205. The First Night Home
I vaguely remember the time I sent my little brother off to university. He was such a cute little boy back then.
But today, after picking him up, I found myself staring at a little girl instead…
Ning Yuan couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had gained a little sister.
Sitting on the sofa, he kept glancing towards the bathroom, where he could faintly hear the sound of splashing water. His gaze shifted to his mother, who was busy scrolling through TikTok, her mood clearly not the best.
She looked a little worried, a hint of guilt shadowing her face.
Everything felt a bit strange today, prompting Ning Yuan to poke around.
“Mom, can I take Ning Chu to get a haircut tomorrow?”
“Sure, I’ll take her in the afternoon.”
Ning Yuan felt a bit relieved. His mother was certainly concerned about his brother’s messy long hair.
He guessed that Ning Chu cried when he first arrived, which left their mom a bit dazed, hence the haircut topic didn’t come up earlier.
“What was Ning Chu crying about earlier? Did you find out? Was he bullied at school?”
“Not exactly,” his mom pondered for a moment. “Something unexpected happened. I’ll tell you later.”
“Oh…”
Ning Yuan suddenly felt like an outsider in his own home.
They would talk about it later.
His mother stretched lazily, showing signs of fatigue, and headed towards the bedroom, saying, “Make sure your brother eats and then goes to bed, don’t let him stay up late.”
“Okay.”
As Ning Yuan watched his mother walk into the bedroom, he still couldn’t figure out why she was sharing a room with Ning Chu.
After all, his little brother just turned eighteen…
“Takeout!”
Hearing a knock on the door, Ning Yuan jumped up to answer it.
He just set the takeout down when he looked up and saw Ning Chu emerging from the bathroom, decked out in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, dripping wet.
The shorts looked a bit small, hugging his little b*tt tightly, giving it a perky shape, while his white, slender legs looked as fresh as washed lotus roots. His tiny feet were bare and left wet footprints on the floor.
If their mother saw this, her bl**d pressure would probably skyrocket.
Ning Chu had always detested wearing slippers or socks at home, preferring to go around barefoot, despite countless warnings from their mother.
Ning Yuan’s eyes traveled upward.
Narrow shoulders and a small frame made Ning Chu look especially petite, and his pale, rounded arms exhibited no traces of muscle. The loose short-sleeved shirt bulged slightly at the chest, quickly drawing Ning Yuan’s attention.
That chest…
Ning Chu sauntered over to the couch and threw on a coat, successfully blocking Ning Yuan’s line of sight.
After spending a few months in the boys’ dormitory, he had developed a keen awareness of how to keep things covered, only shedding his coat when he was asleep.
But at home, he couldn’t help but let his guard down a little.
His empty belly protested, and Ning Chu, too lazy to blow-dry his hair, dashed over to the coffee table, eager to devour the takeout.
“Bro, want some?”
“What did you order?”
“Barbecue and fried rice.”
She opened the takeout container with one hand while holding her phone with the other, watching anime, and grabbing a chicken skewer.
And it was clear that Ning Yuan’s gaze was glued to her side profile.
She understood his curious look and didn’t think much of it as she casually offered him a skewer of cauliflower.
“Bro, when are you going back to work?”
While munching, she initiated small talk.
“Leaving Sunday night.”
“What are you doing now? Where do you work?”
Ning Yuan observed her pretty little face as he answered. “I work locally in advertising design. I usually have to work late, so I only pop in occasionally.”
Her slightly chubby face looked a bit youthful, with droplets of dew lingering on her long curled eyelashes, seeming ready to fall any second. Those peach blossom eyes, slightly upturned at the corners, were softly tinged with pink… No matter how you look at it, she didn’t resemble an eighteen-year-old adult male at all.
“Oh~ How much do you make?”
“About five to six thousand.”
Not a lot in the provincial capital…
Ning Chu swallowed that comment to avoid hurting her brother’s pride.
Mostly because it was too easy to get smacked around—although she was bullied less now, the intimidation from her brother before she turned ten was stronger than their mother’s.
That was no joke!
Which made it much harder for her to confess certain things to him compared to telling their mom.
“How are your grades at school?” Declining the chicken skewer Ning Chu offered again, Ning Yuan leaned back on the couch, crossing his legs. “You’re not just playing games in the dorm all day, right?”
“Well, not exactly.”
But she wasn’t studying much either, too busy warding off bad women trying to steal their home.
“What about girlfriends? Anyone you like?”
“Eh, don’t rush me…” Just the mention of it made Ning Chu spring to life, almost boasting as she replied, “There’s a coffee shop outside my school! The boss lady is a senior, and she really likes me!”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve heard she’s a wealthy woman, not yet thirty, and she’s gorgeous~” She puffed out her chest with pride. “Too bad I can’t live off her!”
Mostly because she was worried about getting into trouble if a kid drove a big car; plus, a steel ball was quite difficult to handle.
“Sounds good.” However, Ning Yuan’s gaze was fixated on the little mound pushed up by her coat. “Why are you wearing a coat at night? It’s not even cold lately.”
Ning Chu hurriedly hunched her shoulders, slightly inward.
“What’s going on with your chest?”
Caught off guard by his blunt question, her cheeks turned a shade pinker. She pondered for a moment before muttering, “I’ve put on a bit of weight lately…”
Although she felt the urge to reveal her true gender, she seriously didn’t want Ning Yuan to see her tattoo.
For a succubus, a tattoo was definitely part of her private territory.
“Put on a bit…”
Indeed, Ning Chu looked fluffier than before and softer around the edges, with a noticeably higher body fat percentage.
But shouldn’t it be above the chest only?
Ning Yuan felt like he was being played for a fool.
But he didn’t bother to press further, standing up and saying, “I’m heading to bed. You finish up and get to sleep quickly, don’t stay up late.”
“Okay.”
Less than ten minutes later, Ning Chu demolished the leftovers, tidying up the barbecue packaging before turning off the lights and heading towards her mother’s bedroom.
Opening the door, she was met with complete darkness inside.
Since she started kindergarten, she had mostly shared a bed with Ning Yuan. Her memories of sleeping with their mother were scant.
Lingering remnants of a male mindset made her a bit hesitant and nervous, worrying her mom would want to check her development again.
She hesitated, tiptoeing into the room, using her phone’s glow to navigate. Carefully climbing onto the foot of the bed, she tried not to wake her mother.
This was a cozy double bed, with space for two.
Ning Chu lay on one side, maintaining a distance of more than ten centimeters from her mother.
As soon as she lay down, her mind was flooded with wild thoughts.
Since her mother was a succubus too, and there hadn’t been any men in the house over the years, could it be similar to Lily… there’s no way she could be out finding other men…
Ning Chu quickly squashed the strange thought deep down.
Thinking such things about her mother was just too over the top!
