Chapter 426: The Neighbor
The second week of school began, and March was here.
The weather started to warm up gradually, so the thick winter coats were stuffed into the closet, replaced by lightweight clothing. Ning Chu no longer had to dress up like a plump penguin.
Along with the warmth came the endless drizzly rain, and the water droplets that never seemed to dry off the windows and tiles—commonly known as “returning to the south days.”
“It’s raining…”
On the chaotic bedspread, as Little Succubus began to wake up, the sound of rain pattered against the window.
She opened her eyes and peeked out from her warm blankets, her big, shiny eyes staring at the window.
In the past, she used to love spring the most.
The weather was never cold enough to cause frostbite, nor hot enough to be stifling. It was just the right amount of cloudy rain, and the best part was falling asleep to the sound of raindrops hitting the ground.
But now? She couldn’t be less pleased.
She glanced down at the wrinkled bed sheets, which still bore splatters of dark and light colors—remnants of last night’s glorious festivities.
If it rained every day, how on Earth would she wash the sheets?
Ning Chu stretched out her hand, her slender waist and perky backside lifting off the bed as she arched her back into a perfect crescent shape.
“Ugh~”
Letting out a meaningless groan, she finally flipped over and sat up, peering at Wen Yang lying beside her.
“Did you collect the clothes? What about the comforter drying on the roof?”
Wen Yang had just woken up, looking a bit dazed after absorbing a bit of morning energy. His bewildered eyes stared blankly at Little Succubus’s face.
“Wake up! Collect the clothes!”
Ning Chu was bursting with energy as she vigorously shook his shoulder.
“Clothes?” He paused for a moment and then suddenly sat up, flinging on his oversized shorts and wildly dashing toward the window.
The rental apartment’s anti-theft window jutted out, and though there was an awning, even clothes drying under it were completely soaked through.
“Should we just forget it? They’re already drenched.”
“Bring them in and wash them again when the sun comes out? Otherwise, they’ll smell.”
Ning Chu emerged from her cocoon, dressed in a gray Stitch-themed pajama set, her feet clad in fuzzy slippers as she scampered over to help by the window.
“I checked the weather forecast—it’ll rain for at least the whole next week.” She worriedly took the damp clothes and hung them on hooks on the wall. “We don’t have a dryer at home; even if I swap out my underwear every two days, it won’t be enough.”
“But we only have two sets of sheets! One is soaking outside, and the other was ruined last night… it’s all your fault! You made a mess everywhere!”
Wen Yang quipped, “Why blame me? You were the one who was most involved!”
Though that was true, Ning Chu still gave his backside a playful kick out of frustration.
“Is there an umbrella at home? Should I buy one from the supermarket?”
Having gathered the clothes, Wen Yang turned back to inquire.
“Yeah! I snagged one when we moved!” Ning Chu dashed to the closet, pulling out a compact folding umbrella from the corner. “Not sure whose it is; I just grabbed one since I don’t know where mine went.”
Most likely, her umbrella was still in the dorm; she just didn’t know who had put it away.
“Just make do with it; the rain isn’t that heavy.”
Ning Chu pouted while placing the umbrella on the table. Grabbing her mobile phone, she turned and headed to the bathroom to wash up.
Wen Yang slipped in behind her, casually standing with his back to her while he relieved himself.
After half a year of living together, Ning Chu, who had once been a man, was surprisingly chill with this situation.
But! If Wen Yang burst in while she was using the toilet, that was something she couldn’t tolerate!
That was her absolute limit! If she didn’t lock the door, Wen Yang often barged in like he owned the place!
It wouldn’t matter how many times she’d turned into a Cream Bun—her sense of shame just couldn’t take that!
Not even during a shower would work; she could easily faint from embarrassment.
Ning Chu peered over, her mouth twitching as she spat out some foam.
No matter how many times it happened, she still couldn’t believe she could consume Wen Yang and remain completely intact…
“Hurry up; we’ve got to leave soon.”
“Yeah, what do you want for breakfast?”
“Anything’s fine… Since we woke up early, let’s just go to the school cafeteria.”
After cleaning up the messy bed, Ning Chu grabbed her clothes and dashed back into the bathroom.
She changed into a high-waisted pleated skirt in gray and black, layered with thick tights for warmth, topped with a loose knit sweater that had a cozy sweater underneath.
As she stepped out of the bathroom, she tugged on her knit top and bounced in front of Wen Yang. “How do I look? Isn’t this super cute?”
Ning Chu’s tail peeked out from under her short skirt, swaying back and forth excitedly. She twirled around in front of Wen Yang and asked again, “Looks good, right? My mom got this for me during the New Year!”
“Looks great.”
“Did you even look? Just ‘great?’”
“Really, it’s nice! Your figure could be a born hanger, looking good in anything!”
“Right!” She grinned, pushed open the door, but stopped short, retreating back.
Ning Chu spotted a black cat squatting at the door, then turned to Wen Yang. “Did Black Bean turn back into a cat?”
“Not likely. I sent her a red envelope for late-night snacks last night.”
Wen Yang leaned over her shoulder to peek outside at the black cat. “That’s not Black Bean; this cat has a White Spot on its forehead.”
“Oh… is it here to mooch food?”
The black cat outside didn’t look like a stray; its fur was shiny and smooth, and it didn’t seem scared at all, just sitting at the doorway as if it had something to say.
“Move aside; we don’t have cat food or canned food at home.” Ning Chu gently nudged it aside with her foot. “Don’t block the way.”
But the black cat stumbled a bit and immediately returned to its previous position, staring at her with big eyes.
“Kind of strange…”
“Sorry; that’s my cat.”
Suddenly, the door across the hall swung open, and a slender girl in a JK uniform rushed out, her cheeks flushed as she scooped up the cat and brought it back inside.
“!!!”
Ning Chu instantly perked up, her eyes darting as she picked up on something.
She stood on her tiptoes and whispered in Wen Yang’s ear, “That’s a side character!”
“How do you know?”
“Just look at her vibe! I could tell right away!”
At a glance, the girl’s looks could rival Lily’s! Plus, she had striking red short hair and clearly bore the label of “poor,” so she had to be a character from a novel!
If not, it would mean she misjudged the situation entirely.
“When did she move in? I didn’t hear a thing.”
“Maybe it was during the weekend? I spent all of Sunday at Xinya’s dorm.”
After two minutes of whispering and speculating about the girl across the hall, Ning Chu didn’t see the door open again, so they finally left the rental apartment and headed towards the bus station.
Even with a new side character around, Ning Chu felt no panic.
If it was the type of clingy side character, she’d just have to step in and complete the plot once again… As long as it could be done within the walls of the rental apartment, she could handle it.
After all, when she wrote Little Emperor Wen back in the day, she never had any particularly raunchy preferences.
Wen Yang was quite pleased, imagining how he’d get to see Little Succubus’s face, all flustered as she unlocked new moves.
