“Aaah!!!”
A piercing scream caught Ning Chu’s attention. She looked up to see Zhang Shaoqing clutching his thigh, wincing in pain, while the cat-eared maid beside him wore an expression of pure innocence.
“Oh dear, Master, what’s wrong?”
“Does it hurt? Let me give it a rub~”
“Ow!!! Wrong, wrong!”
Watching Qian Qian grip Zhang Shaoqing’s waist with exaggerated concern, Ning Chu glanced at the café’s generously endowed owner, who looked on with a faint smirk.
Now it was clear—this couple was definitely close, and Qian Qian’s possessiveness was no joke. Her, well, ample assets would draw anyone’s gaze, not just men.
She turned to Wen Yang, only to find her princely male lead keeping things perfectly respectable, his gaze fixed intently on his phone.
“What’ll it be, handsome?” the owner asked, noticing Wen Yang’s distraction.
Without thinking, he answered, “Same as Ning Chu’s—Set A.”
For a brief moment, his gaze drifted toward the owner’s chest, but he quickly forced himself to look down again, pretending to scroll through his phone. Zhang Shaoqing’s painful lesson was fresh in his mind; he didn’t want to tempt fate.
“Damn, that hurt... You girls really don’t hold back.” Zhang Shaoqing muttered, rubbing his thigh and waist. Then, he suggested, “Hey, since we’re all together, why don’t we go to karaoke after this?”
Ning Chu gave him a scornful look, prompting him to clarify quickly, “A proper karaoke place!”
“A proper one? So what’s an improper one?” Qian Qian asked, tilting her head curiously.
“...”
Zhang Shaoqing felt a chill down his spine. Today was supposed to be a master-and-maid playdate, yet he felt zero satisfaction as the “master.”
Thinking better of it, he changed his mind. “Never mind. Going just the three of us isn’t that fun anyway. Let’s wait until the weekend, maybe invite Wang Jie along.”
Tonight, he’d rather head to a hotel and remind his cat-eared maid of her “place.”
“Better if Wang Jie brings his girlfriend, too,” Ning Chu suggested. “I’ve been wanting to meet her.”
“Yeah, I’m curious too.”
That girl must be pretty tough to keep draining Wang Jie’s energy to the bone.
It probably wasn’t a succubus; if it were, Wang Jie, that recluse, would likely already be just a shell of his former self.
“Oh, by the way, Qian Qian plans to quit her job.” Zhang Shaoqing casually mentioned, munching on a freshly delivered pastry. “She’s a teacher, and dating a student isn’t exactly encouraged, so she decided to leave.”
“What?”
What about my final English exam?!
“What’s she planning to do next?”
Zhang Shaoqing stirred his coffee with a straw. “I’m going to help her open a little tea shop near campus. That way, we can still meet up on weekends.”
“...Lucky to have money.”
Opening a shop for his girlfriend, just like that.
Ning Chu glanced over at Wen Yang, wondering when her male lead might make enough to turn them into a wealthy couple.
The main character halo might not cover that; otherwise, his little stall would’ve been a big hit already instead of leaving them with unsold stock.
Despite the café owner’s quirky vibe, the coffee and pastries were genuinely good.
If she weren’t worried about gaining weight, Ning Chu could probably eat two servings of cake by herself.
Since becoming a woman, she was starting to care more and more about her weight...
“Alright, we’re heading out,” Ning Chu said after finishing her food. She and Wen Yang bid goodbye to the little couple still deep in their maid play and left the café.
“Let’s skip the bus and walk back. Burn off a bit of dinner,” Ning Chu suggested.
“It’s kind of far, though.”
“We can ride a bike if we get tired.”
With no pressing plans for the evening, Ning Chu chose not to take the bus, strolling leisurely alongside Wen Yang.
As they left the area around the school, the streets grew quieter.
She used to enjoy going out at night, wandering aimlessly under the calm night sky, free from the noise of people and cars. The peacefulness always seemed to soothe even the most restless heart.
But as she grew more feminine and increasingly beautiful, she found herself more cautious about going out alone at night.
She’d traveled from her rental place to school countless times, yet this was the first time she’d walked the route.
She enjoyed walking with Wen Yang, too. Even without any particular destination or purpose, just chatting idly seemed to make time fly by.
Between the peacefulness of the night and Wen Yang’s company, Ning Chu’s mood was light. She was also relieved to know Zhang Shaoqing’s chaotic influence had finally been reined in.
“In the story, Shaoqing was all threats and manipulations with Qian Qian, always up to no good.”
“But real-life Shaoqing? Cowering, getting pinched by the café owner of all people~”
“So tragic~”
Though she sounded sympathetic, Ning Chu was nearly laughing.
Wen Yang, however, looked curious. “What made you write it that way? Were you... imagining it yourself?”
“Uh...”
“Don’t tell me you actually wanted...”
“Of course not! No way!” Ning Chu shook her head so fast it nearly blurred. “I was a guy back then, writing from a male perspective! It’s totally different now!”
“Right... But last night, you seemed awfully enthusiastic about kidnapping me.”
She defended herself with complete seriousness. “I was just protecting you from those twins; they’re too tempting! I had to sacrifice myself! Unlike Shaoqing, who’s into maid play...”
If she were honest, binding and restraining probably had more of a “kink” factor than maid play...
At least with her version, it happened at home, safely behind closed doors. Zhang Shaoqing, on the other hand, was taking things out in public.
Wen Yang chuckled, seeing through Ning Chu’s transparent attempt to dodge the conversation.
“Let’s not talk about this. I’m getting tired.” Trying to change the topic, Ning Chu looked around the street. “See if you can spot any shared bikes.”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to walk to lose {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} weight? It’s only been ten minutes.”
“I’m already this thin; I don’t need to lose weight~”
“Well, a little bit of extra weight looks nice.”
Ning Chu understood exactly what he meant by “extra weight.” She looked down at herself, confirming she fit the description of “a little chubby.”
All the “weight” had gone to her chest and hips~
The rest of her body was soft and slender, with no visible fat.
Except for her tummy... unless she consciously sucked it in, there was always a slight curve there, combined with the faint silvery lines on her abdomen—she had to admit, it was quite... appealing.
“There’s a bike across the street.”
“Ride it over here; I’m too lazy to walk over!”
“Alright!”
Wen Yang jogged across the street, unlocked the bike, and rode it back to Ning Chu.
The seat was a bit small, so Ning Chu climbed on but found that half of her hips didn’t fit. She leaned forward, pressing herself close to Wen Yang.
“All set?”
“Ready!”
Ning Chu raised her right hand high, pointing forward with excitement. “Let’s go!”
“Hey! Slow down!”
As the bike lurched forward, she yelped and instinctively wrapped her arms around Wen Yang’s waist, slipping her cold hands into his pockets.
The chilly night air brushed her face, so Ning Chu tucked her head against Wen Yang’s back to shield herself from the wind.
“It’s so cold~”
“When I get a car someday, you won’t feel the cold riding inside.”
“It won’t be as fun as this, though.”
“It will be, I promise.”
