NOVEL FROG Chapter 59
Chapter 59: Trouble Again
“Wen Yang! What should we do?! What should we do?!”
Ning Chu anxiously paced back and forth on the dormitory balcony, babbling nonstop: “Before, Shaoqing confessed to her, and she rejected him! Now she’s found another boyfriend! What are we going to do?!”
Wen Yang didn’t understand why he was so flustered. Leaning against the balcony railing with his arms crossed, he asked in confusion, “Isn’t it pretty normal for unrequited love to go nowhere? It’s probably just Shaoqing’s first love, right? More normal, in fact!”
“Why do you seem more anxious than him?”
Ning Chu paused his footsteps, opened his mouth, and found an excuse: “I’m worried he’ll be heartbroken.”
“Such things are bound to happen; it’s part of growing up.”
“But…” He continued pacing nervously, and after a few seconds, a terrible idea popped into his head, “What if we beat that guy up?! Force him to break up with Ling Ling?”
“Let’s hope it’s not too late.”
Ling Ling dating is one thing, but what if it’s already too late? Wouldn’t that send Zhang Shaoqing into villain mode right on the spot?
This guy usually has a good attitude; even when he bought drinks at the bar the previous night, he didn’t mind when Ning Chu backstabbed him the next day. The only things that would get him enraged are his family’s overbearing control and Ling Ling. Just mentioning them would turn Zhang Shaoqing’s face darker than coal, as if he might snap at any moment.
“How can you just beat someone up for no reason?” Wen Yang said, half-laughing. “You can’t solve anything that way. It’s better to just tell Shaoqing and let him handle it himself.”
Let Zhang Shaoqing handle it?
Ning Chu recalled the first plot point where Zhang Shaoqing appeared: using his status as a friend to drug the unsuspecting Ling Ling and claim her.
Absolutely not!
If that rich idiot really turned into a criminal deserving the death penalty…
Surprisingly, the first thing that came to his mind wasn’t his own safety within the story but rather feeling sad for Zhang Shaoqing’s impending villain turn.
“Ning Chu! Wen Yang! Want some milk tea? I’m getting some!” The balcony door swung open as Zhang Shaoqing popped his head out, removing his earphones. “What are you two so happy about on the balcony? Let’s have three cups!”
“……”
“How much coffee did you drink this morning? And you’re having milk tea in the afternoon?” Wen Yang walked back inside. “Aren’t you afraid of getting as fat as a pig?”
“Scared of a ghost! I’ve got six-pack abs!”
Ning Chu hurriedly caught up with Wen Yang, whispering, “Don’t mention it to him yet.”
“Got it.”
The air conditioning was set to 26 degrees, and the room was still a bit stuffy.
Back at the computer, Ning Chu was worried about Zhang Shaoqing’s villain turn while looking for the air conditioner remote.
He found it on Zhang Shaoqing’s desk and shouted, “Shaoqing, turn down the air conditioner!”
“26 is the most energy-efficient and eco-friendly temperature; why lower it?”
This rich kid was big-spending when it came to treating others but would skimp in the strangest places in life.
Getting discounts, saving on electricity… any money saved in a month wouldn’t even cover one of Zhang Shaoqing’s nice meals.
Thinking about how Zhang Shaoqing’s childhood sweetheart was being pursued by someone else, Ning Chu didn’t want to argue anymore. He sighed in sympathy, opened his computer screen, and logged into the game.
“I’m online, pull me in!”
“Today I’ll definitely help you win a match! I refuse to believe it! Wen Yang! Hurry up!”
Ning Chu wasn’t really into gaming, but since it was vacation and he wasn’t working part-time, he had nothing else to do.
He occasionally glanced at Zhang Shaoqing, worry etched on his face, contemplating whether or not to spill the beans about Ling Ling.
Either Shaoqing turns villain or will act like a normal person and be sad for a while.
From what Ning Chu understood about Zhang Shaoqing recently, it was clearly more likely to be the former.
While gaming, Ning Chu kept silent. The room was filled with Zhang Shaoqing’s lovey-dovey chatter, while Wen Yang occasionally chimed in with some sarcastic remarks, creating a bizarre atmosphere for their trio.
After two rounds of gaming, Zhang Shaoqing stared at Ning Chu’s horrendous score and sighed deeply, “You’re just too awful! Lost again.”
“You know I rarely play games…”
“Then are you dumb when you’re playing games? You hardly say anything and keep zoning out.”
Wen Yang tried to defend Ning Chu, “He’s unfamiliar with the game map and heroes, and you shouldn’t expect too much from a newbie.”
“Tch!” Zhang Shaoqing complained a bit more and restarted the game.
After much consideration, Ning Chu ultimately decided to keep quiet about Ling Ling. He rubbed his temple in frustration and climbed onto his bed to take a nap.
The exhaustion from part-time work over the past few days combined with the load he was carrying in his heart made him completely worn out. Lying in bed, he began to drift off.
Though he hadn’t made any money, he noticed that Wen Yang was getting much better at rejecting girls.
With a bit more training, Wen Yang would be able to avoid falling into the story’s “trap,” even if he left Ning Chu.
“Damn!”
Suddenly, an angry shout erupted from under the bed, startling half-asleep Ning Chu.
Grumbling, he rolled over to peek under the bed and saw Zhang Shaoqing looking as black as coal, his teeth clenched in a twisted expression that made any residual grievance and sleepiness vanish.
“What’s wrong?” he asked anxiously.
“None of your business!”
Zhang Shaoqing’s ferocious tone made Ning Chu shrink his neck in fear. It wasn’t his nature; it was just smarter to be cautious when you’re shorter and weaker.
Could it be that he found out about Ling Ling’s boyfriend? But who told him?
Wen Yang turned back, frowning at Zhang Shaoqing. “If something’s up, just say it. Why take it out on Ning Chu?”
“……”
“If you don’t want to talk, don’t throw a tantrum in the dorm!”
With that strong tone, Ning Chu could only peek from his bed and signal him not to provoke Zhang Shaoqing further!
After a moment, Zhang Shaoqing finally turned his head back, his face still dark but without the earlier twitching fury. He handed his phone to Ning Chu on the bed: “You take a look.”
Ning Chu lowered his head and felt his corner twitch.
Holy cow! Ling Ling posted a couple’s photo in her Moments!
In the photo, Ling Ling snuggled in a man’s embrace, forming a simple heart with her thumb and index finger while that man looked down at her with loving eyes.
On the table was a small cake, and behind them was a neatly made double bed, looking like a hotel room.
No wonder Zhang Shaoqing suddenly turned into a high-blood-pressure case.
He sighed in pain, trying to comfort him: “It’s fine; there’s always better out there after missing one…”
Wen Yang, though he hadn’t seen the photo, caught on to what was happening just from those comforting words. His earlier hard tone softened significantly, “Should I buy a case of beer from outside the school? Let’s drink and chill tonight?”
Ning Chu nodded vigorously: “Yes, yes, yes! Let Wen Yang keep you company for a drink. With a little drink, everything can be forgotten.”
Just worried that if he drank too much, Zhang Shaoqing would go completely off the rails…
They had to lock the door while drinking.
Zhang Shaoqing took back his phone, said nothing to them, and stood there, frowning in thought.
“I’m going to check that hotel nearby.”
“Hey! Don’t!”
Ning Chu hurriedly got out of bed, but Zhang Shaoqing had already left the dorm. Frustrated, he complained to Wen Yang, “Why didn’t you stop him?!”
“Well, it should be fine, right?”
“What if Shaoqing catches them in bed?”
Wen Yang suddenly realized how serious the matter was and jumped up, “I’ll go after him!”