Chapter 481. Hot Springs
The sound of Mahjong was loud in my ears, mixed with Yan Xinya’s excited screams, while Zhang Shaoqing stared at the projection screen before him with a face full of despair, mechanically pressing the game controller.
Who knew why, from elderly folks in their seventies and eighties down to this group of girls in their twenties, everyone was so obsessed with Mahjong.
They played all afternoon, getting more and more engrossed; even Qian Qian, who claimed she couldn’t play at all, had a face full of excitement now, with the girls chatting and clamoring, making it hard for him to even hear the game’s BGM.
I have no idea what’s so interesting about Mahjong.
Zhang Shaoqing glanced at the square table in the living room; out of the four girls, only Lily maintained a cold expression, while the others were like lunatics.
Previously claiming she couldn’t play Mahjong, Qian Qian now jumped in joy every time she won a hand.
“A bunch of women are really noisy.”
He muttered as he slumped onto the sofa, helplessly rubbing his slightly aching ears.
Outside, the sky had begun to darken; looking through the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window, he could see the sunset slowly sinking toward the ocean, painting the horizon with a brilliant glow.
Suddenly, the sound of the elevator opening disturbed the girls playing Mahjong.
Yan Xinya raised her eyes from the Mahjong table just in time to see Ning Chu change into house slippers, hugging two long pillows as she entered.
“Back so early?”
“Early?” Ning Chu paused, looking at the clock on the wall. “It’s already past six! Didn’t we say we were going to the hot springs tonight?”
“Ah? It’s six already?! No wonder I’m so hungry!”
Qian Qian finally realized, “Feels like we hardly played a few rounds…”
“Winning!”
She heard Lily’s calm voice mixed with the clattering of Mahjong tiles, making her wail, “How come you won again?!”
“Let’s count how much we’ve lost.” Yan Xinya stood up, hands on her hips, proudly declaring, “I only lost seven bucks!”
“I lost over a hundred…”
But Qian Qian, the newbie, was particularly proud: “I even won a few bucks~ My luck is amazing!”
“It’s just the newbie protection period~ Let’s continue after the hot springs!”
Seeing this group of girls start discussing Mahjong again, Ning Chu turned to Zhang Shaoqing in confusion: “Have they been playing all afternoon?”
“Damn, it’s driving me crazy.”
“What’s so fun about Mahjong?”
“Exactly, it’s something for old people to play.”
After being tormented by a bunch of women all afternoon, Zhang Shaoqing could clearly feel something different about Ning Chu.
Though they were both women, Ning Chu’s slightly masculine aura and her ability to keep up with the conversation were nothing compared to that noisy flock of duck-like women.
Talking with Ning Chu felt more like chatting with a buddy.
After a few simple exchanges, Ning Chu took the doll she grabbed and headed for the guest room, while Zhang Shaoqing paused the game and moved over to Wen Yang’s side.
With a teasing grin, he nudged Wen Yang’s shoulder and asked, “What have you been doing all afternoon? You can’t just be shopping, right? I see you didn’t buy much.”
Wen Yang only carried a bag of clothes, a dress he bought for Ning Chu on the way back.
The lewd smile on Zhang Shaoqing’s face told Wen Yang what he wanted to say, so he rolled his eyes: “We didn’t really shop much.”
“Well~ that’s nice~”
“We just went to the internet café and lost three games.” He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Ning Chu really can’t play… can’t pull her weight.”
“……”
Zhang Shaoqing had to swallow back the complaints stuck in his throat.
He had never seen a couple go on a date to an internet café to play games… but he would have liked to do that; the problem was, Qian Qian the catgirl would probably hammer him to death right there.
“Please tell me it wasn’t your idea to go to the internet café?” he suppressed his jealousy and disparaged Wen Yang, “That’s pretty much the definition of being a clueless guy.”
“It was clearly Ning Chu’s idea.”
“……”
Wen Yang laughed as he followed Ning Chu and walked into the guest room.
Although Lily’s house was large, the guest room only had a bedside table and a bed, with a narrow corridor that could only fit one person at a time.
Ning Chu placed the two dolls on the bedside table; with her back to the door, she bent down to rummage through her bag for her swimsuit, preparing for tonight’s hot spring visit.
She heard Wen Yang’s footsteps entering the room but didn’t have time to speak before her butt was lightly tapped.
“Try the dress? If it doesn’t fit, there’s still time to return it.”
“It definitely fits~ My mom says I’m a clothes hanger, okay?”
Back at Lily’s house, Ning Chu’s tail, which was coiled around her thigh, relaxed, hanging down her lower leg, forming a cute curve.
She found her swimsuit, turned around, and asked, “When did they say we were going to the hot springs?”
“They didn’t say, still chatting about Mahjong.”
Glancing at the wide-open door, she quickly ran up and closed it, pulling Wen Yang down to sit with her, her small face tightening slightly.
“What’s wrong?”
Ning Chu tugged at Wen Yang’s arm, warning, “You might come across a female supporting character in the hot springs; it’s mentioned in the book.”
“Don’t really remember.”
“Just keep an eye out, okay? Don’t get ambushed by some girls while soaking!” She paused, her eyebrows furrowing in worry.
The best option would be to get into character ahead of time, stealing the spotlight from the supporting character.
But the thing is, hot springs are usually open-air, and even as a succubus, she didn’t have the guts to go wild outdoors.
There was always a risk of being discovered; that was too stimulating!
Seeing her deep in thought, Wen Yang felt his eyes brighten slightly, a mix of anticipation and warmth.
But Ning Chu slapped his thigh, interrupting his imagination: “Don’t think too much! Absolutely impossible!”
“Ning Chu! Wen Yang! It’s time to head out for the hot springs!”
Qian Qian’s voice called from outside, but soon after, Yan Xinya interrupted.
“Hey! Qian Qian, keep it down; can’t you see they closed the door?”
Ning Chu froze for a moment, then her face heated up as she stuffed her swimsuit back into the bag and got up to open the door.
Opening the door suddenly startled Yan Xinya outside: “Did we disturb you?”
“What weird things are you thinking in that head of yours?”
“Not really~ I just thought Qian Qian might be a lightbulb~”
Ning Chu raised the bag in her hand helplessly: “I’m ready; we can go anytime.”
“Don’t forget the towel; you need to wash up before going into the hot springs.” The wolf girl turned and ran to the bathroom. “I’ll get one for you! Lily’s house has plenty of unused towels!”
Qian Qian saw Yan Xinya leave, then turned around to find Ning Chu staring at her with a weird look, making her a bit nervous: “Well, I’ll go get my swimsuit too… Ning Chu? Why are you staring at me?”
Seizing the rare opportunity to be alone, Ning Chu hooked her arm around Qian Qian’s neck, pulling her aside.
“What’s up?”
“Tonight, don’t use magic to eavesdrop on me and Wen Yang! At your age, why not use magic for something worthwhile!”
“N-no… I’m doing something worthwhile! Ning Chu, you’re the focus of my attention!”
Ning Chu’s face was full of mock seriousness as she gently squeezed Qian Qian’s chubby little face: “Am I not a bad person you can tell?”
“Definitely right now! It hurts~”
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