323. Daily Life
“Wen Yang! This milk tea shop, I used to sneak out with my brother to steal some change from home and come here all the time! Their deep-fried skewers are really good!”
“What a brutal beating! My brother got beaten black and blue; the next day, the teachers thought he was a victim of domestic violence!”
“The convenience store across from that place has a black internet café behind it. My brother and I used to go there a lot. It’s probably long gone now, right?”
On the last day before Wen Yang started working, Ning Chu took him on a wild tour around the city.
She held Wen Yang’s hand, sharing funny stories from her childhood, with a hint of nostalgia in her eyes.
Kindergarten and elementary school were probably the most carefree times of her life.
After middle school, the pressure of academics skyrocketed, and with some family issues, she became a bit lost, barely remembering any of her classmates or teachers.
It wasn’t until she crossed over to this parallel world, found a close romantic partner, had her mother still healthy, and saw her brother becoming a corporate slave that her life started to feel more colorful.
“Want to buy some more skewers to eat?”
Wen Yang looked down at Ning Chu’s lively and excited expression and couldn’t help but smile.
He really preferred this Little Succubus now.
The one in bed was also fine.
But the previously shy, brooding Ning Chu still tugged at his heartstrings.
“Nah, I’m not really into skewers anymore.”
Ning Chu shook her head. After strolling past the milk tea shop, she walked about a hundred meters into an alley and stopped, gazing at the small school gate shrouded in the shade of a large banyan tree.
“I used to go to elementary school here. It got renovated right after I graduated, and they even changed the name.”
During winter break, there were hardly any pedestrians near the school, and peering through the gate into the empty grounds, she couldn’t spot a single teacher.
“d*mn it, I remember a classmate who loved to bully me! We fought a couple of times, and I never won!”
Ning Chu cursed angrily.
“Next time I see him, I’ll help you beat him up.”
“Yeah, beat him up!”
Wen Yang chuckled at her response, his voice low and warm: “I won’t let anyone bully you anymore.”
Ning Chu didn’t appreciate the sentiment, brushing him off, “Oh right, right, right. You bullied me too.”
“How is that bullying?”
She shot Wen Yang a glare and pulled him along to continue their aimless wandering.
Ning Chu wasn’t particularly fond of shopping, but it depended on the company.
With Wen Yang, even just sitting idly on the sidewalk watching the passersby felt oddly delightful.
Before she knew it, she had a cup of milk tea and a meat sandwich in hand. After just a few bites, she made a face of disgust and shoved the sandwich into Wen Yang’s hands.
“This is horrible! The meat has gotten so scarce; back then, I could barely close it!”
Wen Yang had a big appetite and devoured the sandwich in a few bites.
“Speaking of which, has Shao Qing made any progress with that girl lately?”
Hearing Ning Chu’s inquiry, he paused for a moment, organized his thoughts, and replied, “Not looking very optimistic.”
“What happened?”
“Qian Qian seems to have a boyfriend now.”
“!!!”
What on earth! Has someone swooped in on him again?
Last time it was his childhood friend, and now it’s Qian Qian, and as a rich second-generation kid, does Zhang Shao Qing have any pride?
Wasn’t this the kind of plot that villains usually wrote about—hijacking someone else’s love story?
“Is he okay?” Ning Chu hurriedly pressed.
Wen Yang’s expression turned a bit odd: “But he seemed really happy this time, saying he’s planning to dig a ‘foot’ in.”
“What happy?”
“Maybe he’s just numb by now?”
Ning Chu paused for a moment before starting to grasp Zhang Shao Qing’s thoughts.
She’d hinted to Zhang Shao Qing before that Qian Qian’s crush was a j*rk, and now all he had to do was find evidence to make Qian Qian heartbroken enough to break up—then Shao Qing could swoop in like a hawk.
After all, girls are the least vigilant when they’re heartbroken; even Wen Yang had pulled the same stunt to win her over.
When she became a girl, he provided her with so much security during her most vulnerable times.
“This guy and his dating life are so full of twists and turns,” Ning Chu muttered under her breath, looking down to text Yan Xinya about it.
Yan Xinya had already infiltrated the inner circle, having become Qian Qian’s best friend, so she knew a lot about the situation.
Wen Yang, with his hands buried in the pockets of his trench coat, asked carelessly, “We’re out shopping, and you’re obsessing over him?”
“Just checking on my son’s love life~”
Ning Chu grinned and wrapped her arm around Wen Yang’s, “What’s wrong? Jealous?”
“Of course not.”
Wen Yang felt petty for feeling jealous over his bro and denied it adamantly.
“I’ve definitely learned a thing or two about being tough~” Ning Chu cheerfully poked him in the side, “Let’s go; time to pick up Black Bean from school. Want to come over for lunch?”
Wen Yang nodded eagerly, “Sure! I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”
After picking up Black Bean from school, the three of them headed back to Ning Chu’s place.
As soon as they entered, they didn’t see Uncle’s figure; instead, they spotted their mother sitting alone on the sofa, busy with her embroidery.
“Mom, Wen Yang is here too.”
“Where’s Uncle?”
Without looking up, their mother replied, “He just left not long ago.”
When Uncle came, their mother had greeted him with a smile at the door. But now, when Ning Chu, Black Bean, and Wen Yang returned, she couldn’t even be bothered to glance their way.
Wen Yang, feeling a bit awkward, stepped in carrying a carton of milk and greeted, “Hi, Auntie.”
Only then did their mother lift her head, her brow slightly furrowed: “Why are you buying stuff?”
“For Black Bean; she loves to drink milk.”
“Right! I love it!” Black Bean chimed in without hesitation.
“You know you get diarrhea every time you drink milk.”
“I can have lactose-free milk, okay?!”
Clearly, the little sister had already been won over, or perhaps she was a staunch supporter of Wen Yang from the very beginning.
Their mother then reluctantly accepted the milk: “Just leave it next to the TV stand.”
She stood up from the sofa, took off her glasses, and headed for the kitchen: “We’ll have lunch in half an hour.”
“Mom, where’s my brother?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Ning Chu noticed Ning Yuan walking out of the bathroom.
The moment her brother saw Wen Yang, his expression froze briefly before he nonchalantly nodded his head in greeting.
Ning Chu, however, keenly sensed her brother’s change in demeanor, feeling a bit puzzled.
It was as if she didn’t want to see Black Bean getting peckish, just like her brother’s attitude toward her wasn’t very obvious but still consistent.
“I’m leaving right after lunch,” Ning Yuan said, sitting down on the sofa and habitually adding, “When I’m gone, remember to help Ning Xin with her homework, and come back early when you go out; it’s not safe for girls to be outside at night…”
So annoying!
Ning Chu’s smile froze. She turned her head to the side, rubbing her frostbite-affected ears and letting Ning Yuan’s nagging go in one ear and out the other.
Even though her brother had always been a chatterbox, it was still hard to get used to it.
