245. Late Night
“Taking a bath is such a hassle!”
Ning Chu huffed out as she emerged from the bathroom, completely drenched.
She might as well have stripped down and washed with Black Bean; it would have been about the same.
She retrieved a new bath towel from the closet, turned around, and went back into the bathroom to wrap Black Bean up snugly. Then she grabbed a towel for her hair and covered Black Bean’s head with it, too.
Black Bean stood there like she was done with life, just letting Ning Chu mess with her.
Looks like someone’s a bit stressed.
“From now on, you have to take a bath every night, or you’ll be just a smelly mess!” Ning Chu wasn’t even slightly sympathetic; she was almost laughing in frustration. “You’re not a cat anymore! You’re a person!”
Black Bean turned her head away, mumbling, “It’s better being a cat.”
She was half a year old, and she’d only taken two baths today.
Just the thought of having to be forced into a bath every day for the rest of her life filled her with despair—life seemed bleak and hopeless.
Her gaze was practically broken, empty and lifeless.
Ning Chu sighed, tugging at Black Bean to step out of the bathroom towards the mirror. While she towel-dried her hair, she said, “Once your hair’s dry, we can go eat barbecue—it’s all meat!”
That lifeless gaze instantly lit up.
“Okay!”
For Black Bean, eating had become the ultimate goal in life.
Ning Chu smirked. Once she got Black Bean’s hair somewhat dry, she turned on the hairdryer. In the next second, Black Bean leaped up and bolted to the corner of the room as if she’d seen a ghost.
“Wow…”
Not only afraid of water, but also terrified of appliances.
For a catgirl that was only a day ago a cat, it was quite normal.
“Come on! Do you want to eat barbecue or not?”
Black Bean shrank back against the sofa, glancing at the barbecue takeout box on the coffee table, then back at Ning Chu holding the hairdryer. Her resolve seemed to waver.
“Come here!”
“Mom~ Can’t I just air dry?”
“That’s fine… just come over, and I’ll dry you a bit more.”
After all, she was a short-haired cat… so even as a catgirl, she just had short hair.
As the chaos unfolded in the room, the door suddenly swung open.
Wen Yang stepped inside, his head lifting, only to be momentarily dazed by the scene before him.
The girl was completely soaked, her long sleeves clinging to her body, outlining her slender waist and the rise and fall of her chest. The thin white fabric was so clingy it seemed to sneak a peek at her underwear beneath it.
Awkward and sexy.
And Black Bean was wrapped in a bath towel, exposing only a sliver of shoulder and her little calves. At ten years old, she was just a little brat, best off ignored.
“You’re back so soon?”
Ning Chu was busy trying to get Black Bean’s hair as dry as possible while also using the towel to awkwardly wipe her cat tail. She was a flurry of activity and completely oblivious to Wen Yang’s slightly restless gaze.
“Yeah, it only took half an hour for the round trip by taxi.”
“This cat’s like a circus! I almost died from the effort of washing her.”
She complained, tossing the towel aside while trying to discreetly adjust the bath towel. “Go on, eat barbecue!”
“Yay!”
Black Bean dashed eagerly over to the coffee table.
“I’m going to take a shower too; I’m soaked… Wen Yang, keep an eye on Black Bean.”
Wen Yang swallowed, glancing at Black Bean who was busy tearing into the takeout box, and then stepped closer to Ning Chu rummaging through the closet for her pajamas.
Once he was beside her, he whispered in a hopeful tone, “How about we shower together?”
Ning Chu froze mid-action, offering no reply, but he distinctly saw a blush quickly spread across her pale neck.
Ecstatic, he reached for a set of pajamas from the closet, only to be slapped back by Ning Chu. “Get lost!”
Black Bean was still in the house! Together in the shower? No way!
She would totally corrupt Black Bean!
Ning Chu shot Wen Yang an angry look, snatched a pair of pajamas, and stormed into the bathroom.
Wen Yang sighed in resignation, plopping down at the edge of the bed, watching Black Bean happily demolishing her skewers.
Wen Yang noticed Black Bean getting grease all over her face, and he pulled out a few tissues to hand over. “Wipe your mouth.”
“Ruff!”
He had to admit, having a daughter felt pretty fantastic.
Watching Black Bean be adorably messy soothed any irritation he’d felt over being rejected, and he beamed at her, teasing, “Can I have a bite, too?”
Black Bean hesitated, her eyes lighting up uncertainly. “Just… just two bites?”
“Yeah! I want the meatiest part, like the drumstick.”
Her expression instantly drooped, and pitifully, she offered the chicken leg to his mouth. “Dad, don’t eat too much.”
By the time Wen Yang took a couple of bites, half the meat was gone!
Black Bean froze, her eyes filling with tears at a visible speed.
Wen Yang panicked and quickly reassured her. “I’ll buy you two drumsticks tomorrow!”
“Okay!”
Seeing Black Bean’s face light up brightened his mood as well, leaving him suspicious he was being manipulated by this catgirl.
“From now on, remember to call me ‘older brother’ and Ning Chu ‘sister’.”
“Uh-huh.”
Wen Yang chuckled, ruffling Black Bean’s little head and tweaking her perky cat ears before turning to glance at the bathroom where water was still running.
While Black Bean was adorable, it also meant he had to avoid any romantic moments with Ning Chu when Black Bean was around.
Now that he thought about it, just yesterday Black Bean had been perched on the bedside table, watching him and Ning Chu get cozy.
Wen Yang’s face flushed, wondering if Black Bean now understood what it meant to be a couple.
“Time for bed, time for bed~”
Ning Chu sauntered out of the bathroom stretching, wearing a short sleep dress, her tail playfully swaying beneath it.
She caught sight of Wen Yang, who was staring at her, and felt a mix of satisfaction and shyness.
The short sleep dress was incredibly thin and form-fitting. While it was comfortable and didn’t impede her tail’s movement, it was a tad too inviting.
Especially since she wasn’t wearing a bra—the little “red beans” were quite prominent.
Most of her nightgowns were bought by her mother; aside from a long dress that was somewhat decent, the rest… well, let’s just say they were quite succubus-like.
She climbed onto the bed in a rush, quickly covering herself with the quilt, while Black Bean, having finished her meal, bounced onto the bed ready to sleep.
“Go brush your teeth before you sleep.”
“Ruff!”
Black Bean eagerly hopped off the bed, bouncing onto the quilt as she dashed back to the bathroom.
“I’m going to take a shower and get ready for bed too.”
Ning Chu switched off the light and settled into a position at the edge of the bed.
Before long, Black Bean and Wen Yang joined her in bed.
The double bed felt a bit cramped with Black Bean’s small body taking up the most space, curling up and completely separating Wen Yang and Ning Chu as if a galaxy divided them.
“Let’s sleep, let’s sleep.”
Wen Yang sighed in melancholy, while Ning Chu pouted, missing her human pillow.
Is this what life was like after having a child?
