“Horns... I’ve grown horns!”
Maybe because she was mentally prepared, Ning Chu didn’t feel too panicked or nervous when horns finally began sprouting from her head.
But she couldn’t resist touching them now and then, gently poking and prodding, feeling the strange sensations from the tips of her budding horns, imagining how she’d look with a full pair of cute, goat-like horns in the future.
Probably adorable, right?
Once she got used to it, she figured she’d stop feeling the urge to poke them all the time.
Sitting on the back seat of Wen Yang’s bike, Ning Chu clung tightly to his waist, leaning against his back while watching the storefronts pass by along the roadside.
The shared electric bike wasn’t very fast, but it was more convenient than taking the bus, which had to stop frequently. It took them about twenty minutes to reach school.
Nearly half an hour later, they parked across the street from the school gate.
Wen Yang pulled down his mask, exhaling a cloud of white breath as he pushed the bike to a corner and grumbled, “I’m freezing.”
“Maybe buy thicker masks next time?”
“Or how about leaving earlier and taking the bus?” he laughed, looking back at her with a half-amused, half-defeated expression.
“The bike is just more comfortable...”
Ning Chu wasn’t a fan of crowded buses; she hadn’t encountered any issues yet, but given that this was the main setting of Huang Wen, who knew what kinds of creeps might show up?
Even a simple accidental touch from another guy would make her skin crawl.
“Alright then.” Wen Yang smiled and shook his head. “We’ll keep riding the bike to school. It’s supposed to warm up soon anyway.”
He rarely went against Ning Chu’s wishes, even if riding a bike in the dead of winter was rough.
“Mhm~”
Having already had breakfast and with little time left before class, they headed straight toward the teaching building.
But from a distance, Ning Chu spotted a row of students standing in formation on the path leading to the building.
One look was enough for her to spot the student council’s vice president, Guoguo.
She cautiously pulled Wen Yang’s arm, keeping a wary eye on the group as she whispered, “They’re not here to block you, right?”
“Probably just an inspection?”
“Are you sure?”
“They mentioned yesterday in the meeting... no food or slippers in the teaching area.”
“Who’s wearing slippers in the middle of winter?”
Before Ning Chu could finish her complaint, a familiar, casual voice greeted her from behind.
“Well, well, what a coincidence~”
She turned to see Zhang Shaoqing, hands in his pockets, lazily strolling over in a pair of flip-flops, with his buddy Wang Jie following behind, looking all too innocent.
“There really are people...”
Guess the student council’s inspection was aimed at guys like him.
Zhang Shaoqing noticed her odd look and glanced down at his outfit. “What?”
“They’re checking for people wearing slippers up ahead,” Wen Yang reminded him.
“Oh, no problem. I’ll just slip past.”
Ning Chu couldn’t care less about whether Zhang Shaoqing was wearing slippers; she was more concerned about that girl eyeing Wen Yang.
The four of them grouped up and continued toward the teaching building, and Ning Chu instinctively tightened her grip on Wen Yang’s arm, keeping a sharp eye on Guoguo in the inspection team.
In broad daylight, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue... right?
“Stop!”
But Guoguo suddenly pointed at Ning Chu, making her jolt in surprise, immediately bracing for a confrontation.
Are you serious? You’re going to steal my man right here in public?!
If you’re shameless enough, then so am I!
“Hey, you! No slippers allowed in the teaching building!”
Only then did Ning Chu realize that Guoguo was actually pointing at the person behind her.
She turned to see Zhang Shaoqing, nervously hiding behind her and Wen Yang, trying to use them as cover, only to be caught anyway.
“You can only come in if you go back and change your shoes,” Guoguo announced firmly, hands on her hips as she approached, sneaking a glance at Wen Yang before quickly looking away with a red face.
She doesn’t even acknowledge me!
Seeing her love-struck expression, Ning Chu huffed in frustration, tugging Wen Yang along.
Wang Jie took the chance to step around Zhang Shaoqing, quickly abandoning his friend to catch up with Ning Chu and Wen Yang.
“What?! You’re just going to leave me here?”
Zhang Shaoqing was desperate, glancing down at his flip-flops, then at the student council members blocking his way. By now, it was too late to go back and change; he’d be late either way... so he might as well stay in the dorm and play games.
With that thought, he suddenly didn’t feel as rushed.
“Fine, if you won’t let me in, then so be it! What’s the big deal?”
They’d barely made it into the classroom when the bell rang.
The unfamiliar teacher began roll call without lifting his head, seemingly unconcerned whether students were present or not as he marked names at the sound of each “here.”
“Ning Chu.”
“Here!”
After her name was called, Ning Chu leaned over to Yan Xinya and whispered, “I grew horns.”
The wolf girl was busy grooming her fluffy tail, and her comb was already filled with a thick layer of fur.
Wolves, like dogs, shed twice a year, and each time lasted half a year.
Upon hearing Ning Chu, she looked away from her tail, though her hands didn’t stop. Her gaze landed on Ning Chu’s head. “I don’t see anything?”
“They’re hidden under my hair, just a tiny bit so far.”
“Why does it sound like you’re bragging?” Yan Xinya wiggled her wolf ears and looked over at Lily. “Look at her, then at yourself! Not even a ‘steering wheel’! And you’re supposed to be a succubus!”
Ning Chu glanced up at Lily as well, feeling a strange sense of pride and even sitting up a bit straighter.
I’ve got them, and you don’t~
Though she was still a bit put off by the idea of having horns, it was satisfying to have something Lily didn’t.
“Psh.”
Lily looked down at her phone with an expressionless face, ignoring the two of them.
Yan Xinya, peeking over at her screen, burst out laughing. “Lily~ You don’t have any horns, so why are you buying a fake one?”
“....”
“It’s just decoration if no one’s driving the ‘wheel,’ right?” Yan Xinya teased, adding fuel to the fire.
Lily took a deep breath. “I’ll have one sooner or later!”
“With that attitude?” Yan Xinya shot her a look. “You can’t even talk to a guy without hiding behind me and peeking. You’ve got a line of guys chasing after you from the dorm to the school gate, but you don’t seem interested in any of them.”
“Go away. You’re annoying.”
Lily wasn’t exactly afraid of men; she was just shy in social situations.
Around people she didn’t know, she could barely utter a word, maintaining her ice-cold goddess aura.
“Ning Chu! Let me touch it and see what it feels like?”
Ning Chu had been happily watching the show, but Yan Xinya suddenly turned the topic to her.
She froze for a second, but before she could pull away, Yan Xinya’s hand had already reached her head.
“No—”
She tried to dodge, but the wolf girl’s hand touched the little horn, sending a tingling electric current down her spine, making her body go limp instantly.
It wasn’t as intense as when Wen Yang touched her, but Ning Chu still felt weak, slumping forward onto the desk and glaring at Yan Xinya with a mix of shyness and anger.
“Oh~ Same reaction as when someone grabs your tail! Your horns really are sensitive, huh?”
“They feel like jade~” Yan Xinya marveled, and Lily looked ready to jump ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) in and touch them too.
Ning Chu, furious, grabbed hold of Yan Xinya’s big, fluffy tail.
“Ow!”
The wolf girl yelped, drawing the attention of the entire class.
