Chapter 367. The Shao Qing Paradox
“Sis~ Wow!”
Hei Dou suddenly jumped in front, pulling a dramatic face.
“……”
Ning Chu stared at her expressionlessly, her heart unmoved.
Even though she was in a bad mood, she couldn’t take it out on Hei Dou, who was trying to cheer her up, just looking lifeless and uninterested in everything.
Her thumb kept scrolling through Douyin videos, but not a single one could hold her attention for more than two seconds; her mind was a jumbled mess, thoughts swirling like a gooey mush.
“Sis?” Hei Dou leaned over the bed, tilting her head, her cat ears drooping slightly.
“It’s fine, let me be quiet for a bit.”
“Okay~”
Hei Dou had never seen Ning Chu like this in her withdrawn state, but back when she had just crossed over and became female, she often secluded herself as well.
Later, perhaps she gradually developed feelings for the male lead she created and got used to her female body, so her withdrawal frequency decreased.
A sound of a door opening came from outside.
Hei Dou perked up and rushed out of the bedroom in a flurry: “Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!”
“What’s wrong?” Wen Yang, who had come over to mooch off a meal, was about to help wash dishes to win over his future mother-in-law when he saw Hei Dou anxiously darting over, tugging his hand toward the room.
He was puzzled but quickly sensed something was off.
Normally, Ning Chu would have rushed out to greet him as soon as she heard the elevator door open in the hallway, but today, he didn’t see her until he entered the house.
Upon arriving in the bedroom, Wen Yang looked at the slender figure lying on the bed and immediately understood.
He smiled warmly and approached the bed, asking the thin figure, “Do you want to go out for a stroll?”
“I don’t want to move…”
“Then I’ll sit with you for a while.”
Wen Yang sat at the head of the bed and took Ning Chu’s hand, intertwining their fingers tightly.
Ning Chu struggled slightly but quickly ceased her movements, turning her back to Wen Yang, staring blankly at the wall.
Hei Dou’s big, shiny eyes observed the two, her small head filled with confusion. Her ears twitched, and she decided to leave the room, closing the door behind her.
Ning Chu turned around, resting her head on Wen Yang’s thigh.
For some reason, when Wen Yang arrived, her evident sense of loss began to improve.
It felt like a strange, gentle power was seeping into her heart, soothing her emotions.
With her other hand, she hugged Wen Yang’s arm and softly mumbled, “Wen Yang, do you think I’m completely different from when school started?”
“No, not really?”
“I feel like I’m not myself at all anymore…”
Wen Yang smiled and rubbed her little head resting on his thigh: “Don’t think too much.”
“Mhm.”
Ning Chu averted her gaze, biting her lip, and was about to say something when she suddenly felt her phone vibrate.
Confused, she picked up her phone, reasoning that aside from Wen Yang, no one else would actively message her.
“Who?”
“Shao Qing’s message.”
Ning Chu ran her fingers through her untidy hair, opened the message, and with a jolt, she perked up, quickly sitting up: “Oh no! Shao Qing’s here!”
“Huh?”
Wen Yang looked at her in confusion.
“Maybe he quarreled with his family and ran away again? He’s already here!”
“Another fight, isn’t that normal?”
“No! There are so many embarrassing things in the rented apartment!”
Just thinking about it, if Zhang Shao Qing stumbled upon her intimate wear, toys, or any random thing, she might never be able to hold her head up in front of that guy again!
And if that guy decided to linger in the rented apartment…
Wen Yang paused, feeling a bit flustered himself: “You go tidy up the apartment, I’ll go pick him up?”
As he spoke, Zhang Shao Qing called him, asking him to meet at the train station.
“Aren’t you chasing Qian Qian? How do you have the time to come here~”
All those feelings of loss and gloom had been thrown behind her; they were part of the past now. What mattered most was the situation at hand.
Besides, if she thought about it differently, everything happening now was to bring back her mother… that wasn’t so hard to accept.
Ning Chu dashed out after Wen Yang without even combing her hair.
“Where are you going?” Their mother, who was sitting on the couch helping Hei Dou with homework, looked up at her anxious daughter.
“Just some stuff, a classmate’s come to hang out.”
“Finding you to hang out during the New Year?”
“Who knows what that guy is thinking.”
“Be back early.”
As Ning Chu closed the door, she responded, then turned to Wen Yang, saying: “Delay him a bit, take him to eat something or whatever, and message me when you’re almost back.”
“Okay.”
“I wonder if Shao Qing has managed to win over Qian Qian or not…”
……
At the South Train Station, Zhang Shao Qing dragged his suitcase, looking blankly at this unfamiliar land.
He was occasionally looking down to message Ning Chu and Wen Yang, and sometimes regretting his impulsive decision to run away from home.
“Seriously, how ridiculous!” he muttered, glancing at his temporarily frozen bank card, “What if I starve to death out here.”
In the cold wind, Zhang Shao Qing paced back and forth to warm himself, waiting for a good half an hour before finally spotting Wen Yang’s figure.
He rushed forward, pulling his suitcase, curiously looking behind Wen Yang: “Where’s Ning Chu? She didn’t come?”
“She has something on.”
“Good that she didn’t come, just the two of us can have a good meal! Let’s drink!” He cheekily draped an arm around Wen Yang’s shoulder. “Let’s go! That place has great food! It’s on me!”
“I have to work this afternoon.” Wen Yang eyed Zhang Shao Qing, who looked much the same as two weeks ago, and asked, “What made you suddenly come here? Did you fight with your mom again?”
“Don’t bring it up; just saying it annoys me, damn it!”
Zhang Shao Qing sulkily followed Wen Yang’s footsteps, then couldn’t help but complain, “Why am I such a weirdo?”
“Huh?”
“I feel a bit self-destructive.”
Wen Yang was even more confused, twitching his mouth: “You didn’t need to say it, I already knew.”
He even thought Zhang Shao Qing’s self-awareness came a bit late.
Zhang Shao Qing sighed gloomily: “No, I mean that kind of… forget it, I’ll take a nap at your place.”
“First eat something.” Wen Yang stalled for time and inquisitively asked, “How’s it going with Qian Qian? Did you win her over?”
“Eh, not bad, I guess.”
Wen Yang keenly noticed that when Zhang Shao Qing mentioned Qian Qian, he no longer sparkled with the same excitement he once had, a clear change in demeanor.
He suddenly realized that this time Zhang Shao Qing probably didn’t run away from home after a fight with his family; otherwise, he would have been grumbling and complaining already.
It was likely related to Qian Qian.
“You weren’t also greened, were you?”
“Green? When have I ever greened anyone?” Zhang Shao Qing retorted, “I just helped Qian Qian see her ex-boyfriend’s true colors, good deed!”
“Yeah, yeah, but what’s wrong with you then?”
But soon, he muttered, no longer assertive, “After winning her over, I suddenly feel I don’t like catgirls that much anymore…”
Wen Yang was taken aback, “Sage mode?”
“Shut it! I’ve never even touched one!”
Zhang Shao Qing let out a conflicted sigh: “I just realized… I don’t know if I like my girl or not.”
“???”
“I only like the girls with high standards. If she likes me, it means her standards are low, so I lose interest.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
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