007. Defeating Magic with Magic!
Maybe it was the glucose he got after fainting for the first time, or the bread he chomped down on, but after starting military training again, Ning Chu didn’t pass out a second time.
I mean, come on, how ridiculous would it be for a fully grown man to have worse physical endurance than a delicate girl?
Finally, noon arrived. With a command from the instructor, Ning Chu’s body instantly relaxed. His legs turned to jelly, and he plopped right down on the ground.
“I’m dead tired.” He yanked off his hat and fanned himself, pulling at his collar as he panted heavily. “I’m drenched in sweat!”
In the scorching summer, wearing long-sleeved military training gear and a hat was a disaster; sweat had completely soaked through everything.
“Ning Chu!”
Before he could even rest for a minute, Zhang Shaoqing came bounding over, ready to speak but suddenly sniffing the air.
“What’s that smell? It’s kinda nice.”
Ning Chu’s internal alarm bells rang, his eyes narrowing as he quickly changed the topic. “What do you want?”
“We agreed to go be a third wheel for Wen Yang at noon, remember? Time to go!”
“But didn’t you say you didn’t want to squeeze into the cafeteria?”
Zhang Shaoqing scratched his head, having learned through some sleuthing that Wen Yang’s girlfriend, Ling Ling, was actually his childhood neighbor, the girl he grew up with.
After a moment’s hesitation, he leaned in closer and whispered, “Actually, Wen Yang’s girlfriend is… someone I grew up with. I…”
“Well, isn’t that great?”
“I like Ling Ling.”
Aha! So that’s the root of Zhang Shaoqing’s dark turn—Ling Ling handed to him on a silver platter!
Ning Chu stared intensely into Zhang Shaoqing’s eyes and could clearly see the possessive flicker over his childhood companion.
“Don’t worry, they’ve only been together a few days. It’s nothing serious, probably just holding hands.”
His comforting words noticeably eased Zhang Shaoqing’s worry.
“Since you like her, why don’t you confess?”
Zhang Shaoqing gave a helpless chuckle. “She sees me as a brother, plus they say a rabbit won’t eat grass right by its burrow, so I…”
“Come on, man! Don’t let the good stuff go to waste!”
After resting for a few minutes to catch his breath, Ning Chu stood up, his sore legs supporting him as he looked around for Wen Yang.
Target acquired! Time to sabotage Wen Yang and Ling Ling’s budding romance!
Honestly, there wasn’t much romance to begin with; those two had only met a few days ago, and calling it love was a stretch. It was more about mutual attraction.
After thinking it over, he turned to Zhang Shaoqing and asked, “If you told Wen Yang about your feelings, do you think he’d break up with Ling Ling?”
“Why not give it a shot?”
“Hey! Over there! Wen Yang and Ling Ling are just about to leave the sports field!” Ning Chu exclaimed. Finally spotting his target, he pushed Zhang Shaoqing on the shoulder, urging, “Quickly! Go be a third wheel, so they don’t get too cozy in public!”
Hearing “cozy,” Zhang Shaoqing’s eyes turned red with determination, and he bolted out of there, sprinting toward the exit of the sports field.
Ning Chu breathed a sigh of relief.
Using story characters to defeat the plot! No need for him to get his hands dirty!
That’s a load off his mind; with Zhang Shaoqing’s personality, there was no way that whimsical plot of “Ling Ling pursuing Wen Yang” could come true.
Sweating all over from military training and feeling sticky, Ning Chu frowned in disdain and decided he wouldn’t join the cafeteria crowd. He headed quickly toward the dormitory.
Time for a shower and a change of clothes, but he’d have to wait until the evening to wash this military gear. Otherwise, he’d have nothing to wear in the afternoon.
On his way from the sports field to the dorm area, he had to pass through a massive plaza gardens, and once inside, his attention was immediately snagged by the many stalls.
“Club recruitment?”
Ning Chu mumbled to himself, glancing around. In this world, school clubs were clearly more open and daring. Look at that swimming club—several bikini-clad beauties stood there, capturing countless gazes.
In fact, the women’s clothing was much more revealing here.
In the sweltering heat, most female students wore shorts or skirts, displaying a panorama of long, pale legs.
Ning Chu, in a good mood despite some lingering abdominal pain, stood there seemingly checking out the club recruitment booths while his eyes were actually wandering toward the girls’ legs.
“The quality is way too high~”
“In my past life, this would be the standard at a casting call!”
– After enjoying the sights for about ten minutes, Ning Chu merrily hummed a tune and waltzed back to the dorm with a skip in his step.
There were indeed benefits to being in this world.
So long as he kept the story from playing out in real life, he’d have plenty of options when it came to choosing a wife.
Pushing open the dorm door, he found Wang Jie sitting at the computer with a takeout box in hand, glancing over at him before returning his gaze to the game live-stream for some entertainment while eating.
Ning Chu took a quick look at the screen and headed straight to the mirror plastered on the wall. Standing there, he felt the refreshing blast from the air conditioning and fan while checking out his reflection.
The military training outfit was ridiculously oversized, and combined with his small frame, the sleeves hung down like a toddler playing dress-up in dad’s clothes. One wrong move, and he’d trip over the baggy pants.
He looked like an adorable little kid who’d just looted their father’s wardrobe—cute yet thoroughly disheveled.
With a slight frown, he rolled up his sleeves and pants and tucked the loose fabric into his waistband.
From this angle, he looked somewhat tidier, but after tightening the belt, his slender waist was emphasized, making him look a bit like a girl.
Sour-faced, he sat back down at his desk, lazily lounging in his chair with his shirt wide open.
“I’m dying from the heat.”
“And it hurts too…”
Not an abdominal ache, but he’d overdone it during training, and the rough fabric of the sleeves was chafing against his chest, making him uncomfortable.
Ning Chu glanced down at the fabric stretched over his chest, frowning as his anxiety grew.
Luckily, the military outfit had provided him with some cover during training.
It felt like things were heading toward a “red bean dumpling” situation…
The joy of ogling beautiful women had just been slightly dampened.
Ning Chu bit his lip, pondering all the possibilities of turning into a girl, hunched over with his hands on the phone, distractedly picking out takeout.
Since he was meant to play a female role in the plot, how exactly would that transformation happen?
Without realizing it, his hand had moved to his still-cramping abdomen.
Could it be a case of intersex?
Given today’s stomach pain, his short stature, and the soreness in his chest… Ning Chu could only arrive at that conclusion.
But if that were true, wouldn’t it mean that no matter what he did in the future, he would certainly become a girl? One could even say he was already a woman.
Now that was truly terrifying!
“Ning Chu! Good news!”
The door suddenly flew open with a kick, causing Ning Chu to jump. His phone slipped from his grip and landed awkwardly on his lap before bouncing and crashing to the floor.
“Ow~ Zhang Shaoqing!”
“Why are you staring at me?”
