235. Black Bean
“The rain is getting heavier.”
Sitting in the cafeteria, Wen Yang munched on the braised noodles Ning Chu had brought him, staring out at the pouring rain behind the transparent plastic curtain.
The cafeteria’s tiled floor was already a mess, covered in water stains from students tracking in water. The cold, humid air crept down his sleeves, making him shiver.
“I saw the weather forecast; it says it’s going to rain until Monday.”
Ning Chu rested her chin on her hand beside him, grumbling, “If it keeps raining like this, we won’t be able to go out and have fun this weekend.”
“Yeah, delivering takeout will be a hassle.”
“Just don’t go; it’s slippery out. What if you fall?”
She polished off the last bits of the noodle soup with her container and pulled out a pack of tissues from her pocket, wiping her mouth.
Girls can’t just shake it off like guys, so she’d developed the habit of carrying tissues when going out.
With more than half an hour until class, the two of them took their time finishing breakfast in the cafeteria.
“Let’s see how it goes?” Wen Yang turned to Ning Chu, his eyes sparkling with hope. “How about I stay at your place this weekend?”
Ning Chu instantly knew what was running through his mind.
She recalled his kiss and caress before he left last night, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she scolded, “Pervert! You sleazy guy!”
If it weren’t for Wen Yang, her little hill wouldn’t have continued growing!
“I only get that way with someone I like. I wouldn’t care about anyone else,” Wen Yang joked with a grin. “Doesn’t that just mean I like you?”
“Don’t be like Shao Qing, buttering me up.”
She shot him a glare and muttered, “When Wang Jie goes to find his girlfriend, you’re just going to want to hang out with me, leaving Shao Qing all alone in the dorm, right?”
“That’s why he argued with Wang Jie last night; he’s hopeless when it comes to boredom.”
Just then, Wang Jie and Zhang Shaoqing strolled into the cafeteria one after the other.
Ning Chu glanced at the two of them and saw Zhang Shaoqing unusually low-key, bouncing around beside Wang Jie as he animatedly spoke about who knows what.
Spotting them, Zhang Shaoqing paused, then hurriedly jogged over to Ning Chu, asking, “Hey, do you still want that cat? You better come and get it.”
“Black Bean? What’s the issue?”
“d*mn! I can’t afford to keep a cat anymore!”
He plopped down in front of them, venting, “We’re nearly out of cat food in the dorm! I can barely afford to feed myself!”
“You brought Black Bean back; you can’t hand her off like that!”
“Ugh…”
Ning Chu furrowed her brow in distress. “How about I buy the cat food, and you take care of her? Didn’t you like Black Bean?”
“Could’ve told me sooner! Hurry up and order this cat food!”
She leaned over to sneak a peek at Zhang Shaoqing’s phone screen and turned green. “No way! Why are you feeding a cat such high-end food?!”
That cat food costs over four hundred for ten pounds!
Converting that to per pound…it’s like fifty a pound!
She doesn’t even eat that well!
“Imported; it’s great for nutrition.” Zhang Shaoqing sent her the online shopping link. “Buy it already! We’ll run out of cat food in a week or two.”
“d*mn, that cat can really chow down! She eats like a bulldozer; half a year old and nearly ten pounds—it’s like she starved in her past life!”
“How about switching to a different brand?”
Ning Chu was reluctant to part with those four hundred bucks; that would cover her rent and utilities for an entire month.
“Then just take the cat with you.”
“……”
After a moment’s thought, she finally nodded, “Alright, I’ll take her.”
“By the way, Black Bean’s starting to go into heat; you should probably get her spayed soon.”
“Going into heat…”
Ning Chu’s face fell even more.
She was broke!
Spaying a female cat costs almost a thousand bucks! She just rented a place and could barely scrape together enough money.
But considering Black Bean was only half a year old, she wouldn’t turn into a catgirl before the New Year. Even going into heat just means she’ll be a little noisy, not a big deal.
Besides, Black Bean will eventually turn into a catgirl; spaying her feels a bit harsh.
When the winter break comes, she would take the cat home and let her mother take care of her—a little catgirl sister to keep her mother occupied and prevent her from getting depressed at home.
Ning Chu thought it over and said, “Just don’t spay her.”
“Do as you like!”
Now that the burden was off his shoulders, Zhang Shaoqing felt lighter and turned to head towards the breakfast stall.
You had your chance and blew it!
This guy’s dream is a catgirl, and if Black Bean ends up becoming one and shows Zhang Shaoqing some gratitude, wouldn’t everyone be happy?
But he foolishly chased his future wife out!
Ning Chu watched his swaggering back with discontent, turning to Wen Yang and saying, “After class tonight, go to the dorm and pack up all of Black Bean’s stuff.”
“Got it.”
“When winter break comes, I’ll take her home.”
She stretched, grabbing an umbrella, and walked with Wen Yang toward the teaching building.
Now, they have a catgirl who could show them some gratitude in their rental, and there’s a pervert in the classroom drooling over Wen Yang; if she’s not careful, Wen Yang might run into the sickly vampire girl when left alone.
Crisis everywhere!
As soon as they entered the teaching building, Wen Yang quickly scanned the area, relieved to find no sign of someone in a red dress.
Ever since he learned about that female ghost, he gets this weird grave visit vibe every time he comes to class.
It was still early, and the teaching building was nearly empty of students; inside the classroom, there were only a few scattered classmates.
Consistently sitting in the front row, Ning Chu tucked her umbrella away in a drawer and took out her phone, searching online for reasonably priced cat food.
She definitely couldn’t afford the fifty-a-pound cat food; she needed something closer to twenty.
Money is tight.
Her living expenses for December hadn’t come yet, and she was currently sitting on only a few hundred bucks.
And now with Black Bean, she had to buy cat litter and food.
“How much do you have over there?”
Wen Yang glanced at his phone and replied, “Just over a hundred, what I earned delivering takeout last weekend.”
Ning Chu hadn’t been around last weekend. He borrowed an electric bike and spent all day delivering takeout near the school, raking in decent cash.
Since it’s a gig job, he could cash out whatever he earned the same day.
“Well, that’s something.”
Ning Chu murmured, “Let’s buy Black Bean some trial food first and get her a big bag once my living expenses arrive.”
In her hands, Black Bean wouldn’t be able to indulge in cat treats and snacks too often. Her food quality was about to plummet; she just hoped Black Bean wouldn’t be too picky.
It has to be better than the country cats that survive on leftovers and hunting, right?
——————
It’s the beginning of the month! Where’s the vote?
