In a college dorm, the most mother-cursing usually happens when the roommates team up for a game.

Whether they were usually refined and never swore, or quiet, withdrawn types who hardly ever spoke, once they teamed up to play, they’d all start cursing and showering each other with sweet nothings packed with mother-related insults.

Zhang Shaoqing had the worst manners. Wang Jie, a total shut-in, turned into a chatterbox when he gamed, while Wen Yang, who hardly ever swore, would occasionally let a curse slip.

Only Ning Chu sat there in a daze, withdrawn, staring at his black-and-white screen. He couldn’t say a word and looked completely out of place.

Two hours later, the little boat of friendship had completely capsized.

“Fuck! I’m done!” Zhang Shaoqing tossed his mouse aside. “Great, great. We’ve played for two hours and haven’t won a single game. So whose fault is that, exactly?”

“You’re done? Then I’m going to take a nap.” Wang Jie stretched, turned off his computer screen, and stood up with a yawn. “We’ll get them next time.”

Wen Yang glanced at the time. It was only one in the afternoon, and suddenly his mind started racing.

But just as a bad idea came to him, his eyes instinctively turned to Ning Chu.

Surely he couldn’t come up with another irrefutable excuse to keep Ning Chu in the dorm and stop him from going out?

He really couldn’t understand why Ning Chu was doing this.

Ning Chu was tired too. As a beginner playing with his roommates, he’d gotten no enjoyment out of the game at all. He slumped over the desk, exhausted, his eyelids already starting to droop.

He’d thought they could play all afternoon and keep Wen Yang cooped up in the dorm the whole time.

He rubbed the corners of his eyes. His mind kept going fuzzy, but he still remembered his mission: keep Wen Yang a pure virgin!

“Wen Yang, are you taking a nap?”

If Wen Yang took a nap, they could get through this dangerous afternoon!

“I’m heading out for a bit,” Wen Yang replied. “You go ahead and sleep. I’m going to check out the café off campus. The owner invited me to help taste some new items over the weekend, but I haven’t had the time.”

Taste the new items? You’re tasting the owner, aren’t you?

This scene wasn’t actually in the book, but Ning Chu still couldn’t quite relax. Wen Yang’s protagonist aura was too strong, and most girls wanted a piece of him. Even if it wasn’t part of the plot, they might still throw themselves at him.

“It’s raining so hard...”

“I’ll just take an umbrella.”

“Then... can I come too? I like coffee as well.”

Ning Chu couldn’t think of any other excuse, so he had to try a different approach.

Wen Yang didn’t seem to mind. He nodded, bent down to put on his shoes, and got ready to leave.

“What a clingy little shadow. You two might as well be joined at the hip,” Zhang Shaoqing teased them, as annoying as ever.

“You’re the one who never shuts up!”

Ning Chu picked up a folding umbrella and suddenly kicked Zhang Shaoqing’s chair hard. Then, while Zhang Shaoqing cursed and grumbled, he hurried after Wen Yang and ran out of the dorm.

The rain outside was coming down in sheets, and flashes of lightning streaked through the clouds now and then.

“It’s raining way too hard... We’ll get soaked even with an umbrella.” Ning Chu frowned at the curtain of rain. “Are we really going now?”

“It’s not great to keep flaking on her. Besides, we’ve got nothing to do this afternoon.”

Wen Yang opened his umbrella and walked into the rain first. “It’s fine, it’s pretty close. There are just a few new coffees and pastries to try. You probably won’t be able to nap once we get back, though.”

Did this guy really think he was just going there to try new stuff?

Ning Chu had no answer. He silently followed alongside him.

Actually, Ning Chu also wanted to test a theory. Aside from the female characters who were Wen Yang’s comrades in the story, would other girls—ones who’d never even been mentioned in the book—still act as if they were throwing themselves at him, seducing him, or even making the first move because of his protagonist aura?

The shy girl who brought him sour plum soup that morning and the café owner were both characters who’d never been mentioned in the book.

Under the downpour, rain inevitably crept beneath their umbrellas.

With nothing else to do along the way, Wen Yang kept glancing over at Ning Chu. He moved a couple of steps closer and started chatting. “What type of girl do you like?”

“Huh?” Ning Chu answered instinctively. “Pretty, with a good figure.”

“You don’t care about her personality?”

Wen Yang’s words made it sound as if Ning Chu were incredibly shallow.

But Ning Chu was perfectly happy to be that shallow. He was just about to nod emphatically when he realized he couldn’t pass his messed-up values on to Wen Yang.

So, after a moment’s thought, he took the opportunity to try to brainwash him. “I do care. I have even higher standards for personality. If I date a girl I really like, it’ll be with marriage in mind.”

“There’s no need to go on about being gentle and considerate. The important thing is being faithful! Neither of us should sleep around, hook up with random people, or cheat on the other...”

He watched Wen Yang’s expression, afraid his words might put him off.

Wen Yang nodded in agreement. “That makes sense.”

Yeah. After you’ve had a taste, you probably won’t think that way anymore.

Ning Chu grumbled inwardly about his protagonist. Luckily, Wen Yang was still a virgin for now. He might be timid and a little perverted, but he still held on to some idealistic hopes about love.

Love in a smut novel... Honestly, it was better not to get your hopes up.

“The rain’s getting heavier.”

“Yeah. I’m soaked...”

Wen Yang glanced at the half of Ning Chu’s body that had been drenched by the rain, then held out his own umbrella. “Switch with me. Mine’s bigger.”

“Huh? What about you?” Ning Chu was startled by Wen Yang’s sudden kindness.

“I’m pretty hardy. A little rain won’t hurt.”

“Don’t...”

Ning Chu’s mouth twitched. His eyes immediately turned wary, and he looked at Wen Yang suspiciously.

Could it be that he’d been too nice to Wen Yang, and Wen Yang couldn’t wait for the plot to turn him into a girl?

“I’m not that frail either.” He quickly shook his head and put two steps between himself and Wen Yang. He looked as wary as a stray kitten that had spotted a can of food.

Wen Yang’s kind offer had been rejected. He looked at Ning Chu’s darting eyes, then lowered his gaze to Ning Chu’s chest. “But you’re soaked through. Your nipples are showing. It’s pretty obvious.”

“...”

The front of Ning Chu’s short-sleeved shirt had a big, colorful design that did a good job of hiding his conspicuous little red beans.

But once the rain had soaked through and the shirt clung to his skin, the design didn’t hide them nearly as well.

“I’m just a little cold from the rain,” Ning Chu insisted stubbornly.

He instinctively folded one arm across his chest, blocking Wen Yang’s view from the side, while casually resting the elbow of his umbrella-holding arm against his forearm.

“This is what you get for going out in a downpour.”

“I didn’t ask you to come...”

The embarrassment and shame got to him, and his face flushed crimson. He deliberately slowed down, falling a step behind Wen Yang.

Luckily, as soon as they left the campus gates, the café came into view. It was right across the street.

From a distance, Ning Chu could just make out a figure in a black-and-white maid outfit through the window.

Well, would you look at that—a maid café! No wonder Wen Yang was willing to come all the way out in the rain!

Too bad she wasn’t a catgirl! That would’ve been way better.