Trapped in Paradise-Chapter 53Vol 4. : Family Night

The night grew deeper.

After dinner and baths, the family of four sat side by side on the sofa, all wearing the same fluffy pajamas printed with little cat faces. A shared blanket covered their legs as they watched a popular drama on the TV in front of them.

Ning Chu pulled her legs up, curling under the blanket and hugging it close, nestling in further.

“Is it really that cold?” her mother asked, looking down at her daughter with a soft smile. “Going out tonight?”

“Nope,” Ning Chu shook her head firmly.

She was determined to abstain!

Besides, a room would cost over two hundred! Even though she’d conned three hundred from her brother, she still couldn’t bear to spend it.

Yawning, she leaned closer to her mother and muttered, “Feels colder than usual this year.”

“Usually, the lowest is four or five degrees, but this year it’s down to one or two,” her mother teased, eyes on the TV. “With such cold weather, if you keep sneaking out at night, you’re bound to get frostbite.”

“I got frostbite just from being at school! What does that have to do with it?”

Her mother always loved to link unrelated things together.

“Sis~ order a late-night snack~”

“Here, take the phone and order what you want.”

“Yay!”

She had promised Hei Dou that for every two extra pages of her workbook she completed, she could have a meal, and now she owed her dozens.

She had underestimated her little sister, thinking this cat would hate homework.

But with Hei Dou’s slow pace of late-night snacks, she’d likely never finish all the meals by the end of winter break.

Ning Chu snuggled against her mother’s shoulder, holding onto her arm as she watched TV, occasionally stifling a yawn.

The atmosphere was warm, cozy, and deeply relaxing.

It felt like her heart was a calm lake rippling with gentle waves of happiness, bringing an overwhelming sense of peace.

She was enamored with this family warmth, something she hadn’t experienced in so long...

She thought back to last year, when she turned down her grandfather’s invitation and sat alone on a quiet sofa, listening to the noise from downstairs, surrounded by furniture and clutter but feeling utterly empty inside.

Back then, she was lost and alone. Her mother had been gone for years, her brother was who knows where, and she faced the daunting prospect of graduating and entering the real world with anxiety and uncertainty.

She had always hated New Year’s – hated the cheerful laughter coming from the windows next door, hated the kids playing with sparklers under their parents’ watchful eyes, hated the festive shows on TV...

She had cried countless times, but her eyes would still turn red every year.

Now, though, her mother, who had passed away early, was here again; her brother, who’d dropped out of high school and caused trouble, had found stability; and there was a lively little cat-girl in the family... If this kind of life could last, even long enough to get a bit old, that would be okay.

Coming to this parallel world and becoming a girl, surrendering to succubus urges every day... it had all been worth it.

“Mom! Sis is crying!” Hei Dou squeaked, pointing at Ning Chu’s eyes.

“No, I’m not! Don’t say that!”

Ning Chu quickly ducked her head, hiding her reddened eyes from her family.

Ning Yuan glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. “Who upset you? It’s the holidays – why are you crying?”

“I’m not crying!”

She took a deep breath, dispelling the stinging sensation in her nose.

Naturally emotional, becoming a girl had only heightened her sensitivity.

“It’s definitely Mom! She’s always scolding Sis!” Hei Dou pouted.

Their mother reached over Ning Chu to give Hei Dou a gentle tap on the head. “I’m just joking with your sister. Can’t you tell the difference between good-natured teasing and real scolding?”

“Ouch~”

Then she looked down at her daughter, curled up in the blanket with only her head peeking out. “What’s wrong?”

Suppressing the lump in her throat, Ning Chu joked, “I just realized I’m another year older. It’s so depressing~”

“Brat!”

“Mom, you’re so beautiful! Forever eighteen!” she quickly complimented, then turned to Hei Dou, “Right, Hei Dou?”

“Right!”

“Mom, Bro isn’t saying anything – he must think you’re old.”

Ning Yuan’s survival instincts kicked in instantly. “I never said that!”

Their mother noticed the lingering redness in Ning Chu’s eyes, her expression softening. She wrapped an arm around her daughter’s shoulder, holding her even closer.

As the drama finished its episode and the ads came on, Hei Dou yawned, lying sideways in Ning Chu’s lap, curling up with her tail tip twitching.

Having settled her emotions, Ning Chu looked down and asked, “Didn’t you just order takeout?”

“Let me know when it arrives~”

Even though she had become a cat-girl, Hei Dou’s sleeping habits were still very much like a cat’s – she could fall asleep or wake up anywhere, anytime.

Ning Chu reached down to ruffle the little head resting on her thigh, rubbing Hei Dou’s soft, fluffy ears before leaning in and trying to peek inside them.

Since she used ear cleaning solution on her ears every morning, they were surprisingly clean.

Time slipped by, and Ning Chu’s restlessness became obvious.

Her leg bounced lightly, and she checked the time on her phone more frequently.

It was just past nine. If she left now, she’d arrive in time to meet Wen Yang after work.

The thought popped up involuntarily, but she quickly forced it down.

No! She was abstaining!

But her gaze drifted over to the wallet on the shoe rack, where her mother’s membership card was tucked away. It offered discounts on everything at the hotel, even a free breakfast.

She shook her head firmly.

Abstain!

“The takeout’s here!”

As the elevator door opened, Hei Dou, who had been sleeping soundly moments before, shot up and dashed to the door.

Swallowing, Ning Chu felt tempted by the idea of a late-night snack too.

Her mother noticed her fidgety demeanor, a knowing, teasing glint in her eyes as she watched her daughter’s anxious restlessness, wondering how long Ning Chu could hold out.

“You guys want some?”

Hei Dou brought the takeout back to the sofa, tearing into the bag and pulling out a box of fried chicken and milk tea.

“Sis?”

“No thanks.”

Ning Chu took a deep breath, suddenly standing and heading toward the bathroom. “Mom, I’m washing up and going to bed.”

“Not going out?”

“Why would I go out? It’s freezing.”

If she could just fall asleep, she wouldn’t be thinking about all these things!

Besides, if Wen Yang didn’t go back to his rental tonight, Zhang Shaoqing would probably use it to tease her tomorrow.

That thick-skinned jerk was such a pain~

After a quick wash, Ning Chu hurried to her bedroom, dove under the covers, turned off the light, and closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep.

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But she tossed and turned, struggling to settle down.

She opened her eyes again, checking the time, feeling even more restless.

“This is bad... I’m probably not going to sleep at all tonight...”