Suppressing the restlessness of her body only made her more sensitive than before.
When Ning Chu woke up, a thin layer of sweat had formed on her forehead, strands of hair sticking together and clinging to her face in a messy fashion.
She recalled the pleasure from the dream but quickly shook her head to push away those strange images and feelings.
Too terrifying…
Another awful dream.
She looked down and realized that, unconsciously, her legs had clamped tightly around the blanket. The pleasure she felt in the dream was probably from rubbing against the blanket.
Sure enough, things were getting worse.
Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she sat up and looked over at Wen Yang's bed, her cheeks immediately tinged with pink.
Thinking back to how she had boldly offered herself last evening, and remembering the sensation of Wen Yang's kiss...
She was always saying that women who tried to seduce Wen Yang were bad, yet she went straight to offering herself to him!
How could she even face Wen Yang now?
Ning Chu sighed, slowly climbed out of bed, found another pair of pants in the wardrobe, and headed to the bathroom.
At this rate, she was going to run out of clean pants.
The dormitory was still quiet as it was early. After changing, Ning Chu sat at her computer, hands propping up her worried face.
Her goal today was to keep Wen Yang from going out.
Right now, she couldn't let him have any opportunities to interact with other women. If she got punished again, her rationality wouldn't hold.
At that point, giving herself away wouldn't just be a dream.
She opened her phone in frustration, only to see two new messages.
They were from her mother.
A transfer of 2,000 for living expenses and a missed call notification.
Ning Chu's expression dimmed slightly. She still didn't know how to face this world's version of her mother.
It wasn't just the nervousness of confronting a mother she had never met before. More importantly, she had essentially turned this woman's son into a daughter.
Even if she could accept this mother, she wasn't sure if her mother would accept having a "daughter" instead of a "son."
"Let nature take its course..."
Ning Chu accepted the transfer, put her phone aside, and continued to prop up her face.
According to her assumptions, this body was originally female. Whether she had crossed over or not, her gender would have inevitably shifted to female over time, developing into a proper succubus.
But that was just a hypothesis.
She never got checked at the hospital while still male, so the truth would remain unknown forever.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated, and Ning Chu leaned over to see her mother calling.
"Up so early... It's only seven."
She mumbled softly, grabbed her phone, and ran to the balcony.
Feeling a little nervous, she took a deep breath to calm herself down and regulate her emotions before answering the call.
"Hello?"
"You're up so early!" her mother asked with a cheerful smile, "How's school? Is the living allowance enough?"
Her mother's voice was still so familiar, making Ning Chu wonder if this parallel world's version of her mother was the same as her mother from her previous life, who had passed away early.
Same name, same appearance.
She lowered her head guiltily, her voice soft and weak. "Yeah, it's enough."
It was even enough for her to occasionally "feed" the male protagonist.
"Eat more during meals, stay away from soda and alcohol, and eat some fruit every day."
"Mm, I often eat fruit."
"Have you started dating anyone at school?"
Are you referring to a man or a woman?
Ning Chu paused, suddenly wanting to test whether her mother knew about her situation.
If her mother knew she would eventually turn into a girl, then finding a boyfriend wouldn't be unusual, right?
After some careful thought, she cautiously asked, "What if I... got a boyfriend?"
"A boyfriend?!"
Hearing the sharp rise in tone, Ning Chu's heart shrank involuntarily.
"Well, if that makes you happy, I suppose it's fine."
Hmm, the test was successful.
Her mother was very open-minded...
"I was just joking." Ning Chu smiled awkwardly, trying to downplay it. "Don't take it seriously."
"Did you or didn't you?"
"No! Absolutely not! I like girls—I was just teasing you!"
As she was fiercely explaining her sexual orientation, Wen Yang happened to push open the balcony door, staring blankly at Ning Chu in utter confusion.
Ning Chu glanced at him, her face uncontrollably flushed. She endured her embarrassment when facing Wen Yang and put a finger to her lips, making a "shh" gesture.
Wen Yang nodded and turned around to head to the bathroom.
Wait a minute—so Ning Chu was into girls?!
That would explain why Ning Chu had rejected his confession before. But if she really was into girls, then why did she always act ambiguously with him? Was this one of life's three great illusions?!
He stood there bewildered, his mind racing.
By the time Wen Yang finished using the bathroom and came out, Ning Chu had already hung up the phone. She was leaning dejectedly against the railing, staring at the rising sun on the horizon.
Ning Chu really didn't have the courage to directly ask her mother about the succubus situation.
The test had revealed her mother's open-mindedness, but it also seemed like her mother wasn't aware of her impending transformation into a girl.
Being at school was fine for now, but what about when the holidays came?
Maybe she could use work as an excuse to stay at school during winter break?
Hearing footsteps, she turned her head and saw Wen Yang walking over to stand beside her.
Ning Chu awkwardly avoided Wen Yang's gaze, her toes curling in her slippers. She stared at her fingernails for a moment before taking the initiative to speak. "Let's just stay in the dorm today and play games together?"
"Sure." Wen Yang hesitated, then asked, "Is there something you want to say?"
"Just ask whatever's on your mind."
After all, she'd already lost all her dignity yesterday...
"Do you like girls?"
Ning Chu still kept her head lowered, silently shaking her head.
Wen Yang's heart leapt with joy, only to hear her somber reply: "I don't know."
"..."
The ten or twenty years she had spent as a male had ingrained in her the belief that she should like girls.
But now, she couldn't muster any desire for pretty girls. At most, she admired their beauty, but even when it came to gorgeous girls like Yan Xinya and Li Li, she couldn't seem to generate any further feelings.
As for men... her body and brain clearly leaned toward them, yet her mind refused to accept it.
Wen Yang hadn't expected such an answer. After a long pause, he shifted the topic. "I looked this up yesterday. Online, they say this kind of... well, what you're going through sounds pretty dangerous."
"You might need to go to a hospital for a checkup."
Still avoiding his gaze, Ning Chu asked, "And? Didn't the internet say what could be causing it? Am I terminal and just waiting to die?"
"It's not that serious... It might be like an addiction, something that requires psychological therapy."
Wen Yang spoke cautiously while observing Ning Chu's reaction.
"Beast-girls supposedly go through... estrus periods. But that shouldn't apply to you, right?"
"Or maybe... are you a succubus?"
Finally, he noticed Ning Chu's face flush an even deeper shade of crimson. Her little head hung so low that her chin was practically touching her chest.
He was certain now! That was it!
A succubus hiding out in the boys' dormitory?
Ning Chu's courage was something else!