Although her older brother was no longer home, Ning Chu’s life didn’t really change much.

Every day she struggled over the same question—should she go find Wen Yang for a late-night snack or not? Then she’d spend the day energetically gaming, occasionally forcing herself to write a few chapters just to keep her readers from complaining.

On the sixteenth day of the Lunar New Year, after surviving the fireworks-filled Lantern Festival night, Ning Chu returned home with Wen Yang.

She slipped her membership card into her mother’s wallet and peeked curiously into the living room.

“What time’s your train?”

Ning Juan was sitting at the dining table making dumplings. Without even looking up, she asked the question as soon as she heard the door open.

The sudden voice startled Ning Chu. She peeked around the corner toward the dining table.

“Ten o’clock,” came a calm male voice.

Only then did Ning Juan look up and notice Wen Yang following behind her daughter.

“Oh, you came too? Leaving that early? Why not stay for lunch before heading off?”

“You’re just annoyed when I’m home anyway, so might as well leave early.”

When Ning Chu had first come home, her mother had treated her like a princess—gentle, attentive, doting on her every move.

But as the days went on, the patience wore thin.

If she stayed home all day, she was “lazy and addicted to games.”

If she went out with Wen Yang, she was “a girl who only knows how to fool around outside.”

Basically, there was no way for her to win anymore...

Her mother shot her a glare.

“Take some dumplings with you.”

“I don’t even have a fridge in the dorm...”

“Then share them with your classmates and teachers. You can buy a mini fridge online for a hundred yuan—makes life easier.”

“Okay~ I’ll go pack my things!”

Watching her daughter’s bouncy figure disappear into the bedroom, Ning Juan sighed and shook her head. Then she turned to Wen Yang.

“Take good care of Ning Chu at school, alright? Don’t let anyone bully her.”

“Don’t worry, Auntie—no one could ever bully her.”

“And help her with her studies too. That girl won’t study unless someone’s standing over her with a whip.”

A whip...

Wen Yang’s smile twitched a little.

He’d heard that succubi could convert pain into pleasure, and some of them were really into that sort of thing.

And yes—at least during their first time, Ning Chu hadn’t seemed to feel pain at all. She was just startled—probably never expected to take him that far on the first try.

But the two of them hadn’t gotten into anything that wild... yet.

Listening to his future mother-in-law’s “instructions,” Wen Yang nodded dutifully.

About half an hour later, Ning Chu came out of her room, dragging her suitcase—with Black Bean following behind.

“Sis~ you’re really leaving?”

“I’ll be back for the May holidays! That’s only a three-day break away.”

Black Bean tugged pitifully at Ning Chu’s sleeve.

“But you and Brother-in-law still owe me twelve meals! When are you paying me back?”

“You really remembered that, huh?”

“Of course!”

Ning Chu crouched down, rubbed Black Bean’s little belly, and sighed.

“Just look at you—you’ve already got a tummy! All you do is eat.”

“Hey! I’m not fat! I just ate, that’s all!”

Flustered, Black Bean tugged her shirt down to cover her stomach—clearly self-conscious about her looks.

Cat girls like Black Bean—and wolf girls like Yan Xinya—could both eat a lot, but they also burned it off fast.

Black Bean was always bouncing around the house, running laps even while watching TV. Every day, Ning Juan had to take her out for a walk, or else all that bottled-up energy would explode.

Still, cats weren’t dogs—once Black Bean grew a little older, she’d probably calm down.

But if she kept eating like this, she really would turn into a fat cat someday.

Just then, Ning Chu’s phone buzzed—a message from her brother.

Dragging her suitcase into the living room, she called out:

“Mom, I’m heading down now. Big Brother’s already here to pick me up.”

Ning Juan grabbed a handful of dumplings and started packing them into a ziplock bag with lightning speed.

“Give me two minutes. Take these with you. It’s cold enough that they’ll be fine for a couple of hours—just make sure you eat them soon after you get to school.”

“Okay~”

Ning Chu really liked her mother’s dumplings—the skin was thin, the filling was juicy, and the meat was firm and flavorful, not like those store-bought ones that were loose and bland.

She leaned closer to Wen Yang and whispered,

“Did my mom say something to you just now?”

“Mm. She told me to train you better, so you’d stop making her angry all the time.”

“Nonsense! No way she said that!”

Wen Yang couldn’t help but smile, his gaze softening as he looked at Ning Chu’s pretty face.

“I got my paycheck, by the way. Anything you want me to buy for you?”

“You should save it.”

“How about that game console you wanted?”

“That’s too expensive... and it’ll just collect dust anyway...” she muttered, clearly torn, before suddenly switching topics out of nowhere.

“Oh! Wen Yang! I found something amazing online! It’s called sterilizing cream—apparently it can prevent pregnancy~”

Her cheeks turned pink as she added shyly,

“I bought a little to try. You always say the condoms feel too tight, right~?”

“Pretty sure you’re the one who doesn’t like me using them.”

“That’s not true~!”

Before the conversation could go any further, Ning Juan looked up at the pair of them whispering way too close together. She turned to Black Bean, who was helping her at the table.

“What are they talking about?”

“Something about a game console, and that Sis doesn’t like using—”

Before Black Bean could finish, Ning Chu suddenly dashed over and clamped a hand over the cat girl’s mouth.

Thank goodness she reacted fast! Otherwise Black Bean would’ve definitely blurted out something terrible!

Cat hearing really was a curse sometimes!

Ning Juan stared at her blushing daughter in confusion, but didn’t ask further. Instead, she handed over the bag of dumplings.

“Here. Take it—and be careful on the road.”

“Okay, I’m off then!”

Wen Yang stepped forward, took the bag of dumplings, stuffed it into his backpack, then grabbed both of their suitcases.

Ning Chu, carrying only a small shoulder bag, skipped ahead through the doorway.

Having a boyfriend really made life easier—she didn’t have to lift a finger anymore.

She used to be completely independent—going to college, finding work, living on her own. But after getting together with Wen Yang, she’d gotten soft, spoiled by his care.

And now, she could hardly imagine a life without him.

She shook her head, scolding herself silently.

‘No, I can’t keep this up—just like with those... “naughty” things. It’s all poison for the heart!’

With that mental pep talk, Ning Chu and Wen Yang headed down to the parking lot.

“Bro!”

From afar, she spotted her brother, Ning Yuan, sitting on a stone barrier by the road.

She ran over happily, teasing him with a grin.

“You’re not coming back to campus with me? Didn’t you say you were going to meet Lily?”

But as she got closer, she noticed something off—his face was pale, his lips nearly white. It had only been a week since she’d last seen him, but he looked completely drained.

“Are you sick?” she asked, frowning.

“No,” he said, shoving his phone into his pocket. “I’m not going. I’ll drop you off at the station, then head back.”

“What? Why not? Don’t tell me you actually got together with Sister Xiao Xi?”

“...”

He didn’t answer.

Sure, he had been curious about that succubus who acted so wild online—what kind of person she really was in real life. And like any guy, he’d had his share of foolish fantasies—being surrounded by beautiful girls, living out some ridiculous harem dream.

But reality had hit him like a brick to the face.

Without saying another word, Ning Yuan walked straight toward his car.

“???”

Ning Chu stood there completely bewildered. She had no idea what had just happened.

+/+

Link for character illustration:

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