Ning Chu had lost count of the number of embarrassing situations her mother had caught her in over the years.
From staying out all night to running into her mom at a love hotel, Ning Chu figured that her image as a "model succubus" in her mother’s mind was long established.
But this was her mom, after all!
And Black Bean was there too!
Now wearing a cozy, thick sweater instead of the revealing maid outfit, Ning Chu sat quietly on the couch, eyes darting around nervously, hands clasped between her knees, with a blush that hadn’t faded yet.
Her ears burned red as her mother and Black Bean stared at her through the screen with bemused expressions. Black Bean, in particular, looked at her with innocent curiosity, which only heightened Ning Chu’s embarrassment.
"Sis, where are your cat ears?"
"Sis, you looked so pretty just now~"
"..."
Ning Chu could hardly lift her head.
Although Black Bean had been in her cat-girl form for some time, she still hadn’t realized just how... provocative Ning Chu’s earlier outfit had been.
Wen Yang was also a bit embarrassed, rubbing his nose awkwardly and offering a polite, apologetic smile.
"Don’t follow your sister’s example." Ning Chu’s mom gave Black Bean’s head a light pat before teasing Ning Chu. "Seems like you’re doing well on your own?"
"Pretty well... except that I caught a bit of a cold today."
"It’s not even warm yet, and you’re dressing like that. Of course, you’ll catch a cold."
"..."
No comeback to that!
Wasn’t that a complete social disaster? Did I even wiggle my hips earlier?!
Ning Chu kept her head down, wishing she could just bury it in the ground. Her toes curled in her slippers, wishing she could claw out a whole apartment complex in the floor to hide.
"By the way, has your brother been acting strange lately?" Her mother set the phone down on the table, brushing Black Bean’s hair as she spoke. "I’ve been asking him to come home for dinner, but he keeps refusing. Did he find himself a girlfriend?"
"You don’t know yet..."
"Hm?"
Caught in this incredibly awkward situation, Ning Chu needed a distracting topic fast to divert attention from herself and Black Bean.
Sorry, brother, but this is for the greater good~
"He did. He’s dating someone, and they might even be living together."
Her mother froze for a moment, then looked both surprised and thrilled. "Really?"
"Really. Wen Yang met her, too, right?"
Wen Yang nodded, replying honestly, "Yes, a pretty girl. We saw her when Ning Yuan drove us to the station."
"I think they were college classmates, and they ended up working at the same company after graduation, so I guess love grew over time."
Her mother’s smile widened. "When are they getting married, then? Oh, and what name should we pick for my first grandchild? How much should we give for the dowry?"
"..."
How would I know?
Ning Chu quickly redirected. "Mom, they’ll need a place to live when they get married, right? The house we have is too small."
"That’s no problem. This house is worth quite a bit," her mom mused, delighted. "I’ll pop by his apartment this weekend for a surprise visit. How could he not tell me about his girlfriend? I don’t even know what she looks like."
"Don’t tell him it was me..."
"Don’t worry~"
Black Bean leaned into the screen, filling it with her innocent face as she looked longingly at Ning Chu and Wen Yang. "When are you guys coming home? Mom’s practically starving me~"
"Starving you?"
With those chubby cheeks, she didn’t look malnourished at all.
Black Bean nodded seriously. "I can’t even have a midnight snack now! I only get half a bowl of rice for meals!"
"Mom, she’s still growing; she needs proper nutrition!" Ning Chu protested, distressed. "Why aren’t you letting her eat properly?"
Her mother held Black Bean’s head down, smiling, still wrapped up in the excitement over her son’s new girlfriend. "Starving? She’s practically a little pig already!"
"Show your sister your tummy, Ning Xin?"
"No way!"
"Her belly has three folds when she sits."
"That’s my primordial pouch! All cats have it!"
Her mom tugged on Black Bean’s cat ears. "Learning from your sister, huh? Chubby is chubby! Don’t deny it!"
"???"
Ning Chu stared, baffled, unwittingly taking the blame.
"Look at her face. Isn’t it rounder than it was before winter break? You two spoil her too much!"
Ning Chu’s mouth twitched as she took a closer look. Black Bean did seem chubbier than before—adorably so, in fact.
For kids just starting to develop, a little bit of chubbiness was a good thing. Once she hit a growth spurt, the extra weight would likely vanish just as it had for her brother, Ning Yuan, who had been a chubby little boy but shot up and slimmed down in his early teens.
But Wen Yang quickly defected, saying, "She really should eat a little less. A bit of weight loss wouldn’t hurt."
"See?" Her mother nodded, smiling. "Ning Xin, did you hear that? Your brother says you should eat less and slim down."
With wide eyes, Black Bean looked at Wen Yang, only to see he had no intention of retracting his statement. Pouting, she puffed up like an angry pufferfish. "I’m not talking to you anymore!"
She jumped off the bed in a huff, storming out of the room.
Her mom watched her stomp off, then called out, "Ning Xin, your brother says he’ll treat you to barbecue tonight."
"I’m coming back!" Black Bean’s face instantly lit up as she bounced back happily. "I’ll diet after tonight’s barbecue!"
"You say that every time."
After hanging up the video call, Ning Chu flopped despondently over the armrest of the couch, face buried in her arms.
Recalling her maid outfit appearance in front of her mom and Black Bean made the blush on her cheeks impossible to shake.
"This is all your fault. Why didn’t you warn me when my mom called?"
She kicked Wen Yang’s waist with her bare foot, only ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) to have him grab hold of it firmly.
"Let go!"
"How was I supposed to know you bought that kind of outfit?"
Ning Chu’s foot was soft and smooth, with no rough spots, her small pink toes delicate and dainty. While letting go, Wen Yang couldn’t help but gently run his fingers from her ankle to her toes.
"Pervert!"
The touch sent a jolt through Ning Chu, even making her lower abdomen clench involuntarily. She quickly retracted her foot, curling her legs up protectively, her blush deepening.
Being a succubus was truly tough...
For most people, the waist, sides, armpits, and soles of their feet were ticklish spots that made them giggle when touched. But for her, any touch turned her into jelly.
And then there were her tail, horn roots, ears—practically her whole body was a sensitive zone.
"Hands off! I’m still sick!"
Wen Yang hadn’t had any improper intentions in the first place, so he simply nodded and went back to his meal. But this left Ning Chu feeling like she’d been the one with her mind in the gutter, so she covered her face in shame, getting up from the couch.
She went over to her desk and sat down, staring blankly at her computer screen, too distracted to focus on writing.
Suddenly, something was placed on her head, and she turned to see Wen Yang standing behind her.
"What are you doing?"
"Cat ears with succubus horns—it’s an unexpectedly good look."
Wen Yang rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Tch!"
"So... not going to try that outfit on again?"
"Absolutely not!"
