Link for character illustration:
<spantext-decoration:" underline;"=""> next morning, Ning Chu once again showed up at Wen Yang’s rental apartment.
Today was his first day on the job, and he was feeling a bit nervous.
But Ning Chu’s arrival put him at ease—her presence gave him a strange sense of confidence.
Standing at the door, Wen Yang’s overcoat was covered in lint and stray hairs from static electricity. Ning Chu was crouched down beside him with a lint roller, helping him clean up while bombarding him with questions:
“Is the hotel far?”
“Not really. Just three bus stops away, about ten minutes.”
“A high-end hotel… I bet all the other staff are really pretty, huh? Did you see them during the interview?”“They were all pretty good-looking.”
Ning Chu’s hand paused mid-roll. “So? Got your eye on anyone already? I bet all those—”
“They’re all bad women. None of them interest me.”
“Mhm, you’ve got those answers ready, huh~”
She giggled with a soft pfft, her dewy peach blossom eyes sparkling as she looked up at him. Her tone suddenly became more serious.
“Still, be careful out there. Boys have to protect themselves too. Don’t let some weirdo take advantage of you.”
“Relax, I will.”
Ning Chu crouched lower, carefully rolling the lint off the hem of his pants. “If the job sucks, just quit. My mom has an electric scooter. You could use it to help drive Black Bean around and maybe even do food delivery.”
“There are some girls out there who’ll do anything to get their hands on you. If anything shady happens, call me right away.”
“……”
Yesterday, before lunch at Ning Chu’s house, Wen Yang had already endured a full round of nagging from Ning Yuan.
Now it seemed like Ning Chu had inherited some of her brother’s skill in that department.
“If I don’t go now, I’ll be late on my first day.”
“Huh?”
Still squatting, Ning Chu looked extra small and delicate. She blinked up at him, her lips slightly parted in surprise.
Then it hit her. She quickly gave his pants one final roll, jumped to her feet, and shoved Wen Yang toward the door. “Then hurry up! Go to work! And when you get paid, don’t forget to buy me a gift!”
“A game console?”
“We’ll see.”
But Wen Yang didn’t move. It was like his feet had taken root.
Standing right in front of the open door, he turned to Ning Chu with a serious expression.
“No kiss for good luck on my first day?”
“You’re gonna be late.”
“It won’t take long.”
Seeing him turn around and gaze down at her, Ning Chu rolled her eyes in defeat.
Then she stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck—
He’s too tall! Her mouth can’t reach his!
She stretched even higher, her body pressing tightly against Wen Yang’s without her realizing it.
Finally, he bent down to help her out.
Ning Chu had only meant to give him a quick peck, like a dragonfly skimming the water—but the moment their lips touched, his hand pressed gently against the back of her head.
Next thing she knew, she was being thoroughly invaded.
“Mmmph!”
So much for being in a hurry!
And now you’re teasing me again right before you leave?!
Don’t touch my waist, damn it!
She glared at Wen Yang, eyes full of righteous fury—but it didn’t last long.
Her glare melted into a hazy softness as her knees buckled, and she could only hold tighter to his neck to keep from collapsing onto the floor.
Suddenly, a door in the hallway outside opened.
A tenant stepped out with a bag of trash. Hearing a faint whimpering sound, he curiously turned to look—but all he saw was Wen Yang’s broad back.
Still, Ning Chu froze up instantly, her wide eyes full of panic.
She had never kissed Wen Yang in front of anyone before.
Black Bean didn’t count—she was still a cat back then.
Flustered, the added shame sent a thrill through her chest.
“I’m off.”
Wen Yang finally pulled away with a satisfied grin and muttered, “These walls really are thin. I fell asleep last night to the sound of the guy next door snoring.”
“……”
You definitely did that on purpose.
Ning Chu weakly let go of his neck and let herself sink back to sit on the edge of the bed, guided by his arm.
“Psycho…”
Ning Chu glared at Wen Yang with resentment, but he quickly slammed the door shut and bolted.
Sitting on the bed to catch her breath, she let out a distressed sigh.
“Crap, I’m definitely gonna get found out when I go home…”
Thankfully, she’d stashed some clean clothes here in advance.
She opened the bedside cabinet, took out her pajamas, and tottered toward the bathroom on wobbly legs like she was walking on cotton.
After a shower, all her weird little thoughts were washed away with the water.
Wen Yang would probably trigger some kind of plot event today, and she was planning to stick around and deal with it if needed.
But without stamina potions to replenish her energy, two times a day was too much. It left her way too tired to write properly.
Wearing casual home shorts and a tank top, Ning Chu stepped out of the bathroom and threw on one of Wen Yang’s jackets.
She dove into bed, tucked herself under the covers, and placed her laptop over her legs with the blanket in between. Leaning against the wall, she sent her mom a message:
“Mom, I might not come home until later this afternoon. I won’t be back for lunch—can you have Black Bean ride her bike to pick herself up?”
Her mom replied quickly:
“Are you at Wen Yang’s place? Isn’t he working today?”
“No, I’m hanging out with some friends.”
“What friends? Even your grandparents don’t know you’ve become a girl, and you’re already telling your ‘friends’?”
“......”
Ning Chu didn’t know how to respond for a moment. In the end, she gave up resisting and replied:
“Whatever. I’ll come back late so I don’t get in your way.”
Her mom sent back a laughing emoji with a hand covering its mouth.
Having dealt with her mom, Ning Chu cracked her knuckles, ready to go full throttle.
Time to write! Time to grind!
Without Black Bean bothering her or her mom dragging her off to do chores, she was sure she’d be in the writing zone in no time—no more lazy slacking like before.
Goal: 10,000 words!
…Right after watching the new video that just dropped.
…Maybe a round of They Are Billions first.
…Kinda thirsty—better boil some water.
…Also starving…
Wait, what the hell?! How is it already noon?!
The entire morning had disappeared without her realizing. Ning Chu stared blankly at her document: only two lines.
Frozen for a moment, the familiar panic of forgetting homework surged through her chest.
She quickly ordered food delivery and used the 40-minute delivery window to type out a thousand words in a mad sprint.
Then came lunch… more videos… a bit of gaming…
By the time Wen Yang returned around four in the afternoon—he’d worked the morning shift—she was once again seated at the head of the bed, frantically typing away.
Stretching with a yawn, Wen Yang looked a little tired as he opened the door. Spotting Ning Chu typing away, he raised a brow.
“Still writing? How much did you get done?”
“Almost there, almost. Don’t peek!”
Ning Chu didn’t look up, still glued to her screen.
She asked distractedly, “How was it? Are you getting used to it?”
“Pretty good. First day was just getting familiar with things.”
He sat down at the desk and casually informed her of the upcoming plan.
“The manager said there’s a welcome dinner tonight for us new hires. I should probably go.”
“Mm-hmm… just don’t drink, okay? Don’t forget Lin Li drugged you last time.”
“I doubt they’re that insane…” He shuddered at the memory. “I’ll just say I’m allergic. A couple sips and I’ll be in the ER.”
“……”
When Ning Chu didn’t respond and kept clacking away at her keyboard, Wen Yang grew curious.
“How much have you actually written today? You’re unusually hard at work.”
“Uh… almost done with one chapter.”
<+></+>