072. Time to Run Away
As soon as the words left his mouth, Wen Yang immediately regretted it.
Seeing Ning Chu’s stunned expression made him feel particularly guilty, yet he opened his mouth again, and, just like that, his inexplicable manly pride bubbled back up.
But he hadn’t said anything wrong! They had only known each other for a little over a month; sure, they had been through quite a bit together, but at the end of the day, they were just roommates. Not even his parents would be this controlling.
Looking at Ning Chu’s dejected face, his heart felt heavy. The apology hovered at the tip of his tongue several times, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
He hadn’t even done anything wrong…
“Finished? Let’s go,” Ning Chu said expressionlessly as he stood up, tossing the plastic bag into the trash can and turning to leave the cafeteria.
“Ah? Okay!”
Wen Yang’s voice unconsciously dropped a notch as he hurried to catch up with Ning Chu.
Usually, he led the way while Ning Chu, with his little short legs, jogged to keep up.
He tried to gauge Ning Chu’s mood, but the blank look on his face revealed nothing; it was clear that Ning Chu had sunk back into his familiar withdrawn state.
This roommate’s emotions were always so unstable!
One moment, he was bright and cheerful; the next, he’d retreat into himself and sit in silence for the whole day.
The first rays of morning sunlight had already graced the ground, painting the eastern sky a lovely orange hue.
Ning Chu kept his head down as they walked back to the dormitory, his mind churning away, trying to think of a way to break the deadlock.
He had anticipated this situation; even long-term guidance from parents and friends could provoke rebellious feelings, let alone his roommate.
But the plot with Little Emperor Wen had many yet-to-be-triggered events, and above all, he needed to ensure Wen Yang stayed a virgin… The problem was, the previous methods of control were no longer effective.
Although Wen Yang had improved and was cold to proactive girls, he was still a guy after all, and he would inevitably have feelings for girls, always hoping to find a girlfriend.
Plus, their long-distance interaction clearly indicated that Wen Yang had developed feelings for him.
“What to do?” he muttered softly, furrowing his brows.
Ning Chu was feeling flustered—on one side, he had to keep Wen Yang a virgin, while on the other, there was the fear of dealing with a guy and the potential for things to get weird.
Ever since he arrived in this world, he hadn’t had a single peaceful night’s sleep.
He stole a glance at Wen Yang’s guilty face.
Even if he could ignore Wen Yang’s feelings for him and his rebellious spirit, it was still a ticking time bomb that needed to be addressed… He doubted Wen Yang could hold out until all the plotlines wrapped up.
The two of them fell silent as they returned to the dormitory, where Zhang Shaoqing was still sound asleep, his teeth grinding in his dreams. The air conditioning inside gave Ning Chu a bit of mental clarity.
He stared blankly at the computer screen, randomly clicking through webpages while his mind continued to ponder the current dilemma.
It felt almost unsolvable… Unless he “sacrificed himself” and became Wen Yang’s girlfriend, then he could have a legitimate reason to keep Wen Yang away from other girls.
But that was impossible!
Even though his body was feminized and he had tried cross-dressing, even if he truly became a woman, he would only want to date girls!
In such a chaotic world, isn’t yuri all that normal?
On instinct, Ning Chu recalled the scene where he had spied on Wen Yang.
Wen Yang’s size was terrifying! It might break something!
A shadow suddenly blocked the sunlight outside, making Ning Chu freeze. He looked up to see Wen Yang standing awkwardly in front of him.
“Um…” Wen Yang’s gaze darted around aimlessly; he didn’t know why he felt so flustered in front of Ning Chu. “I suddenly feel like you keeping tabs on me might be a good thing…”
“???”
“I’m just a simple country boy; I don’t know much about the city and I’m easily deceived… I’m not in a hurry to find a girlfriend; having you as a gatekeeper would be nice.”
Wen Yang managed a shy smile, but his eyes had drifted up to the ceiling.
You’re backing down way too quickly, aren’t you?
Ning Chu looked at his somewhat silly grin and let out a resigned sigh. “I don’t think your reasoning is wrong.”
After all these days, their friendship had begun to sail dangerously close to the love boat, and he wanted to maintain a bit of distance from Wen Yang.
It was just that he couldn’t think of an alternative plan.
“…”
Wen Yang fell silent for a moment, finally bringing his gaze back to Ning Chu.
“Since Shaoqing is still asleep, can you tell me… are you a boy or a girl?”
That straightforward inquiry rendered Ning Chu momentarily speechless.
When he finally regained his senses, he quickly shook his head and denied it, “I’m a boy!”
Wen Yang looked utterly disappointed yet still asked, “Really?”
“Yup! A man!”
Ning Chu answered firmly.
But seeing that doubtful look in Wen Yang’s eyes, it was clear he still questioned his gender. He lowered his head and glanced at his entire body.
Uh, there wasn’t a single hint of masculinity to be found!
A thought struck him.
Should he just drop his pants and show Wen Yang?
Though small, something was there.
But what if Wen Yang got all lusty and tackled him to the ground?
Seeing that he wasn’t continuing to argue, Wen Yang let out a reluctant smile. He sat down in a chair, deciding to have a heart-to-heart discussion with Ning Chu.
“In fact, I’m not entirely opposed to you keeping me in check… I mentioned before, I’m afraid of being deceived… If I get scammed, I won’t even have money for meals, and if it’s a relationship scam, that hurts too.”
“Hmm?” Ning Chu didn’t understand why he was suddenly being so formal.
“I’m not in a rush to find a girlfriend; I mean, I’m not bad-looking. There are a few girls at school who like me.”
Not bad-looking? A few?
Ning Chu pursed his lips in jealousy.
With that face, Wen Yang could stroll through the girls’ dormitory and leave a trail of screaming fans behind. Counting the girls chasing him in the storyline alone, there must be dozens.
And that was just from the plot!
“The problem is…” Wen Yang suddenly faltered. His cheeks flushed crimson, no longer displaying embarrassment but rather a hard-to-say turmoil.
“Don’t leave me hanging.”
With Ning Chu’s curious prompting, he sheepishly looked down.
If he said honestly that the girl in his dreams was Ning Chu, would they still be friends? Ning Chu might really think he was a pervert!
Though it was quite perverted…
“The issue is my family keeps pressuring me to get married. They say all my classmates from middle and high school are already tying the knot, and here I am, still without a girlfriend.”
Ning Chu could clearly sense Wen Yang’s evasive manner.
He furrowed his brows deeply, scrutinizing Wen Yang’s flushed face and evasive gaze.
Then there were those nervous fingers twisting together, the anxious shaking of his leg, and the occasional hair-grabbing gesture—clearly evidence of someone sweating bullets.
A thought made his heart race.
Look at that expression! He resembled a pure-hearted virgin wanting to confess to the girl he likes but finding himself speechless!
Holy cow!
Originally, he thought it was just a crush! Could it have developed to the point of liking him?!
What do I have that those girls chasing after you don’t?! In terms of looks, we’re neck and neck; I look as baby-faced as a minor and my figure is as flat as a board!
His eyes widened in shock, subconsciously leaning away from Wen Yang.
If that guess turned out to be right, wouldn’t he have to take the first train outta here tonight?!
