310. Brother-in-law
Later that evening, Ning Yuan dragged his weary body and pushed open the front door of his home.
He hadn’t been back for over a month; it was either work or the commute to work. When he had a rare break, he preferred to lie on the bed in his rental apartment, dazing and playing on his mobile phone.
But today, his younger brother… and sister were back from winter break! Since tomorrow was the weekend, he could temporarily forget about the crappy things at work and rushed home right after clocking out.
However, the moment he opened the door, his expression froze.
Wait! Who’s that man on the sofa?
Mom’s little boyfriend? But he doesn’t even look forty!
His younger brother’s boyfriend? But his brother just became his sister, where’d that boyfriend come from?
Even if there was one, why the heck is he in the house?
While Ning Yuan was taking off his shoes, his gaze remained glued to the young man on the sofa, sizing him up as the clearly nervous and fidgety guy took up two sofa spaces by himself.
Wen Yang had noticed the unfamiliar person coming in as well, just a moment of confusion before realizing this was Ning Chu’s brother.
He resembled the little boy Ning Chu had been back in September, but now he was a completely different species… biologically speaking.
This made Wen Yang even more anxious.
If his future mother-in-law wasn’t too fond of him, then his future brother-in-law’s approval was especially important.
He hurried over, face beaming with a smile, “You must be Ning Chu’s brother? Nice to meet you!”
“Uh, yeah, you are?”
“Ning Chu’s boyfriend.”
“Oh~” Ning Yuan almost nodded off, then went slack-jawed, “Huh?”
He was temporarily rendered speechless, completely taken aback.
“Big bro!”
“Brother~”
The door to the second bedroom burst open, and two girls bounced out, rushing over in excitement.
The little catgirl wrapped her arms around Ning Yuan’s, “Did you bring me tasty food?”
The little succubus stopped beside Wen Yang, beaming, “I thought you wouldn’t be back until tomorrow!”
Ning Chu tiptoed and leaned against Wen Yang, whispering, “My brother loves playing games, you can chat with him about games or use my laptop to duo queue and build some rapport.”
“Okay, got it!”
Ning Yuan pulled out two beef jerky sticks from his coat pocket to throw to Black Bean but his gaze landed on the two whispering sweet nothings to each other.
His brow furrowed, responding, “I raced home right after work, and you two are…?”
“My boyfriend,” Ning Chu answered nonchalantly.
With his brother officially confirming Wen Yang’s identity, Ning Yuan couldn’t help but feel a whirlwind of complicated emotions.
His brother, whom he had watched grow up, had left home for just half a year and turned into a girl, a succubus, and now getting cozy with another man…
That feeling was inexplicably bittersweet.
It was like something he cherished had been snatched away by someone else, while fretting over whether that someone would treat it well…
He shook his head helplessly, grabbing his laptop bag and heading toward the bedroom, but was stopped by Ning Chu, “Bro, Mom said you’ll be sleeping in the living room.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll be sleeping with Black Bean in the second bedroom!” Ning Chu pointed at the already laid-out straw mat in front of the TV stand, “Tonight, you’ll share a bed with Wen Yang.”
“??? Are we seriously at the point of sleeping on the floor?”
“You can sleep on the sofa if you want.”
Ning Yuan was at a loss for words.
He paused, placed his belongings on the coffee table, and complained, “When are we getting a bigger house, anyway?”
“That, I guess, depends on you, big bro~”
“With my meager salary, how am I supposed to buy a house?”
Ning Yuan plopped down on the sofa, chatting with Ning Chu while eyeing Wen Yang, making the latter somewhat uneasy. It felt less like facing a future brother-in-law and more like squaring off against a future father-in-law.
“Bro, I’m going to take a shower.” Ning Chu stretched lazily, “Mom said the big guy is coming by tomorrow; no idea what he’s like. Hope he’s easy to talk to…”
“Mm.”
Both siblings were already adults and had no qualms about their soon-to-be stepdad, as long as they didn’t actually have to call him “Dad.”
Their only worry? That the uncle would be a j*rk, making their mother and Black Bean suffer.
Seeing Ning Chu dash to the shower, Ning Yuan’s gaze fell back on Wen Yang.
He cautiously asked, “You…”
“Wen Yang is really great~” Black Bean piped up from the side, “He’s handsome and gentle~ he’s the perfect match for Sister!”
Wen Yang looked at her in surprise; this little catgirl usually didn’t say such things.
Was this a lesson from Ning Chu?
“Uh…”
Maintaining a facade of enthusiasm, Ning Yuan poured Wen Yang a glass of water.
Truth is, he had a bit of a thing for handsome guys, so he naturally had a soft spot for Wen Yang’s attractive looks, but his identity annoyed him a bit.
Even if he knew his sister was a succubus, friendships aside, even a string of flings wouldn’t be surprising.
But he hadn’t spent much time with Ning Chu lately. His impression of her still lingered on that cute little brother, even though in his heart, he knew Ning Chu was no longer just his brother but now his succubus sister.
“How long have you and Ning Chu been together?”
“Since January twelfth, her birthday, when I confessed.” The date was special enough that Wen Yang remembered it clearly, “So, about two and a half months now.”
Ning Yuan nodded, letting out a soft sigh.
So, these two had started dating before he even knew Ning Chu had become a girl.
In Ning Chu’s heart, perhaps she hadn’t placed him as highly as Wen Yang…
“When Sister transformed into a girl, it was Wen Yang who took care of her~” Black Bean chimed in, “She was so scared she fainted, and Wen Yang kicked the bathroom door open and rushed her to the hospital!”
Wen Yang shot Black Bean an encouraging look.
Extra chicken legs! Two!
“Really? So, you don’t mind that she used to be a guy?”
“Not at all! I don’t mind one bit!” Wen Yang shook his head, “What I like is her as a person, not her gender.”
Ning Yuan felt a bit of a lump in his chest, remaining silent for a moment before saying, “You… better treat her well.”
“Don’t worry.”
“If she comes to me complaining about you bullying her…” He looked up at Wen Yang’s towering figure, not hesitating to threaten, “I’ll break your legs!”
Given their size difference, he probably wouldn’t even stand a chance.
Ning Yuan straightened his back, trying to portray his fighting spirit, but next to Wen Yang, who was nearly six-foot-three, it was utterly futile.
He figured he should hit the gym soon and learn that legendary, most destructive Muay Thai.
Lest he end up getting flattened while trying to back up Ning Chu.
Wen Yang replied earnestly, “I’ll never bully her.”
Seriously, this felt way too much like facing a future father-in-law.
Ning Yuan internally scoffed but couldn’t help but envy the family environment Ning Chu had created.
No one had ever spoken such things to him through all his growing up…
