Trapped In Paradise
Volume 3 Chapter 31 / Chapter 536: Night
In truth, with Ning Chu's current looks, she had a significant advantage when it came to job hunting.
She rarely wore makeup, nor did she dress particularly fashionably. Even so, she still attracted the attention of most people whenever she walked down the street. She wasn't very tall, but her petite, graceful figure made her seem like someone who had stepped straight out of a manga.
Receptionist, promotional model, livestream host—while searching for work over the past couple of weeks, she had received countless private messages offering jobs like those.
But having once been a man, she disliked jobs that required her to constantly be in the public eye or rely on her appearance to make a living.
She hated the lustful looks some men directed toward her.
When walking through crowded streets, there were too many people around for her to notice unless someone was especially blatant. Work, however, was a different matter.
Still, after more than half a month had passed, Wen Yang's career had settled into a steady rhythm, and Ning Chu herself was beginning to feel anxious.
Normally, she'd spend the morning relaxing at home, washing the sheets and blankets and cleaning up the traces left behind from the previous night before heading out for interviews in the afternoon.
Now, however, she spent nearly the entire day outside, running from one interview to another.
"Maybe I should just work in customer service for now..."
"Being unemployed forever isn't an option."
Returning to the apartment before rush hour after another day of running around, Ning Chu sat at the desk, scrolling through her phone with a troubled expression while talking to herself.
"The pay isn't bad... Nine to six... probably not much overtime... And I'd get to stay in an office without having to deal with customers face-to-face."
She always became nervous around strangers.
Customer service mostly involved answering calls and typing on a keyboard, which actually suited someone like her, who was practically a keyboard warrior online.
"And it doesn't require much specialized knowledge. They provide training after you're hired."
Of course...
The polite term was "customer service."
The less polite term was "professional punching bag."
Resting her head on the desk, half her face buried in a cushion, Ning Chu lazily browsed the salaries, benefits, and requirements for customer service positions at various companies.
Gradually, the room grew dark.
Her stomach let out a loud growl in protest.
Only then did she realize how late it had become.
Looking out the window, she saw that night had completely fallen. The city outside glittered with colorful lights.
But Wen Yang still wasn't home.
"He usually gets back by six-thirty at the latest..."
He normally finished work at five-thirty and only needed about half an hour on the subway to get home.
The subway can't be stuck in traffic... can it?
Ning Chu stood up and switched on the lights.
She listened carefully to the footsteps echoing down the hallway outside before pursing her lips in disappointment.
She could tell immediately.
Those weren't Wen Yang's footsteps.
Looking down at her phone, she finally noticed that he'd sent her a message and let her know back at five o'clock.
"The company's having a dinner gathering tonight, so I'll probably be home late. Remember to eat dinner first."
Because she couldn't stand seeing notification badges cluttering her apps, she'd turned them all off.
That was why she hadn't seen the message until now.
"Got it. Come home early."
After replying, Ning Chu couldn't even be bothered to go downstairs.
Stretching lazily, she flopped onto the bed and held her phone above her face, scrolling through nearby takeout options.
"Suddenly... I'm not hungry anymore."
Nothing on the delivery apps appealed to her, and somehow her appetite had disappeared altogether.
She casually tossed her phone onto the bedside table.
With the back of one hand resting across her forehead, she stared blankly at the warm yellow ceiling light.
With Wen Yang gone, she suddenly had no idea what to do.
Normally, the two of them would squeeze together at the tiny desk for dinner, chatting about funny things that had happened during the day or complaining about whatever had annoyed them before playing a couple of games together.
Around eight or nine o'clock, she'd sit against the headboard, writing chapters to meet her daily quota while fending off Wen Yang's constant teasing. Sometimes, when he became too distracting, she'd simply set the laptop aside and surrender to his attention before eventually coaxing him to let her get back to work.
Around eleven or twelve, they'd wash up and go to bed. That was usually when Wen Yang would finally stop fooling around and become serious about claiming all of her attention, leaving her completely exhausted by the end of the night.
Just like that, another wonderfully fulfilling evening would pass.
But tonight...
It was so boring.
Without Wen Yang at home, Ning Chu had lost not only her appetite but also any desire to play games or write.
She felt boneless and listless, unable to summon the energy to do much of anything.
She had wanted to tell Wen Yang about the ridiculous company she'd interviewed with today, the supermarket discounts she'd discovered, and the tasty snack she'd managed to sample for free...
Letting out a long sigh, she rolled back and forth across the bed twice before finally flopping onto her stomach like a dead fish, her ample chest pressed beneath her.
...
The apartment door quietly opened.
Carrying the lingering smell of cigarettes and alcohol, Wen Yang stepped inside, instinctively softening his footsteps.
He carefully closed and locked the door before standing beside the bed, looking down at the sleeping Ning Chu.
The little succubus had a truly terrible sleeping posture.
She was still wearing the clothes she'd gone out in, but the hem of her shirt had ridden up into a mess, exposing her gently rising abdomen and the silver markings on her skin. Her feet hung completely off the end of the bed, her calves suspended in midair. One hand rested against her chest, while the other was wrapped around one of her horns.
"Didn't even bother covering yourself with a blanket... Didn't change clothes... Didn't even take off your shoes."
Shaking his head helplessly, Wen Yang set down his briefcase and crouched beside the bed, carefully helping her remove her shoes.
Her slender, heart-tipped tail quietly curled around his wrist.
"You're awake?"
"Mmm..."
Her voice was hoarse and sleepy.
"When did I fall asleep?"
The drowsy tone was so adorable that Wen Yang couldn't help laughing.
"You must've been exhausted."
"Not really... I was just waiting for you and ended up falling asleep."
Still lying on the bed, Ning Chu stretched her body, arching her back until her waist lifted several centimeters off the mattress. A soft, lazy groan escaped her lips.
"Mmm... What time is it~?"
"A little after nine."
"You got back so late..."
"A bunch of them stayed behind to sing karaoke. I had a couple of drinks with them before coming back."
She suddenly rolled over and sat upright, nearly headbutting his stomach in the process.
Awkwardly looking away, she scooted backward a little and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"You smell like smoke and alcohol... How much did you drink?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"Were there girls there too?"
"I didn't drink much. Look, my face isn't even red."
"The important part is the girls!"
"It was basically a monk group..." Wen Yang tried to defend himself.
But the little succubus had already leaned close, sniffing all over him with her nose twitching.
Finally, he gave up.
"They invited a few hostesses to drink with everyone. I left right away."
Ning Chu really could smell a faint trace of perfume on him.
She turned her head away with a dissatisfied huff.
"I waited for you until I fell asleep, and you were out there partying..."
"It wasn't like that. We just had dinner and went to karaoke for a few drinks."
In truth, what upset her wasn't that he'd been around other women.
That sort of thing was unavoidable, and she knew Wen Yang had already handled it as well as he could.
What really bothered her...
...was being left home alone.
"I was cold and hungry..."
She rubbed her eyes pitifully.
Having just woken up, her tear ducts were especially cooperative. One gentle rub, and a tear immediately rolled down her cheek.
Wen Yang instantly panicked.
"No, no... Next time I won't go. I'll stay home with you instead..."
She looked at him with feigned grievance.
"I'll only forgive you if you carry me to three ranked wins."
"..."
The arms he'd been about to use to hug the little succubus froze awkwardly in midair.
Watching Ning Chu struggle to suppress her laughter, he rolled his eyes and turned toward the bathroom.
"Hey! I haven't forgiven you yet!"
"I'm just going to wash my face."
He smiled over his shoulder.
"If we don't get three wins tonight, we're not going to bed."
Ning Chu hurried after him, poking her head into the bathroom.
"Don't let it affect work tomorrow~"
"It's fine."
Wen Yang deliberately misunderstood her.
"Besides, you can't handle three rounds anyway."
"I was talking about the game!"
Feigning innocence, Wen Yang looked up, "Right. Me too."
"It'll probably take until dawn just to win three games. You'll fall asleep long before then."
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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]
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/HannibalNotBarca/posts/trapped-in-164939812?collection=234094
[2] https://www.patreon.com/HannibalNotBarca/posts/trapped-in-164939812?collection=234094