Link for character illustration:
<spantext-decoration:" underline;"=""> their mom left to go play mahjong, Black Bean’s reaction gave Ning Chu a serious case of déjà vu.
It was all too familiar—this was exactly how she and her brother used to act as kids.
Back then, whenever they heard their mom would be out all night playing mahjong, they’d do the same thing: act all sweet and clingy on the outside, while secretly celebrating on the inside.
It was identical.
Even though she totally understood where Black Bean was coming from, Ning Chu still felt her eyelid twitch and her blood pressure spike.
She reached out and yanked one of Black Bean’s cat ears. “What, you think I’m not here or something?!”
Black Bean winced from the sting and looked up at Ning Chu in confusion. “Sis…”Her pretty little face instantly froze—the cheerful grin wiped clean as she saw the scowl on Ning Chu’s face. Her eyebrows were drawn together, and there was a clear look of anger in her eyes that made Black Bean instinctively nervous.
Ning Chu yanked her off the couch by her ear and gave her a light kick to the butt.
“Go do your homework!”
It finally clicked for Black Bean: Mom had left… but there was still another “Mom” in the house.
She scrambled to turn off the TV and dashed back to her desk. With a pout, she picked up her pen and reluctantly started writing again. Every now and then, she peeked over at Ning Chu—who was still standing right beside her, arms crossed and face like thunder—so she quickly picked up the pace, her hand moving faster with every word.
Why do I have two moms?!
Ning Chu kept standing there, arms on her hips, staring her down for a full two minutes. Once she was satisfied that the cat girl wasn’t trying to sneak in any more slacking, she finally sat down on the sofa.
Thankfully, Black Bean was still a relatively obedient kid. Unlike Ning Chu herself at that age, who used to sit at her desk pretending to do homework while secretly daydreaming about playing games—and taking an hour to finish one page of exercises.
If Black Bean were like that, Ning Chu would’ve blown a fuse tonight.
“What do you want for a late-night snack?” Ning Chu crossed one leg over the other, leaning lazily against the armrest with her chin propped on her hand, staring straight ahead at Black Bean.
At the mention of a snack, Black Bean’s previously droopy cat ears perked right back up.
“Roasted chicken?”
“Sure, if your handwriting looks decent, I’ll get you some barbecue.”
“Deal!”
Immediately, Black Bean slowed down her writing, forming each stroke carefully. Her usual incomprehensible scribbles gradually started resembling actual Chinese characters.
Seeing it worked, Ning Chu finally looked back down at her phone.
Luckily, this cat girl was easy to manage—just dangle something tasty in front of her and she’d behave. She’s not quite a problem child… yet.
Time ticked by, and soon it was 10 p.m.
Black Bean had finished her homework and was now relaxing in front of the TV, happily gnawing on a chicken bone. A box of roasted chicken sat open in front of her while her tail swayed cheerfully behind her.
Ning Chu, curled up on the sofa, was still chatting with Wen Yang. He’d just told her the exact location and time of tonight’s party.
“I’m heading to dinner now. Talk later.”
Ning Chu’s expression paused for a moment, then she typed back:
“Okay.”
Guess it’s time to go.
Even if she took the subway right now, it’d be at least a 30-minute ride. That was more than enough time for Wen Yang to get drugged.
Hopefully, no random girl picked him up along the way.
Ning Chu got to her feet, her face serious. She was already fully dressed to go out—scarf and socks on, thick coat with a fur-lined collar pulled tight.
She headed to the front door.
“Sis? Where are you going?” Black Bean called.
“I’ve got something to take care of. I’ll be back around eleven or midnight.”
Still uneasy, Ning Chu looked back and reminded her, “After you finish your chicken, go to bed. You have class tomorrow.”
“If someone knocks, don’t open the door—just pretend you’re already asleep.”
“If Mom asks tomorrow, just say we both went to bed around ten.”
Black Bean tilted her head, her ears twitching.
“You’re going to see brother-in-law? I wanna come too!”
“Eat your chicken!”
“Oh~”
Ning Chu opened the door, slipped on her shoes, and stepped into the hallway.
“Sis!” Black Bean suddenly called out, rushing over.
Ning Chu turned back with a sigh, only to see Black Bean’s big eyes full of fake sadness and dramatic reluctance. She smiled gently and rubbed the girl’s head.
“Be good. Finish eating and go to bed.”
“Buy me some more skewers or I’ll tell Mom tomorrow~”
“……”
Ning Chu shut the door with a blank expression.
Through the door, she could faintly hear a joyful cheer from inside.
Ning Chu guessed that by the time she got back, the house would be a total mess and Black Bean would still be up watching TV and playing with the tablet.
She can feel her blood pressure rising.
Since the situation with Wen Yang was becoming more urgent by the second. Ning Chu could only shove all thoughts of Black Bean to the back of her mind, quickly called a ride-hailing car, and headed to the restaurant where Wen Yang was having dinner with his colleagues.
Half an hour later, Ning Chu arrived at the entrance of the restaurant.
She looked through the transparent glass doors and immediately spotted Wen Yang dining inside with his colleagues. Fortunately, this time he was surrounded entirely by men with no suspicious “flirty” girl in sight.
That helped Ning Chu breathe a sigh of relief. She glanced around the area and found a nearby bubble tea shop to sit in.
Everything looks stable. All is under control.
Warming her hands on a cup of hot cocoa milk tea, she sipped it slowly, her eyes locked on the restaurant entrance across the street.
It didn’t take long.
Wen Yang and his coworkers began exiting the restaurant in groups.
“Wen Yang, your face is so red! Let me take you home,” a female colleague offered.
“I barely drank—what’s the point of giving me a ride?”
Even in the dead of winter, Wen Yang felt no chill. In fact, after that meal, he’d worked up a sweat. His breath came out in thick, white puffs.
The girl looked like she wanted to press the issue, stepping closer. But Wen Yang immediately stepped back, his tone firm:
“I have a girlfriend. It’s not appropriate for us to be pulling on each other like this.”
“Wen Yang!” a voice suddenly called.
He froze and turned toward the voice—Ning Chu, dressed in white, stood not far away. She radiated a pure, innocent charm that drew every eye.
“There she is. My girlfriend,” he said coolly.
“No way—she’s gorgeous!”
“Damn, how’d you land her?”
After a few drinks, Wen Yang’s coworkers had clearly warmed up to him. Their admiration only made him puff up with pride. He strode confidently toward Ning Chu and took her hand.
“What are you doing here? It’s so late already.”
“I was worried… Who was that girl just now?” Ning Chu asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously as she glanced at the female colleague.
She’s not particularly pretty, and she didn’t give off any special “vibes” like a seductive femme fatale or busty bombshell—definitely not a female supporting character.
“Taking a cab home?” she asked, withdrawing her gaze.
“It’s just a short walk. Not far.”
Ning Chu studied Wen Yang carefully. Other than the flush on his cheeks, he seemed fine.
She sniffed lightly and caught a trace of alcohol and cigarette smoke.
“I only had a bit. Couldn’t turn them down,” Wen Yang said with a helpless laugh. “That crowd’s full of old-timers—I couldn’t outmaneuver them.”
“Tch.” Ning Chu wrinkled her nose. She hated drinking culture but knew there wasn’t much she could do about it—it wasn’t her call.
She tugged his arm. “Let’s go.”
“See you guys!” Wen Yang called back to his coworkers.
By 11 p.m., the city had already quieted down.
This wasn’t a nightlife district—no KTV bars, no clubs. The evening buzz didn’t touch this place.
Cold winter wind swept through the empty street as Ning Chu held onto Wen Yang’s arm. Under the streetlamps, their two shadows—one tall, one short—stretched and twisted together.
“I should walk you home. It’s already 11, and it’s not safe to be out this late,” Wen Yang said, genuinely sounding concerned… until his next sentence betrayed his real intentions:
“Or you could just stay over at my place tonight?”
“No way. If I don’t go home, my mom’s gonna give me an earful again.”
Still keeping an eye on Wen Yang’s condition, Ning Chu asked, slightly anxious:
“Are you feeling… off at all?”
“Not really.”
Looks like the plot hasn’t been triggered… yet?
“Just… kinda hot,” Wen Yang muttered, loosening his collar and frowning.
Ning Chu jumped back like a startled rabbit and immediately put some distance between them.
WTF! Why didn’t you say that earlier?!
Here I was, strolling around like we had all night!
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