Volume 1 Chapter 161: You Are the Protagonist

The attention Wen Yang gained from the sports meet made him even more famous, attracting the proactive female supporting characters on campus.

Fortunately, there weren't as many of them as Ning Chu had imagined.

Although this world was a hentai world, it's the kind where there are a lot of short stories in it rather than a single long one, with each standalone short story introducing new female characters, the total number of supporting characters connected to Wen Yang barely exceeded a hundred. Roughly half of them were on campus, and among those, about half were actively pursuing him.

Doing the math, most of them had already had some interaction with him.

The only worry was that the remaining few might rush in all at once. Even with one a day, Ning Chu couldn't handle it.

Not to mention the risk of social death—dealing with this every day would be too much for her body to bear!

"Why are you always sulking?"

It was early afternoon, and Ning Chu had just come out of the restroom when Wen Yang caught her.

She looked up at Wen Yang, who was washing clothes, then quickly averted her gaze and mumbled, "It's... it's nothing."

Ever since Yan Xinya teased her, Ning Chu couldn't help blushing and feeling flustered whenever she saw Wen Yang.

"Remember to eat breakfast even when I'm not around," Wen Yang said as he washed the laundry. "You might have low blood sugar—you fainted during military training when you didn't eat."

"Okay."

Ning Chu leaned against the railing, looking down at her phone.

"I'll bring back some local specialties from home for you to try. Let's see if you like them."

"How about you come to the bus stop to see me off?"

She froze for a moment, then pouted. "You're only going for four days. What's the point of seeing you off? Waste of my time."

Who was it, then, who looked so reluctant in class earlier?

Wen Yang could feel Ning Chu's growing dependence on him. The longer they spent together, the deeper that bond seemed to grow.

Yet, last week's confession had failed...

Clearly, there was something about him that Ning Chu wasn't satisfied with—something not good enough.

"I'm going to Xinya's dorm for a bit to tidy up the bed and bring some things over in advance."

"Alright."

"Wait! What the—?!"

Zhang Shaoqing suddenly burst into the room, staring at Ning Chu in shock. "You're moving into the girls' dorm?!"

"Yeah, just for four days. What about it?"

"Seriously?! That's so perverted!"

"..."

At first, Ning Chu didn't think much of it, but then she realized that in Zhang Shaoqing's eyes, she was still seen as a full-fledged man.

Her face flushed unnaturally red as she racked her brain for an excuse but couldn't come up with anything suitable.

"Must be nice to be good-looking. You can move into the girls' dorm without anyone thinking twice about it," Zhang Shaoqing said, clicking his tongue in amazement. "Good thing we don't have communal baths here; otherwise, you'd definitely be the type to spy in the women's bath."

Says the perverted villain—how dare you judge me?!

"Wait, how did the wolf girl agree to let you stay?"

"Because I have good character, and they trust me."

"Yeah, right. I know what men are like. Stop pretending," Zhang Shaoqing said, full of envy. "That wolf girl must be so naïve to actually treat you like a close friend."

He eagerly stepped out of the room and sidled up to Ning Chu, slinging an arm around her shoulders with a sleazy grin. "Hey, when you see something interesting, make sure to share it with your buddy."

Ning Chu's body stiffened. She instinctively wanted to shrug off Zhang Shaoqing's arm but didn't dare act too strongly.

Fortunately, Wen Yang set aside the laundry he was washing halfway, walked over, and hooked Zhang Shaoqing's neck, dragging him aside. "Alright, stop with your perverted thoughts. Want to grab some milk tea?"

Ning Chu quickly took a few small steps back, putting some distance between herself and the two, and sighed in relief.

"You still have money for milk tea?" Zhang Shaoqing asked, surprised by Wen Yang's sudden generosity.

"Just improving my life once in a while. Get me the cheapest one."

Zhang Shaoqing had no objections and eagerly started ordering, but he couldn't help questioning Ning Chu again. "So why are you suddenly moving into the girls' dorm?"

Ning Chu had already thought of a reasonable explanation: "Uh... Xinya said some pervert has been stealing her underwear, and it's been keeping her up at night."

She spoke with a mix of truth and exaggeration, sounding righteous: "I'm a man, after all. How could I stand by and do nothing? I'm going to give Xinya and Lily some peace of mind and maybe catch that pervert too!"

"That wolf girl could probably kill you with one punch."

Zhang Shaoqing reluctantly accepted this reasoning but couldn't help sighing, "Must be nice to look so delicate. Even if you're secretly sleazy, girls won't suspect a thing."

"Your own sleaziness has nothing to do with me!"

"Just don't get anyone pregnant!"

"Get lost!"

If only that were even possible...

Ning Chu sighed quietly. Even when she was still a man, her "equipment" was more decorative than functional.

She headed straight into the dorm and glanced at Wang Jie, who was peacefully gaming at his computer, oblivious to the world.

This quiet, straightforward guy was such a relief—he never caused trouble, teased, or made annoying jokes.

Moving into the girls' dorm didn't require much preparation. Her suitcase was already packed to the brim with clothes, toiletries, cash, an ID card—everything she could think of to avoid being caught off guard if she ever needed to make a quick escape.

That had been her original plan... But now, before solving the arousal problem, she dared not stray too far from Wen Yang.

If things ever came to the worst and Wen Yang really "got her," it would still be better than becoming the female lead of some chaotic gangbang doujin.

"Mostly need bedding..."

Muttering to herself, Ning Chu dug out a thick winter quilt from the deepest corner of the wardrobe.

"And Wen Yang's clothes..."

Whenever she felt uneasy, Wen Yang's clothes gave her a sense of security.

Not to mention, the lingering protagonist aura seemed genuinely effective!

Without hesitation, Ning Chu walked to Wen Yang's wardrobe, opened it, and scanned the contents.

Hmm, a shirt, a T-shirt, and a jacket...

"What are you doing with my wardrobe?" Wen Yang had just finished hanging up the laundry and walked in to see Ning Chu rummaging through his clothes.

"Your clothes are big and comfy. I'm taking a couple to use as pajamas."

Wen Yang scratched his head in confusion.

Ning Chu seemed to have a special fondness for his clothes and was always borrowing his jackets.

"We're so close. What's wrong with borrowing a few clothes?" Ning Chu asked confidently.

"Nothing's wrong. Take them."

Wen Yang didn't mind, but Zhang Shaoqing muttered disdainfully, "So freaking gay!"

Ignoring this loudmouth, Ning Chu stuffed a few of Wen Yang's clothes into her suitcase, grabbed the winter quilt, and staggered to her feet, heading toward the door.

"Need help?"

"Of course!"

She shoved the heavy quilt into Wen Yang's arms and dragged her suitcase out the door.

Now all that was left was the underwear thief.

That wouldn't be too much trouble—after all, the protagonist was standing right behind her.

Ning Chu turned to Wen Yang, who was following her. "Don't leave just yet. I need your help with something."

"What is it?"

"Catching the underwear thief!"

Wen Yang was even more confused. "Me? But we haven't found them yet, right?"

"Exactly. You'll go to the scene and see if you notice anything."

"You think I'm a detective now?"

But Ning Chu still looked at him with unwavering confidence. "You're the protagonist, after all!"

"Protagonist?"