After the physical education class, only a handful of students lingered on the field.
Ning Chu casually sat on a patch of grass. Having just finished a milk tea, she now held a bottle of iced cola in her hand. It was the end of the month, and her next period was approaching, so she was determined to indulge in cold drinks while she could.
She gazed wistfully at Wen Yang, who was jogging nearby, while deleting her chat history with Lily from her phone.
Wen Yang had been busy preparing for the sports meet, leaving him no time to check his phone. This made her feel secure that her chats with Lily wouldn't be seen.
Still, if they were discovered, her succubus identity would be completely exposed... Who knew how Wen Yang would react once he found out?
It seemed like she'd better create a separate account just for chatting with Lily.
"Ning Chu, heading back now," Zhang Shaoqing said, hands in his pockets as he sauntered over casually. "What are you still sitting here for?"
"I'm waiting for Wen Yang," Ning Chu replied.
"Tsk~ If I didn't know you were a guy..."
Ning Chu glanced at Wang Jie, who stood behind Zhang Shaoqing, and interrupted him, "Don't you and Wang Jie stick together all the time?"
"Wang Jie doesn't look like a girl," Zhang Shaoqing shot back.
What kind of logic was that?
Too lazy to argue with this thick-skinned guy, Ning Chu simply flopped onto the grass and stared at the setting sun in the west. Her mind wandered to strategies for dealing with those scheming women and little fangirls who might approach Wen Yang during the sports meet.
"Fine, then Wang Jie and I are heading back," Zhang Shaoqing said.
"Hey! Wait a second!"
"What?"
Still lying down, Ning Chu turned her head to look at him. "Where exactly did you get that spray?"
"Found it at my grandpa's house," Zhang Shaoqing replied with a shrug. "He said he bought it at some boutique, thinking it was perfume for my grandma. But it turned out to be hypnotic, according to the instructions."
"I saw he wasn't using it, so I figured I'd bring it over to mess with you."
"Oh, I see…" Ning Chu muttered to herself. "Take me to that boutique next time."
"What are you planning to do?" Zhang Shaoqing gave her a disdainful look. "Don't tell me you want to use it on girls—that's illegal."
"..."
Why was a villain giving her a scornful look like she was scum?!
Ning Chu rolled her eyes at him. "Get lost!"
"Whatever! Wang Jie, let's go. Time for some duo queueing!"
Who knew what kind of tool Zhang Shaoqing would get next? If it turned out to be something like X-ray vision, wouldn't she be completely exposed to him? Forget about shame—her gender would be revealed!
Fortunately, that tool would likely take the form of glasses. The moment he showed up wearing glasses, she'd snatch them away immediately!
Lost in thought, Ning Chu heard light footsteps on the grass.
Turning her head, she saw Wen Yang plop down beside her, panting. "It's been ages since I exercised like this. It's exhausting."
"Who told you to sign up for the 3,000-meter run?"
"No one else in the class signed up for a long-distance run, so I had to step in," Wen Yang replied, wiping sweat from his forehead. He pulled out his phone to pass the time, but after a moment, his gaze shifted to Ning Chu.
"You were chatting with Lily again, weren't you?"
"..."
"Why'd you delete the chat history?" he grumbled, a little jealous. "Do you really need to hide it from me?"
"It's private stuff between girls. Why would you want to see it?" Ning Chu brushed him off.
It was probably just a bunch of nonsense, Wen Yang figured. If Ning Chu didn't even dare let him see it, the chat was likely speeding at 100 miles per hour.
"That outfit—you're not planning to try it on, are you?"
Ning Chu sat up, stretched, and shook her head. "I don't like wearing skirts."
"I don't even know why you bothered buying me clothes like that... You could've just saved that money for food."
Wen Yang could only think Ning Chu was being stubborn.
She was the one who hinted she wanted a gift, and now she was acting like it didn't happen.
Even with Ning Chu's personality, there was no way she'd admit to liking something outright. If Wen Yang actually returned the outfit, Ning Chu would probably flip out immediately.
"Let's go! Time to eat—I'm starving."
Wen Yang had rested enough, so he stood up and followed Ning Chu.
"During the sports meet, just listen to me. Finishing fourth is good enough." Ning Chu walked ahead, her tone firm as she brought up the sports meet again. "No negotiating!"
"There's prize money for placing in the top three."
"And then you'll let some scheming women trick you out of it? Those flashy, shameless women would even dare to drug you! What wouldn't they try?"
Wen Yang sped up to walk alongside Ning Chu, lowering his head to look at her puffed-up, indignant face. He smiled and asked again, "Are you jealous?"
"I just don't like seeing you in the spotlight—I'm envious!"
Getting Ning Chu to admit she was jealous was almost impossible.
Wen Yang could only nod helplessly. "Fine, fine, I won't steal the spotlight, so you won't have to feel envious."
"That's more like it~" Ning Chu nodded in satisfaction.
"But you'll wear the dress this weekend."
The satisfied smile froze on her face. She immediately objected, "No way! What if Shaoqing and Wang Jie see me? We've already agreed to go play a murder mystery game this weekend."
"Then wear it when they're not around."
"..."
Ning Chu was silent for a moment, then found another excuse. "I'll need to try it on first. What if it doesn't fit?"
"Why not try it right after dinner? The dress is at Xinya's place, isn't it?"
Oh no! That excuse just brought the dress-up session even closer!
Frantically thinking of another way out, she stammered, "I really don't like wearing skirts..."
"I just did a little training earlier, and I'm feeling pretty good. I wonder if the others will even be able to keep up with me during the meet." Wen Yang sighed and shook his head. "What if they're all terrible, and I accidentally place in the top three?"
This guy... he's learning bad habits!
He used to be such an introverted, innocent boy, and now he's like this?
It must be Zhang Shaoqing corrupting him!
Ning Chu gave Wen Yang a conflicted look, her eyes glistening as if on the verge of tears. She looked utterly pitiful, her voice soft and sweet as she coaxed, "Next time, okay? Please?"
Faced with her tearful and delicate expression, a wave of guilt surged in Wen Yang's heart, and his mental defenses quickly crumbled.
"Okay, next time!"
Without thinking, he reached out to pat Ning Chu's head, his tone full of apology. "Alright, alright, I won't push you."
Thank goodness she used to be a guy! She knew perfectly well that innocent boys like him couldn't resist a girl acting cute.
Enjoying Wen Yang's gentle pats, Ning Chu's eyes curved into happy crescents as she smugly celebrated her success in avoiding the dress.
But then, a realization struck her: acting cute to a man like this wasn't any less embarrassing than wearing a dress...
Her face instantly turned scarlet. She smacked Wen Yang's hand away from her head, lowered her gaze, and hurried toward the cafeteria, her pace noticeably quicker.
Had being a woman for so long made acting cute to men feel so natural?!
She didn't even instinctively reject being patted on the head—in fact, she found it kind of nice?!
Wen Yang stood there, utterly bewildered. He had no idea why Ning Chu was suddenly angry and didn't dare to ask, so he could only follow her nervously.
Women's thoughts were truly unfathomable.
They could change their mood in an instant!