“Finally!”
Wen Yang had just finished tidying up the trash when Ning Chu’s excited shout from the bathroom startled him.
He turned toward the bathroom, puzzled. “What finally came?”
“Oh, um... nothing.”
Squatting in the bathroom, Ning Chu let out a relieved sigh, even though she now had to clean her stained underwear.
Turns out her period had arrived—it was just so light that Yan Xinya hadn’t caught the scent, and she hadn’t noticed it herself.
“See? No way it could’ve been pregnancy,” she muttered, slipping off her underwear, then called out, “Wen Yang! Bring me a clean pair of underwear!”
“Did you have /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ an accident?”
“My period started.”
“Leave it; I’ll wash it for you later.”
Wen Yang cracked the door, quickly catching a glimpse of Ning Chu inside.
She was only wearing an oversized sweater, with her long, bare legs fully exposed, making it look as though she wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
Which she wasn’t...
“What are you staring at!”
She snatched the underwear from his hand and shut the door with a bang.
After putting on a sanitary pad and fresh underwear, Ning Chu washed her hands and muttered to herself, “This flow seems way too light...”
Normally, if she hadn’t noticed in time, her entire seat would be soaked, but this time, the flow was barely noticeable.
“This is probably normal, right?”
She searched online, finding reassurance. “Yep, totally normal.”
According to her search, factors like hormone imbalance, stress, and lack of nutrition could all reduce period flow, so there was no need to worry.
After reading through a few results, Ning Chu finally felt at ease.
“It’s all Yan Xinya’s fault, making me worry about pregnancy all day!”
She glanced at the stained underwear, decided it could wait in a bucket for Wen Yang to handle.
With her period and the cold weather, she wanted to avoid touching water as much as possible to prevent any discomfort from cramps.
Though, having Wen Yang wash her underwear... she still felt a bit shy about it.
Leaving the bathroom, Ning Chu sat down in front of her computer. “Wen Yang, don’t talk to me for the next two hours—I need to focus on writing!”
“Alright, I won’t disturb you.”
“It’s a bit chilly.”
Without a second thought, Wen Yang draped his jacket over her shoulders.
“Make me some hot water for a foot soak while I write.”
“Should I bring you some hot tea too, Your Highness?”
“A bottle of ice-cold cola would be nice!”
She grinned, only to be lightly tapped on the head.
“Drinking cola during your period? Don’t you care about the cramps?”
Immediately, she hunched her shoulders, pulled the jacket tighter, and muttered, “Stop talking to me! I just started writing, and you’ve thrown off my concentration.”
Wen Yang patted her head and headed to the bathroom.
But as he stepped in, a serious realization hit him.
With Ning Chu on her period, that meant no “activities” for at least three to five days.
The thought of “battling through the blood” was a bit intense...
Thankfully, it was only a few days; he’d manage.
After he finished washing their clothes and hung them to dry, Wen Yang came up behind Ning Chu, peeking at her screen.
In about half an hour, Ning Chu had managed to watch an episode of an anime.
“So, this is your novel?”
She hugged her knees, defending herself confidently, “I’m gathering inspiration!”
“So, how much have you written?”
“A little over a hundred words... Where’s my hot water? I want to soak my feet!”
“By the way, it’s already ten o’clock.”
Panicking, Ning Chu quickly closed the anime tab and let her fingers fly across the keyboard.
“Oh no, I’m running out of time!”
“My full attendance bonus!”
Motivated by her bonus, Ning Chu pushed through her drowsiness, clinging to her computer to type even with her face still flushed and eyes half-closed from fatigue.
“I’ll go warm up the bed.”
“Sure, and don’t talk to me!”
Wen Yang climbed into bed, scrolling through part-time jobs on his phone.
He had joined a local job-seekers’ group, and now daily gigs ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred yuan were easy to find.
This weekend, he planned to take Ning Chu to a newly opened bubble tea shop where they could try samples—and even get paid for it.
The only sounds filling the room were the soft clicks of Ning Chu’s typing and her occasional mutterings.
“Oh no, I’m not going to finish in time...”
“My attendance bonus~”
“Is this the right word? Whatever...”
With only three minutes left until midnight, Ning Chu finally let out a triumphant sigh. “Done!”
“Quick, submit it!”
Stretching, she got up from her chair, stumbled over to the bed, and flopped down onto it, rolling around until her head rested on Wen Yang’s stomach. She proudly declared, “Three minutes to spare! I’m amazing!”
Wen Yang glanced down at the little succubus resting on him and teased, “What if you hadn’t finished in time?”
“Then my attendance bonus would be gone, and we’d be eating instant noodles every day next month.”
“That won’t happen. Let’s get some sleep.” He yawned, trying to push away any stray thoughts, resisting even the urge to reach out and touch her.
Ning Chu quickly stripped off her loungewear, leaving only a thin, silky nightgown, and snuggled under the covers, latching onto Wen Yang like an octopus.
Her cold feet pressed against his, her hands slipped inside his shirt, and her tail wrapped snugly around his waist, practically draping herself over him.
Wen Yang was barely holding on.
“Could you wear something warmer...?”
With the thin fabric of her nightgown, he could feel every soft curve and contour, and her faint, enticing scent filled his senses.
“I actually prefer sleeping without clothes. Theoretically, fewer layers are warmer.”
Ning Chu lifted her head, her smile sly. “And I did mention I’m on my period, right?”
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
“Just the perfect time for us to go on a little ‘cleanse’ together!”
She didn’t dare take things too far, though; she knew that could lead to... challenging consequences.
Soon, she let go of him, lying quietly on her side, but still pulled his arm over to use as a pillow.
“Goodnight~”
“Mm, goodnight.”
Wen Yang shifted, gently wrapping his arm around her waist and burying his face in her soft, fragrant hair.
“You’re on my hair! It hurts!”
