being able to face Zhang Shaoqing again if he happened to see any of that stuff!
Especially if he decided to crash at her place...
Wen Yang, now equally worried, quickly stood up. "You go clean up the apartment; I’ll go pick him up."
Just then, Zhang Shaoqing called Wen Yang, asking him to come pick him up at the train station.
"Aren't you chasing Qian Qian? How did you even have time to come here~"
All her earlier gloom and sadness had flown out the window—those things were in the past now. Right now, this situation was much more pressing.
Besides, if she thought about it differently, if all this was in exchange for her mother’s return... then maybe it wasn’t so bad.
Without bothering to comb her hair, Ning Chu hurriedly followed Wen Yang out.
"Where are you going?" Her mother, who was on the couch helping Hei Dou with her homework, looked up to see her daughter rushing out in a panic.
"Something came up. A classmate came to hang out."
"Coming to hang out during the New Year holiday?"
"Who knows what’s going through that guy's head."
"Come back early."
Ning Chu nodded as she closed the door and turned to Wen Yang, "Stall him for a bit, maybe take him to eat something. Text me when you're on your way back."
"Got it."
"I wonder if Shaoqing managed to get Qian Qian to go out with him..."
...
At the South Train Station, Zhang Shaoqing stood with his suitcase, looking lost in this unfamiliar place.
He glanced down, alternating between sending messages to Ning Chu and Wen Yang and regretting his impulsive decision to run away from home.
"So f***ing unfair!" he muttered, glancing once more at his temporarily frozen bank card. "Aren't they afraid I'll starve out here?"
Pacing back and forth to keep warm in the cold wind, he finally spotted Wen Yang after half an hour.
Excitedly, he dragged his suitcase forward, looking around eagerly. "Where's Ning Chu? Didn’t come?"
"She’s busy."
"Good, let’s go grab a bite, just the two of us! And some drinks!" He grinned, slinging an arm over Wen Yang’s shoulder. "Come on, which place is good around here? My treat!"
"I have work this afternoon." Wen Yang looked at Zhang Shaoqing, who seemed no different from when he last saw him half a month ago. "What brings you here all of a sudden? Another fight with your mom?"
"Don't even mention it; it's annoying as hell!"
Zhang Shaoqing walked beside Wen Yang, brooding for a moment before venting. "You know, I’m starting to think there’s something seriously wrong with me."
"Huh?"
"I feel like I'm being masochistic."
Wen Yang raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t need you to say it; I already knew."
He even thought Shaoqing should have figured that out ages ago.
Zhang Shaoqing sighed deeply. "I mean, like... never mind. Let’s just say I’m starting to wonder if I even like this girl."
“???”
“I only like girls who are out of my league. If she likes me, then it means she has poor taste, and I lose interest."
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"Are you crazy?"