84. Mother
Sitting in a taxi, Mother arrived at her daughter’s university gate.
It was right at lunchtime, and a bunch of energetic students were giggling and horsing around as they passed by her.
After waiting for a moment, just a few minutes later, she spotted her daughter coming from afar through the low automatic doors.
Just one glance, and she immediately sensed something was off about her daughter.
Last time she saw her, the girl was standing tall, with a youthful face where one could barely notice a hint of succubus charm between her eyebrows.
But now, her daughter was exuding a strong feminine allure, her complexion radiant and glowing, radiating an enticing charm that seemed to catch every man’s eye with every smile.
That face still looked so innocent, like a high school student…
And those slightly awkward strides? Her thighs seemed to be a lot less tightly squeezed together than before.
Mother was torn between feeling happy that Ning Chu had finally embraced her succubus identity and being furious that some poor guy managed to charm her daughter.
“Mom~”
Ning Chu jogged up to her, beaming as she wrapped an arm around Mother’s, “Let’s go! I’ll treat you to the cafeteria~”
“Seriously? I went through all this trouble to come and just eat cafeteria food?”
“There are some really fancy dishes in the cafeteria, you know! They even have hot pot!”
Mother looked her over from head to toe, scrutinizing every inch, then wrinkled her nose, catching a faint sweet scent wafting from her.
She tried hard to hide her unease, fearing that something might be suspected, but under Mother’s scrutinizing gaze, she found it hard to keep her cool.
Oh no! Mother wouldn’t think she had given it away, would she?
Though for a succubus, that would be seen as normal…
But she was still a very innocent little succubus, okay! Even if she had been thoroughly explored, it felt pretty much the same.
Ning Chu nervously tugged at Mother’s arm, “Come on~”
“What about that boyfriend of yours?”
“He went ahead to order food, so you won’t have to wait when you get there.”
“Still him? Haven’t found someone else?”
“What else is there!”
It was clear she could feel Mother’s disapproval of Wen Yang; her tone went a bit higher but then quickly dropped, mumbling like a mosquito, “You don’t need to worry about me…”
On one hand was a mother she hadn’t seen in over a decade from a parallel world, and on the other, the boyfriend who had been by her side since her crossing; Ning Chu didn’t want to choose between the two.
That would be too hard.
Mother helplessly ruffled Ning Chu’s little head, “You should really get a haircut. Just look at how messy your hair is.”
“Too lazy to cut. Getting it done around here costs thirty or forty. Too expensive.”
Seeing Mother change the topic, Ning Chu instantly beamed and wrapped her arm around her mother while heading toward the cafeteria.
“Mom~ Do you want to get a new phone?”
“What do I need a new phone for?”
“Look at this phone; it’s a disaster, the screen is cracked all over, and it’s super laggy.”
Smiling, Mother joked, “I’m broke. You buy me one!”
“Definitely! Something around two thousand, you pick!” Ning Chu immediately grinned shamelessly, bragging, “I’ve made quite a bit from writing novels online!”
“A rich guy even tipped me a thousand last month!”
Mother couldn’t quite grasp that, but nodded along, “Let’s hope for more of those rich guys.”
“I want more too~ It’s just that not many people see my stuff.” Ning Chu complained while her eyes sparkled, “I can earn two to three thousand a month! Once the payment comes around the fifteenth, I’ll get you a new phone. Go check it out in advance~”
“Don’t let it affect your studies.”
“Don’t worry!”
“Save up and buy me an Apple one?”
“Um… Mom, you can’t be that ruthless to a rich guy, can you~?”
“Better save it to support your boyfriend~”
Ning Chu muttered under her breath, “He doesn’t want me to support him at all…”
As they strolled along the school path, mother and daughter chatted, the short distance taking them about ten minutes to reach the cafeteria.
“We’ll go to the third floor; the first floor is just fast food.”
The cafeteria was tiered; the first floor was the cheapest fast food, ten bucks for a meat and vegetable combo that could fill you up. The second floor had stalls for burgers and spicy hot pot, while the third floor was a bit higher-end, where dishes were cooked on demand.
If they wanted, they could take campus transport to another part of the campus, supposedly with even better cafeteria food, but to avoid triggering any plots, Ning Chu hadn’t made the trip all semester.
“Mom, what time are you leaving?”
“I’ll leave once I finish my business. If it’s not smooth, I might have to wait until tomorrow.”
“I already talked to your instructor; I’m supposed to meet her at two this afternoon.”
“That old witch~”
Ning Chu was a bit concerned that the instructor might have a bias against her.
As they climbed the stairs to the cafeteria’s third floor, they quickly spotted Wen Yang waiting.
He stood by the stairs, donning an awkward business smile and cheerfully greeted, “Hello, Auntie~”
“Mhm.”
Mother replied flatly.
“Over here, the dishes are already served, just waiting for Auntie to arrive.”
Ning Chu sneakily glanced at her mother’s polite smile.
It was obvious that Mother was still struggling to accept Wen Yang.
If the roles were reversed, she wouldn’t want Black Bean dating a poor guy with deceased parents who could potentially drag him down. It wasn’t about how wealthy he was, the need for houses, cars, or dowries, but at least he shouldn’t be worse off than her own family.
Understanding didn’t equal acceptance.
“Mom~” She tugged at Mother’s hand, frowning with a playful pout.
With a tired sigh, Mother relented.
She better not be nudging her elbow out~
Reaching their table, four dishes and a bowl of soup were already steaming hot.
Wen Yang dutifully set the chopsticks and bowls, ladled some soup into a small bowl, and then sat down opposite the mother-daughter duo, opening his mouth yet unsure of what to say.
He could only sit there awkwardly, looking a little stiff.
“Mom, this afternoon let Wen Yang take you to see the instructor; he’s the class leader and is familiar with her.”
“Right, I know the instructor pretty well; I’ll take Auntie there this afternoon.”
While eating, Mother scrutinized Wen Yang, making him sweat buckets.
To be fair, the kid was quite handsome; from a succubus’s perspective, he was a suitable partner.
But from a marriage standpoint, he was just a pretty face, lacking substance.
“Mom, just eat! Why do you keep staring at Wen Yang?” Ning Chu said exasperatedly, shoving a piece of meat onto Mother’s plate, “After we finish eating, I’ll take you around. The school has some nice scenery, it’s just a bit cold.”
“It’s colder than where we are. Have you bought any clothes recently?”
“Yeah, I bought two coats and some fleece-lined leggings,” she complained. “The tail is so inconvenient; I have to wear a skirt in the winter, or else it won’t stay hidden.”
“If you want, you can just let it show.”
She shook her head vigorously: “Not a chance!”
Even if her tail didn’t have super-sensitive qualities, she wouldn’t want to show it off.
Not being able to see it from behind just made the tail feel insecure.
