085. The Instructor
Ning Chu looked restless, spacing out even during mealtime.
Wen Yang’s lunch wasn’t much better; his mind was wrestling with a burning question.
If Ning Chu really is a girl…
How should he treat her?
Should he keep pretending he doesn’t know? Or should he inform the school to handle it? Or… maybe turn his roommate into a girlfriend?
He quickly smashed that dangerous thought down.
Ning Chu’s possessiveness was already creeping into the realm of a yandere; a girlfriend? He’d probably have to file reports just to step outside…
He looked up to see Ning Chu sitting across from him at the dining table.
Her youthful face was delicate and cute; her features almost small enough to fit in his palm. Her curled eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, and her big bright eyes, edged with a hint of crimson like they were lightly dusted with makeup, added a charm to her innocent face.
Those soft pink lips were full and glossy, tempting him like a dish he’d love to savor in a dream.
Though the thought was dangerous, it didn’t seem entirely impossible?
“So, where to next?” Ning Chu asked, reaching over with her chopsticks to snatch the last piece of fried pork from Wen Yang’s plate, without so much as a “by your leave.”
“Maybe we could head back to the library?”
“Sure.”
Wen Yang was already used to sharing; in fact, most of the meat on his plate had ended up on hers.
This was a mutual benefit, allowing them to sample a variety of dishes.
After lunch, they returned to the library.
The weekend library was a bit livelier than usual; glancing around, he spotted more than ten students engrossed in their books. It was quiet enough to hear footsteps, and the study atmosphere was thick, reminiscent of the tension during exam preparations.
No wonder so many people liked studying here.
Ning Chu focused on surveying the girls in the reading area.
There was a glasses girl, a white-haired loli, a catgirl… perhaps five or six girls total, almost all stunning enough to earn a starring role in Little Emperor Wen.
Even for him, he could at least claim the tags “femboy” and “gender-bent.”
Cautiously taking a hold of Wen Yang’s arm, he led him away from the group of girls to a table in a corner of the reading area.
“I’ll go grab a book.”
“Okay,”
Ning Chu casually picked up a comic from a nearby shelf, casting wary glances toward Wen Yang lingering near the bookshelves while keeping an eye on the girls.
It should be fine; though those girls were certainly pretty, they weren’t anywhere near the standard for supporting cast members—just your average passerby.
The danger of ordinary girls was that their actions were unpredictable; if Wen Yang wasn’t careful, he could end up in sticky situations. For now, all they had to do was avoid triggering any plot, and let him keep his girl-like transformation under wraps.
“What are you reading?” Wen Yang returned with two professional textbooks, glancing over at the comic in Ning Chu’s hands. “Why are you reading manga?”
“It’s the weekend,” Ning Chu shrugged, clutching her belly uncomfortably. “And my stomach hurts. Can’t focus.”
“Do you want to go to the medical room or maybe the hospital?”
“……”
She hesitated for a moment and shook her head vigorously. “I’m fine, it’s not that bad.”
Having dealt with chronic gastritis in a past life, Ning Chu had a strong tolerance for this dull, stabbing pain. If it became unbearable, she figured she’d pop into a pharmacy for some painkillers.
“Don’t let small issues turn into big ones.”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”
Wen Yang snuck a glance between Ning Chu’s legs, wondering where she hid her sanitary napkins.
Deep in her wardrobe? A locked drawer, perhaps?
But how did she even replace them normally? He’d never caught a whiff of anything unusual in their dorm or seen any signs of sanitary products.
Even if she sneaked off to the public restroom to change, that seemed impossible since he was always glued to her side.
It was a complete mystery.
Even with the comic magazine, Ning Chu couldn’t stay focused; she fidgeted restlessly, her brow furrowed. She finished one comic but couldn’t recall a single detail of the story.
She only remembered that it was big, white, and had great benefits.
Just when she thought she might leap out of her seat, her phone in her pocket vibrated softly.
Curious, she took it out to find a message from Han Jingye.
The instructor?
What could he want on a weekend?
She cast a sidelong glance at the bookworm Wen Yang beside her, puzzled, and opened the message.
“Why didn’t I see your name on the signup sheets for yesterday’s sports meeting and the New Year’s event? Hurry up and sign up; you must participate in at least one activity or competition this semester.”
This guy…
Though Ning Chu knew that demands from instructors were usually just the result of some ridiculous pressure from the school administration, it still made her fume.
She typed back casually: “I’m not good at sports or talents.”
Instructors like this typically threatened students with credits but were totally toothless in practice.
“If you don’t participate, your credits will be deducted.”
Knew it!
Having graduated university in her past life, she remembered being coerced into attending numerous pointless lectures under the threat of dropped credits. It took missing just one event for her to realize the instructor’s words were just hot air.
Although she’d changed her impression of Han Jingye a bit, deep down she understood that every instructor was cut from the same cloth.
Speaking of which, it had been ages and he still hadn’t shown any perverted tendencies…
Aside from his insistence on participating in activities, he was otherwise laid-back and dedicated, earning good reviews from the class, and his image in Ning Chu’s mind only continued to improve.
Perhaps the plot had fallen apart because of his meddling; under the influence of butterfly effects, Han Jingye’s storyline had likely fizzled out?
After chatting for a few minutes, Han Jingye texted helplessly, “If you really don’t want to participate, that’s fine. You’re a special case, don’t tell anyone else.”
Ning Chu couldn’t help but smile smugly.
“How has your month at school been? Getting used to it?”
“It’s alright, everything’s good.”
“You can tell me if you have any problems in life. Your health isn’t the best; take care.”
“Uh-huh.”
Wen Yang noticed Ning Chu had been focused on her phone for a while and peeked at her screen, curiosity piqued. “Who are you chatting with? You’ve been at it for ages.”
“The instructor.”
“What does he want?”
Ning Chu had no qualms spilling Han Jingye’s beans: “Trying to persuade me to join activities, but he hasn’t convinced me.”
“Weren’t they supposed to make it mandatory?”
He wore the expression of a naïve child: “Just ignore him. He’s just an instructor; how much power does he really have? Mandatory? Pfft~”
Wen Yang glanced at the chat record on her phone and muttered, “That’s not bad; he at least offers to help if you have issues.”
“That’s what instructors are for!”
Even so, Han Jingye had definitely climbed a notch on Ning Chu’s mental ladder.
