85. Hot Pot
“Here we go, here we go!”
Yan Xinya burst through the door like a whirlwind. She quickly set down the electric stove, her tail wagging like a blur, and pounced excitedly toward Ning Chu.
Just as Ning Chu turned around, she was unexpectedly grabbed around her waist, and in the next moment, the wolf girl was zooming in on her face. Ning Chu leaned back with all her might, using both hands to push Yan Xinya’s head away. She struggled and shouted, “Are you a dog? Don’t rub your face on mine!”
As she wrestled with Yan Xinya, she looked up at the dormitory door.
At that moment, Lily stepped in, gliding like the ice princess she was, politely nodding her head at Wen Yang and Ning Chu.
See? That’s how a girl should be!
Ning Chu glanced down at the flailing Yan Xinya, still pinned on the table.
That’s just a big dog!
Feeling slightly less on edge, Yan Xinya seized the moment, quickly nuzzling her nose against Ning Chu’s face, giving it a gentle rub, and finally looked satisfied.
“……”
Ning Chu let out a resigned sigh. While pressing her face against a beautiful girl was indeed pleasant, it would be even better if that girl didn’t act like a canine.
Yan Xinya had visited the boys’ dormitory a few times, showing no signs of restraint. After greeting Wen Yang, she plopped down in front of Zhang Shaoqing’s computer, searching for the movie she wanted to watch that night.
Lily, on the other hand, seemed a bit shy, sitting beside Ning Chu and quietly playing on her phone as usual.
“When are we eating?!” the wolf girl whined, “I’m starving!”
“Hold on, let me wash the food,” Ning Chu got up and grabbed a big bag of ingredients she had bought at the supermarket that afternoon. “Wen Yang, don’t just sit there, come help.”
“Got it.”
Wen Yang exited the halfway-played single-player game and followed Ning Chu to the balcony.
This hot pot wasn’t too expensive, just some assorted hot pot meatballs, vegetables for dipping, QQ noodles to fill the belly, and mixed beef and lamb rolls—none of it was particularly pricey.
Although Ning Chu preferred to eat Chaozhou beef hotpot or seafood hotpot… with her monthly living allowance of only 1500 yuan and having to support a big guy, dreaming about it was all she could do.
The only seafood in this hot pot was a pack of frozen squid rings.
After washing the vegetables and utensils, they were finally ready for the hot pot adventure.
“What movie are you planning to watch?” Ning Chu sat down at the folding table, waiting for the hot pot base to melt.
“Horror movie!”
Why do girls love this stuff…
She pursed her lips in confusion and turned to call out to Lily, “Come here, the pot’s about to boil.”
“I bought some drinks, what do you want?”
“Sprite.”
Finally, Yan Xinya had picked a movie. She hit full-screen play and cranked the volume to max, then gleefully returned to the table.
She turned to Ning Chu and Wen Yang, teasingly saying, “Ning Chu~ don’t get scared and dive into Wen Yang’s arms~”
“Pfft, Wen Yang not diving into my arms would be an achievement.”
“That’s good too!”
“……”
The wolf girl was the first to toss the lamb rolls into the pot. As she waited, her gaze kept wandering back to Ning Chu and Wen Yang.
Since the table was small, the two sitting together would occasionally bump shoulders. Though they weren’t overly intimate, Ning Chu usually kept a distance when interacting with Wen Yang.
But that little distance now seemed to have vanished!
Is this what they call a little separation making hearts grow fonder?
Who knows who keeps pretending, and now they’re just obediently yielding.
How far along are they?!
Have they confessed? Kissing? Have they already… you know, done the deed?
Yan Xinya shot a puzzled glance at Lily, and moments later, her phone pinged with Lily’s response.
“Based on my years of experience, she’s still a pure succubus! LOL”
“Are you any different?”
“……”
Though Ning Chu couldn’t see their chat, her gut told her there was some private communication going on behind her back. With the frequent glances thrown her way, they were probably gossiping about her.
She rolled her eyes in mild annoyance, “Can’t we just eat hot pot in peace?”
“I didn’t do anything…” Yan Xinya said, munching on her chopsticks, but her eyes darted to the movie. Just two minutes later, she couldn’t help but ask, “Are you two planning to rent a place together?”
“Living together…” Ning Chu’s face flushed a bright red. She shot a warning glare at the wolf girl, “Don’t say silly things!”
Wen Yang shook his head. “We don’t have much money.”
“But it’s a bit inconvenient for Ning Chu to keep staying in the boys’ dorm, right?”
“True…”
But Wen Yang was talking about practical inconveniences, while Yan Xinya meant dating inconveniences.
After thinking for a moment, he turned to Ning Chu, “How about I start working part-time every night next week?”
“No way.”
“But…”
“The job of a college student is to study, not to make money.”
Ning Chu pulled out her well-rehearsed lecture, ready to brainwash Wen Yang.
Letting him tutor on weekends is already generous! Why is he trying to push for a part-time job every single day!
There are too many bad women out there!
“I think she’s just afraid you’ll be tempted by pretty girls outside~”
Just as she was about to deliver her grand rationality, Yan Xinya interrupted, guessing her thoughts perfectly. Enraged, she shot back, “Go watch your horror movie!”
Taking a breath, she turned to Wen Yang and spoke softly, “If I want to live on my own, I can just have my mom send me money.”
“Uh-huh, that works too.”
This topic came to a brief end as they put the hot pot balls and vegetables into the pot, waiting for it to cook. Ning Chu’s attention shifted back to the horror movie.
It was indeed pretty scary, filled with bloody and grotesque scenes—definitely not suitable for those under 18.
But Yan Xinya was munching on noodles, thoroughly engrossed. Lily, however, remained expressionless, her head down and too frightened to look.
As for Wen Yang…
That guy looked completely unfazed, either brave enough not to care or just forcing himself not to look embarrassed.
So Ning Chu extended a slender finger and gently poked Wen Yang’s side.
“I’m freaking out!”
Wen Yang jumped, nearly toppling off his chair.
“Pfft!”
Ning Chu stifled a laugh, but when she turned, she saw Lily’s startled expression as she toppled to the ground, looking dazed.
“Hey, are you okay? Didn’t hurt yourself, right?”
Rarely did Lily’s face turn beet red as she stammered, “Wen Yang, you were too loud! You scared me…”
At that moment, the succubus looked like an adorable neighbor girl, invoking a strong sense of protectiveness.
“Exactly, Wen Yang, why’d you have to be so loud?”
“If someone suddenly poked you, wouldn’t you jump too?”
Ning Chu helped Lily up from the floor, brushing off her clothes, but Lily’s complexion was turning even redder.
“Well…”
She quickly caught onto Lily’s unusual reaction, and her heart sank; she immediately shot a glance at Wen Yang.
Thankfully, Wen Yang hadn’t caught on yet.
Great hiding skills~ even she nearly missed it!
Originally, she wanted to keep these two girls around late into the night to protect them from Wen Yang’s bullying, but now it seemed like they needed to make a quick exit right after the hot pot!
