53. Service Center
19/59
Typically, at around eight o’clock, there would still be students in class in the teaching building, but today is the weekend, and it seems the only good students left are in the Library.
Ning Chu rushed out without even grabbing an umbrella, and now, standing in the dormitory lobby, she looked out at the pitch-black rainy night, feeling a bit stuck as she glanced at Wen Yang.
“Are you going back alone?”
“Together!” She immediately scooted up beside him, standing shoulder to shoulder.
While she wasn’t too keen on getting too close to Wen Yang, sharing one umbrella was a different story.
Every time she passed the lobby, her eyes would drift toward the corner where the dorm supervisor uncle’s office was. Through the window, today she once again spotted that small girl, excitedly sharing some funny story with the uncle.
What a rare pure love subplot! Though there’s a big age gap, Ning Chu had completely abandoned any thoughts of being a spoilsport.
Mainly because the punishment for messing with the plot was becoming increasingly unbearable for her.
As they stepped into the pouring rain, Ning Chu instinctively moved a bit closer to Wen Yang, who tilted the umbrella toward her.
The small foldable umbrella couldn’t cover both of them, and right as they entered the rain, Wen Yang’s right shoulder was already getting soaked.
“It’s late at night. I really don’t like going out…”
Ning Chu mumbled. Although eight o’clock wasn’t particularly late, the downpour made the night feel even darker, and she could hardly see any other students on campus—only the occasional delivery guy in a raincoat.
In a night like this, one might feel anxious, but walking with Wen Yang felt rather pleasant, like a cozy rainy stroll.
Within just a few steps, her pants were already drenched, but luckily, she was wearing slippers, so there was no worry about soggy shoes.
“Wen Yang, let’s just pay the electricity bill and then head back,” Ning Chu said, worried he might want to do something unexpected. “What if we run into a ghost?”
“That’s just superstition.”
He clearly didn’t believe in ghosts…
“Still, if you see any strange happenings, make sure to run!” she said seriously. “I’ll cover your back.”
Wen Yang looked down at her serious little face and, finding her nonsensical words amusing, couldn’t help but chuckle as he nodded. “Alright, but if I really ignore you then?”
“Yup, don’t care about me!”
After all this time, that female ghost hadn’t harmed anyone, so Ning Chu was probably safe.
But Wen Yang was another story!
She really didn’t want to see her meticulously trained Wen Yang end up as a ghost’s snack.
Plus, the Wen Yang now surely wasn’t a match for a ghost! Even the battle-hardened male protagonist in the book almost got himself killed in a failed exorcism.
The rain kept growing heavier, forcing Ning Chu to huddle even closer to Wen Yang to avoid getting drenched.
Their arms occasionally bumped into each other, causing her to take a step back and readjust her position away from him.
Under the heavy rain, the school that should’ve been bright and lively appeared especially dim. After walking out of the narrow paths of the dormitory and onto the wider road headed toward the teaching building, only its vague outline was visible in the pitch-black night. She started feeling nervous.
Ning Chu had always been afraid of the dark, and heading toward a building rumored to be haunted by a female ghost at night made her even more anxious, even though Wen Yang was right next to her.
Almost instinctively, she glanced at Wen Yang’s strong, muscular arms.
She wanted to grab on for comfort, but those overly feminine actions made her hesitate, worried he might misunderstand.
Wen Yang, however, noticed her unease and reached out to hook his arm around her shoulder. “You’re afraid of the dark yet still chose to come out at night.”
She was taken aback, turning to look at his arm draped over her shoulder. The way they were shoulder to shoulder felt more like brothers than anything else, making her feel relatively at ease and inch closer to him.
“I just don’t trust you alone.”
Wen Yang’s body was always slightly warmer than hers, like a furnace; just getting close eased her chill, and the anxious feelings that had been bubbling earlier settled down.
But after a few minutes, Ning Chu suddenly realized how close she was, glancing back at his chest, pressed tightly against her back.
This didn’t feel like a typical brotherly shoulder hug…
This was like being embraced!
But when she looked up, the teaching building was just a few steps away.
Once inside, Ning Chu quickly escaped from Wen Yang’s embrace and lifted her gaze toward the Service Center, which was just a short distance ahead.
“Why can’t we pay online? What if the electricity runs out in the middle of the night?”
Despite having complained about this before, feeling her damp pants reinforced her displeasure.
“Maybe the school leadership just has issues.”
Having spent time with Zhang Shaoqing, Wen Yang had also gotten into the habit of laying all the blame on the school’s administration.
He shook off the umbrella, folded it up, and caught up with Ning Chu. “Fancy stopping by the Library to borrow a couple of books on our way back?”
What he thought was a reasonable suggestion, Ning Chu adamantly shook her head. “No way!”
“What…?”
“Just pay the bill and head back.”
Wen Yang nodded in resignation.
Upon reaching the Service Center, he stepped into the small room, only to turn around and find Ning Chu standing at the door like a lookout, her little face tense and nervously scanning around.
Here they were, college students, and she still believed in ghosts.
He didn’t quite get it, but Ning Chu’s expression was oddly cute.
Wen Yang walked up to the counter, leaning forward to hand the dorm electricity card to the girl inside. “I need to top up the electricity.”
“How much?”
“Two hundred, probably…”
As the girl took the card, their hands accidentally brushed. Her cold, soft touch made Wen Yang instinctively pull back his hand.
He glanced nervously toward the door, fearing Ning Chu might get jealous.
This staff member was rather pretty…
The person in charge of charging the cards looked about seventeen or eighteen herself, dressed in a red spaghetti-strap dress, and he couldn’t help but be drawn in by her deep neckline.
It was a man’s instinct.
But feeling guilty, he quickly averted his gaze, his cheeks turning slightly pink.
“All done.”
The girl at the counter looked up, revealing a cute round face, cheerfully handing him back the card. “Hey, little brother, why are you blushing?”
“Uh…”
Wen Yang awkwardly chuckled as he reached for the card, but it got stuck between her fingers and wouldn’t budge.
“Big sister is so bored~ why not stay and keep me company?”
He never expected this twist and turned to glance at Ning Chu standing by the door, feeling quite flustered.
“I-I have things to do back at the dorm…”
“What could be so important? Big sister is all alone on duty late at night, super bored~”
“N-no…”
As the wait stretched on, Ning Chu turned back and saw Wen Yang’s face all red, being teased by the girl at the counter.
She suddenly felt a jolt run through her, quickly jogging over. “Are you done yet?”
What the heck! Even here, there’s a bad woman trying to flirt with Wen Yang!
Ning Chu quickly scanned the girl’s name badge on her chest.
An An?
Such a lazy name! She was definitely the side character!
Wen Yang, feeling guilty, avoided Ning Chu’s gaze, yanked the card out of An An’s grasp, and awkwardly explained, “Uh, we just chatted a bit.”
“Ha!”
The clueless boy really couldn’t handle this!
He could muster courage against lower-tier girls, but faced with a high-tier flirt, he completely lost his footing.
