Link for character illustration:
<spantext-decoration:" underline;"=""> slowly crept across the world as streetlights flickered on one by one.
By the time Ning Chu got home, it was already past six in the evening.
Her mother was lounging on the sofa watching TV. When she saw Ning Chu bouncing through the door like a rabbit, she rolled her eyes and said, “Well, look who remembered to come home for dinner!”
“I thought some guy had run off with you!”
Ning Chu quickly put on her most charming smile and skipped over to sit beside her mom, leaning in close.
“Come on, Mom~ I just had some things to do.”
Ning Chu clearly saw her mom sniff the air suspiciously. But this time, she had a clear conscience—she hadn’t done anything sketchy with Wen Yang today. So she confidently hugged her mom’s arm and pouted playfully.
“I just went to an internet café to play some games! The computer at home is way too outdated.”
“You’d be better off hanging out with your little boyfriend instead of wasting time at some internet café.” Her mother gave her a sideways glance and stood up, heading for the kitchen.
“Go wake up Black Bean. Time to eat.”
“Okay!”
Ning Chu jogged into the guest room. She pushed open the door and peeked into the pitch-dark room. On the bed, the little cat girl was snuggled up to a body pillow, snoring like a pig.
All she did was eat and sleep...
If no one interrupted her and nothing caught her interest, this cat girl could easily sleep for seventeen or eighteen hours a day.
“Black Bean, wake up.”
Ning Chu yanked the blanket off her and stood beside the bed with her hands on her hips.
The snoring stopped. Black Bean’s cat ears twitched, and her tail flicked irritably a few times—but she still made no effort to get up.
So Ning Chu reached down and lightly tugged her tail.
“Up, I said!”
The sudden tug jolted Black Bean awake.
“Ow!”
She immediately covered her butt with both hands and looked up, pouting when she saw Ning Chu holding her tail.
“Jeez, sis~ Not even I touch other people’s tails anymore!”
“You pretended not to hear me.”
“I did not!”
Dragging the groggy Black Bean to the dining table, Ning Chu sat down and glanced at the dinner spread.
It was obviously much more modest than usual.
The uncle and her older brother were gone, and Wen Yang didn’t show up to mooch a meal either. Now that there were only three people at home, her mom had just thrown together a pot of fried rice using leftovers.
Still, Ning Chu didn’t mind. She actually liked dishes like fried rice and stir-fried noodles. But even while eating, her mind couldn’t stop drifting to Wen Yang.
His party was scheduled for around ten tonight.
If nothing “plot-related” happened, then great—everyone would be happy, and the onahole she bought in advance could still help relieve her sore hands and jaw in the future.
But if things did go according to the book’s storyline… then that onahole might just become her lifesaver! She definitely didn’t want to end up like the poor girl in the novel—legs trembling, unable to walk properly.
And once the “scene” played out and things got messy, it would probably be past eleven. By then, her mom and Black Bean would be asleep, so no one would catch her sneaking back in all sore and worn out.
Still, she couldn’t help but worry.
What if Wen Yang got intercepted by some random girl on his way back to the apartment? Sure, on a normal day, he could brush off flirting and stay loyal. But if someone drugged him tonight, there’s no way he’d have the willpower to resist.
“What are you daydreaming about now?” her mom asked, watching Ning Chu absentmindedly spoon a bite of fried rice toward her face.
“Thinking about your little boyfriend again?”
“N-no! Not at all.”
Ning Chu quickly looked down, avoiding her mom’s gaze and trying to hide her flustered expression.
She figured she might have to sneak out later tonight, after everyone was asleep, just to personally bring Wen Yang back to the apartment.
She’d never sleep easy otherwise.
“New Year’s is right around the corner,” her mom said while scrolling through a Douyin livestream. “Tomorrow afternoon we’ll go shopping, get you two some new clothes and stock up on New Year’s stuff.”
“We still need to do a deep clean too. Luckily your brother already cleaned the windows, so that’s one less chore.”
“Mm-hmm,” Ning Chu mumbled distractedly.
Seeing her daughter’s obvious lack of focus, her mother could only shake her head helplessly.
Sigh… body and soul, both completely stolen by that broke little boyfriend of hers.
Black Bean held her bowl in both hands and tilted her head back, shoveling the last bits of fried rice into her mouth.
She licked her lips, swallowed the final grain of rice, then looked up at their mother with wide, hopeful eyes.
“Mom~ there’s no meat…”
“There was minced meat in the fried rice, wasn’t there?”
“There was? I couldn’t even taste it!”
Her mom rolled her eyes. “That’s enough dinner for you. Go do your homework.”
Feeling a bit wronged, Black Bean rubbed her tummy and trudged to the kitchen, plopping her bowl into the sink. Her tail drooped as she walked away in defeat.
She was full—it’s just that the meal had no real meat flavor, leaving her feeling… emotionally unfulfilled.
“By the way, does Black Bean only have morning classes now?” Ning Chu asked, watching her sister’s pitiful retreat.
“No afternoon classes?”
“She’s still getting used to studying. I’m easing her in slowly.”
“Yeah, it makes sense.”
After dinner, things settled down. Ning Chu flopped down beside Black Bean with her phone in hand, chatting with Wen Yang while occasionally glancing up to help Black Bean with her homework.
Then she heard footsteps—her mom.
Ning Chu looked up just in time to see her mother crouched at the door, putting on her shoes.
“Mom? Where are you going?”
“Mahjong,” her mother replied cheerfully, glancing back with a smile. “Might be out late. Look after your sister, alright?”
Ning Chu’s mind instantly went to the wrong place. She thought her mom might be sneaking out on a date with that uncle. But then she noticed the casual outfit—just a plain coat and no makeup—and scratched that theory.
“Mom, how much are you planning to lose tonight?”
“I’m going to win a few hundred!” her mom shot back, glaring at her. “And if I have bad luck tonight, I’m blaming your jinx of a mouth.”
“Make sure Black Bean’s in bed by ten. And no late-night snacks for her.”
Right on cue, Black Bean ran over to the door with her tail wagging and a big grin, helpfully handing their mother a scarf and gloves.
“Mom~ what time will you be back?”
Her tone was laced with mock reluctance, like she wanted to sound a bit sad—but her face couldn’t hide the excitement at all.
Mom wrapped the scarf around herself and replied, “Probably not until morning?”
“!!!”
Black Bean’s ears and tail immediately perked up like a radar.
“Be good while I’m out. Listen to your sister.”
“Okay~ Bye-bye!”
She looked so eager it was obvious she couldn’t wait for their mom to leave.
The moment the front door shut, Black Bean zipped right back to Ning Chu’s side and looked up at her with shining eyes.
“Sis! Let’s get a late-night snack! C’mon, night snack time!”
“You just ate,” Ning Chu said, lightly poking Black Bean’s slightly rounded belly. “Tch… totally full already, huh?”
“But I’ve got homework to do later! Let’s eat a bit later, please?”
Homework abandoned without a second thought, Black Bean turned on the TV, dug out their mom’s tablet from the master bedroom like a pro, then flopped onto the couch with a content sigh, swinging her little legs in the air.
That is, until Ning Chu grabbed one of her cat ears and tugged—hard.
“Homework. Now! What, you think I’m invisible or something?!”
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