268. Suspicious Lily!
“Coming back tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I guess so?”
“Stay safe, did you remember the spray?”
“Got it!”
As Friday evening classes ended, Ning Chu and Wen Yang arrived at the girls’ dormitory entrance.
Ning Chu brought a set of clean clothes, nervous and apprehensive since it was her first time staying over at a girl’s place.
But now that she was a girl, socializing with other girls was unavoidable.
“If you run into any girls flirting with you in the next couple of days, make sure you tell me.”
“Sure, don’t worry.”
“You HAVE to tell me!”
She was worried about a sudden punishment that would embarrass her in front of Lily’s parents.
But Lily was a succubus. Her parents should probably be understanding about any sudden feelings… it’s just that, even if they could comprehend, Ning Chu couldn’t imagine how shamefully awkward that would be.
“I heard from Xinya that Lily’s family lives in a villa?”
“Don’t listen to her nonsense…”
Ning Chu rolled her eyes. “Xinya’s just teasing Lily on purpose. Lily’s family must be decent, but it can’t be that exaggerated, right? A villa and all.”
“By the way, I’ll transfer you fifty bucks to spend these two days.”
Suddenly realizing that all of Wen Yang’s money was with her, she quickly lowered her head to transfer the money while reminding him, “Fifty bucks should be plenty for food, don’t waste it.”
“That’s a bit much…”
Isn’t it better to have extra? With Wen Yang’s money all in her hands, he wouldn’t even notice it when she spent for him.
This was the last month of living off her older brother! Next month, her novel would start earning!
With the current trend of her novel’s performance, she could end up making even more than she expected! This just might become her best work since she started writing.
As they chatted, two girls appeared at the dorm entrance.
Yan Xinya was lugging a bedding bag, and Lily was dragging two suitcases, making it look like they were moving houses.
“Wow, so much stuff~”
Girls do have a lot of things! Just clearing out summer clothes and bedding filled up two suitcases.
Surely there are plenty of embarrassing items mixed in there…
Ning Chu rushed forward to help Lily with one suitcase. “How are we getting there? Train?”
“Taxi.”
“That’s pretty close then.”
“An hour.”
The school was in the suburbs after all, so an hour by taxi could easily take them to the neighboring city.
“Wen Yang! We’re off!”
“Okay, bye!”
Wen Yang watched as the three girls left, stretching lazily and preparing to head back to the rental apartment.
Every week, he needed to tidy up, do some cleaning, or else the apartment would be a chaotic mess.
Outside, they piled into a rideshare in the backseat.
She looked out the window, curiously asking, “Lily, what’s your house like exactly?”
“Apartment in a residential community.”
“Oh~”
She figured Lily must be well-off; after all, the toy links she sent were pretty pricey—about seventy percent more expensive than regular toys, probably all from big brands.
“My princess Lily definitely lives in a big mansion~”
Yan Xinya teased as she reached to pinch Lily’s cheek, but Lily managed to dodge by leaning back, landing nearly on Ning Chu’s lap due to the cramped space.
“Cut it out.”
Lily coolly put a stop to it.
“Okay~” Yan Xinya mumbled, “Are your parents easy to get along with? I’m a bit nervous.”
“Not home.”
“Huh?”
“My parents work out of town.”
“Ah~ A left-behind child?”
“…”
Ning Chu noticed Lily was talking more than usual, probably because it was just friends around… and the driver didn’t count.
Outside, the landscape grew increasingly bleak, with raised hillocks lining the roads, and cars weaving through tunnels.
The sky grew darker, and Yan Xinya slumped with her head resting on Lily’s shoulder, while Lily maintained her icy demeanor, staring expressionlessly at her phone.
Ning Chu just looked outside, watching the hills and valleys recede, as houses and the signs of life began to appear on the roadside.
“Almost there?”
“Yeah.”
In less than ten minutes, the rideshare halted at a residential community on the city’s outskirts.
As soon as they got out, Yan Xinya perked up, resembling an unleashed husky, running around with the suitcase in tow. Meanwhile, Ning Chu surveyed the somewhat desolate surroundings, eyeing the four dozen stories tall residential buildings.
“Looks like not many people live here…”
There were hardly any pedestrians around, and the road had sparse vehicles; even the roadside trees looked little and bald, as if freshly planted.
This city was probably a new development area, so the surrounding facilities weren’t fully established.
She had expected a real villa or even an estate…
Although Ning Chu didn’t believe Xinya’s teasing jab at Lily, she still held a glimmer of hope.
But when they finally reached Lily’s home, Ning Chu realized her family was indeed quite affluent.
One elevator, one unit! Direct elevator access!
“No way!”
As soon as she stepped into the elevator, Ning Chu couldn’t help but exclaim.
“No need to take off your shoes.”
Lily replied, dashing across the foyer, and a glance at the spacious, bright hall made Ning Chu’s eyes light up. She quickly turned back to ask, “How many square meters?”
“Two hundred or so?” Lily replied uncertainly.
Xinya followed behind Ning Chu and began frolicking around the house.
“Help me clean up.” Lily directed towards her bedroom, “Just the bedroom is fine.”
“Alright.”
Curiously glancing around, Ning Chu suddenly found her attention drawn to a Cthulhu tentacle figurine on the coffee table.
She gasped, “Lily! You like Cthulhu Mythos too?”
Lily’s expression suddenly broke as she followed Ning Chu’s gaze.
“Such a cool tentacle!” Ning Chu rushed over and picked up the tentacle figurine.
It was a stand-up octopus tentacle, looking quite exquisite, covered with tiny suction cups; it felt nice and squishy.
She’s always loved these little figurines and excitedly asked Lily, “Where did you get this? It’s awesome!”
“…”
“The base is a suction cup too~” Ning Chu fiddled with the tentacle and looked up, “Why are you blushing?”
Lily stammered but turned her head away, staying silent as she hurried towards her bedroom.
“Why would you two like things like this?” Yan Xinya leaned in to take a look, “Octopus tentacles… they’re pretty delicious.”
Ning Chu stuffed the figurine into the wolf girl’s hands and dashed after Lily, but Lily’s steps quickened, almost fleeing into her bedroom.
She followed right behind her, only to find Lily hurriedly shoving the figurine from the bedside table into the drawer.
“Am I not allowed to ask if I want one?”
Ning Chu rolled her eyes at Lily’s frantic back.
“…”
“How much was it?”
“Um, the price depends on the size… a few hundred probably.”
But looking at the suspicious panic and blush on Lily’s face, Ning Chu started to sense something was off.
Lily wasn’t this stingy! She had given her makeup samples before and even lent her a coat.
Besides, with Lily’s strong self-control, she could stay calm even in the face of emotions. So why was she red-faced and flustered now?
