NOVPUBChapter 15: The Plot Trigger Expert
A new week had begun.
When Ning Chu arrived at the classroom ten minutes early, only half of the students were seated. As soon as she sat down, she eagerly pulled out a meat bun and soy milk from her pocket, eating quickly while keeping a watchful eye on the door, worried about being caught by the strict new counselor.
The new counselor was known for being strict, almost like she was going through menopause, and had already lost her temper several times in the class group chat.
Wen Yang opened his book, taking advantage of the ten minutes before class to review the day's material. Wang Jie and Zhang Shaoqing had their heads together, busy discussing which characters to draw from the new mobile game banner.
"Wen Yang~"
"Yes?" he replied without looking up.
"What do you plan to do after graduation?" Ning Chu asked, sipping her soy milk and resting her chin on her hand.
Wen Yang paused before answering with a smile, "I’ll look for a job, of course. My family isn’t well-off, so I need to start earning money."
"I see~"
"Why do you ask all of a sudden?"
Because Ning Chu’s future was always shrouded in uncertainty, making it difficult to see any clear direction.
Even when it came to romantic relationships, she wasn’t sure whether she should choose to be with a woman, a man, or just stay single for the rest of her life.
Work, family, marriage...
It all felt so distant to her.
"It’s only our first year. Why worry about that now?" Wen Yang noticed the confusion and worry in her expression and tried to reassure her. "Focus on finding hobbies. Use these two years to try out different things that interest you."
"Mm."
Meanwhile, on the other side, it was only Monday, and Zhang Shaoqing was already discussing weekend plans with Wang Jie. "Wang Jie, how about we hit the bar again this weekend?"
"The bar again...?"
"My friend told me there’s a bar where all the waitstaff are catgirls~"
"What?!"
Wen Yang’s attention was immediately caught. He perked up, subconsciously leaning closer to Zhang Shaoqing to hear more.
Ning Chu was getting restless. She slapped the table and scolded, "Zhang Shaoqing! All you ever do is drag him to those shady places!"
Now that she knew Wang Jie had a girlfriend, she had even more reason to criticize Zhang Shaoqing.
"And he has a girlfriend! What if you lead him astray?"
But Zhang Shaoqing wasn’t fazed at all. "Why can’t he go to bars just because he has a girlfriend? My dad’s married and he still goes all the time!"
"..."
This is what they mean by "like father, like son"!
Ning Chu was so stunned by his reasoning that she couldn’t even think of a retort. She turned her gaze to Wang Jie instead. "If your girlfriend finds out her long-distance boyfriend spends every weekend out with other girls..."
Wang Jie, feeling guilty, lowered his head. "Shaoqing always drags me along. I’d rather stay in the dorm and play games."
"Zhang Shaoqing!"
Zhang Shaoqing scoffed. "You call that spending time with girls? He doesn’t even dare touch them. He’s a total virgin."
Is this guy determined to corrupt Wang Jie?
"When I invite you guys to do something normal, none of you want to go! I’m not a homebody. Staying in the dorm all weekend would drive me crazy!" He sighed in frustration. "Bungee jumping, skydiving, roller coasters... how about it?"
All three of them shook their heads in unison, with Ning Chu’s head practically a blur from shaking so hard.
"What about a murder mystery game?"
"That..."
That didn’t sound so bad, actually. While Ning Chu didn’t fully understand how murder mystery games worked, it at least seemed like a respectable outing.
"Ning~ Chu~"
A lively voice interrupted their conversation, and when Ning Chu turned, she saw a big, tail-wagging dog bounding toward her, making her face go pale.
"Move over!" Yan Xinya grabbed Ning Chu’s shoulders, her wolf ears standing at attention.
Wen Yang noticed Yan Xinya’s affectionate behavior toward Ning Chu, feeling a bit dissatisfied but unable to say anything. He sighed and moved over to give them space.
"Move over one more seat."
Ning Chu blinked in confusion and tilted her head to see who was behind Yan Xinya.
It was Lily, the succubus!
The usually silent succubus stood behind Yan Xinya, giving Ning Chu a gentle smile.
Why was she here too?
Ning Chu stared at the girl in shock, then quickly turned to look at Wen Yang.
No way! Yan Xinya must be a professional at inserting plot points into her life!
Lily and Wen Yang had barely interacted before—maybe they’d seen each other at the library a couple of times at most. But now, they were in the same row for class!
"Hurry up, they’re about to take attendance." Yan Xinya pulled Lily down to sit beside her, noticing Ning Chu’s stunned expression and whispering, "Lily gets jealous easily~ She doesn’t like seeing Wen Yang near pretty girls, so this is her way of keeping an eye on him. Don’t worry, you’ll find she’s really nice after you get to know her."
"Mm." Lily paused for a moment before curiously asking, "Are those two already...?"
"Of course!"
"Of course not!"
Ning Chu glared at Yan Xinya, but when she looked at Lily, her gaze became more cautious.
Even though Lily was a passive character in the plot, she was still an incredibly beautiful girl. What if Wen Yang really started liking her?
Now, there was less than a meter of space between Wen Yang and Lily!
As much as Ning Chu wanted to shoo Lily away, the past few days spent with her had been pleasant. Lily had even generously shared some useful websites with Ning Chu. It would be too harsh to turn on her now.
"Don’t worry~ Lily isn’t going to compete with you," Yan Xinya teased as Lily nodded agreeably.
"......"
Ning Chu could feel her blood pressure rising.
She shot a glance at Wen Yang and noticed his gaze constantly flicking toward Lily. Anger welled up inside her, and she stomped on his foot under the desk.
Can’t deal with Lily? Well, I can certainly deal with you!
Wen Yang winced in pain, quickly ducking his head back into his book.
He was just curious about how this ice-cold girl could have such provocative conversations with Ning Chu online...
She didn’t seem the type! In class, she was the picture of cold aloofness, rarely showing any expression. But in private, she was... quite the opposite.
Then again, given that she was a succubus, it wasn’t all that surprising. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
"Ning Chu!"
"Here."
After the attendance was taken, the teacher began the lecture, and Wen Yang quickly focused on his studies. Lily, too, was diligently taking notes.
Meanwhile, the others were busy with their own activities, but Ning Chu kept glancing between Lily and Wen Yang, worried that something might happen between them.
Those two diligent students really did seem like a perfect match!
"Relax, Lily said she’s not interested in Wen Yang at all," Yan Xinya reassured Ning Chu with a smile. "She said men are nothing compared to her little toys~"
As soon as she finished speaking, Lily pinched her side, making Yan Xinya’s tail go rigid in pain.
Ning Chu sighed in distress.
It was too late to do anything now.
Seeing how Wen Yang had been looking at Lily with such curiosity earlier, it was clear that the plot had already been triggered.
She had been on guard against Lily since the library...
According to the storyline, the protagonist’s curiosity about Lily would gradually grow, eventually leading to a significant discovery about her hidden side.
To disrupt this plot, she’d need to deal with Wen Yang directly, making him lose interest in Lily completely.
Ning Chu furrowed her brows. Setting aside the potential punishments, how could she make Wen Yang lose interest in the silent succubus?
Maybe a crash course in succubus knowledge? Curiosity always stems from the unknown.
But if she did that, Wen Yang might start putting the pieces together and realize that she’s a succubus too!
