Link for character illustration:
<spantext-decoration:" underline;"=""> Yang! That milk tea shop—my brother and I used to sneak money from home to eat there when we were kids! Their skewers were amazing!”
“He got a proper beating for it though~ My brother was black and blue all over. The teacher thought he was being abused!”
“That little convenience store across the street? Behind it used to be an illegal internet café. My brother and I went there a lot too. It’s probably long gone by now.”
Taking advantage of Wen Yang’s last free day before starting work, Ning Chu dragged him all around the city.
“If we ever run into him, I’ll beat him up for you.”
“Yeah! Beat him up!”
Ning Chu burst into laughter, her voice light and carefree.
Wen Yang smiled as he spoke in a low, gentle voice.
“I won’t let anyone bully you ever again.”
Ning Chu, unimpressed, rolled her eyes. “Oh sure, you’re the one bullying me now.”
“That doesn’t count as bullying!”
She shot him another glare but still held his hand as they strolled on.
Ning Chu had never been the type to enjoy aimless shopping—but it depended on who she was with.
With Wen Yang by her side, even something as mundane as sitting by the roadside people-watching felt oddly fun.
Before long, a cup of milk tea had made its way into her hand. Then a roujiamo (meat sandwich).
After just a few bites, she wrinkled her nose and shoved the sandwich into Wen Yang’s hands.
“Ugh, this tastes awful. They used to put so much meat in them that the bun couldn’t even hold it.”
Wen Yang, always with a good appetite, devoured the rest in a few bites.
“By the way,” Ning Chu said, wiping her hands, “any updates on Shaoqing?”
At her question, Wen Yang thought for a second before replying, “Doesn’t look good.”
“What happened?”
“Qian Qian seems to have a boyfriend now.”
“!!!”
Oh no!
He got cucked again?!
First it was the childhood crush he’d adored for over ten years. Now it was love-at-first-sight Qian Qian.
She didn’t remember writing this in the story at all!
Wasn’t he supposed to be the kind of villain who cucked others, not got cucked himself?!
“Is he okay?” Ning Chu asked, worried.
Wen Yang’s expression turned a little strange.
“Actually, he seems pretty cheerful about it. Said he’s planning to steal her away.”
“Cheerful?!”
“Maybe he’s just... numb now?”
Ning Chu froze for a second, then more or less figured out what Zhang Shaoqing was thinking.
She had previously told him that Qian Qian’s crush was a total scumbag. Now, if he could just find some solid proof and make Qian Qian heartbroken enough to break up, Zhang Shaoqing would have a chance to swoop in while she was vulnerable.
After all, girls were at their most defenseless when sad and upset.
Even Wen Yang had won her over that way—offering comfort and security when she’d just turned into a girl and was feeling the most lost and scared.
“This guy’s love life is so dramatic,” Ning Chu muttered under her breath, pulling out her phone to message Yan Xinya and ask about the situation.
Yan Xinya had already infiltrated the inner circle and become Qian Qian’s close friend—she probably knew all the juicy details.
Meanwhile, Wen Yang stood with both hands stuffed casually in the pockets of his trench coat and asked, not quite amused, “Why are you talking about him so much while we’re on a date?”
“Just checking up on our son’s love life~”
Ning Chu laughed as she looked up at him, then wrapped her arm around his.
“What, are you jealous?”
“No.”
Wen Yang immediately denied it.
Getting jealous of his bro made him feel petty.
“Right~” Ning Chu poked him in the waist with a grin. “Let’s go—we need to pick up Black Bean from class. Wanna eat lunch at my place?”
Wen Yang nodded eagerly. “Of course! How could I miss that?”
They picked up Black Bean from the tutoring center, and the three of them rode back together to Ning Chu’s house.
As soon as the door opened, there was no sign of the uncle.
The only one inside was Ning Chu’s mom, sitting on the sofa doing embroidery.
“Mom, Wen Yang’s here too,” Ning Chu called out.
“Where’s Uncle?”
“Just left a little while ago,” her mom replied without even looking up.
When Uncle had come over earlier, her mom had greeted him at the door all smiles.
But now, with Ning Chu, Black Bean, and Wen Yang arriving, she couldn’t even be bothered to glance at them.
Wen Yang followed her in somewhat nervously, carrying a box of milk, and politely greeted her: “Hello, Auntie.”
Her mom finally looked up at him and frowned a little. “If you’re coming over, you don’t need to bring stuff.”
“It’s for Black Bean. She loves milk.”
“I do! I love it!” Black Bean piped up without hesitation.
“You get diarrhea from milk.”
“This one’s lactose-free! I can drink it!”
Clearly, the little girl had already been completely won over—or maybe Black Bean had always been Wen Yang’s staunch supporter from the start.
Her mom sighed and finally accepted the milk. “Just put it by the TV cabinet.”
She got up from the sofa, took off her glasses, and headed toward the kitchen. “Lunch will be ready in half an hour.”
“Mom, where’s my brother?”
Just as Ning Chu asked, she spotted Ning Yuan walking out of the bathroom.
Her brother stiffened slightly when he saw Wen Yang, but quickly nodded in greeting, pretending everything was normal.
But Ning Chu, ever observant, caught the subtle shift in his expression. Her gut tightened a little.
It was just like how she didn’t want to see Black Bean get “hogged” by some random guy.
Her brother probably felt the same way about her—he just didn’t show it as obviously.
“I’m leaving right after lunch,” Ning Yuan said, sitting down on the sofa. As usual, he started nagging,
“After I’m gone, make sure you help Ning Xin with her homework. Don’t stay out too late either—it’s not safe for a girl to be wandering around at night—”
Ugh, so annoying!
Ning Chu’s smile stiffened.
She turned her head away, rubbing her frostbitten ears with a finger, and tuned him out completely.
Her brother had always been a chatterbox.
But no matter how many times she heard it, she just couldn’t get used to it.
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