240. A Family of Three
5/20
Since classes usually start at 8:20 AM, Wen Yang had long gotten used to waking up early.
When he woke up, it was only 7:30.
He yawned and instinctively glanced at the empty bed across from him, but didn’t see that dreamlike figure he always missed.
Looking around the dorm, he found Zhang Shaoqing still fast asleep, while Wang Jie was already awake, sitting at the bed’s edge playing on his phone.
After that, he grabbed his phone to check if Ning Chu had messaged him while he was asleep.
And sure enough…
“Bad news?”
Wen Yang was momentarily stunned, his mood suddenly a bit urgent, as he hurriedly rolled out of bed and scrambled to get dressed.
Forget about washing up; he slipped on his shoes and was ready to leave.
“You’re heading out this early?”
Wang Jie poked his head out to ask.
“Got an urgent matter.”
“About Ning Chu?”
Even the dense Wang Jie had realized Wen Yang had something going on with Ning Chu.
“Something like that. I’ll be off now.”
Before leaving, Wen Yang took a quick glance in the dorm mirror. Seeing he looked decent enough, he dashed out of the dorm with a look of urgency.
By the time he arrived at Ning Chu’s rental apartment, it was already 8:30.
He was carrying a few bags of breakfast, but his mind was muddled with confusion.
The initial urgency faded because Ning Chu not only mentioned bad news but also specifically asked him to bring three portions of breakfast.
Three portions?
He felt a twinge of anxiety as he pulled out his keys and unlocked the door.
As he opened the door, he looked inside and froze.
Ning Chu was peacefully leaning against her headboard, playing on her phone, and beside her was a girl with black cat ears who was leaning on her shoulder, peering curiously at the phone screen.
With that kind of atmosphere… should he call them sisters or mother and daughter?
“Wen Yang, you’re here!” Ning Chu finally looked up at him standing in the doorway, “What are you gawking at? Come in; I’m about to starve!”
“Starve to d*ath!”
“……”
Wen Yang twitched the corner of his mouth, momentarily at a loss.
Was this little catgirl the bad news Ning Chu was talking about?
He pushed through the cat-themed door flap and stepped inside, asking, “Is she… a relative here to visit you?”
A succubus having a catgirl relative… that seems pretty reasonable.
“Nope.”
Black Bean looked at Wen Yang with an innocent and dreamy expression, “I’m Mommy’s daughter!”
“!!!”
Wen Yang’s body stiffened, his mind going blank.
Wait a second! Ning Chu is only eighteen, right? How does she have a daughter who looks around ten?
“Quit being silly, I’ve told you to call me ‘Sister’ already.” Ning Chu said helplessly, pressing down on Black Bean’s little head, then sighed at Wen Yang, “This is Black Bean; she woke up and turned into a catgirl…”
“???”
This shocking news was still more acceptable than the idea of Ning Chu becoming a mother at eight or nine years old.
Wen Yang didn’t even know what expression to wear anymore.
“That’s a bit ridiculous…”
“Of course it is~”
Black Bean, completely oblivious to the awkward vibe, hopped off the bed and ran over to Wen Yang, looking up at the bags of breakfast in his hands with big, eager eyes.
“Dad~ I’m hungry!”
“What did you just call me?!”
“Dad! You’re Mommy’s boyfriend!”
“Ugh~” Wen Yang felt a chill run down his spine. He and Ning Chu hadn’t done anything! Kissing doesn’t lead to babies!
At that moment, he understood why Ning Chu always wore that helplessly sorrowful expression. He stood rigidly, placing the breakfast on the table and helping to open the food containers and chopstick wrappers.
When he saw Black Bean grabbing a spoon and starting to eat, his headache intensified.
“But if she’s Black Bean, how is she talking?”
“Who knows…”
After all, that’s how it was set up in the story; he only thought of the convenience, not caring about logic.
Wen Yang sat down by the bed, looking at Black Bean’s back as she eagerly devoured her food, mumbling in disbelief, “Is she really Black Bean?”
“Yep, really.”
“I feel like Black Bean snuck out last night and happened to get caught by a catgirl thief… that makes more sense.”
But then again, that wouldn’t explain why the catgirl was sprawled on Ning Chu’s shoulder.
Nor would it justify her saying things like, “Mom used to be Dad.”
Ning Chu, looking worried, leaned her head against Wen Yang’s arm and sighed, “Stop thinking about it; she’s just Black Bean.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing…”
“Maybe she’s the world’s first catgirl.”
If that’s the case, it’s surprisingly reasonable?
Wen Yang wore a confused expression like an old man trying to figure out how to use a smartphone. After a moment’s pause, he asked Black Bean, “So why do you call her… Mom?”
“When I was starving, it was Mom and you who brought me back!”
“Well, that doesn’t sound entirely unreasonable…”
He rubbed his nose, looking down at Ning Chu leaning against his arm, her expression one of existential despair.
Seeing her in a bad mood, he joked, “Cheer up; you’re a mom now.”
“……”
After a moment of silence, Ning Chu looked up to meet Wen Yang’s gaze: “So what do we do now? Are we keeping her?”
“Looks like we have to keep her?”
But if there’s a little girl around, things might get complicated between Wen Yang and Ning Chu…
Wait a minute, that’s not what she should be worrying about right now!
She hesitated and resolutely decided to pass the buck: “How about this? I’ll call my mom later and ask her if she minds… us getting a younger sister.”
“Sounds fine?”
But then the problem arises—how to explain Black Bean’s origins to her mother?
Ning Chu rubbed her protesting belly and got off the bed, walking over to Black Bean.
She picked up a portion of breakfast and looked down at Black Bean, who had made a mess of her face while eating, sounding like a little engine from the gulps she made, obviously in a great mood.
Of course, she’s just a little kitty; what worries could she have~?
Ning Chu rubbed Black Bean’s little head, only to have her look up with big eyes, pitifully asking, “Mom, can we have meat for lunch?”
“Call me sister… and if we’re having meat, sure.”
If they ate in the school cafeteria, a meat dish wouldn’t be that expensive, and with Black Bean’s size, two portions would be more than enough.
But compared to cat food that costs around twenty to thirty per kilogram, this would drastically increase their spending.
Ning Chu pondered over her upcoming expenses while pulling out a tissue to wipe the soup off Black Bean’s mouth, softly reminding her, “Be careful when you eat; try not to make a mess everywhere.”
“Meow!”
Wen Yang watched her tenderly wiping Black Bean’s face and felt an inexplicable wave of maternal warmth radiating from Ning Chu…
Given her tendency to meddle in others’ affairs, it was unlikely she could let go of Black Bean, now that she had become a catgirl.
“I’m off to deliver takeout.” Wen Yang stood up, joining Ning Chu at the side and teasing, “If I don’t make enough money, I won’t be able to support you two.”
“Stop saying silly things.”
“Then I’ll take off now?”
“It’s raining; be careful!”
“Yeah.”
“Dad, be careful!”
Wen Yang truly felt like they were a proper family of three.
