Trapped In Paradise
Volume 3 Chapter 22 / Chapter 527: A Sleepless Night
After dinner, Ning Juan and her boyfriend sat side by side on the sofa. One scrolled through their phone while the other kept Black Bean company as she watched cartoons.
Ning Chu remained at the dining table, leisurely finishing the hot pot while chatting with Wen Yang, who had just gotten off work.
When he was working, Wen Yang's replies were always slow. But once he got off work, he responded almost instantly. As a result, Ning Chu was constantly looking down at her phone, absentmindedly eating while they chatted.
Oddly enough, when they lived together, they had never talked this much.
From work to daily life, from games to flirting and intimate topics, the two of them chatted nonstop. Every so often they'd throw memes or reaction images at each other, and the conversation never felt dull.
When Ning Chu finally looked up from her phone, she suddenly noticed that her Mom and her boyfriend seemed to be sitting a little closer than before.
Curious, she quietly watched them.
Uncle still wore his usual stern, expressionless face, but every now and then he subtly lifted himself and scooted a little closer to Mom. By the time their shoulders touched, Mom, who had been watching TV, finally noticed.
She frowned and lightly shoved his shoulder in mock annoyance.
"There's a child here... this isn't appropriate..."
She struggled a little more, but Uncle didn't budge. Eventually she glanced nervously toward Black Bean.
The little cat sat on a small stool in front of the TV, staring up at the screen, completely absorbed in the cartoon and paying no attention to them.
Ning Juan then turned to glance at Ning Chu. Seeing her daughter seemingly engrossed in her phone, she let out a relieved sigh. The tension left her body as she leaned gently against her boyfriend.
What she didn't know was that Ning Chu had been secretly observing her from the corner of her eye the entire time.
Her mother was already in her forties, yet a faint blush still spread across her cheeks. She looked just like a shy young girl.
Watching the middle-aged couple openly showing affection, Ning Chu suddenly understood why Yan Xinya loved shipping couples so much...
Yeah... this is pretty adorable.
She smiled teasingly at the two of them.
But that little sweetness from watching them quickly gave way to a deep sense of envy.
So when are you two finally going to skip ahead and get married?!
I'm waiting to go back and find Wen Yang!
She quietly snapped a photo of the two of them and saved it in a private folder, planning to tease her mother with it someday.
Lowering her head as if she were still focused on her phone, she suddenly called out, "Mom! What time are you two leaving tomorrow?"
The moment she spoke, she looked up.
Sure enough, her mom had already moved away from Uncle. She calmly met Ning Chu's gaze as though nothing had happened.
"What are you in such a hurry for? It'll only be another day or two."
Ning Juan rolled her eyes before complaining to her boyfriend, "You have no idea what she's like. She just got home, and before she's even been here a full day, she's already thinking about running off to see her boyfriend. Her heart's completely with him now."
"I raised her for over twenty years. We haven't seen each other for nearly half a year, and instead of spending more time with me, all she can think about is Wen Yang."
"..."
Hearing her mother's complaints, Ning Chu covered her face in embarrassment.
Keep talking and I'll send everyone that picture I just took! She thought viciously.
But instead, Ning Chu simply stood up from the table and hurriedly fled into the spare bedroom.
She really couldn't handle her mother's endless nagging.
She'd rather play games with Wen Yang instead.
Even after hiding in the room, Ning Chu could still vaguely hear her mother complaining about her outside.
She let out a quiet sigh.
Everything about her Mom was great...
Except for her mouth.
She always loved sharing the family's private affairs with other people... and Uncle wasn't even married to Mom yet, so technically he was still an outsider.
"Ning Xin, it's time to take a shower and get ready for bed."
"Huh? It's only nine!"
"If you shower and fool around for a while, it'll be eleven before you know it."
Not long afterward, Black Bean entered the room with puffed-up cheeks, her lips sticking out in an exaggerated pout.
"I haven't even finished my cartoon..."
"Mom and Uncle are outside. Don't go interrupting them."
"Sis, I want to watch cartoons. Stop using the computer."
Black Bean walked over to the computer, only to see Ning Chu hurriedly minimize the chat window to the desktop.
The disappointment on her face instantly transformed into excitement as she leaned toward the monitor.
"Are you chatting with Brother-in-law? Why aren't you video calling him?"
Because we'd have to talk out loud, and some of the things we'd be discussing aren't exactly suitable for little kids to hear, Ning Chu answered silently to herself.
She casually started a video call with Wen Yang while typing:
"Black Bean hasn't seen you in a long time. She wants to video chat."
The call was answered almost immediately.
Wen Yang's handsome face appeared on the screen.
Judging from his posture, he was comfortably leaning against the headboard of his bed, wearing a gentle, warm smile.
"Brother-in-law! Over here! Did you miss me?!"
Afraid Wen Yang might not notice her, Black Bean kept shoving her face toward the camera until the entire screen was filled with her oversized, close-up face.
"I missed you, I missed you."
Wen Yang wanted to see how Ning Chu was doing after not seeing her for several days, but the screen was completely filled with Black Bean's cat face. He could only smile helplessly.
"Where are you now? Why haven't you come to play with me?"
The little cat had absolutely no awareness that she was being a third wheel.
"I'm at my rental apartment. I just found it a few days ago."
"How much is the rent?" Ning Chu cut in. "Use your phone and show me the place."
"It's just a single room. A little over two thousand."
Wen Yang didn't even get up. He simply turned his phone in a circle, giving them a full view of the apartment.
A bed, a wardrobe, and a desk occupied almost all of the space, leaving only an L-shaped walkway about a meter wide at its widest point. The room was roughly the size of an ordinary small bedroom.
"So expensive... and so tiny..."
"The location's good, and my company gives me a housing allowance. Once I've saved up some money, I'll rent a one-bedroom apartment."
"Is it quiet? How's the soundproofing?"
Ning Chu didn't have high standards for where she lived, but those were the two things she cared about most.
The first meant she could sleep peacefully without being disturbed.
The second meant she wouldn't have to bite her pillow every time they have sex, desperately holding back and not daring to make any noise.
—Though the sight of her biting the pillow and trying to suppress her voice always made Wen Yang even more excited.
"It's pretty good on both counts."
Wen Yang walked into the bathroom with his phone and showed them that as well.
Ning Chu could already picture herself living with Wen Yang in this cramped little apartment in the future...
She didn't think the small space would feel oppressive.
On the contrary, she thought it would make the place feel even cozier.
After all, they'd both be at work during the day, and they'd probably spend most evenings in bed anyway. A smaller apartment would even be easier to keep clean.
The corners of her lips curled into a sweet smile.
Resting her chin in her hand, she looked at the screen with narrowed, smiling eyes.
"Is the bed big enough? Don't let me move in only to find out I'll have to sleep on the floor."
"It's fine. It's pretty spacious."
It looked like a standard 1.5-by-2-meter double bed.
Considering Wen Yang's size, it would probably feel a little cramped for the two of them.
"Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law! I want to live there too!" Black Bean shouted without the slightest awareness. "I can sleep on the floor!"
"Didn't Mom tell you to go take a shower? Stop butting in."
Ning Chu shoved Black Bean away with obvious disdain.
"Hurry up. If you keep dawdling, Mom's going to get mad."
"Okaaay~ Then I'll chat with Brother-in-law later."
Ning Chu couldn't help rolling her eyes.
The little cat already understood basic common sense, kept up with her schoolwork, and managed to restrain her feline instincts most of the time.
Expecting her to understand social awareness was asking too much.
...
Their video call lasted until late at night.
Only when Ning Chu suddenly remembered that Wen Yang had work the next day did she reluctantly end the call, shut down the computer, and lean back against the bed.
Black Bean had long since fallen asleep.
She'd kicked off her blanket and curled up in the corner of the bed.
Ning Chu casually pulled the blanket back over Black Bean's stomach.
"You're not even worried about catching a cold."
Tomorrow, Mom would probably leave with Uncle.
That evening they'd have dinner together as a sort of wedding banquet.
And the day after tomorrow...
She'd finally get to see Wen Yang again.
Holding onto those hopes for the future while also feeling uncertain and lacking confidence about finding a job, Ning Chu lay quietly in bed with her eyes closed.
I wonder what kind of job I'll end up finding.
It'd be nice if it were a regular nine-to-five.
Then I'd still have evenings to go shopping with Wen Yang... maybe catch a movie.
Too bad the apartment is so small. Otherwise, I could cook him dinner every now and then.
Maybe we could buy a projector? Then we could lie together in Wen Yang's arms and watch movies on a big screen... That sounds pretty wonderful too...
Countless scattered thoughts tangled together in her mind like a knotted ball of yarn.
Her breathing gradually became slow and even as her consciousness drifted away amid dreams of the future.
Then, a sudden noise jolted Ning Chu awake just as she had fallen into a light sleep.
She opened her eyes blankly and stared into the dark bedroom.
From somewhere outside came the unmistakable sounds of a fierce "battle."
She let out a weary sigh.
They used to get a hotel.
Now they're not even bothering to hide it anymore...
Damn it... I'm so jealous!
Ning Chu pulled the blanket over her head, yawning from exhaustion.
She spent the entire night unable to fall asleep.
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Link for character illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IxOucqi87ss3bmqfO9zI2gYiM1Gy8Hz2
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Tn: I updated the story once a day, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Volume 3 Chapter 41 / Chapter 546: Lin Li[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/HannibalNotBarca/posts/trapped-in-164939812?collection=234094[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/HannibalNotBarca/posts/trapped-in-164939812?collection=234094
[2] https://www.patreon.com/HannibalNotBarca/posts/trapped-in-164939812?collection=234094