458. May Day Plans
“Ni Chu~”
The gym class wasn’t over yet, but Yan Xinya had already finished her basketball session.
With her ponytail bouncing, she ran over, plopped down next to Ning Chu, and tried to stick to her like a clingy puppy.
“Hey! Don’t come near me with all that sweat!”
Ning Chu grimaced, pressing Wolf Girl’s face away, then scanned her up and down with a worried look, “Aren’t you cold without your coat?”
“Not at all! Just finished exercising!”
Wolf Girl proudly flaunted her bronzed waist, puffing out her chest like a peacock, and purposely tucked her stomach in, making the not-so-visible outline of her abs pop out.
“What’s so great about being so small?”
“I’m showing off my waist, okay?! Would you dare wear a crop top?”
“Not a chance~”
Even though the silver marking on the succubus was on her lower abdomen and wouldn’t be an issue if she wore high-waisted pants or skirts, she was still worried about “what if?”
What if her pants slipped down and revealed the silver marking? That would not be fun!
After some playful banter, Yan Xinya’s gaze landed on the distant Qingqing.
Her smile wavered slightly, and she leaned in to whisper in Ning Chu’s ear, “Who’s that? She’s pretty cute, just a bit flat.”
“That’s Qingqing. She’s even shyer than Lily and doesn’t like to talk much.”
“She looks like an easy target to pick on~ So adorable~ I want to take her home~”
“You want to take everything home!”
Ning Chu rolled her eyes at Wolf Girl and instinctively turned to look at Qingqing, only to find that the girl had ducked her head even lower, her short hair covering her eyes, showing only a delicate nose and chin.
Why does she always seem so shy?
Come to think of it, based on the book’s setting, shouldn’t Qingqing identify more as a female?
Now, that raised the question: should she stay in the boys’ dorm or the girls’ dorm? Little Emperor Wen definitely wouldn’t write about such details.
Ning Chu couldn’t help but mumble in confusion.
Then Yan Xinya asked, “Ning Chu, should we go out and have some fun during the May Day holiday?”
“I’d rather stay in the rental apartment, honestly.”
“Fight it out with Wen Yang? It’s a three-day holiday! Can Wen Yang handle it?”
Ning Chu shot her a glare, “How could he possibly?”
She should have been the one asking if she could handle it!
“Then let’s go out and play~” Yan Xinya had already planned their May Day trip. “How about going to Lily’s place?”
“Going again…?”
“The hot springs near Lily’s place are super famous! It’s the last little hurrah before summer, gotta get rid of that dampness~” Wolf Girl linked her arm with Ning Chu, shaking it like a kid asking for candy, “Come on~ let’s go~”
Hot springs…
Ning Chu had never been to one, but she had a vague idea about them.
They appeared often in those Hina series, whether it was 1V1 pure love or wild parties—the hot spring scene always fit perfectly.
Additionally, there were some short-fic scenes involving hot springs in her Little Emperor Wen stories.
“What about Wen Yang…”
“Everyone should go! Let’s invite Shao Qing and Qian Qian too and make them pay!”
“With this many people, won’t Lily’s place be too cramped?”
“It’s a big shared space~ The vibe of sleeping on the floor together is the best~”
Ning Chu pressed her temples, finally giving in with a sigh, “Fine, I’ll ask Wen Yang. If he goes, I’ll join.”
“He’ll definitely go along with you~”
That was true. If she pushed a little, Wen Yang never went against her wishes.
But Ning Chu wasn’t really the type to push too hard. Even though he listened to her, she had never really forced him to do anything.
“But what if he has plans for May Day?”
She casually dismissed the idea, glancing over to see that Qingqing had somehow moved to another shady tree nearby, sitting there fiddling with her fingers, not even playing on her phone.
Yan Xinya followed her gaze and murmured, “Why does she seem so withdrawn?”
“True.”
“She looks really insecure.”
Girls like Qingqing, who came right out of the factory, tended to be more sensitive. Even though Wolf Girl was normally loud, she noticed things better than Ning Chu. She had been sitting next to Qingqing for almost half an hour without thinking about this angle at all.
But that explanation made sense, especially considering the bizarre dual-gender characteristic; her insecurity felt almost natural.
Well, great, so this one’s also my fault…
Ning Chu couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.
From Wen Yang’s family to Zhang Shaoqing’s white moonlight, and now to Qingqing, it felt like all these tragedies stemmed from the “characters” she casually wrote down earlier.
Unlike the other two, she felt a lot of empathy towards Qingqing.
After all, she had been through that half-male, half-female phase herself, understanding the delicate psyche of worrying about exposing her “freak” status.
Not daring to date, even unsure whether to talk to men or women, and feeling strong psychological pressure when anyone looked at her—everything led to a flurry of self-doubt.
Thankfully, she had met Wen Yang.
“Xinya.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m assigning you a task.” Ning Chu tugged on Yan Xinya’s hand, motioning towards Qingqing, “Use your shameless charms to get Qingqing’s contact info. Whatever it takes!”
“I’m not shameless!”
She switched it up a bit, “Use your enthusiasm to get her contact info!”
“That’s more like it~” Yan Xinya stood up with a proud grin, “Remember to treat me to milk tea~ A Qiu!”
“I told you to put your coat on already…”
Wolf Girl carelessly rubbed her nose, threw on her coat, and energetically ran over to bother Qingqing.
This girl was friendly and pretty, annoying yet irresistible—it seemed like a sure bet~
Initially, Ning Chu had ended up becoming Wolf Girl’s close friend just to escape the constant hassle.
A faint fragrance wafted into her nose, and she asked without looking up, “Where did you just run off to?”
“Lily and I are looking for evil demons! We wandered around the school but didn’t find any clues~”
It was only then that she turned to look at Lily, who had an expressionless face, holding a water cup shaped like an octopus. The cup swirled with grass, flowers, bugs, and butterflies, while the pretty octopus lay lifeless at the bottom, its arms lazily unmoving, looking like at least half of its eight legs had already stepped into oblivion.
Isn’t it right here?
Xiaxia stood in front of them, hands on her hips, complaining, “I suspect Sister Lily just wants to catch bugs to feed her octopus pet! Not really looking for evil demons at all!”
“Xinya mentioned going to the hot springs for May Day?” Ning Chu ignored Xiaxia’s words and turned to Lily.
“Mm.”
Although Lily only replied with a single syllable and no emotional fluctuation, Ning Chu could still hear her utter defeat.
“Can I go too?” Xiaxia immediately forgot her complaints, eyes sparkling.
“Sure.”
“Then I need to prepare! Gotta buy a nice swimsuit!”
Lily paused, quickly sent Ning Chu a link to a three-piece swimsuit, enthusiastically typing, “This one’s pretty! Really!”
“Not wearing it!”
——————
Bonus chapter! Although I’m still feeling dizzy and stuffy.
Time for some monthly tickets~ The month’s end is coming, and any unused tickets can go to Qiu Qian~
