74. Trouble Ahead
Zhang Shaoqing swaggered into the classroom with his hands in his pockets, looking like he just rolled out of bed.
He spotted Ning Chu sitting in the front row, surrounded by a bunch of stunning girls.
There was a Fox Girl, a Wolf Girl, and even a Succubus!
Talk about a quality lineup!
I have to admit, Ning Chu blended in perfectly with these girls. Even though she was wearing simple boys’ clothes, her feminine, youthful face could easily compete with the Succubus next to her. With her petite stature and slender build, she looked almost indistinguishable from a girl.
Only her flat chest gave her away.
Zhang Shaoqing couldn’t help but think that Ning Chu should just embrace her womanhood.
“Tsk, tsk~ Being cute really pays off! So now that Foxy over there is your new best friend?” he joked, turning to Wang Jie. “Should we sit next to Ning Chu or find our own spots?”
“Either’s fine?”
“Well, obviously we’re crashing next to Ning Chu! What if one of the girls takes a shine to us?”
“I already have a girlfriend.”
“Too bad for you, I don’t!”
Zhang Shaoqing gleefully bounced over to sit next to Ning Chu, all smiles and charm: “You’re here early! Have you had breakfast?”
Ning Chu slumped over her desk, tiredly peering up at Zhang Shaoqing and Wang Jie.
It was obvious that these two jokers had ulterior motives.
Otherwise, Zhang Shaoqing would never be this friendly; usually, he’d just start with some sarcastic barb that would leave her fuming.
Not bothering to entertain him, Ning Chu shifted to a more comfortable position and resumed her slouch.
“Oh, so now you’re ignoring me?” Zhang Shaoqing huffed as he settled in. “I even brought you breakfast! You ungrateful wolf!”
“That was my idea…” Wang Jie muttered, sliding a bag of breakfast onto Ning Chu’s desk. “Wen Yang said you were low on sugar and lazy, so I was tasked to bring you breakfast.”
Ning Chu hadn’t eaten breakfast, but it was mainly because she just wasn’t feeling it.
Still, given they went through the trouble, she’d have to eat something…
“Thanks.”
She yawned, sat up a bit straighter, and picked at her food with the enthusiasm of a sloth.
“Didn’t sleep well last night?”
“Not really.”
“Why not just go back to the dorm? Why hang around with girls all the time?” Zhang Shaoqing grinned, never one to pass up a chance for a jab. “You’re already pretty feminine; being with a group of girls is just prepping you for a surgery in Thailand, huh?”
Ning Chu’s lip twitched as she was about to retort, but then she heard his relentless chattering continue: “Hey! People in class have noticed you wandering around the girls’ dorm. The instructor knows, too.”
“Wait, what?”
Suddenly alert, she felt a wave of panic: “How does the instructor know?”
“Someone took a picture and shared it in the group, saying they’ve seen ‘a guy’ in the girls’ dorm multiple times. It made her feel very insecure.”
What the heck! Who did that?
Ning Chu’s gaze shot toward Lin Li. Please don’t let her be the bad woman behind this!
“What are you looking at me for? Not my problem!” Lin Li shot back, rolling her eyes. “We were all out having fun last night! I was drinking—no time to report you!”
Yan Xinya leaned closer, her wolf ears twitching nervously: “You know, getting caught with an opposite s*x overnight can at least earn you a warning?”
“!!!”
Ning Chu’s face froze. Wait, why is everyone so hypocritical here?
You see girls wandering around the boys’ dorm all the time, and it’s totally overlooked!
And yet, Zhang Shaoqing didn’t seem worried at all: “No big deal; it’s just a warning, right? Why panic?”
If it were him in trouble, he wouldn’t sound so confident.
Ning Chu felt outrageously wronged. What’s so scandalous about a girl staying in the girls’ dorm?
But, her student ID still listed her as “male,” and aside from a few beast-eared friends and Wen Yang, no one else knew the truth.
Wang Jie chimed in with some reassuring words: “I just checked; a verbal warning is just a little scolding and you write a reflection. No biggie.”
Ning Chu breathed a sigh of relief. Just a scolding? She was used to that from her childhood shenanigans.
“But if you get caught again, it might go on your record…”
“……”
Now that’s a problem! Wen Yang still hadn’t returned, and if she really did get a warning and had to write a reflection, she’d be stuck in the boys’ dorm for the next few days!
Between punishment and her dignity, there was no contest; she’d pick her dignity in a heartbeat.
There’s no protagonist halo here; if something goes wrong in the boys’ dorm, it could escalate beyond just a dignity issue—who knows, it could even turn into a silver lining disaster!
“Ugh, headache…”
Now that Wen Yang was out of the picture, trouble was knocking at her door!
After a half-hearted attempt at breakfast, Ning Chu slumped back over her desk and unlocked her phone to check the messages from Wen Yang.
“Good morning.”
Just get to the point! Why are you sending these cryptic messages like we’re in a romance novel? Are you bored out of your mind?
Ning Chu grumbled silently, but then happily replied with a “good morning” of her own.
She was eagerly waiting for Wen Yang’s response, but after a few moments of silence, she laid her head back down on the desk.
Today was the day Wen Yang was going into surgery. He must be really busy right now.
Last night’s restless sleep left her longing for a quick morning nap.
Not that she was worried about any perverts; after last night’s little adventure, she realized that the world of Little Emperor Wen wasn’t as scary as she thought.
At least, it didn’t seem like losing her protagonist halo meant that a pervert would randomly “spawn” next to her.
She wouldn’t be abducted on the street, wouldn’t end up with a creepy driver in a rideshare, and wouldn’t have a pervert break into her dorm while she was sleeping.
She felt somewhat safe in public spaces.
Yet, somehow, she found herself wishing even more for Wen Yang to return…
“Ning Chu!”
At first, she thought it was the teacher calling her, but when she looked up, she noticed the entire class was staring at her.
For a second, she felt a strange tingling. Then, she turned to see who was in the hallway.
And of course, it was the old hag…
“The old hag’s calling for you,” Zhang Shaoqing stood up and moved aside, trying to stifle a laugh, enjoying the mischief, “Your karma has arrived~”
“Want a hundred words for your reflection? Ten bucks!” Lin Li never passed up a chance to make a quick buck.
Ning Chu sighed helplessly.
Should she explain the situation to the instructor?
But if she did, the instructor would definitely call her parents.
And she wasn’t prepared for that conversation…
Her mind swirled as she followed the instructor into the hallway, faced with the fiery glare of the instructor. She felt a shiver run down her spine.
“Oh really? Just waltzing in and out of the girls’ dorm like it’s a walk in the park! Spent the whole night there—doing what exactly?”
“You could’ve climbed the wall or sneaked in. At least if no one saw you, it’d be a different story.”
“……”
“Just adding to my headaches!” The instructor glared at Ning Chu. “Come to my office!”
Ning Chu followed behind the instructor, her head hung low.
Was it just her, or did it sound pretty serious…? She’d never faced punishment before and was clueless about what to expect!
