Trapped In Paradise
On Monday, with more than ten minutes left before class, a couple strolled lazily up the stairs to the fourth floor of the teaching building.
They had just reached the corridor when a loud cheer rang out behind them, startling Ning Chu so badly she jumped.
“Ning Chu~”
The wolf-eared girl wagged her tail wildly and dashed over, charging straight toward Ning Chu’s arms, only to be stopped when a hand firmly pressed against her face, halting her momentum.
“You’re the only one who’s energetic all day long.”
“Not really~” Yan Xinya struggled to pry that slender hand off her face, but then froze when her eyes landed on something.
Ning Chu immediately straightened her back and proudly showed off her freshly manicured ten fingers, the corners of her lips lifting unconsciously. “Pretty, right? Wen Yang paid for my manicure!”
“Isn’t his money basically your money?”
Yan Xinya rarely saw such feminine accessories on her. In the past, forget manicures, Ning Chu wouldn’t even carry a handbag.
“So? Doesn’t it look great?”
The wolf girl flicked her big ears. “Mm, it’s not bad?”
“Right? I think it’s pretty good too!”
“Morning.”
Lily walked up expressionlessly, greeted them casually, and was about to head into the classroom.
“Lily, I got a manicure!”
“???”
“Wen Yang took me to get it done! Look!”
Lily stared blankly at Ning Chu, tilting her head slightly, completely baffled.
It was just a manicure, was it really worth showing off this much? She looked like a kid who’d just gotten a new toy.
“Doesn’t it look nice?” Ning Chu pestered, pushing her fingers right up to Lily’s face, her expression full of smug pride.
Lily grabbed her fingers and examined them carefully. After a moment, she coldly spat out two words: “So-so.”
The smile on Ning Chu’s face stiffened. She muttered to herself as she pulled her hand back, “I think it’s okay though…”
“There’s still dead skin…”
Since Lily had already been that blunt, Yan Xinya leaned in and continued her critique.
“The cuticles weren’t cleaned properly, and you’ve got hangnails on your index finger. The cuticle line wasn’t trimmed either.” After finishing her assessment, the wolf girl muttered quietly, “How much did that cost? Not professional at all. Not as good as when Lily does my nails.”
“……”
Ning Chu drooped, burying her head in the crook of her arm as she slumped against the corridor railing, radiating utter despair. Wen Yang, standing beside her, chuckled and rubbed her head.
“It’s normal to get ripped off the first time. As long as you think it looks good, that’s what matters.”
“Oh~”
Lily was way too blunt. His little succubus had been in a good mood today, and now her spirits were completely crushed.
He even suspected these two succubi were secretly competing with each other, though they usually got along just fine.
Seeing Ning Chu slumped over the railing in silence, Lily finally said stiffly, “Come to the dorm after school.”
“For what?”
“I’ll do your nails.”
Ning Chu’s eyes lit up as she lifted her head. “Do you charge?”
“Class first.”
She immediately hooked her arm around Lily’s, stretching out her hand eagerly. “What color do you think suits me? What kind of style would look good?”
“I think the sparkly ones are nice! Just maybe too flashy—might be a bit much for everyday.”
“The kind with nail tips?” Yan Xinya chimed in. “I like those too!”
Seeing the girls happily chatting in the corridor, Wen Yang went into the classroom first.
What surprised him, though, was that he spotted Zhang Shaoqing inside at a glance. That shameless guy usually either skipped class or arrived right on time, he’d never been earlier than Wen Yang before.
“You’re here so early?” Wen Yang sat down beside Zhang Shaoqing, set his books down, and flipped to the right page as he spoke.
“You’re here? Where’s Ning Chu?” Zhang Shaoqing hesitated, like he wanted to say something but didn’t.
“She’s chatting in the back.”
Wen Yang had never seen this thick-skinned, carefree guy look like this before. Curious, he asked, “What’s wrong? Something bad happened?”
“Not really… Hey, did you remember? About how I take Wang Jie to see his wife on Saturday?”
Zhang Shaoqing always called his bro girlfriend wife.
“You even said you’d secretly take a photo and post it in the group chat, but you didn’t.”
Zhang Shaoqing scratched his head. “And then… Wang Jie’s ‘wife’ turned out to be pregnant…”
“!!!”
Wen Yang froze, his mouth falling open in disbelief. “Pregnant? Isn’t his girlfriend only eighteen or nineteen?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. He couldn’t, for a moment, reconcile the image of that honest, timid Wang Jie with the guy who’d now gotten his girlfriend pregnant before marriage.
“Yeah. I even stayed with them at the hospital for half the day.”
Zhang Shaoqing propped his chin on one hand, and his expression suddenly turned excited. “Man, you have no idea! Wang Jie’s ‘wife’ is a rabbit! Holy crap, those ears are so long! She’s only like one-fifty-something tall, but with the ears she’s gotta be one-seventy!”
This shameless guy quickly derailed the topic. “No wonder Wang Jie got drained so dry he could barely walk~ I heard the first time they had sex was because his wife took the initiative. Figures, since she’s a rabbit.”
Wen Yang asked blankly, “Didn’t Wang Jie show us photos before…?”
“She was wearing a hat, and yeah, she really does look like a good, obedient girl. Kinda plain-looking.”
“What are you talking about?”
Only then did Ning Chu stroll into the classroom with her bestie. She plopped down next to Wen Yang, immediately leaning in with her ears perked up. “What’s ‘kinda plain’?”
“Oh, you’re here too? Perfect, come be our consultant.”
“Huh?”
“Wang Jie’s ‘wife’ is pregnant. Do you think he should abort it or keep it?”
“???”
Ning Chu looked completely confused, raising her head to stare at Zhang Shaoqing. “Huh?”
“Wang Jie’s still over at his ‘wife’s’ place, stressing over whether to keep it or not.” Zhang Shaoqing crossed his legs. “If you ask me, they should abort it ASAP. If they don’t have money, I can even lend him some. Way better than having an extra burden while you’re still studying.”
“……”
Ning Chu’s brain short-circuited for a moment.
She’d always thought that, as a succubus, she’d have a high chance of getting pregnant by accident—turns out Wang Jie’s girlfriend got hit first.
Did Wang Jie seriously never use protection?!
“Isn’t that something he has to decide for himself?” Wen Yang rubbed his temples, already getting a headache. If he put himself in Wang Jie’s shoes, he couldn’t make that decision either.
Thankfully, he and Ning Chu were very careful about contraception.
“He’s still hesitating. Doesn’t even dare tell his family.” Zhang Shaoqing said with schadenfreude. “Hasn’t even met the parents yet and he already got their daughter pregnant. If I were her girlfriend's dad, I’d break his legs.”
Wen Yang shuddered, his calves faintly aching. “Yeah, for real.”
“So… secretly abort it?”
“Wang Jie’s wife can’t bear to.”
“Then keep it…?”
“They’re not married, and they can’t afford to raise a kid.”
Wen Yang couldn’t help rolling his eyes. “Then what the hell does he want to do?”
“No idea, that’s why he asked you guys to be his consultants~” Zhang Shaoqing said with a mischievous grin.
<+>
Link for character illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IxOucqi87ss3bmqfO9zI2gYiM1Gy8Hz2