Trapped in Paradise-Chapter 18Vol 4. : Social Circle

Ning Chu's sense of shame was about to explode!

She had tried her best to control her voice last night, but she had still disturbed the neighbors, and her mother had found out!

But there are more embarrassing stories out there~

According to some posts she’d read online, someone once wore women’s clothes while playing with a large toy in the living room during the New Year, only for the door to open, and a group of relatives burst in, laughing and joking...

Compared to that, her situation wasn’t even that bad.

Still, no matter how much she tried to convince herself, to cool the flush burning across her face, Ning Chu let out a wail and flopped onto the bed, rolling around in embarrassment.

"Ahh, I'm going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die!"

Now, every time she faced her mother, she felt like her mother’s gaze was filled with nothing but teasing and bewilderment, as if silently saying, "How did I end up with a son like you?"

No, this is all because her mother is a succubus!

Ning Chu sighed sadly, burying her face in the covers, motionless for a long while.

"Sis?"

Hei Dou, woken up by Ning Chu’s endless rolling around, tilted her head in confusion as she watched her sister’s strange behavior. "What’s wrong with you? Rolling around first thing in the morning."

"Nothing."

Hei Dou sniffed the air curiously, only for Ning Chu to quickly cover her nose. "What are you smelling for?!"

"Okay~"

Feeling a little wronged, Hei Dou turned over and yawned, stretching lazily.

"Hei Dou! Get ready for school after breakfast!"

"Coming!"

Hearing their mother’s voice from outside, Hei Dou immediately jumped out of bed, bursting out of the room, leaving Ning Chu lying there alone.

I can’t keep doing this!

She needed to rein in her succubus instincts, or soon, her shame would shatter into pieces.

Luckily, she’d be going to Lily’s house in a few days. At least then she wouldn’t impulsively sneak out in the middle of the night to climb into Wen Yang’s bed again.

"I’m getting worse and worse~"

It had only been two days, but it felt like something deep inside her had awakened, making her crave those experiences, almost like an addiction.

Even though she was a succubus now, she had been a man just a few months ago!

She sighed again, only to hear the sound of Hei Dou cheering outside.

"Dad! What goodies did you bring me this time?!"

Dad?

Ning Chu blinked in confusion, then remembered it was her mother’s boyfriend—the older man had come over.

Her mom had the nerve to criticize her when she was sneaking around too! She’d probably be slipping out tonight as well.

Ning Chu considered whether she should confront her mother, but knowing her mom’s temper, it would probably end with her getting scolded. So, she pushed the thought aside.

"Ning Chu." Her mother suddenly opened the door, carrying a small, white handbag with her, her expression unusually gentle. "The man bought this for you."

“Huh?” Ning Chu raised her head, surprised.

Whenever her mom’s boyfriend was around, her mom exuded a more feminine charm. She sat down at the foot of Ning Chu’s bed, smiling as she handed over the handbag. "It’s pretty, isn’t it? He noticed you didn’t have a bag when you went out, so he thought this might come in handy."

“I actually have one, I just didn’t bring it home.”

Ning Chu mumbled as she sat up, taking the handbag and examining it. “It feels weird accepting a gift from him... but it is pretty...”

The small white handbag felt like leather. It was petite, no bigger than a regular wallet, only big enough to hold a few small things.

"Don't worry, just take it." Her mother smiled and ruffled Ning Chu’s hair. "His daughter picked it out, actually."

"Huh?"

So, the guy had a daughter too? Was he divorced with kids?

Ning Chu was momentarily stunned, then asked curiously, "Have you met her?"

"No." Her mother shook her head. "She’s in her third year of college, preparing for grad school. She doesn’t come out of the house much."

"Oh~ Mom, when do you plan on marrying him?"

Her mother’s smile froze as she noticed the teasing look in Ning Chu’s eyes. Nonchalantly, she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked away. "What’s the point of getting married? We’re old enough that it doesn’t matter anymore."

She’s embarrassed!

Ning Chu spotted the slight blush on her mother’s face and asked, "Then when are you divorcing Dad?"

Her parents had never actually divorced.

"He’s never coming back, how can we divorce?"

"Just file for divorce. He’s been gone for so many years, the court will definitely grant it."

Her mother nodded thoughtfully. "We’ll see. It’s almost New Year’s, no time for that now."

"I’ll take Ning Xinya to school!" The loud voice startled Ning Chu, causing her to flinch. Her mother stood up and gracefully walked out of the room. "Drive carefully."

“Mhm.”

"What do you want for lunch? I’ll take Ning Chu shopping with me to pick up some groceries."

“???”

Peeking out from her room, Ning Chu was confused. When had she agreed to go grocery shopping with her mother?

Her mother stood at the door, watching as the man and Hei Dou entered the elevator. She turned around and spotted Ning Chu poking her head out from the second bedroom.

"Mom, I never said I’d go shopping with you. I want to catch up on sleep~"

"Can you really sleep?" Her mother looked at her suspiciously. "What’s wrong with helping me carry a few things? Your boyfriend is coming over for dinner anyway. We can pick up some things Wen Yang likes."

That was enough to motivate Ning Chu to leave the house.

Even though Wen Yang was strong and didn’t need any nourishment, using her mother’s money to buy some good food for him wasn’t a bad idea.

"Alright, wait for me! I’ll put on some socks!"

The nearest market was a thirty-minute walk from the neighborhood.

As they walked, Ning Chu’s mother casually linked arms with her, making her feel a bit awkward as they strolled through the complex.

It was fine when she was alone, but now that she was with her mother, all the neighbors were watching...

"Ah Juan! Who’s this?"

Worse, her mother stopped to talk to a familiar neighbor.

"This is my daughter~ Isn’t she pretty?"

"When did you suddenly get such a grown daughter? Where’s your son? Shouldn’t he be home for the holidays by now?"

Her mother shot Ning Chu a knowing glance, while Ning Chu rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"He’s doing some work-study out of town, won’t be back for the holidays."

At least her mother had the sense to give her some face in front of others.

Ning Chu breathed a small sigh of relief but quickly tensed up again when she saw a man walking in through the gate of the complex. Instinctively, she grabbed her mother’s arm and lowered her head.

"Isn’t that the boy you used to play with all the time?" her mother asked curiously. "Didn’t he go off to join the army? Looks like he’s back now."

“Mhm... He wanted to meet up, but I made up an excuse to avoid it."

Ning Chu kept her head down, holding her breath as they passed him.

Luckily, he didn’t recognize her.

"You can’t keep this up. Are you just going to pretend you don’t know your old friends?"

"I’d rather not, things are fine the way they are now..."

Since starting college, Ning Chu had lost touch with most of her old friends. They occasionally exchanged messages online, but that was about it.

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But abandoning her old social circle still left her feeling a little sad.

The face she had as a man had grown increasingly blurry in her memory, the details lost.

Her former life felt so disconnected from her current one, as if it were all just an illusion, hazy and unreal.