Chapter 74: Stop Messing Around
Zhang Shaoqing’s darkening should be impossible now.
The high fever from a few days ago and his repeated feminization was the penalty for the darkening plot.
At least that’s what Ning Chu thought.
But the lack of darkening only meant that Zhang Shaoqing wouldn’t do anything illegal as in the novel; it didn’t mean he had forgotten about his childhood sweetheart.
Ning Chu was still a bit worried about Zhang Shaoqing’s mental state, concerned about what extreme actions he might take.
Look at those news stories about people who commit suicide after breakups…
Ning Chu only had two classes in the morning, but each class was nearly two hours long.
At twelve noon, when the bell rang, the teacher swiftly grabbed the lesson plan and turned to leave the classroom faster than the students.
The students rushed out the door, each one looking like a zombie unleashed, crowding at the two main doors.
Ning Chu picked up his textbook and stood up, quickly glancing at his three roommates.
Wen Yang had been listening seriously the whole morning and took notes, clearly a model student. Wang Jie had been reading a novel during both classes, while Zhang Shaoqing had been playing a mobile game, occasionally casting a gloomy glance at Ling Ling while spending a bit on two648s.
Life is good when you have money~
Ning Chu waited for the throng of students to disperse before heading outside, and as soon as he moved, Wen Yang immediately followed.
He glanced at Wen Yang and, seeing his expression, Wen Yang promptly asked, “Want to go to the cafeteria for lunch?”
“Nope, I already ordered takeout.”
Wen Yang shot a look at Wang Jie. Who are you talking to?
“Forget it, I’m too lazy to squeeze into the cafeteria.”
Although Ning Chu was worried that Wen Yang might get flirty with girls alone, he was even more concerned about their friendship taking a turn.
No! It’s probably already started to change!
If he weren’t still a man, he might give Wen Yang something to worry about…
“Alright then.”
Wen Yang’s expression was a bit dejected, like a small dog that had been abandoned.
As the four of them passed by the cafeteria, he walked toward the cafeteria gate alone, looking forlorn.
Ning Chu glanced back at his retreating figure, biting his lip, just about to walk towards the dorm when he turned around and saw Zhang Shaoqing take a turn, heading in another direction.
What the heck is he up to?!
He furrowed his brow, feeling uneasy about Zhang Shaoqing.
Whether this guy was scheming something horrible towards girls or having an emotional meltdown post-breakup, he couldn’t let Zhang Shaoqing be out of his sight for too long.
“Head back first,” Ning Chu instructed Wang Jie. “Remember to grab my takeout.”
“Sure.” Wang Jie muttered as he continued walking forward, “What’s up with everyone…”
A few meters away, Ning Chu showed no hesitation and followed Zhang Shaoqing onto the track field.
In broad daylight, the sun blazed down on the ground, and the temperature above thirty-five degrees made it nearly impossible to see any other students around.
Zhang Shaoqing stopped on the rubber track and turned to look at Ning Chu, whose face was full of worry.
“You…,” he shook his head helplessly, “just love to meddle in others’ business, don’t you?”
“Of course, I just don’t feel very reassured…”
“Wen Yang is getting approached by girls in the cafeteria.”
Ning Chu jumped, instinctively looked back toward the cafeteria.
“You just want to control everything; do you have a shadow clone?”
“We’re all roommates… What are you doing here on the field?” He glanced around, trying to spot Ling Ling, “Did you agree to meet here to talk with her?”
Zhang Shaoqing shook his head: “What’s there to talk about with her? Please.”
He fell silent for a moment, gloomily lowering his head.
“…”
If he put himself in Zhang Shaoqing’s shoes, he wouldn’t feel any better either; unsure how to comfort him, he could only awkwardly say, “It’s all in the past now…”
Zhang Shaoqing didn’t reply but started to jog along the track, gradually turning a slow walk into a run, then into all-out sprinting.
“Who does emotional venting like this…” Ning Chu glanced at the clear blue sky, his lips twitching in disbelief, “He’s gonna get heatstroke for sure.”
He could’ve just run a couple of laps inside the gym instead of baking under the sun.
He plopped down on the grass; the scorching ground below was unbearably hot.
“What is everyone’s problem, seriously~”
Ning Chu felt more like a parent than actual parents do — one Zhang Shaoqing, one Wen Yang, one heartbroken and one rebellious…
Ever since coming to this world, it seemed like there were no peaceful moments.
Who’s going to worry about him? He’s tired too~
“What’s wrong with him?”
Suddenly, Wen Yang’s voice came from behind. Ning Chu turned around to see Wen Yang sitting next to him, handing over a bottle of cola: “Weren’t you going to the cafeteria for lunch?”
“Got takeout.” Wen Yang showed off the takeout box he had just picked up, “I just saw both of you heading this way after leaving the cafeteria.”
“Oh~” Ning Chu moved his butt slightly, creating some distance, and explained, “Probably needs to let off some steam? He saw Ling Ling in class today; it’s normal for him to be in a bad mood.”
He looked down at the cola in his hand: “I’ll send you the money later.”
Three bucks for cola didn’t matter to him, but it was a whole breakfast for Wen Yang.
“Don’t worry about it, it’s on me.” Wen Yang noticed Ning Chu’s expression, saw him focusing most of the time on the wildly running Zhang Shaoqing, and looked up, “How long has he been running? He won’t get heatstroke, will he?”
“He probably wishes he would.” Ning Chu sighed, “So childish… torturing himself, thinking it’ll make Ling Ling come back.”
“……”
It was rare for Ning Chu to put on a mature act like this, so Wen Yang was a bit taken aback, unsure how to respond.
“Hey! Take him to the medical room!”
Suddenly, Zhang Shaoqing collapsed heavily onto the ground, startling Ning Chu into jumping up. He instinctively grabbed Wen Yang’s wrist and rushed over: “Don’t hurt yourself!”
He hurried over to Zhang Shaoqing, only to see him lying on his back, staring blankly at the blue sky, eyes wide like a fool.
Ning Chu stood frozen, his expression complex as he sighed.
Well, who told him to write Small Royal Text and make Zhang Shaoqing the villain…
He released Wen Yang’s wrist, squatted down, gently stroked Zhang Shaoqing’s head, and laughed helplessly: “Alright, alright, go home and take a nap. Stop messing around, okay?”
“You’re a cat girl fan, right? When Hei Dou becomes a cat girl, I’ll marry her off to you~”
Zhang Shaoqing’s gaze, which had been staring at the sky, moved to Ning Chu’s sunlit golden smile, then to Wen Yang’s worried face.
His lips moved: “How can a cat turn into a cat girl…”
He intended to banter as usual, but his throat tightened, and tears welled up uncontrollably as he choked out, “Are you… are you crazy?”
Wen Yang stood behind, shaking his head and exclaiming, “With a roommate like Ning Chu, just sneak a smile when you can.”
“Can you get up? Or should I carry you to the medical room?”
He half-squatted, extending a hand toward Zhang Shaoqing: “Stop messing around, always making Ning Chu worry.”
“Hmm…”
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