"Ning Chu!"
"Here!"
Ning Chu raised his hand half-heartedly, yawning as he responded to roll call.
It was the third day, and the stomach pain still hadnât gone away.
There was no avoiding it nowâfrom a medical standpoint, he was probably a full-fledged girl.
He sighed in despair, glancing down at his phone, which had just pinged with a notificationâanother message from Han Jingye.
"Whatâs with him...?"
Ning Chu frowned, not bothering to check the message before locking his phone and slumping over the desk.
Having someone to chat with when bored could be nice, but since Wen Yang had voiced his concerns, Ning Chu had decided to ignore the counselorâs messages.
No point in risking Wen Yang rebelling against his rules and going off on a date.
His phone screen lit up again.
"Is he really this free during work hours...?"
Ning Chu muttered to himself, his thoughts once again drifting toward the possibility of a plot development.
Could it be that Han Jingye really had targeted him?
He had felt guilty before, thinking he was being overly paranoid about the diligent counselor, but this time Han Jingyeâs enthusiasm seemed excessive.
At first, he hadnât thought much of it, assuming it was just a counselorâs normal concern for his students. But now, after days of constant messaging, something felt offâespecially during class hours.
"Is he messaging you again?" Wen Yang lowered his head and asked quietly.
"Yeah, I didnât respond."
Wen Yang frowned, no longer paying attention to the lecture. He warned, "Look, with your current appearance, the counselor might just be a pervert who likes feminine guys. You should be careful."
Oh, greatâso youâve learned all my tricks for scaring you out of dating, huh?
First, it was bad-mouthing someone behind their back; now itâs fearmongering.
Ning Chu stifled a laugh, but then the thought hit him, and his amusement quickly faded.@@novelbin@@
It really did seem like Wen Yang was jealous.
Yet, Wen Yang himself was acting more like the pervert he was warning about...
"Donât worry, I wonât chat with the counselor anymore." Ning Chu agreed, feeling that something wasnât quite right either. "See, I havenât even replied to his messages."
"Good. Or maybe... nah, deleting the counselor from your contacts wouldnât be a good idea."
Why had their roles suddenly reversed?
With one hand clutching a heating pad against his stomach, Ning Chuâs eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment, unable to understand.
If Ning Chu was trying to prevent Wen Yang from dating to avoid triggering a plot that would turn him into a girl, then what was Wen Yangâs reason for stopping him from chatting with other men?
Was it really just concern that Han Jingye might be a pervert? That couldnât be it, right?
If it was jealousy, then it meant Wen Yang had more than just a good opinion of him...
Ning Chu started to feel a little panicked, but overall, he kept it together. Even if he was medically female now, at least he still had something left!
...
When class finally ended, Ning Chu felt a sudden burst of energy. He took a deep breath, picked up his books, and prepared to follow Wen Yang to the next classroom.
Who knew why university classes werenât held in the same room?
Following behind Wen Yang, Ning Chu unlocked his phone to check Han Jingyeâs messages.
"Are you in class? Pay attention."
"Thereâs a dorm inspection this afternoon. Donât forget to tidy up."
"Come to my office after class."
Ning Chu glanced over the messages, not replying to any of them. Instead, he tugged at Wen Yangâs sleeve.
"Wen Yang, thereâs a dorm inspection this afternoon."
"Is there? I didnât hear about it."
"The counselor told me."
Just hearing about the counselor made Wen Yangâs head ache. He was about to say something when Zhang Shaoqing, walking nearby, suddenly cursed loudly.
"What the hell! Are they nuts? Didnât they just check during military training?"
"That was a month ago." Wang Jie tried to calm him down. "The dorm does need cleaning. We should take care of it during lunch."
"Our dorm is already clean!"
Zhang Shaoqing might complain the loudest, but when it came time to act, he was usually the first to back down.
Ning Chu had long figured out Zhang Shaoqingâs blustery but soft-hearted nature. Rolling his eyes at him, Ning Chu turned back to Wen Yang. "The counselor asked me to see him."
"What does he want?"
"I donât know."
"Want me to go with you?"
Ning Chu didnât hesitate to shake his head. "Iâm not going. Iâll just pretend I didnât see the message."
He had noticed that Han Jingye was acting too friendly, something definitely felt off. The last thing he wanted was to walk into a trap.
If Wen Yang triggered a plot event, Ning Chu might be able to harden his heart and push the well-trained virgin into it, letting the plot play out.
Wen Yang might even end up happy.
But if he triggered the plot, whether it led to him getting taken advantage of or becoming a full-fledged girl, it was unacceptable!
"Iâm going to the restroom."
"Alright."
The two of them turned a corner and headed toward the restroom.
Ning Chu, who never used public restrooms, stood idly in the hallway outside, waiting for Wen Yang to finish.
A girl with her head down slowly made her way to the other end of the hallway.
Ning Chuâs attention was immediately drawn to her. He furrowed his brows, sizing her up.
It was the vice class monitor. She had left a strong impression during the class committee electionsâshe looked like she could punch him to death... But the lively, wolf-tailed girl who had been full of energy back then now looked deflated, her tail tucked between her legs, and her upright gray ears drooping lifelessly.
Although she was the vice class monitor, she didnât have any related plot in the book, so Ning Chu had never bothered to remember her name.
But that didnât mean he would let his guard down!
Pretty background characters like this could be dangerous too!
Within minutes, Wen Yang emerged from the restroom, shaking his freshly washed hands. As soon as the wolf-girl caught sight of him, she lifted her head and hurried over.
"Knew it!"
Ning Chu tensed up, quickly stepping in front of the wolf-girl, blocking her path.
He had already dealt with more than his fair share of girls trying to chat, ask for contact information, or even confess directly...
Before the wolf-girl could speak, Ning Chu had already grabbed Wen Yangâs wrist, dragging the confused Wen Yang away toward the classroom, all while offering a half-hearted excuse. "Weâre busyâexcuse us."
"W-Wen Yang... can you help me...?"
The wolf-girlâs voice was laced with a thick sob, causing Wen Yang to stop in his tracks. Ning Chu dug in his heels, straining with all his might to pull Wen Yang forward, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldnât budge him.
Great! Just great! Men really canât resist a girl who looks pitiful! Your true colors are showing now, arenât they?
It wasnât that Ning Chu wasnât on guardâit was just that the enemy was too crafty!
Reluctantly, Ning Chu stayed by Wen Yangâs side, glaring daggers at the wolf-girl.
Itâs fine. Sheâs not a plot character anyway.
"Whatâs wrong?" Wen Yang asked, frowning. "Why are you crying?"
"I..."
The wolf-girl glanced nervously at Ning Chu, clearly hoping he would leave.
But Ning Chu, showing no intention of leaving, coldly said, "Whatever it is, you can say it in front of both of us. If you need help, two people are better than one."
Seeing Wen Yang nod in agreement, the wolf-girl hesitated, looking around to make sure no one else was nearby before lowering her head and speaking in a barely audible voice.
"I-I was sexually harassed by the counselor."
"!!!"
Both Ning Chu and Wen Yang were stunned.
What theâ?! This is bad!