244. Bathing the Cat
Sitting in a barbecue joint, Zhang Shaoqing had one leg propped up and was chugging half a bottle of beer like it was water.
With a contented sigh, he finally lifted his head to glance at the couple across the dining table.
Although Ning Chu, dressed as a girl, was just as stunning as the class beauty Lily, he felt a clear gap and distance from her.
Suddenly, this barbecue didn’t seem so appetizing anymore.
“Hey, so you two aren’t staying in the dorm anymore?”
“I’ll only come to the rental apartment occasionally.”
“Oh~”
Zhang Shaoqing’s expression turned a bit gloomy.
He never imagined he’d be the only single guy in the dorm.
He wasn’t bad-looking, was a wealthy second-generation, and generous—so why did no girls fancy him?
That honest-to-a-fault otaku from high school already had a girlfriend. The irritating part? That petite boy was actually a girl who snatched away another roommate!
Now, he was the only lonely soul left.
“d*mn it, behind my back, you two are dating in secret…” Zhang Shaoqing grumbled, pulling out two more bottles of beer from under the table. “Drink! Who’s going to date without a little booze to make up for it?”
“I’ll help her finish her bottle.”
“What the hell! You’re flaunting your love in front of me! Add another bottle!”
Ning Chu rested her chin on her hand, munching on barbecue while secretly thinking about the little catgirl in her rental apartment.
She thought that once Zhang Shaoqing discovered she was a girl and had hooked up with a roommate, he would tease her endlessly. But surprisingly, he barely mentioned her at all.
She looked up, and just as their eyes met, Zhang Shaoqing hurriedly averted his gaze, clearly intimidated.
Wow! Wasn’t he normally all cocky? Now he looked like a little sheep!
“I swear! Wen Yang, you don’t know how boring it was in the dorm today!” Zhang Shaoqing whined to Wen Yang, “I’ve got no money, the car’s out of gas, and I’m tired of playing games! All I could do was plead with my mom to give me a bit of cash.”
Wen Yang kept him company while drinking, worry evident on his face. “You’re going to have to go back eventually, right?”
“That’ll only happen if my mom gives in first!”
“What if she shows up at school again?”
Zhang Shaoqing paused, contemplating. “What if I drag Wang Jie to rent a place outside?”
Wen Yang didn’t respond, offering no suggestions.
“Ning Chu, why don’t you have a drink too?”
He quickly raised his cup. “I’ll drink for her; she’ll be taking care of her cousin tonight.”
“Oh… But Ning Chu isn’t a catgirl, how does she have a catgirl cousin?”
Ning Chu felt a sudden pang of anxiety; not only wasn’t she a catgirl, but she was also a succubus.
Fortunately, Zhang Shaoqing didn’t know that little tidbit, so she casually replied, “People take after their moms; it’s normal for cousins to look different.”
“Is that so? I’ve never heard of it… Hey, do you have a cousin who’s a catgirl around seventeen or eighteen? Hook me up!”
“I’m rich! I’m handsome and reliable; you won’t lose out introducing me!”
Besides being rich, the rest didn’t really apply to you…
Ning Chu admitted Zhang Shaoqing was somewhat good-looking, but at most just a little handsome.
“Let’s see; I’ll ask around later.”
“Hey, a succubus would work too! I can handle that! Just not one who’s too loose; I don’t want the bus fare.”
“……”
Although she knew many succubi led chaotic lives, hearing “bus fare” still rubbed her the wrong way.
At least Lily, her mother, and she were all decent.
She didn’t reply, and Wen Yang, feeling a bit dissatisfied, raised another topic slightly furrowing his brow. “Anyway, with your conditions, why the rush to date?”
“If I don’t start dating a girl I like soon, I’m afraid my family will force me to marry some fat lady.”
Zhang Shaoqing cursed, “Didn’t my mom make me go on blind dates before? I looked at the photos—didn’t see a single catgirl!”
This guy had drunk a little too much and was on a roll with his complaints.
From his boredom in the dorm to his family’s overbearing control, he eventually spiraled into recounting how his father’s domestic violence led to their divorce…
Wen Yang was a competent listener, occasionally chiming in to vent with Zhang Shaoqing or offering a few reassuring words.
By around ten o’clock, Zhang Shaoqing was slumped on the table, his mind foggy.
“Alright, I’d better take him back to the dorm,” Wen Yang sighed, getting up and turning to Ning Chu. “You should head home and get some sleep.”
“Boss! Can you heat the leftover skewers and pack them for us?”
Ning Chu called out, and the owner warmly approached, clearing the table while asking, “Who’s paying?”
“……”
Ning Chu and Wen Yang both turned their gazes towards Zhang Shaoqing, who was face-down on the table, completely out of it.
“Fine, I’ll take care of it.”
Having just received some living expenses, Ning Chu was feeling generous. After scanning the payment, she picked up the heated and packed skewers and asked, “There aren’t any buses running now, right? Can we take a taxi to send him back to the dorm? I’ll send you some money; twenty should be enough.”
“Don’t worry; I still have some money.”
“Okay.”
Wen Yang helped Zhang Shaoqing stumble out to the street, while Ning Chu carried the barbecue back to the rental apartment.
Home
It was pitch black inside. Upon opening the door and turning on the light, she immediately spotted Black Bean curled up sleeping on the floor.
This catgirl really couldn’t shake her old habits.
Now, without her thick fur, and with the cold weather, she wasn’t worried about getting sick from sleeping on the floor.
Ning Chu closed the door and called out, “Black Bean! Go sleep on the bed!”
The cat ears twitched, but Black Bean remained unmoved.
“Get up; it’s time to eat~”
“Where is it?”
Black Bean suddenly sprang up and darted over to Ning Chu, her eyes locking onto the packed barbecue box, excitement written all over her face.
Ning Chu grabbed her cat ears and scolded, “You clearly heard me talking! Why didn’t you respond?”
“Mom~ I was sleeping just now~”
“The moment I mentioned food, you woke up, huh?”
Black Bean stared at the packed box with eyes wide like saucers, saliva almost dripping.
Faced with the adorably greedy little cat, Ning Chu couldn’t keep a stern face. Her frown quickly transformed into a smile. “First, go take a shower before you eat.”
“Eh~”
“Quickly!”
“I don’t know how to take a shower!” Black Bean protested defiantly, “I’ve never seen how you all do it!”
Ning Chu’s expression stiffened, but considering that she was a woman now… bathing together didn’t seem like too big of a deal?
But she hadn’t even let her mother see her body fully! Back then, when her mom checked on her, she was still in boxers!
“No shower, no food.” She pulled Black Bean towards the bathroom. “I’ll wash you once; you can do it yourself next time.”
Cats are supposedly creatures that emerged from the desert and have always been averse to water.
Even as a catgirl, Black Bean shared that fear. Ning Chu stripped her down effortlessly, revealing her delicate skin. Standing trembled under the showerhead, she frantically glanced around, plotting her escape route.
But Ning Chu promptly shut the bathroom door.
So Black Bean gazed longingly at the only ventilation window in the bathroom…
“Stop looking; you’re like one point three or four meters tall! How could you possibly fit through that window?”
Ning Chu, looking like an executioner, smiled as she turned on the shower.
“Ah!”
The moment the water hit her, Black Bean let out a chilling scream, lunging forward to grab Ning Chu’s waist, burying her face deep into her chest.
“……”
Clothes were completely soaked.
