Trapped In Paradise
Volume 3 Chapter 32 / Chapter 537: The More Tired She Was, the Better Her Appetite
"Not playing? I thought we were supposed to win three games."
After taking a shower, Wen Yang walked out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a pair of loose shorts. He found Ning Chu sitting cross-legged against the headboard, typing away on her laptop.
"Nah, I was just joking," Ning Chu replied without looking up. "I haven't written today's chapter yet. What if I lose my attendance bonus?"
Her eyes remained fixed on the screen as her fingers flew across the keyboard. Every so often she would pause, purse her lips, and frown while thinking through the plot.
"Alright. I'm pretty tired too." Wen Yang sat down at the foot of the bed and yawned repeatedly. "Had a couple of drinks, so I'm getting sleepy."
Turning back toward Ning Chu's serious, focused face, he asked, "How's the job hunt going?"
"I've decided to work in customer service for now while I keep looking for something better. I can't stay unemployed forever."
"Customer service... That sounds alright. It shouldn't be too exhausting, right?"
"How would I know? Looking for a job is already exhausting enough."
Ning Chu let out a weary sigh. Leaning forward with her elbows on her thighs, she rested her chin in both hands and looked at him pitifully.
"It's been so hot outside... I feel like I'm about to get sunburned."
"You don't have to rush so much..." Wen Yang said. "Wasn't the sunscreen I bought any good? I even put a sun umbrella in your bag."
"I was too lazy to use it."
She absentmindedly twirled a strand of hair around her finger.
Before she realized it, her gaze had drifted to Wen Yang's bare upper body.
Tiny droplets of water still clung to his sun-kissed skin, making his broad chest seem even more inviting.
Her eyes slowly wandered downward—from his chest to the faint outline of his abs, then along the V-shaped lines at his waist.
Finally...
They stopped at his loose shorts.
Swallowing unconsciously, Ning Chu felt her mouth grow dry.
The exhaustion from job hunting had left both her body and mind drained. Lately, she'd found herself craving the comfort and closeness of being with Wen Yang more than ever, relying on those happy moments to chase away the day's fatigue.
No matter how tiring the day had been, after feeling emotionally "recharged," she'd always wake up the next morning ready to tackle another round of interviews.
But I haven't finished today's chapter...
She tried to force herself to focus on her novel again.
Instead, her mind kept filling with images of Wen Yang's fit physique.
Her heartbeat sped up.
Warmth spread across her cheeks.
She couldn't concentrate at all.
Sneaking a glance upward, she peeked at Wen Yang from the corner of her eye as he looked down at his phone.
She opened her mouth...
...only to find herself too embarrassed to say what she wanted.
She quietly stretched out her folded legs beneath the blanket, sitting with them neatly together.
Too guilty to keep looking at him, she lowered her eyes.
Yet the thoughts in her mind only became harder to ignore.
Why isn't Wen Yang making the first move...?
"Ning Chu."
"Hm!"
"I think I'll pick up a few part-time jobs on weekends," Wen Yang said without looking up. "Earn a little more money. What do you think about sales? The hours are flexible, and if I land a big client, the commission's pretty good. I'm already familiar with that kind of work."
Back in college, a large portion of the savings he'd accumulated had come from working in sales.
Ning Chu, however, looked disappointed.
"Don't..."
She muttered, "Wouldn't that be exhausting? Why work yourself so hard?"
"I'm still young enough to handle it. I want to earn more money so we can buy a home sooner."
"I'm more worried you'll end up in the hospital. Then you'll spend more than you earn."
"My body's in great shape. You know that better than anyone."
Wen Yang looked up with a teasing smile.
Only then did he realize that, without him noticing, Ning Chu had quietly moved from the head of the bed to the foot, now sitting only a short distance away.
The little succubus's cheeks were already bright red.
Supporting herself with both hands on the mattress, she kept her eyes lowered as she secretly inched herself closer, little by little.
"I really think I should get a part-time job. Look at this..."
He started to hand her his phone.
Instead, her heart-tipped tail slowly reached over and curled around one of his fingers.
"What are you doing?"
He smiled.
"Not writing anymore?"
"I'll... write later, okay?"
Her face burned crimson as she lowered her head, nervously fidgeting with her fingers.
Seeing her so adorably shy only made Wen Yang want to tease her more.
Putting on a serious expression, he said, "No way. What if you lose your attendance bonus? Didn't you already take a day off this month?"
"I'll still have time. I'll still have time~"
As she spoke, her soft body finally leaned completely against him.
She lifted one leg, settling half her weight onto his lap.
"I'm trying to talk about something serious," Wen Yang said helplessly, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
The little succubus had this bad habit—just when they were discussing something important, she'd suddenly become flirtatious, even when he hadn't been thinking about anything like that.
"This is something serious~"
Her tail lightly brushed beneath Wen Yang's chin, its soft, silky touch instantly making his heartbeat quicken.
Her faint, sweet fragrance drifted into his nose. Her cool, supple skin pressed against him, followed by the soft curves of her body, and within moments he felt warmth spreading through him.
Even if he'd had no particular thoughts before, his mind was now thoroughly distracted.
Sometimes he wondered if, even after being completely exhausted, all it would take was a little teasing from Ning Chu for him to recover all over again.
"You poked me!"
The succubus, now sitting on his lap, gave a startled shiver.
"If you lose your attendance bonus, don't blame me."
"Of course I'd blame you!"
Without warning, Wen Yang stood up.
Ning Chu tumbled forward onto the bed, ending up on her stomach with her hips and tail still raised in the air.
He casually gave her a light smack on the hip before, out of long habit, taking hold of one of her curved horns. His thumb gently rubbed the base of it.
Ning Chu's eyes immediately grew moist, a faint blush spreading across her face.
Ring... Ring...
"..."
Silence filled the room for a moment.
Already completely caught up in the moment, Ning Chu buried her face into the blanket in mild annoyance.
"Keep going!"
Wen Yang glanced at the caller ID from across the room, sighed helplessly, and walked over to answer it.
Sitting down beside Ning Chu, he absentmindedly played with her long tail as he spoke.
"Mom? Why are you calling this late?"
"When did you start calling me 'Mom'? Where's Ning Chu? Why didn't she answer?"
He looked toward Ning Chu questioningly.
The little succubus was lying on the bed with flushed cheeks, squirming slightly.
His eyes drifted down to the tail in his hand.
He instinctively let go.
The tail quietly curled right back into his palm.
"Wen Yang?"
The silence made the woman on the other end sound confused.
Even with his usually thick skin, Wen Yang couldn't help blushing a little.
Clearing his throat, he said, "Ning Chu's already asleep. Looking for a job has been pretty exhausting for her these past few days."
"It's not even that late. When she's at home she usually doesn't sleep until one or two in the morning."
Ning Chu's mother sounded genuinely worried.
"Has she lost weight? You need to take good care of her. Don't let her suffer out there."
"She hasn't lost weight..."
Wen Yang glanced at Ning Chu, who had obediently covered her own mouth to keep from making a sound.
"...Honestly, she looks like she's in even better spirits."
"She said she's planning to work in customer service first. The salary's lower, but it should be a little easier."
"Don't worry. We've got enough money. I don't mind working hard. I was even thinking about picking up another part-time job, but Ning Chu wouldn't let me."
"Mhm... I understand. I'll take care of myself."
"Okay. You should get some sleep too."
After hanging up the call from his future mother-in-law, Wen Yang looked at Ning Chu with a helpless smile.
"You're getting bolder and bolder, aren't you?"
"What's wrong with playing with my tail?"
The little succubus immediately pounced on him.
The shyness she'd shown just moments ago had completely vanished, as though she wanted to swallow him whole.
For the first time in a while...
Wen Yang felt a little pressure.
The more exhausted Ning Chu became, the stronger her "appetite" seemed to grow.
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Link for character illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IxOucqi87ss3bmqfO9zI2gYiM1Gy8Hz2