“So, what were you doing at lunch? Letting Lily and Xi Xi critique your new lingerie?” Wen Yang whispered into Ning Chu’s ear as they sat at their desks in the afternoon.
The topic alone was enough to make Ning Chu blush furiously. The warm breath brushing her ear only intensified the redness spreading to the tips. She instinctively turned her head away, putting some distance between them before muttering softly, “I just wanted to see what Lily’s battle outfit looked like.”
“And? What was it like?”
Wen Yang’s eyes lit up with curiosity, and Ning Chu’s fists clenched in response.
“I was just curious!” he quickly added.
She scoffed. “It’s a black bodysuit—so tight it’d probably puff up if she farted.”
“Oh~”
One look was all it took for her to understand Wen Yang’s thoughts. Rolling her eyes, she added, “You know those suits are pretty expensive, right? I couldn’t even afford one.”
Undeterred, Wen Yang pulled out his phone and started searching online. Within moments, he found some provocative black bodysuits for around a hundred yuan.
“How about this one?” he asked.
“Go to hell!” Ning Chu hissed, slamming his phone face-down ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) on the desk. She glanced around nervously, worried someone might have seen.
Yan Xinya’s wolf ears twitched high above her head. Her face, sporting a teasing grin, turned slightly toward Ning Chu.
Wait—had Wolf-girl heard the part about Lily’s transformation too?!
Ning Chu froze for a moment before pretending nothing had happened, turning her gaze away nonchalantly.
If Yan Xinya knew, so be it. With Lily’s zeal for sharing her “research,” she might even drag Wolf-girl into her experiments with the octopus someday. Lily always claimed she was keeping the creature for “scientific purposes,” but Ning Chu doubted that succubus’s true intentions.
Just before class started, Wang Jie and Zhang Shaoqing walked in, cutting it close.
Ning Chu’s attention was immediately drawn to Zhang Shaoqing. The once-carefree guy now looked like he’d been drained by a succubus, his steps wobbly as if walking on cotton. He stumbled to his seat and collapsed into it.
His lips still had some color, but his face was pale and slightly haggard.
Ning Chu’s lips twitched, and she sucked in a cold breath.
Spring really does turn beast-eared girls into monsters. Are they all transforming into succubi now?
Seeing Zhang Shaoqing’s diminished demeanor, Wen Yang seized the moment to tease. “You don’t look too good. Should you visit the infirmary?”
“Don’t even mention it,” Zhang Shaoqing groaned, slumping onto the desk and clutching his side. “I barely made it out alive, man. Women are terrifying.”
Wang Jie stifled a laugh, his head bowed.
“Seriously! Women go crazy sometimes...”
“Pathetic~” Ning Chu quipped with a smirk.
Qian Qian’s one of the female leads, after all! Of course she’s strong! Especially in spring!
“If you’re so tough, then—oh, wait, you’re a woman too.” Zhang Shaoqing sighed, turning to Wen Yang with a newfound respect. He patted Wen Yang’s shoulder and leaned in conspiratorially. “How are you still standing? Isn’t Ning Chu a succubus?”
“You’re not... taking something, are you? Or is Ning Chu just a disgrace to succubi everywhere?”
“Uh...” Wen Yang scratched his head. “Maybe I’m naturally gifted?”
“Yeah, right. You’re tall, but you’re not exactly built like an ox. Must be supplements!”
Zhang Shaoqing sighed again and started browsing his social media, already posting in search of stamina-enhancing pills.
With Qian Qian in her springtime prime, he had at least a month to endure. By the end of it, he’d probably be nothing but skin and bones.
“Don’t project your kidney issues onto me,” Wen Yang said dryly.
“Kidney issues? Me? Screw you!”
Zhang Shaoqing, who had spent weeks mocking Wang Jie for his supposed frailty, now found the title of “kidney deficient” falling squarely on his own shoulders.
In despair, he threw an arm around Wang Jie’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s jog tonight. We’ve gotta build up our stamina, or we’ll keep getting wrecked by women.”
While gaming together sounded fine, Wang Jie’s head shook violently at the idea of jogging.
“Forget it, forget it.”
“Damn! Aren’t you worried your wife will cheat on you if you can’t satisfy her?”
“Not happening.”
Watching Zhang Shaoqing squirm was like savoring a bowl of ice cream on a hot summer day—utterly refreshing. Ning Chu’s smile couldn’t be brighter.
At that moment, Qian Qian walked into the classroom, her professional skirt swishing as she carried her lesson plan. Her cheeks were rosy, and her complexion radiant. Gone was the amplification device she usually wore; her voice was now robust and full of energy as she called out, “Class time! Roll call!”
“She looks well-watered and refreshed,” Ning Chu muttered, leaning toward Xi Xi. “The one on the podium? That’s Zhang Shaoqing’s girlfriend. You saw her at lunch.”
“Oh~ Teacher-student romance? Spicy~”
This girl didn’t seem all that proper either.
Ning Chu gave Xi Xi a suspicious glance but found nothing particularly odd about her demeanor.
“If we’re lucky and she makes it through the semester, we’ll have a safe pass for English finals,” Ning Chu said, resting her chin in her hand as she stared at Qian Qian. “Zhang Shaoqing even said he’d help her open a shop off-campus.”
“It’s already planned,” Zhang Shaoqing chimed in. “We’re setting up a pub. Just beer and barbecue. I’m hiring cat-girls as servers—make sure you all come support us!”
“I’ve even got a name: Cat-Girl Bar! Everyone, from the owner to the staff, will be cat-girls. Drinking and cuddling cats—just imagine how awesome it’ll be.”
Yeah, keep dreaming.
Ning Chu rolled her eyes. Knowing Qian Qian had already figured out Zhang Shaoqing’s cat-girl fetish, she’d probably veto the idea outright. She might even put up a sign barring cat-girls from the premises to keep his wandering eyes in check.
“Want to hit the basketball court after class?” Ning Chu asked Yan Xinya. “Wen Yang has practice for an upcoming tournament.”
“I’m already going. I joined the women’s team.”
“Lily will probably tag along with you, right?”
But for once, Lily disagreed. Shaking her head, she said softly, “I’m heading back to the dorm.”
“Huh?” Yan Xinya froze, her wolf ears shooting up and her tail wagging like a fan. Hugging Lily’s arm, she whined, “Why? Don’t you love me anymore?”
“I’ve got something to do.”
“What’s more important than me?!”
Lily tried to pull her arm free, leaning back uncomfortably. “It’s really important. Take Xi Xi with you?”
“I don’t want to~” Yan Xinya pouted, clinging to Lily like an overly clingy husky standing on two legs.
“Fine...” Lily finally relented, her expression tinged with helplessness.
Her phone buzzed. She glanced at it to see a text from Ning Chu: "Don’t tell me you’re rushing back to feed the octopus?"
"I don’t even know what it eats. I’m afraid it’ll starve to death."
"Try... girl juice?"
"You’re disgusting."
