"I'm here!"
Yan Xinya burst through the door with excitement, quickly setting down the induction cooker. Her tail wagged so fast it left afterimages as she gleefully pounced on Ning Chu.
Ning Chu had just turned around when she was caught off guard by the sudden hug around her waist. The next moment, the wolf girl enthusiastically leaned in close to her face. Ning Chu leaned back as far as she could, placing her hands firmly on the wolf girl's head, and struggled as she shouted, "Are you a dog? Don't rub your face on mine!"
After finally wrestling Yan Xinya into submission, Ning Chu looked up toward the dorm room door.
Lily stepped in slowly at that moment, her usual cold and aloof demeanor intact. She gave a polite nod to Wen Yang and Ning Chu.
See? Now this is how a proper girl behaves!
Ning Chu glanced down at Yan Xinya, who was still struggling on the desk beneath her grip.
And this one? It's more like a big dog!
As Ning Chu let her guard down slightly, Yan Xinya seized the opportunity. Her nose quickly brushed against Ning Chu's cheek, giving it a light nuzzle before finally feeling satisfied.
"..."
Ning Chu let out a helpless sigh. Sure, snuggling up to a pretty girl was pleasant, but only if the pretty girl didn't act like a dog.
Having visited the boys' dorm a few times before, Yan Xinya seemed completely at ease. After greeting Wen Yang, she casually plopped herself in front of Zhang Shaoqing's computer and began searching for a movie to watch that evening.
Lily, on the other hand, appeared slightly restrained. She sat quietly beside Ning Chu and began playing on her phone without saying a word.
"When are we eating?!" the wolf girl whined. "I'm starving!"
"Wait a bit. I'll wash the veggies first." Ning Chu stood up and grabbed a large bag of groceries she'd bought earlier at the supermarket. "Wen Yang, don't just sit there. Come and help."
"Alright."
Wen Yang immediately exited his single-player game and followed Ning Chu to the balcony.
This hotpot wasn't particularly expensive: a mix of assorted hotpot meatballs, vegetables for dipping, filling QQ noodles, and processed rolls of beef and lamb—nothing fancy.
Although Ning Chu preferred Chaoshan beef hotpot or seafood hotpot, her monthly living allowance of 1,500 yuan had to support both herself and a grown man. Those indulgences could only be dreamt of.
The only seafood in this hotpot was frozen squid rings.
After washing the vegetables and cookware, all the preparations for the hotpot were complete.
"What movie are you planning to watch?" Ning Chu asked, sitting at the folding table and waiting for the hotpot base to melt.
"Horror!"
Why do girls like this kind of stuff…
Ning Chu pursed her lips in confusion and called over to Lily, "Come here, the pot's almost boiling."
"I bought some drinks. What do you want?"
"Sprite."
Yan Xinya finally picked out the movie she wanted to watch, set it to full screen, turned the volume up to maximum, and excitedly returned to the table.
She glanced over at Ning Chu and Wen Yang, who were sitting shoulder to shoulder, and teasingly said, "Ning Chu~ don't get so scared you end up jumping into Wen Yang's arms~."
"Tch, it's more likely that Wen Yang will jump into mine."
"Well, that's great too!"
"..."
The wolf girl was the first to place a roll of lamb into the pot. While waiting, her gaze kept darting back to Ning Chu and Wen Yang.
Because the table was small, their shoulders occasionally bumped. Although they weren't doing anything overtly intimate, Ning Chu, who usually maintained a certain distance when interacting with Wen Yang, seemed to have lost that barrier entirely.
Is this what they call "absence makes the heart grow fonder"?
Who's the one always talking tough? And now she's quietly given in.
How far have they gotten? Confessed yet? Kissed yet? Or has Wen Yang already claimed her entirely?
Yan Xinya shot a curious look at Lily, and moments later, her phone buzzed with Lily's reply.
"Based on my seasoned expertise, she's still just a virgin succubus! ROFL.JPG"
"Aren't you one too?"
"..."
Although Ning Chu couldn't see their chat, her sixth sense told her they were exchanging private messages. Judging by the glances they kept throwing her way, they were probably gossiping about her.
She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Can't we just focus on eating hotpot?"
"I'm not doing anything…" Yan Xinya muttered sheepishly, biting her chopsticks and turning her attention to the movie. But barely two minutes later, she couldn't help herself and asked, "Do you guys plan on moving out to rent a place together?"
"Living together…" Ning Chu's face flushed bright red. She shot the wolf girl a glare. "Don't talk nonsense!"
Wen Yang shook his head. "We don't really have the money for that."
"But it's not very convenient for Ning Chu to stay in the boys' dorm, is it?"
"True…"
However, while Wen Yang agreed about the inconvenience of living arrangements, Yan Xinya was referring to the inconvenience of dating.
After a moment of thought, Wen Yang turned to Ning Chu and said, "How about I start working part-time every evening next week?"
"No."
"But—"
"A college student's main task is to study, not to make money."
Ning Chu pulled out her usual reasoning, ready to give Wen Yang a proper lecture.
"Letting you go out for tutoring on weekends is already very lenient! How can you keep pushing for more, wanting to work part-time every day? There are so many bad women out there!"
"I think she's just afraid you'll get charmed by some pretty girl outside~"
Just as Ning Chu was about to launch into a lecture, Yan Xinya interrupted, hitting the nail on the head. Embarrassed and frustrated at being exposed, she snapped, "Go watch your horror movie!"
She took a deep breath and, when speaking to Wen Yang, softened her tone again. "If I want to move out, I can just ask my mom for money."
"Mm, that works too."
The brief conversation ended for now. They tossed hotpot meatballs and vegetables into the boiling pot, and as they waited, Ning Chu's attention shifted to the horror movie playing on the TV.
It was indeed quite scary, with lots of gory, heavy-content scenes that were clearly 18+. But Yan Xinya watched with relish, slurping a few bites of noodles. Meanwhile, Lily sat expressionless, head lowered, clearly too scared to look.
As for Wen Yang...
He appeared calm and composed, but Ning Chu couldn't tell whether he was pretending to save face or genuinely had nerves of steel.
So, Ning Chu extended her slender finger and lightly poked Wen Yang's waist.
"Shit!"
Wen Yang jolted, nearly tumbling out of his chair.
"Pfft!"
Ning Chu lowered her head, holding back laughter. When she turned her head, she saw that Lily had been startled by the sudden exclamation, falling to the floor and sitting there in a daze.
"Hey, are you hurt?"
For once, Lily's face turned completely red. She stammered, "Wen Yang, your voice was too loud. It startled me…"
At that moment, this succubus looked like an adorable girl-next-door, evoking a protective instinct in Ning Chu.
"Yeah, Wen Yang, why were you so loud?"
"I got poked out of nowhere—anyone would be startled!"
Ning Chu helped Lily up from the ground, brushing the dust off her clothes. But Lily's face only flushed even deeper.
"This..."
Ning Chu quickly noticed Lily's unusual behavior, her heart tightening as she cast a glance at Wen Yang.
Fortunately, Wen Yang didn't seem to have noticed.
Wow, she's hiding it well—even she almost didn't catch on!
Initially, she had planned to let these two girls stay late to have them protect her from Wen Yang's mischief. But now, it seemed she'd have to send them packing right after hotpot!