Dragging along two drunk idiots, the four of them finally made it back to the dorm.
The lively Ning Chu from earlier had vanished. As usual, he sat down in front of his computer with a blank face, aimlessly clicking through web pages without saying a word.
All the signs pointed to one grim conclusion: in this world, he was playing the role of the girl hiding in the boys' dorm. If the novel’s plot unfolded as written, he was doomed to be devoured clean by both the protagonist and the villain.
But he was a man, damn it…
There were no cheat systems, no witch mentors, no talking black cats. He didn’t suffer from gender dysphoria and had zero interest in flying to Thailand for "surgery." So how was he supposed to just magically turn into a girl overnight for plot convenience?
Sure, this world had cat girls and succubi, but all the magical elements seemed to exist solely for NSFW purposes!
Ning Chu sank into a spiral of existential dread.
Meanwhile, Wen Yang—after tucking in the two drunkards—turned to glance at his now silent and withdrawn roommate. He was starting to worry.
Why had Ning Chu suddenly gone all gloomy on the way home, and now looked completely spaced out?
Scratching his head, Wen Yang wondered if maybe he’d said something that hurt his roommate’s fragile feelings.But all he’d done was ask about his body wash, right?
—Wait, was that not the scent of body wash?
Wen Yang’s gaze drifted across Ning Chu’s profile, trailing down from head to toe.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” Ning Chu suddenly turned, eyes cold and sharp.
“I was just thinking… that you looked upset.”
“It’s nothing. Just got something on my mind.”
“Wanna talk about it? Maybe I can help.”
His eyes lit up with hope, and for a second, Ning Chu almost considered it. He almost spilled everything about the novel, the plot, and his suspicions.
But then he hesitated and looked away, shaking his head. “Forget it.”
Revealing the plot would be giving away his biggest advantage. Right now, he was the only one who knew what was coming. If he told Wen Yang, the future would be unpredictable. Who knew if this “protagonist” would go wild with excitement after learning the script?
No—he still had a chance to change things, to avoid becoming the female supporting character in his Hentai story.
Wen Yang didn’t press the issue. After all, they’d only known each other for two weeks.
Stretching and yawning, he reminded, “We’ve got military training tomorrow morning. Let’s get some sleep.”
“Mm.”
Wen Yang could tell his advice went in one ear and out the other just from Ning Chu’s vacant expression. Shaking his head, he walked over to the closet, pulled out a pair of boxers for sleepwear, and was just about to head for the bathroom—
Knock, knock
There was a gentle knock at the dorm door.
Wen Yang opened it—and froze.
“Li–Ling Ling? What are you doing here?”
“I came to take you out~” said the girl with a pair of twitching cat ears on her head. The moment the door opened, she zipped inside like lightning and latched onto Wen Yang’s arm. “Come on, let’s go~ I thought your dorm dinner was over?”
“Wait, how did you even get up here—?”
“I climbed the wall!” she declared proudly, tilting her head back with a smirk. Her fluffy cat ears bobbed adorably.
Wen Yang looked torn. On one hand, military training started early tomorrow. On the other hand… his girlfriend was here. Begging him to sneak out.Google seaʀᴄh
Just as he was about to give in and get pulled out the door, a voice called from behind.
“Wen Yang! Weren’t we supposed to duo tonight?”
He turned around and saw Ning Chu beaming like spring sunshine. “I’ve never played before, so you’ll have to carry me.”
Ning Chu’s insides were knotted with tension. He had thought the first chapter’s plot was over, but now Ling Ling—the girl who seduces the protagonist—had shown up in person!
In the novel, she had been the aggressive type, the one who pushed Wen Yang down. A total alpha-cat girl.
Why wasn’t he the protagonist? Why did Wen Yang get all the good stuff?!
“Huh?” Wen Yang blinked in confusion. “Did we say we’d duo tonight?”
“We did!” Ning Chu stared at him, dead serious.
He had to know—when it came down to it, which mattered more to this man: a video game duo with a shy roommate, or a cat girl girlfriend?
Of course it’s the cat girl! Any man would choose that!
Wen Yang glanced back at the cat girl Ling Ling. Her soft cat ears twitched, and her wide, glistening eyes pleaded up at him. He could still feel the lingering warmth of her soft curves on his arm…
On the other side, his socially withdrawn, introverted roommate was waiting to duo in a game.
Any man would know what to choose.
“…Maybe next time?” Wen Yang finally said.
Both Ning Chu and Ling Ling were stunned.
After a moment, Ling Ling’s lips pouted, her cat ears drooping in disappointment. “What the heck~”
“We’ve got military training tomorrow. Staying out late wouldn’t be a good idea,” Wen Yang explained.
“Besides, two of my roommates are still passed out drunk. Look—they’re still lying on the floor. If I leave, who’s going to take care of them?”
Ling Ling peeked at the two drunks on the ground, and suddenly her ears perked up. “Eh? Brother Shaoqing is your roommate? Why’d he drink so much?”
“You know him?”
“Of course! We grew up together!”
Seeing Zhang Shaoqing drunk softened Ling Ling’s attitude a lot. As she was leaving, she clung to Wen Yang’s arm, whispering, “You’ve got to take care of Brother Shaoqing! Don’t leave him lying on the floor—make sure he gets to bed, okay~?”
Watching the couple walk out of the dorm chatting, Ning Chu couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth, almost laughing out loud.
Thank God. Wen Yang hadn’t become the sleazy, promiscuous hentai protagonist just yet. He had actually turned down a girl’s active invitation in favor of playing games.
Incredible.
If it were him, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to resist that kind of temptation.
But now, Zhang Shaoqing wouldn’t blacken from heartbreak, and Wen Yang wouldn’t begin his descent into hentai-protagonist degeneracy. Everything was on track.
Perfect.
About ten minutes later, Wen Yang returned, pushing open the door with a sigh. “Women are such a pain.”
“So lucky~” Ning Chu muttered with a tone full of envy, jealousy, and spite.
He really wanted a cat girl girlfriend too~
“Lucky? I’ve only known her for two days.” Wen Yang flopped into his chair. “We’ve just held hands. She’s so aggressive out of nowhere—it kinda freaked me out.”
He glanced at the unconscious Zhang Shaoqing and frowned. “What a coincidence. So Shaoqing really did grow up with Ling Ling?”
“Yeah. Real coincidence,” Ning Chu said flatly.
If Zhang Shaoqing and Ling Ling weren’t childhood sweethearts—and if he wasn’t afraid that Shaoqing would turn into a villain because of Ling Ling—he wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble to stop the plot.
The character he played in the novel didn’t just have a thing with the protagonist. He had ties with the villain too.
Feeling uneasy, Ning Chu added a warning: “I think… maybe don’t mention Ling Ling to Zhang Shaoqing? Since they grew up together…”
If Shaoqing found out the girl he liked had tried to throw herself at Wen Yang, it might seriously mess with him.
“Got it. I’m gonna shower, then we can queue.”
Ning Chu froze, glancing nervously at the game icon on his desktop. His expression twisted into confusion and worry.
Oh right…
He’d never played any of this world’s games before.