The urban village was in another district, quite far from Ning Chu’s home.
But it wasn’t too inconvenient—after walking just over 200 meters from her apartment complex, they could take the subway directly to the village, a ride that took a little over 40 minutes.
Ning Chu’s grandfather owned three small buildings in the village. He’d divided them up into single-room units for rent. The price for one of those rooms typically ranged from 1,200 to 1,800 yuan per month. But when he heard one of Ning Chu’s classmates needed a place to stay, he waved it off over the phone and generously said it’d be free.
“I gave you a discount—just 500 yuan a month,” Ning Chu’s mom said as she opened the door to a small room at the end of a narrow hallway.
Inside was a roughly 20-square-meter space, with a private bathroom, a bed, a desk, and an air conditioner.
“Isn’t this a bit too cheap?” asked Wen Yang.
“Single rooms like this are already inexpensive. It’s small, and plus, I gave you a discount because of Ning Chu.”
“Mom~ this room’s tiny!” Ning Chu suddenly protested. “There’s barely enough space to walk! The window doesn’t even get any sunlight.”
Her mother’s face darkened, and she turned around to glare at her ungrateful daughter.
“Really? Now you’re complaining?”“I’m not! I’m not! Having a place to live is already a blessing,” Ning Chu immediately backed down. “Wen Yang, it’s fine, right?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty nice,” Wen Yang quickly agreed, though he couldn’t help feeling something was off.
Wasn’t that too big of a discount?
This was the provincial capital—even if it was in the urban village, a room like this shouldn’t cost just 500 yuan. Even rooms in the suburbs near their school cost that much.
“A room this small for 500 is basically a loss,” Ning Chu muttered as she looked down and transferred 500 yuan to her mom via WeChat.
Her mom’s expression turned even darker.
So she was the one paying? And Wen Yang wasn’t paying a cent?
“All of Wen Yang’s money is managed by me!” Ning Chu declared proudly. “Mom, does uncle give all his money to you too?”
“Hmph.” Her mom rolled her eyes in contempt. “How can a man walk around with no money in his pocket?”
“I’m heading home to cook.” She glanced at the time and grumbled, “Ning Xin is about to finish school—tell your brother to pick her up. And you, get back soon too. The walls here are thin, not great for privacy.”
“…”
Once her mom left—even thoughtfully closing the door behind her—Ning Chu plopped down on the bed and started nitpicking the tiny room all over again.
Wen Yang, on the other hand, was still kind of stunned. “This is really cheap… just 500? That’s a massive discount.”
“This rundown little room is only worth 500, okay? Look, the walls are peeling.”
Ning Chu stretched lazily and flopped backwards on the bed. “The bed’s rock-hard. Total rip-off.”
Wen Yang chuckled and shook his head. He wasn’t dumb—he could tell this room had been offered to him at an incredible discount. Ning Chu was probably just complaining on purpose so he wouldn’t feel so guilty about it.
“My mom said that if you have time, you can come eat at our place. No charge.”
“Really?” His eyes lit up.
“Mm-hmm~”
That 500 yuan earlier? It was basically Wen Yang’s contribution to her mom’s food budget—just in a way that let him keep his pride. He didn’t know the room rent had been waived entirely.
“Looks like your mom doesn’t dislike me as much anymore?”
Wen Yang figured no matter how busy he got, he should still make time to show up for dinner every day—good chance to earn some points with his future mother-in-law.
“My mom’s always been nice~” Ning Chu said with a grin.
Ning Chu sat back up and helped unpack Wen Yang’s things, arranging the little rental room he’d be staying in for the next month.
She’d brought a full set of bedding from home. Even toiletries like toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a towel were all brand-new—snuck from home as well. Wen Yang didn’t need to buy anything himself.
He’d only brought a few sets of clothes, so after just ten or fifteen minutes of tidying, the cramped little room was already neat and orderly.
Ning Chu sat down at the desk, one foot resting on the wooden chair, hugging her knee as she looked at Wen Yang.
“Wen Yang.”
“Yeah?”
She paused for a moment, her bright eyes carrying a trace of curiosity.
“I’ve always been managing your life—not letting you go out with girls, interfering whenever you tried to date. Didn’t you ever get annoyed with me?”
Wen Yang blinked, caught off guard. He pushed his empty suitcase under the bed before replying.
“You’re my girlfriend. Isn’t it normal you don’t want me hanging around other girls?”
“No, I mean back then—when we first met in September. You had a girlfriend, and I kept finding ways to stop you from seeing her.”
“Back then…”
This time, he paused even longer. He sat down on the bed, his gaze softening as he looked at the petite girl curled up on the chair.
“…Maybe it’s because no one’s ever cared that much about me. Honestly, it made me kind of happy.”
“…”
“I knew it was all just some dumb flings, but it was my first time in a big city. I was kind of nervous… I won’t lie, sometimes I was tempted. But if it weren’t for you, I don’t even want to imagine what I’d be like now.”
You’d probably be out partying every night, a different girl in your bed every week.
And yet here you are—still a virgin. An experienced virgin…
Ning Chu didn’t know what to say for a moment. Back then, she’d only wanted to stop Wen Yang from triggering any story flags, especially the kind that would push her into a gender-bender romance plot…
But looking back now, her overly possessive behavior—which bordered on controlling—had unexpectedly become a source of comfort for him. Something he’d never had before.
“…But what about you?” Wen Yang asked, curious. “You used to be a guy, right? So it’s not like you liked me from the beginning. Were you just jealous? Is that why you didn’t want me dating?”
“Uh… shouldn't you be out job hunting by now?”
Ning Chu panicked, scrambling to change the subject. “I need to head home too—my mom’s boyfriend is coming over. I’ve gotta keep an eye on him.”
“Alright.”
Seeing Wen Yang let it go without pressing for an answer, Ning Chu finally relaxed.
“I’ll send you 50 yuan for dinner. It’s not convenient today, but make sure you come over for a free meal tomorrow.”
“What, you're running away without answering my question?” Wen Yang teased, blocking the door.
That shy, obedient boy from before was gone—he was becoming more and more of a tease!
“Then…”
A faint blush crept onto Ning Chu’s face. She hesitated, then looked up at the tall figure in front of her.
Standing on her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around Wen Yang’s neck.
“Kiss~”
Their lips brushed lightly for just a moment, then she quickly pulled back, her cheeks flushed.
“You’re still so shy. But in bed, you—”
“Say one more word and I’ll have my brother beat you up!”
Embarrassed and flustered, Ning Chu raised a small fist in warning. Wen Yang immediately changed the subject.
“Alright, alright. I’ll head downstairs, look around for part-time jobs, and grab a broom while I’m at it.”
“Try to find something during the day. That way we can still go out in the evenings.”
“Got it.”
Wen Yang did his best to hold back his curiosity. The question he’d asked earlier hadn’t been answered—and Ning Chu’s clumsy deflection only made it more suspicious.
More and more, he was starting to think that the ridiculous, chaotic novel she’d been publishing online… It might not be fiction after all.
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