015. Weekend Plans
Aside from the first day of military training when he didn’t eat breakfast and fainted from exhaustion, Ning Chu managed to get through the next few days rather smoothly.
His bellyache wrapped up on the fifth day of military training.
He suspected it had something to do with stopping Wen Yang from making a scene at the bar last time, triggering some kind of punishment loop. His belly pain continued until now, but it was finally over.
“Just one more hour and then it’s weekend bliss,” Wen Yang lay back on the grassy field, staring up at the sky with a look of despair. “Why is it always sunny during military training? Not a single cloud to be found.”
Ning Chu was a bit more composed. Sitting cross-legged, he chugged down half a bottle of water and stared blankly at his bottle.
He was gradually getting used to the intensity of the training, though his skin had darkened from being out in the sun all day.
A little tan was alright—it made him look more rugged.
He glanced around at his classmates; nearly everyone had varying shades of tan, and some were even peeling from sunburn.
“What are your plans for the weekend?” Ning Chu asked, looking down at Wen Yang. “Just going to stick around the dorm and play games?”
“You and Wang Jie need to get outside sometimes. You can’t just stay cooped up all weekend!”
“How about a team outing? We can check out a scenic spot?”
As long as he could monopolize Wen Yang’s weekend time, that flock of vixens wouldn’t be able to tempt his male protagonist away.
Wen Yang hesitated, then turned to Zhang Shaoqing, shouting across a few meters, “Shao Qing! Want to go out this weekend?”
“Not going. I have stuff to do.”
“What about you, Wang Jie?”
“I’m dead tired from this military training…”
After asking his two roommates, Wen Yang shook his head at Ning Chu. “Forget it. They’re not going.”
Ning Chu rubbed his nose, feeling a headache coming on. He wasn’t Wen Yang’s parents, and he couldn’t chain him to the dorm, but if Wen Yang went out, he really worried about the inevitable drama finding him.
Was he supposed to tail Wen Yang everywhere?
With his giant presence as a buzzkill, those tempting girls wouldn’t go too far, right?
After a ten-minute break, everyone reluctantly got up to train again under the instructor’s urging.
The military training lasted for half a month. Two weeks was enough for them to march in formation without looking like total clowns. On the last day, there was supposed to be a showcase.
In the evening, the sun’s intensity faded, and the wind sweeping over the playground no longer felt scorching. The last hour of military training was much easier than before.
Finally reaching the end, Ning Chu sighed in relief, stretching while casting his gaze towards Zhang Shaoqing and Wang Jie.
He wanted to try convincing these two for a weekend outing.
Even after a week’s training, his mind was still filled with thoughts of lazing in bed for two days. But this was about his future gender and status.
He really didn’t want to be pinned under a man…
That was terrifying!
Ning Chu jogged over to his roommates with hopeful eyes. “Can we go out this weekend? I haven’t been out since school started.”
Zhang Shaoqing shot him a glance, coldly refusing. “I told you, I have things to do this weekend.”
“I just want to sleep in the dorm and be a lazy fish.”
“I already asked, didn’t I?” Wen Yang shrugged. “They don’t want to go.”
Ning Chu frowned in frustration. Wang Jie was manageable. Although he was a homebody, he had a mild temperament and could be dragged outside.
But the normally carefree Zhang Shaoqing was unusually grim today, looking like he was carrying the weight of the world. Clearly, he had something important to attend to this weekend.
What if he had some nefarious plans to mess with someone’s girl?
In the book, Zhang Shaoqing had a storyline where the girl he had a crush on ignored his hints, only to fall for Wen Yang and even made advances on him, which sent Zhang Shaoqing spiraling into jealousy and rage, leading him to resort to underhanded tactics.
Ning Chu twitched at the corners of his mouth. If he could, he’d jump back in time and slap the version of himself who wrote Little Emperor Wen silly.
Come on, write something wholesome!
“Shao Qing…”
There was no time to lament the past, so Ning Chu had to figure out how to deal with the immediate problem.
He had to stop Zhang Shaoqing from going all creep-mode!
“What do you have going on this weekend?” He looked at Zhang Shaoqing’s poker face, cautiously prodding, “You don’t seem to be in a good mood?”
“None of your business…” Zhang Shaoqing turned, but when he caught Ning Chu’s concerned look, he paused for a moment and, instead, quietly muttered, “Family stuff. Gotta go home.”
“Shao Qing’s family seems pretty strict,” Wen Yang chimed in, curiosity piqued. “I often see you on the phone with them at night.”
That did seem to ring true. Every night, Zhang Shaoqing would light a cigarette before heading to the balcony. Ning Chu didn’t pay attention to the smell, so he had no idea what he was up to out there.
With Wen Yang opening the topic, Zhang Shaoqing unleashed a string of complaints. “Yeah, they’re strict. I don’t want to go back this week—they’ve been arguing with me a lot.”
No wonder he looked so troubled lately.
Realizing Zhang Shaoqing didn’t have any twisted intentions, Ning Chu felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders. “Then don’t go home.”
“I didn’t go back last week either.”
“You’re an adult. What can they do if you don’t go back?” Wen Yang reasoned. “When I lived at home, my parents were strict too. I hadn’t even held a girl’s hand before college. Look at me now—freedom, dating girls without a care…”
He paused for a moment, suddenly at a loss for words.
There were still people keeping tabs on him.
He turned to Ning Chu. God knows why his roommate was so resistant to him dating. He always found a myriad of reasons to reject his outings.
This time, sneaking out for a date…
Wen Yang frowned, suddenly realizing that Ning Chu was just his roommate. Why did he have to hide from him like he was doing something sneaky?
“Let’s just see,” Zhang Shaoqing sighed, feeling a bit better with the group’s empathy, suddenly adopting his usual flippant tone. “Forget this time; we can plan something for another day. How about bungee jumping?”
“Bungee jumping?!”
Seeing Ning Chu’s astonished reaction and wide eyes, Zhang Shaoqing felt a rush of joy, almost like a cat toying with a mouse, his mood lifting a tad more.
But to be fair, his roommate was kinda charming with that tempting pout; his slightly parted lips could indeed be likened to cherries.
“What? Scared? You a big man scared of bungee jumping?”
“That’s a bit too intense, don’t you think?” Ning Chu shrank his neck. “Let’s pick something else.”
“It’s hot out, so let’s go river rafting?”
“I can’t swim! Not going!”
After a moment of thought, Zhang Shaoqing suggested, “How about paragliding? There’s a coach; it’s very safe.”
“…”
Wen Yang, seeing Ning Chu flounder, joined in with a grin. “How about this—let’s go for a massage at a spa?”
Wang Jie’s eyes lit up, nodding vigorously. “Mention that, and I’m all in!”
“Absolutely not!” Ning Chu shook his head with a wild intensity. “No way!”
