Sitting inside the small barbecue joint, Zhang Shaoqing crossed one leg over the other, picked up a beer bottle, and chugged down nearly half of it in one go.
With a satisfied sigh, he finally looked across the table at the couple sitting opposite him.
Although Ning Chu in women’s clothing was easily on par with their campus beauty, Lily—without question a stunning woman—Zhang Shaoqing still felt a subtle distance and disconnect from her.
It made the barbecue feel less enjoyable somehow.
“So... you two aren’t staying in the dorm anymore?”
“I’ll still stop by the rental occasionally.”
“Oh~”
Zhang Shaoqing looked a little defeated.
He never imagined he’d end up as the only single guy left in the dorm.
He wasn’t bad-looking, after all—hell, he was even a rich second-gen who spent lavishly. So why weren’t the girls into him?The quiet homebody had already had a girlfriend since high school. And to make things worse, the petite “boyish” roommate turned out to be a girl, and even swooped in and stole away another roommate.
Now, only he was left single.
“Damn it. Sneaking around dating behind my back...”
Zhang Shaoqing cursed under his breath, then pulled two more beers out from under the table.
“Drink! Hiding a relationship from your bro like that—you gotta drink as an apology.”
“I’ll drink Ning Chu’s bottle for her.”
“What the hell! You’re even shoving your romance bullshit in my face now? Fine, another bottle!”
Ning Chu rested her chin in her hand as she ate her skewers, but her mind kept drifting to the little cat girl back at the rental.
She had originally thought that once Zhang Shaoqing figured out she was a girl—and that she was dating his roommate—he’d mock her endlessly. But to her surprise, he hadn’t even brought it up much.
She glanced up at him and their eyes happened to meet.
Just as she was about to say something, she saw him quickly avert his gaze, clearly flustered and unwilling to hold eye contact.
Well, well~ Aren’t you usually cocky? And now you're acting like a shy little lamb?
“Man, Wen Yang, you don’t even know how bored I was at the dorm today!”
Zhang Shaoqing began to vent,
“No money, my car’s out of gas, sick of all my games— I couldn’t even go out to play. I had no choice but to apologize to my mom just to scam a little cash.”
Wen Yang drank with him and asked worriedly,
“You’re gonna have to go back eventually, right?”
“Only if my mom caves first!”
“Aren’t you worried she’ll show up at school again?”
Zhang Shaoqing paused, thinking for a moment.
“Maybe I’ll just pull Wang Jie to rent a place with me off-campus?”
Wen Yang didn’t respond either way.
“Ning Chu, wanna drink a bit?”
He raised his glass, but Wen Yang intercepted again,
“I’ll drink for her—she still has to take care of her cousin tonight.”
“Oh... But Ning Chu’s not a cat girl, right? How’d she end up with a cat girl cousin?”
Ning Chu’s heart tensed.
Not only was she not a cat girl—she was a succubus.
Thankfully, Zhang Shaoqing didn’t know that. She casually made something up:
“Demi-human traits follow the mother’s side. Cousins can easily be different species.”
“Oh yeah? Didn’t know that... Hey, do you have a cat girl cousin around seventeen or eighteen? Introduce me?”
“I’ve got money, I’m good-looking, and I’m super dependable. You’d be doing her a favor!”
Aside from the money part, you don’t check any of those boxes…
Ning Chu had to admit that Zhang Shaoqing was decent-looking, but at best he was just cute.
“I’ll see. I’ll ask around.”
“Hey, succubi work too! I can totally handle one! Just not the super open kind—I don’t want a ‘shared ride’.”
“...”
Even though she knew a lot of succubi had chaotic love lives, hearing him use the term “shared ride” still made her uncomfortable.
At least Lily, her mother, and herself were pretty normal.
She didn’t respond, and Wen Yang seemed a bit annoyed as well. He frowned slightly and changed the subject:
“You’ve got good conditions. What’s the rush to get in a relationship?”
“If I don’t find a girl I like soon, I’m scared my family’s gonna force me to marry some fat chick.”
Zhang Shaoqing cursed, “Remember when my mom tried to set me up on a blind date? I saw the photo—not one single cat girl!”
He was clearly drunk, and once he started venting, he couldn’t stop.
From how boring it was to be alone in the dorm, to how controlling his family was, and eventually he even brought up how his dad’s domestic violence led to his parents' divorce...
Wen Yang played the perfect listener. Occasionally, he’d chime in, cursing along or offering a few words of comfort.
By around ten at night, Zhang Shaoqing was slumped over the table, completely out of it.
“Alright, I’ll take him back to the dorm.”
Wen Yang stood up helplessly and turned to Ning Chu,
“You go back and get some sleep.”
“Boss! Can you reheat and pack the leftover skewers to go?”
Ning Chu called out.
The shop owner enthusiastically came over. As he cleaned the table and packed the skewers, he asked,
“So, who’s paying?”
Ning Chu and Wen Yang both turned their eyes toward the slumped, unconscious Zhang Shaoqing.
“Forget it, I’ll pay.”
She had just gotten some living expenses from home and was feeling pretty flush. After scanning to pay, she took the packed, reheated skewers and asked,
“There aren’t any buses this late, right? Should I call a cab to take him back to the dorm? I’ll transfer you some money—twenty should be enough.”
“It’s fine. I’ve got some cash left.”
“Alright.”
Wen Yang helped Zhang Shaoqing onto the road outside, while Ning Chu carried the takeout back to the rental apartment.
. . . . . . . .
The house was completely dark. She unlocked the door and turned on the lights, and immediately saw Black Bean curled up asleep on the floor.
This cat girl still hadn’t shaken off the habits from when she was just a cat.
She didn’t have thick fur anymore, and the weather was cold—wasn’t she worried about catching a cold on the floor?
Ning Chu closed the door and called out,
“Black Bean! Go sleep on the bed!”
The cat ears twitched, but Black Bean didn’t move.
“Food’s here~”
“Where?!”
Black Bean sprang up like a shot and ran over to her, eyes locked onto the takeout box with uncontainable excitement.
Ning Chu grabbed her cat ears and scolded sternly,
“You clearly heard me the first time! Why didn’t you respond?”
“Moooom~ I was sleeping just now~”
“Oh, but the moment I mention food, you’re suddenly wide awake, huh?”
Black Bean stared eagerly at the box, practically drooling.
Faced with the adorable little glutton, Ning Chu couldn’t keep a stern face for long. Her expression quickly melted into a smile.
“Go take a bath first, then you can eat.”
“Ehhh~”
“Go on!”
“I don’t know how to bathe!” Black Bean said with absolute confidence.
“I’ve never seen how you guys do it!”
Ning Chu froze.
Considering she was also a girl now... bathing together wasn’t exactly impossible, right?
But not even her mom had ever seen her fully naked—back then during that “inspection,” she’d at least kept on her boxers!
“No bath, no food.”
She grabbed Black Bean and dragged her toward the bathroom.
“I’ll help you wash once. After that, you’re on your own.”
Cats are desert creatures—they’ve always hated water.
Even now, as a cat girl, Black Bean was no different.
Ning Chu stripped her completely without hesitation, exposing her pale, delicate skin. Black Bean stood under the showerhead, trembling, darting panicked glances around as she mentally mapped out her escape route.
But Ning Chu closed the bathroom door.
Black Bean’s eyes immediately went to the only exit left—the tiny ventilation window.
“Don’t even think about it. You’re like 1.3 meters tall now—no way you’re squeezing through that window.”
Smiling like an executioner, Ning Chu turned on the shower.
“AHHHH!”
The moment the water hit, Black Bean let out a heart-wrenching scream and latched onto Ning Chu’s waist, burying her head tightly into her chest.
“...”
Her clothes were now completely soaked.
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