Chapter Vol. 1 Ch. 79

Wen Yang paced anxiously on the balcony. It had already been twenty minutes since Ning Chu went into the bathroom.

All he could hear was the faint sound of water splashing from the shower. No other noises could be discerned.

Through the frosted glass door, Wen Yang could make out the blurred silhouette of Ning Chu standing still inside, barely moving for a long time. This only made him more worried. Unable to contain himself, he called out, “Are you done yet?”

“Yeah.”

After another moment, Ning Chu finally opened the door, fully dressed.

His hair was still damp, his pant legs and shoulders were wet, and his expression was somewhat dejected. His eyes were slightly red at the corners, and a thin mist of tears hadn’t yet cleared from them.

Wen Yang followed him back into the dorm, his eyes never leaving Ning Chu.

Although Ning Chu often had bouts of bad moods and would become withdrawn, this was the first time Wen Yang had seen him look so despondent and disheartened.

Staring at that young, beautiful face, now filled with sorrow and melancholy, Wen Yang couldn’t help but feel a pang of pain in his chest.

Silently, he pulled Zhang Shaoqing’s chair over and sat down next to Ning Chu.

“What’s wrong?”

Wen Yang’s voice was softer than ever, filled with genuine concern.

But Ning Chu shivered at his tone. He glanced at Wen Yang, then quickly averted his gaze with a look of disdain. “Stop being gross. Go away!”

“What do you think happened? I just accidentally kicked the wall with my foot—it hurt like hell~”

The situation was already bad enough, and Wen Yang’s sudden kindness only made Ning Chu’s mind wander to more unsettling thoughts.

Ning Chu picked up the hair dryer on the desk and started drying his long hair, which was now almost covering his eyes.

Wen Yang opened his mouth to say something, but the noise from the hair dryer drowned out his words. Ning Chu pretended not to notice and focused solely on drying his hair.

Seeing Ning Chu’s avoidance, Wen Yang sighed in frustration. “You’re just like Shaoqing.”

“You ignore people when you’re in a bad mood too.”

Shaking his head, Wen Yang stood up and returned the chair to Zhang Shaoqing’s desk. He leaned against the wardrobe door, crossing his arms as he watched Ning Chu’s indifferent expression.

“How about we have a drink?”

He suggested, using the same tactic he had used to help Zhang Shaoqing.

Ning Chu quickly shook his head in refusal.

“Now you can hear me, huh?”

“…”@@novelbin@@

Ning Chu continued to ignore him, meticulously drying every last strand of his hair.

Once his hair was mostly dry, Ning Chu set the dryer down and sighed deeply, feeling utterly unmotivated to do anything.

Might as well give up…

No matter how hard he tried, things always seemed to move in the direction he least wanted.

“I’m going to bed.”

“It’s barely past eight.”

Ning Chu glanced weakly at Wen Yang behind him and mumbled, “I’m tired.”

“I’ll turn off the lights, then.”

Without acknowledging Wen Yang, Ning Chu climbed the ladder to his bed and collapsed onto it, pulling the blanket over his head.

The next moment, the lights in the dorm went out, plunging the room into darkness.

As the darkness enveloped him, Ning Chu’s heart grew cold.

What did I do to deserve this in a past life? Why does fate never let me go?

In his previous life, before he could even form memories, his father had disappeared, and his mother had passed away from a severe illness in his early years. He had been left to rely on his grandparents. Just when he had finally graduated from university and started earning a living, he inexplicably ended up in this world, forced to go through college all over again.

He had worked so hard, yet nothing ever seemed to go right…

Who wants to be a woman anyway? What’s so great about it?

Every month, women have to deal with periods, which can be excruciating. Not to mention the pain during certain activities, and if you get pregnant, those ten months are unimaginable.

And being pinned down by a man… just thinking about it makes me sick.

If I really turn into a woman, will I still be myself?

Wen Yang stood silently by the bed, watching Ning Chu’s curled-up form under the blanket, his brow furrowed in confusion. He returned to his desk and sat down, lost in thought.

Has Ning Chu been dealing with something recently?

Could it be that he’s also going through a breakup?

Is he upset about me hanging out with girls?

Wen Yang suddenly recalled Ning Chu’s increasingly prominent chest muscles.

Is it because of his feminine appearance and body?

Wen Yang felt a headache coming on. When Zhang Shaoqing was heartbroken, he could drink with him, but Ning Chu never liked alcohol.

He wasn’t good at offering dry, verbal comfort, especially when he didn’t even know what the problem was.

“Hey, Ning Chu?” Wen Yang asked cautiously. “Can’t you tell me what’s going on?”

“…”

“Isn’t it better to deal with it together rather than alone? We’re like brothers—whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together.”

“How about we get some late-night snacks? Eat something good to cheer up? Or we could go for a run, or watch a movie?”

Ning Chu poked his head out from under the blanket, remaining silent as he turned to look at Wen Yang below.

In the faint light seeping through the door, he could see the worried and anxious expression on Wen Yang’s face.

With a heavy sigh, Ning Chu buried his face in the pillow and pleaded, “Could you stop talking to any girls in the future? Please, I’m begging you.”

As long as Wen Yang didn’t trigger any plotlines, Ning Chu wouldn’t keep turning more and more into a girl, and Wen Yang could stay a virgin.

But his request left Wen Yang dumbfounded. “Huh?”

What does this have to do with me talking to girls?

Could it be that the basketball thing with Shan Shan finally pushed Ning Chu over the edge?

Wen Yang didn’t ask for an explanation. He had already asked many times before, but Ning Chu’s answers were always about being worried he’d be scammed or about his safety—or sometimes, he’d even say he was jealous of Wen Yang’s looks and the fact that girls chased after him…

Wen Yang had believed him at first, but now, it all seemed rather ridiculous.

“Okay.” After a brief moment of surprise, Wen Yang nodded firmly. “I won’t talk to any girls anymore. I’ll stay as far away from them as possible.”

“…,” Ning Chu raised his head again, looking at Wen Yang and muttering, “But you said you wanted a girlfriend before.”

“I don’t need one anymore, alright? I’ll stay single for life.” Wen Yang rolled his eyes. “Come on down, let’s play some games.”

“Alright.”

With Wen Yang’s promise, Ning Chu’s mood eased slightly, and he slowly got out of bed.

I just hope Wen Yang sticks to his word and avoids talking to girls… that should prevent the plot from advancing and stop my feminization.

Wen Yang turned on the lights, noticing the redness and tears still in Ning Chu’s eyes.

Seeing Ning Chu’s pitiful, vulnerable appearance made Wen Yang’s heart soften. His curiosity quickly faded, replaced by a desire to make Ning Chu happy again.

“Still up for that…?”

“That prison game, forget it.” Wen Yang took out a game controller from Zhang Shaoqing’s drawer. “I downloaded a co-op game the other day, a single-player mode where we clear levels together. You okay with using a controller?”

“I can manage.”