“Big Sis—boo!”

Black Bean suddenly popped up in front of Ning Chu, making a ridiculously exaggerated scary face.

“...”

Ning Chu stared blankly at her, face expressionless, heart completely unmoved.

Her mood was sour, but she wasn’t the type to lash out at someone who was just trying to comfort her. Still, she looked dead inside, listless, and unable to muster interest in anything.

Her thumb kept scrolling through short videos on TikTok, but not a single one could hold her attention for more than two seconds. Her mind was a mess, a tangle of scattered thoughts.

“Sis?” Black Bean leaned on the edge of the bed, tilting her head, her cat ears drooping slightly.

“I’m fine. Just… let me be quiet for a while.”

“Okay~”

Black Bean had never seen her sister like this before. But back when Ning Chu first crossed over and became a girl, she used to fall into this kind of depression all the time.

Later, maybe because she gradually warmed up to the protagonist she had once written about, she started to get used to her female body, and her bouts of social withdrawal grew rarer and rarer.

Just then, the sound of the front door opening came from outside.

Black Bean’s ears perked up. In a flash, she dashed out of the bedroom. “Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!”

“What is it?” Wen Yang, who had come over for a meal and was about to wash some dishes to win points with his future mother-in-law, froze when Black Bean rushed over and tugged at his hand, dragging him toward the bedroom.

Puzzled, he quickly sensed something was off.

Normally, the moment Ning Chu heard the elevator doors open in the hallway, she would’ve run out to greet him. But today, even after he entered the apartment, she hadn’t appeared.

When he reached the bedroom and saw her curled up on the bed with her back to him, he immediately understood.

His smile softened. Walking over, he sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her slender back. “Want to go out for a walk?”

“Don’t wanna move...”

“Then I’ll just sit with you.”

He sat down by the head of the bed and took her hand, interlocking their fingers.

Ning Chu gave a tiny struggle, but quickly stopped, still lying on her side, staring blankly at the wall.

Black Bean watched with her big round eyes, confusion written all over her face. Her ears twitched, but she quietly backed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Ning Chu turned over, resting her head on Wen Yang’s lap.

She didn’t know why, but the moment Wen Yang arrived, the heavy gloom weighing her down began to lift.

It was like a gentle, mysterious warmth seeped into her chest, smoothing out her emotions.

With her other arm, she hugged his. In a small, muffled voice, she murmured, “Wen Yang… don’t you think I’m completely different from the me back when school first started?”

“No, not really.”

“I feel like… I’m nothing like myself anymore...”

Wen Yang chuckled softly and rubbed her hair as it lay on his thigh. “Don’t overthink it.”

“Mm.”

Her eyes flickered as she looked away, lips pressed together. She was just about to say something else when her phone suddenly buzzed in her hand.

She blinked, confused. Other than Wen Yang, no one usually messaged her.

“Who is it?”

“It’s from Shaoqing.”

Ning Chu ruffled her messy hair, opened the message, and froze. A jolt ran through her—her mood instantly flipped, and she shot upright.

“Holy crap! Shaoqing’s here!”

“Huh?” Wen Yang stared at her blankly.

“He must’ve fought with his family again and ran away from home. He’s already here!”

“Arguing again? That’s normal, isn’t it?”

“No, you don’t get it! The apartment—there’s all that… stuff lying around!”

Just thinking of the lingerie, toys, the tail but plug— If Zhang Shaoqing saw even one of those, she’d never be able to look him in the eye again!

And if he decided to just crash at the apartment…

Wen Yang froze, realizing the danger, and stood up in a rush. “You go clean up the place. I’ll go pick him up.”

Just as they were talking, Zhang Shaoqing called Wen Yang, asking him to pick him up at the train station.

“Wasn’t he busy chasing Qian Qian? How does he still have time to come here…?”

Any gloomy feelings Ning Chu had earlier were completely forgotten.

That was already in the past—what mattered most was the urgent situation right now.

Besides, if she thought about it another way, if everything happening now was for the sake of bringing her mother back… then maybe it wasn’t so unacceptable.

Without even brushing her hair, Ning Chu hurried out the door with Wen Yang.

“Where are you going?” Ning Juan was sitting on the sofa, helping Black Bean with homework. She looked up to see her daughter’s panicked expression.

“Something came up, a classmate came to hang out with us.”

“Looking for you during New Year’s?”

“Yeah, no one knows what’s going on in his head.”

“Be back early.”

Ning Chu called back an “Okay!” as she shut the door, then turned to Wen Yang. “Stall him a bit—take him to eat somewhere. Message me before you head back.”

“Got it.”

“I wonder if Shaoqing actually managed to win Qian Qian over…”

. . .

At the South Railway Station, Zhang Shaoqing stood with a suitcase in hand, looking around at the unfamiliar city.

Sometimes he lowered his head to send Ning Chu or Wen Yang a message, other times he regretted his impulsive decision to run away from home.

“Seriously, what the hell! This is too much!” he cursed under his breath, glaring at his frozen bank card. “Don’t even care if I starve to death out here.”

He paced back and forth in the cold wind, trying to keep warm, until after half an hour he finally spotted Wen Yang.

Dragging his suitcase, he rushed over eagerly, then glanced behind Wen Yang in confusion. “Where’s Ning Chu? She didn’t come?”

“She’s busy.”

“Even better—then it’s just us brothers tonight! Let’s get a proper feast, some drinks!” Zhang Shaoqing grinned, slinging an arm around Wen Yang’s shoulder. “Come on, where’s the good food? My treat!”

“I still have work this afternoon.” Wen Yang sized him up—he didn’t look any different from half a month ago—then asked, “Why’d you suddenly show up? Another fight with your mom?”

“Don’t mention it, I’ll just get pissed off again. Damn it!”

His face darkened, but after a few steps he couldn’t resist venting again. “Seriously, why am I like this?”

“Hm?”

“I think I’m kind of messed up.”

Wen Yang raised an eyebrow. “That much is obvious. You didn’t need to say it.”

Honestly, he thought Zhang Shaoqing was late in realizing it himself.

Zhang Shaoqing sighed miserably. “No, I mean in that way… forget it. I’ll just crash at your apartment for a nap.”

“Food first.” Wen Yang kept stalling, then asked curiously, “So, what happened with Qian Qian? Did you win her over?”

“Mm, sort of.”

Wen Yang instantly noticed something off. When Shaoqing talked about Qian Qian before, his eyes used to light up, excitement practically radiating off him. But now? Nothing.

It hit him: maybe this time, Shaoqing hadn’t run away from home because of family drama. Maybe it was about Qian Qian.

“Don’t tell me she cheated on you?”

“Cheated? When did I ever get cheated on?” Shaoqing snapped indignantly. “I was the one who exposed her ex’s true colors. I did her a favor!”

“Sure, sure. Then what’s wrong?”

Soon enough, his bluster crumbled, and he muttered, “After I won her over, I suddenly realized… Maybe I don’t like cat girls that much after all...”

Wen Yang blinked. “Post-nut clarity?”

“Bullshit! I haven’t even touched her yet!”

Zhang Shaoqing let out a conflicted sigh. “I finally figured it out… what I like isn’t girls who like me.”

“???”

“I only like girls with high standards. If she likes me, that means her standards are low, so I lose interest.”

“…You’re seriously sick.”

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Link for character illustration:

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