024. Everyone Here Is Normal
“These days, people just aren’t honest anymore.”
Ning Chu, with a bag of snacks in hand, walked out of the convenience store while complaining.
“Clearly in a bad mood, and when I asked directly, he still won’t tell me what’s wrong… such a prideful pain.”
But to be fair, he had only known Zhang Shaoqing for a few weeks, so it’s pretty difficult to become genuine friends in such a short time.
He still had to work hard to gain his roommates’ trust. If he could actually become the “big sister,” no, “big brother,” Zhang Shaoqing talked about, then everything would be easy to handle.
“I’m just afraid he keeps bottling it up, and then ends up becoming a creepy villain…”
Arriving at the basketball court between the dormitory buildings, Ning Chu found a corner bench to sit on. With the shade of the trees above him, he opened the bag of chips and set it on his legs, munching away while watching the students expending their energy on the court.
Ah, this is nice…
He heard playing basketball could help you grow taller—who knows if that’s true?
Wen Yang was taking a nap; he rarely had free time in the afternoons to properly explore the school. Usually, he wouldn’t even dare let Wen Yang out of his sight.
With his soda and chips, Ning Chu leaned back against the bench. His brain could finally stop worrying about the plot. He was fixated on the court, cheering a bit every time there was a nice shot made.
“Meow~”
A delicate little meow caught his attention. Looking down, he saw a small black kitten awkwardly coming out from the bushes behind him, its tiny head looking around curiously.
“A cat?”
Ning Chu murmured, bending down to reach out with his fingertips, cautiously brushing the kitten’s head.
Its fur was dirty—definitely not a cat abandoned by some heartless student, but probably just another stray that wandered the campus.
The little kitty stumbled a bit, but its bright eyes were full of life. Sensing the kindness from Ning Chu, it tipped over and sprawled on his shoes, white paws playfully messing with his shoelaces, treating them like a toy.
Ning Chu’s expression froze for a moment: “Is this cat trying to scam me?”
“Meow~”
“Want some chips? I can’t take you back home, can I?”
His fellow dorm mates weren’t really into cats, but Zhang Shaoqing had a bit of a thing for catgirls.
Hmm, catgirl?
Suddenly, an idea struck him. He squatted down and gently lifted one of the kitten’s back legs, looking closely for any distinguishing features.
“This guy is so perverted…”
“Walk faster.”
Two passersby rushed by, leaving behind their judgment on his behavior.
“…” Ning Chu silently returned to the bench, rolling his eyes at them.
d*mn, being accused of being a pervert by characters from a strange story! What’s the big deal about checking if a cat has… you know?
But based on the fact that he wrote that little tale himself… he couldn’t quite argue.
“If it were a female cat, I would totally adopt you.”
“Meow!”
“Wait, what if you turn into a catgirl one day and end up seducing Wen Yang?” Ning Chu pretended to understand the mewing and seriously shook his head.
But then again, if it was a cat he raised, what if it returned the favor by turning into a catgirl for him?
A subtle change flickered across his face; he found himself actually looking forward to that moment.
This wasn’t just simple fantasy; there was indeed a plot in his novel where Wen Yang’s cat transformed into a catgirl to repay him.
“Meow~”
“Forget it, I really can’t take care of you.”
The little kitten rubbed against Ning Chu’s ankle, clearly trying for a sympathy play.
He loved little animals but felt torn. Looking around, he decided to get up and head back to the convenience store to buy a chicken sausage for the kitten.
Keeping a pet in the dorm was actually a serious matter. Even though he was tempted, without his roommates’ permission, he could only visit this area to bring the little cat some snacks.
The kitten, now happily munching away at its chicken sausage, finally let Ning Chu off the hook.
“Almost ended up bringing a cat back with me…”
The school was massive, composed of several large campuses. It was said there were three cafeterias, and so far, he had only been to the dorm, cafeteria, classroom buildings, and playground.
In a dormitory area comprising over a dozen buildings, a few basketball courts and gym equipment were scattered between them. At the center was a small garden built around an artificial lake.
After parting ways with the kitten, Ning Chu ventured into the garden.
Under the shade of the trees and feeling the cool breeze against the warmth of the afternoon, he strolled along the pebble path in the garden, breathing in the fragrant scent of blooming flowers, and finally relaxing a bit from his previously repressed mood.
“Even though there are strange elements like hypnosis and tentacle monsters in the books, you never see anything like that in real life.”
Ning Chu sighed, “It seems everyone here is just so normal…”
But before he could finish his thought, he heard delicate panting noises nearby.
His expression froze, and his steps came to an abrupt halt.
Hey! During broad daylight! Can’t you at least find a hotel for… you know, that?
This is ridiculous!
Neck rigid, he turned his head towards the source of the noise, trying to locate where the panting was coming from, and could vaguely tell it was coming from behind a bush.
Having never encountered something like this before, he felt his cheeks starting to warm up. The awkwardness of being a virgin had him feeling anxious and fidgety, while the students passing by seemed unfazed.
The s*xual openness in this world was beyond his imagination.
Though his curiosity pushed him to sneak a peek, he ultimately chose to backtrack.
Time to get out of here! This really is a dangerous world!
He turned to dash away, not stopping until he reached the cool sanctuary of his dorm. Only then did he catch his breath.
“What’s up? You’re acting all jumpy,” Zhang Shaoqing, at his computer, raised an eyebrow at him. “Did a guy confess to you? Why is your face so red?”
“Much scarier than that…” Ning Chu quickly gasped for air, and after calming down, he awkwardly explained, “I just heard someone in the garden, um… in the middle of some… business.”
Zhang Shaoqing paused for a moment: “Where? Take me to check it out!”
“Not happening! Do you really think that’s okay?”
Suddenly, Wen Yang’s voice chimed in from his bed: “If the school catches you, you’ll at least get a warning. If it’s serious, you could even get expelled.”
Ning Chu looked up to see Wen Yang yawning from the head of his bed: “The noise when you came in was so loud, it woke me up.”
“Sorry…”
Hearing Wen Yang’s words calmed him down a bit.
Thank goodness, while today he witnessed a side of people that was rather free-spirited, from the school’s perspective, maintaining a stance against such behaviors was still pretty normal.
Maybe that couple in the bushes were just characters from a plot, hence their absurdity?
“You turn all shy and pink at the sound of a little action. You must be a total virgin,” Zhang Shaoqing teased.
“Mind your own business! Wen Yang is too, isn’t he?”
“Him? There’s a whole line of girls waiting for him. He’s not in a rush. How about you?”
“Get lost!”
