“Whoa! Ning Chu is a succubus?!”
“And she stayed in the boys’ dorm for months?”
“Is it that casual? Well, she is a succubus!”
“A public ride?”
“Hey, how much would that cost?”
“Isn’t she also, like... trans?”
“How could Wen Yang like someone like that?”
The sharp, grating gossip lingered around, stabbing into her chest like knives. Ning Chu’s breathing quickened, her heart racing until she felt she couldn’t take it anymore—then, suddenly, her mind cleared, and her eyes shot open.
Panting heavily, she stared at the dim ceiling, feeling her heartbeat hammering as if it might leap from her chest. She looked bewildered and confused.
It was... a weird dream.
Ning Chu’s breathing gradually steadied, but her mood sank uncontrollably, and her nose stung slightly.
Since arriving in this world, she’d heard countless rumors about herself, but she never let them get to her. Her mind was constantly focused on derailing the plot to avoid trouble, leaving her no time to bother with gossip.
But now, she’d not only ended up as a girl but also been broken down by a mere dream.
Even the first time she’d dreamed of being caught between two men, it hadn’t bothered her this much.
“What’s wrong?”
Only then did Ning Chu notice that Wen Yang had also woken up and was quietly watching her.
“A nightmare.”
“I could tell; your breathing /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ was quick, and it woke me up.”
Wen Yang knew she had a tendency to faint when too emotional, having seen it happen once before. So, whenever her breathing became unusually fast, he paid close attention.
“What kind of dream?”
“Uh...” Ning Chu paused, scratching her head. “I forgot.”
As her mind cleared, the hurtful words from the dream faded, leaving only hazy fragments.
Her fingers suddenly touched something strange. She paused, tapping it with her fingernail. “I just washed my hair last night...”
She picked at it a few times but couldn’t remove it. In fact, it felt oddly solid. Suddenly, Ning Chu realized this might not just be dandruff.
“Turn on the light! Help me check!”
Forgetting her nightmare entirely, she hurriedly sat up.
Wen Yang switched on the room’s light, looking down at Ning Chu, who had lowered her head toward him. He leaned in, carefully parting her long hair.
Layer by layer, he moved aside the shoulder-length strands until he saw a nail-sized object embedded in her scalp.
“Well? Really stubborn dandruff?”
“Can’t see too clearly.”
Wen Yang gently pressed the small bump, rubbing it with his fingertip. The little succubus beneath him froze for a moment, then her waist went weak, and she slumped forward onto his chest.
“....”
He glanced down at Ning Chu’s flushed face and confirmed, “It’s a horn. Just a tiny one, though.”
Her reaction was almost identical to the way she’d reacted when someone accidentally touched her tail.
“Don’t just touch it!”
Her protest sounded more like a flirty tease, soft and breathy, with a hint of panting.
Barely managing to lift herself again, Ning Chu shot Wen Yang a playful glare as she caught her breath.
Only the heavens knew why she hardly felt anything when she touched it herself, but when someone else did, she melted instantly.
The newly grown horns were like this, her tail was like this, and other sensitive spots were the same.
“Can you take a picture so I can see?”
“It won’t be clear; it’s hidden in your hair.”
“Alright... What color is it? Is it obvious?”
“It’s black. If you cover it with your hair, it’s hardly noticeable.”
Ning Chu sighed quietly, tapping her head before lying back on the bed.
Judging by the normal growth rate, these horns would probably take at least a few months to grow out fully. But she was far from normal.
Once the “Twin Flowers” storyline wrapped up, her horns might just grow in overnight.
Her hands instinctively went up to poke the base of her horns. They felt like two pimples—not painful or itchy, but her fingers kept poking.
They weren’t as hard as she’d expected and were surprisingly smooth...
“It’s seven. Want me to go downstairs and get breakfast?”
“Yes~”
They’d gone to bed early the previous night, after a late-night snack, so Ning Chu was feeling refreshed.
But she still curled up under the covers, savoring the warmth and unwilling to get up. “I want fried buns, and a bowl of thick noodles, with sausage~”
“Transfer me the money. It’ll be about twenty bucks.”
“That much?! Are you skimming off the top?”
“I have to eat too, don’t I?”
As she watched Wen Yang leave, Ning Chu turned over, still poking at the tiny horns just beginning to poke through her scalp.
Will I never be able to sleep on my side again?
Maybe not. But if they grow in the right shape, she might be able to rest her head on them?
That’d be... weird.
Wen Yang seemed to enjoy “steering wheels.” Once her horns grew in fully, who knew how much his “attack speed” and “attack power” would increase? She wouldn’t stand a chance against him if he held both her horns and tail.
Ning Chu sighed with resignation.
Hopefully, she wouldn’t faint... Otherwise, she’d miss out on all the fun despite “taking the damage.”
As for whether the horns would injure someone or damage a pillow, that wasn’t likely—horns usually weren’t that sharp.
Her grandma’s call last night had cleared up a lot of her questions, though. Unfortunately, her grandma was also a succubus, so her thoughts weren’t exactly... wholesome. The moment she heard Ning Chu’s breathless voice, her mind went straight to... certain places.
No matter how Ning Chu tried to explain, her grandma would just respond with an understanding “Oh,” in that knowing, woman-to-woman tone.
Her image as the sweet, obedient granddaughter? Gone!
Maybe her mother had shared the “glorious” tales of Ning Chu spending New Year’s Eve away from home, which probably left Grandma thinking of her as just another succubus obsessed with ghs (good hot stuff).
Her mom had ruined her reputation!
Having grown horns threw her mind into chaos, making her think of all kinds of bizarre things.
One moment, she pictured herself in the “steering wheel” position, then her mom with horns. Soon her thoughts drifted to the horizon, wondering if dyeing her hair would also dye her horns.
And wouldn’t a haircut be inconvenient too?
Wen Yang returned with breakfast, opening the door to find Ning Chu sitting on the bed, lost in thought.
“What are you thinking about? Come eat.”
“Nothing.” Finally snapping out of it, Ning Chu sat up, wrapped in a blanket, and settled onto the couch, cocooning herself like a little dumpling.
“Wen Yang, if my classmates find out I’m a succubus and realize I used to live in the boys’ dorm...”
She hesitated, looking down at her bowl of noodles, her voice filled with worry. “Won’t they... gossip about me?”
“Hmm... Since when do you care about that?”
“Don’t think about all that nonsense. If anyone dares to talk behind your back, I’ll take care of it.”
Wen Yang looked up, noticing her still-worried expression, and added with a grin, “If anyone spreads rumors, I’ll just catch them and beat them up! How’s that?”
“What if you can’t beat them?”
“Then you sneak up behind and clobber them.”
Ning Chu rolled her eyes at him, but a hint of a smile slipped into her gaze. “And we can both go down together, huh?”
