Around 1 p.m., the four of them (Lily, Yan Xinya, Ning Chu, and Wen Yang) got off the bus through the back door, carrying large bags and suitcases.
Yan Xinya clutched a suitcase in her left hand and a bundled-up quilt in her right as she darted forward, eagerly scanning the village by the roadside. The tail behind her swayed so fast it left afterimages. "Where is it? Where is it?"
She couldn't wait to see Ning Chu and Wen Yang’s so-called "love nest".
"Calm down."
Ning Chu, however, showed no expression. Her gaze remained lowered as her mind lingered on whether Zhang Shaoqing had already figured out her true gender.
When she went back to pack up her things, that guy had acted completely normal, just like always—throwing a few sarcastic comments her way, asking why she was moving out, then going right back to playing his game.
But the problem was, the tampons had been left scattered in the wardrobe. He must have seen them.
She had panicked when the dorm supervisor stopped her.
She really should’ve let Wen Yang go upstairs to find her student ID instead...
Then again, she was bound to be found out sooner or later. Now that she had moved out, at least she didn't have to worry about her storyline unfolding exactly like in the novel.Even if, theoretically, she ended up offering herself to the male lead in the bathroom, at least it would be in the rented apartment’s bathroom. In the later stages of the plot, the villain wouldn't shamelessly barge in and move in with her, forcing her into the same dilemma as in the book, right?
...That still didn’t seem like a great outcome.
Could she even handle Wen Yang alone?
Ning Chu led the group to her new place.
As soon as she unlocked the door, Yan Xinya couldn’t wait to squeeze inside.
"It’s so small~ It’s about the same size as my bedroom."
Stepping into the room, she placed her luggage on the desk by the bay window and commented, "Still, this isn't bad. A place like this costs 700 a month—not including utilities."
"So expensive!"
Lily sat down obediently on the couch, keeping her legs together like a proper lady and resting her hands on her lap. She sniffed the air but didn’t detect any lingering, ambiguous scent of musk. Her gaze quickly darted toward the only trash can in the room.
There was still some junk from the previous night, but no condoms.
Ah, she realized. So Wen Yang was even worse than she thought.
‘He’s all looks but no action.’
<+>
Ning Chu had specifically ordered bedsheets and a new quilt cover from a local shop the night before, and they had arrived just in time that afternoon.
However, she wasn’t very skilled at housework. While laying the bed sheets was manageable, she fumbled awkwardly when trying to put the duvet into the cover, which earned a disapproving look from Yan Xinya.
"Don’t mess it up. Lily! Come help me."
Yan Xinya shoved her aside, muttering, "You can’t even handle this? What are you and Wen Yang going to do in the future?"
"I’ll do it myself."
"You?"
The wolf girl turned to look at Wen Yang, highly skeptical that this tall, burly guy could be good at housework.
In reality, back at the start of the semester, Wen Yang had already helped Ning Chu change her duvet cover once.
"You go help Ning Chu unpack."
"Got it."
Ning Chu opened her suitcase, which was packed full of clothes, and stuffed all the men's clothing into the wardrobe.
Among them were also some of Wen Yang’s clothes—just in case he ended up like last night, coming out of the shower with nothing to wear.
As Yan Xinya changed the duvet cover, she asked, "There's nowhere to hang clothes to dry here, right?"
"I would just hang it outside the window."
"Ohh~ Won’t that block the sunlight?"
"I don’t really mind that."
The wardrobe wasn’t very big. But she didn’t own a lot of clothes, so it was just enough. However, after a trip home over the weekend, her mother had bought her several sets of women's clothing. Once Wen Yang’s clothes were added in as well, the wardrobe became completely packed.
As they placed each item in its proper spot, the previously empty room—bare aside from furniture—began to take on a warm and cozy atmosphere.
Ning Chu glanced around the rented apartment, feeling satisfied. She plopped down at the desk, happily flipping open her laptop screen.
‘Too bad this chair doesn’t even have a backrest…’
Ning Chu glanced at Wen Yang, who was standing beside her, then pulled him over without hesitation, comfortably leaning against his lower abdomen.
Wen Yang looked down at her. If there weren’t other people around and his mind wasn’t completely free of dirty thoughts, he might have already "pulled the trigger" right at the back of Ning Chu’s head.
"Hey! Ning Chu."
"What?"
"You have so many plushies. Can you give me one?"
She turned her head and saw Yan Xinya playing with a plushie from the bedside table. "It’s so cute!"
"No way!" She instinctively refused.
"Huh? Why not? You have so many!"
Because that was the first gift Wen Yang gave her when they went to the amusement park together...
Even though they were just cheap little plushies, she had always displayed them on her dorm room bookshelf. Now, she had brought them along, placing them on the bedside table and TV cabinet as decorations.
She had always liked these kinds of small ornaments.
"If you want one, I can buy you a new one online," Ning Chu casually made up an excuse. "These have been with me for a long time—I’m attached to them."
"Fine then."
Yan Xinya stretched lazily and sat at the head of the bed, then glanced at the quilt. "Your quilt is too small. Aren’t you going to change it?"
"No need. It’s just right for me alone."
"Are you alone, though?"
"......"
At that moment, Ning Chu suddenly felt that wolf girl was acting just like pushy parents who couldn’t wait to see their child get married and have kids!
Not getting a response, Yan Xinya quickly changed the subject. "Hey, we haven’t had lunch yet! What about you two?"
"Not yet either. Should we order takeout?"
"That’d take too long. There’s a Shaxian snack shop downstairs!"
"Then let’s eat there."
Ning Chu got up from the desk and headed downstairs to grab lunch. But halfway there, a serious problem suddenly hit her!
Normally, classes ended at noon, and the next session started at around 2 p.m., giving students a two-hour lunch break.
Back when she lived in the dorms, it wasn’t a problem—she could even take a nap. But now, with an hour-long commute to and from her rental, going back every afternoon seemed way too troublesome.
"Wen Yang, where do I go during lunch from now on?"
Ning Chu tugged at Wen Yang’s sleeve, asking in a slightly troubled tone.
"Just come to my dorm."
Yan Xinya, who was walking ahead, immediately responded.
But going to the girls’ dorm in broad daylight was a recipe for getting caught. Last time, she got off with a verbal warning—next time, she’d probably get written up.
Wen Yang suggested, "How about the library? It’s quiet. If you don’t feel like reading, you can just sleep there. No one will bother you."
"Lily loves going to the library too! Right?"
Lily gave a small nod.
She had actually met Ning Chu and Wen Yang at the library.
Back then, she was even treated as a suspicious person, which made her think she had somehow offended Ning Chu before.
"That works, I guess."
Being off-campus meant she didn’t have to worry about classmates misunderstanding anything.
They had only walked a few steps from the rental when Wen Yang’s gaze landed on Ning Chu’s slender yet slightly soft hands.
Without hesitation, he grabbed her hand.
Ning Chu instinctively struggled for a second or two but quickly gave in, mumbling, "Why do you always hold my hand? Afraid I’ll get lost?"
At first, she had strongly resisted. Then, she reluctantly accepted it. And now... she was already getting used to the warmth of Wen Yang’s palm.
It was kind of nice.</+>