Chapter 75: In Class
The good news? It was only a verbal warning—just a scolding session.
The bad news? She had to write a three-thousand-word reflection…
If we follow Lin Li’s rate of ten bucks for a hundred words, this reflection would set her back three hundred!
Ning Chu hung her head in silence, absorbing the lecture with a face full of grievance, but her mind was occupied with the monumental question of the day.
What to have for lunch?
The instructor caught her off guard, sipping tea. “Next time it won’t be just a warning and a reflection!”
“Oh… I won’t do it again.”
“The kids nowadays~” the instructor shook his head, “you’re quite pretty, yet you insist on doing stupid things.”
“……”
He waved his hand dismissively, “Alright, go to class! Bring me that reflection by Monday.”
Ning Chu sighed with relief, nodded, and sprinted out of the office.
After half an hour of scolding, her legs felt like jelly.
Sure, the instructor was a bit strict and grumpy, but he didn’t actually seem too bad? He had never really said anything harsh.
She was suddenly jolted by that thought.
Oh no! She thought the same thing last time, and then Han Jingye ended up in deep trouble—she had no idea how long he got sentenced…
Feeling gloomy, Ning Chu trudged towards the classroom.
She figured it was time to inform her parents about this whole “gender on the school registry” situation.
Changing her gender on the academic record certainly wasn’t something she could decide unilaterally; her parents would need to get involved, and she needed a heap of documents prepared…
Four years of university, and living in the boys’ dormitory was getting old.
Only two months in, and Wen Yang was already smitten with her. Zhang Shaoqing had his suspicions about her gender, and Wang Jie… well, he might be a bit dull, but he was smart enough to pass the entrance exam—he’d figure it out eventually.
With the cold weather now, wearing a coat was passable—but come next summer with thin short sleeves? Who knows how her body would change? She couldn’t keep wrapping her chest and stay in the boys’ dorm, right?
“A whole bunch of annoying concerns.”
Ning Chu muttered as she raised her eyes and caught sight of a public restroom nearby, immediately turning to walk in.
Just a quick bathroom trip…
She automatically made her way into the boys’ restroom, but as soon as she set foot inside, she suddenly heard a strange sound.
Her feet froze on the spot. Peering inside, she clearly saw no one around.
“What was that noise?”
That odd sound reignited her unease, and she instinctively gripped the hypnosis spray in her coat, swallowed hard, and slowly backed away.
Then came a muffled m*an.
“Ha~”
Good grief…
Did someone really decide to get it on in the restroom during class time?!
Ning Chu’s tightly strung nerves suddenly relaxed; she let out a headache-inducing sigh and headed to the girls’ restroom instead.
The first time she encountered such a situation, she was blushing and embarrassed. After a few encounters, however, it had become familiar territory.
Sure enough, these folks were a bit pervy and couldn’t even afford a hotel.
Even if it was the male protagonist, getting frisky in the restroom isn’t exactly classy… but hey, that was her writing.
She couldn’t count how many times she groaned over it, wishing she could slap herself.
“Why am I wasting time writing this ‘Little Emperor Wen’ nonsense?!”
When she returned to the classroom, the first period had just wrapped up.
Ning Chu plopped down in her previous seat, resting her chin on one hand while searching for references for her reflection online.
“How did it go?” Zhang Shaoqing leaned in, overly curious. “What was the punishment? No way it’s a formal reprimand, right?”
“Just a verbal warning, but I have to write three thousand words.”
Lin Li never missed a chance for some business: “A hundred bucks, and I’ll write it for you!”
“Thanks, but no thanks.”
With that hundred bucks, she could treat Wen Yang to a nice meal and replenish some nutrients.
“So what’s the plan for the next few days?” Yan Xinya asked as she leaned closer, curiosity etching her features. “Are you heading back to the dorm?”
Without skipping a beat, Ning Chu shook her head. “Nope, I’ll sneak back in at night.”
“I can’t believe it! What’s wrong with our dorm that you need to pull this off?” Zhang Shaoqing cried dramatically. “Have we wronged you somehow?”
“You’re not even a girl.”
He paused, then lowered his voice, his expression shifting into that of a man sharing an inside joke, “Wait, are you secretly hooking up in the girls’ dorm at night?”
“???”
“Oh wow, no wonder you look like you just woke up.”
“Buzz off!”
Ning Chu’s mind flitted back to the last time things nearly got carried away in the girls’ dorm during the ‘Little Emperor Wen’ incident, and she shot him a glare of embarrassment and indignation.
The classroom bell rang, cutting their banter short as the teacher tapped the large protractor a few times on the desk. The previously noisy class quieted almost instantly.
Ning Chu couldn’t be bothered to engage with the incessant chatterbox that was Zhang Shaoqing and focused on the screen, hunting for references for her reflection.
Three thousand words? There’s no way she could write that herself.
Just copying wouldn’t work if she got caught, so she decided to stitch together parts from seven or eight reflections—easy and efficient.
With three full days until Wen Yang returned…
Unconsciously, images of Wen Yang flooded her memory.
He left around six last night, and now it was nearly ten in the morning—twenty hours apart!
Never had she been separated from him for so long.
Her mood dipped slightly, resting her head on her arm, staring blankly at the back of a classmate in front.
If only Wen Yang were here, she wouldn’t have gotten a tongue-lashing from the instructor.
And she wouldn’t have to deal with Zhang Shaoqing’s relentless teasing all alone after the scolding.
Someone could have helped her with the reflection, brainstormed ways to manage the troublesome issues, and maybe even shared in the bizarre restroom encounter… And lunchtime choices would have solidified quickly.
Ning Chu pursed her lips, unwilling to admit it.
Why did she suddenly think of Wen Yang so much the moment they were apart?
And why was she so eager for his return, when she hadn’t even been this anxious around payday?
It was as if she had genuinely started to like Wen Yang…
“Ning Chu, are you going home for lunch?” Zhang Shaoqing suddenly asked her.
“Of course! Where else would I go?”
“And then you’ll sneak back into the girls’ dorm at night?”
“Yeah…”
Zhang Shaoqing scrutinized her face, which was now dripping in despair, muttering, “Why do I feel like… you’re kinda keeping your distance from us?”
“Just ask Wang Jie; it’s all in your head.”
He turned to Wang Jie, who didn’t even need to be asked before scoffing, “Wang Jie’s just a fool; what would he know?”
The ever-honest Wang Jie could only cast a silent glance at him.
Zhang Shaoqing leaned closer, lowering his voice as he attempted to whisper, but Ning Chu moved her hips away, creating space.
“You must be a girl, huh?” He feigned heartbreak, “Why are we being so distant, bro?!”
“……”
Now that she was in girl mode, Ning Chu understood the importance of maintaining distance from the guys.
Yet, Zhang Shaoqing was starting to pick up on things beyond her appearance…
She sensed that it wouldn’t be long before Zhang Shaoqing figured out her actual gender.
In fact, that guy only needed to rummage through her wardrobe a bit to find the sanitary napkins she had hidden in her clothes pocket—the leftovers from last month.
This guy would definitely pull something like that!
Even though the book’s antagonist wasn’t the same as Zhang Shaoqing now, compared to the “proven” Wen Yang, she had no reason to trust this guy.
It looked like she’d have to make a move soon.
