Trapped In Paradise
Volume 2 Chapter 209 / Chapter 489: A Pillar of Support
Her father had come back?
Ning Chu returned to the living room in a daze, sat down on the sofa, and stared blankly into space.
For a moment, she didn't even know how to describe the chaos of emotions inside her—panic, resentment, fear, anger? It all seemed tangled together, leaving her mind in complete disarray.
Ever since she could remember, there had never been any image of her father in her mind.
Her older brother might have seen him before, but probably didn't remember much either.
Ning Chu curled up her legs and rested her chin on her knees, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.
Before her transmigration, she had never heard any news about her father returning, not even by the time she graduated from university. Yet here, in the second semester of her freshman year, he had suddenly appeared.
Her once calm and steadily improving life had been disturbed, like a stone thrown into still water, sending ripples spreading outward.
Instinctively, she wanted to avoid it—to just hide at school, to resent the father who had disrupted her peaceful life, to simply not go home for a while and wait until he left again…
But at the same time, she felt curious, even harboring a vague, blind sense of expectation. She wanted to see what kind of person this father—whom she had never met—actually was.
A single phone call had thrown Ning Chu into emotional turmoil, and the others present couldn't help but feel concerned.
Yan Xinya, straightforward as ever, had no reservations. She plopped down beside Ning Chu. "What's wrong? Something happened?"
"Uh… family stuff." Ning Chu shook her head. "It shouldn't be a big deal… right?"
She wasn't sure what her father's return would bring to the family.
Yan Xinya tilted her head like a curious puppy. "So are you going back now?"
"I'll see…"
"Then don't overthink it~ Let's just enjoy camping first and worry about the rest later!" the wolf girl grinned, showing her teeth. "Why think about other things when you're having fun?"
"Mm."
Among them, only Yan Xinya was particularly outgoing. The other girls could only watch with concern, while Wen Yang, who understood Ning Chu's personality, didn't press her further.
The cheerful atmosphere from before had been somewhat disrupted, but then Wen Yang's phone rang.
This time it was Zhang Shaoqing and Qian Qian—they had returned and needed someone to swipe the elevator card for their floor.
The most troublesome thing about a one-apartment-per-floor setup was exactly this: without the corresponding access card, visitors couldn't go upstairs on their own.
"The card's on the shoe cabinet by the entrance."
"Got it." Wen Yang pocketed his phone and stood up. Before leaving, he turned to Ning Chu. "Do you want to come? We can stop by the supermarket and grab some snacks."
"Then I'll go change…"
Ning Chu was still wearing that short slip dress that would reveal everything if she bent over, paired with Wen Yang's oversized jacket. The jacket hem was even longer than the dress—so there shouldn't have been any risk of exposure—but she still felt uneasy.
Within a few minutes, she had changed into a white shirt and a plaid skirt, pulled on thick stockings, and hurried out of the guest room.
Following Wen Yang, she grabbed the elevator card, and the two stepped inside.
Ning Chu lowered her gaze, sighed softly, and leaned against the elevator wall.
In the enclosed space, without anyone else around, she became even more fragile and sensitive than before. A shadow clouded her pretty face, making Wen Yang feel a pang of concern.
"Want to talk about it?"
With his back to her, Wen Yang watched the numbers on the elevator slowly descend.
"My dad suddenly came back…"
The news made him pause.
Once Ning Chu started talking, she couldn't stop, muttering complaints nonstop:
"It's been almost twenty years. All this time, he never even called once. We didn't even know if he was dead or alive, so why come back now?"
"He's never fulfilled his responsibilities as a father or a husband… Back then, our family was dirt poor. If it weren't for my grandpa helping us and my mom working herself to the bone, my brother and I would've starved."
"Anyone who didn't know better would think we were a single-parent family."
"What if he's broke now and came back to trick my mom out of money?"
"If he sees that his son turned into a girl… it might just anger him to death. Come to think of it, that'd actually be good, my mom could divorce him without even needing to go to court."
Wen Yang simply listened to Ning Chu's complaints, not interrupting her venting.
"You won't end up like him in the future, right…"
"Me? Of course not." Wen Yang smiled and shook his head. "Didn't you say that was because of poor health and your mom…? Do I look like someone in poor health?"
His teasing broke up Ning Chu's frustration, making her both embarrassed and annoyed. She turned her head away, blushing, and muttered, "You're like some kind of monster… even a succubus can barely handle you…"
Good thing she was a succubus. If she were an ordinary person, she probably wouldn't even be able to endure it—might've ended up bleeding and in the hospital.
As it was now, even though she'd be left sore all over, a night's sleep would mostly fix everything.
"Well, who told you to make me the protagonist in your lewd novel? You brought this upon yourself."
"Tch~"
"You're not thinking of letting other women—"
"—Absolutely not!"
Ning Chu rejected the idea without hesitation. Then she looked up at Wen Yang's back. "Do you actually have that kind of thought? Hm?"
"No, I was just joking."
Wen Yang raised his hands in surrender. After teasing the little succubus and seeing her mood improve, he finally spoke more seriously:
"If he's back, then he's back. I'm here, aren't I? Whatever happens, you handle things your way—I'll back you up."
"You?"
"At the very least, if it comes to a fight, anyone you want to hit—I can beat."
Ning Chu snorted in disdain, lowering her head as she muttered, "We're college students, and you're still thinking about violence. Violence doesn't solve problems."
"It solves the people who cause them."
"Pfft~"
Ning Chu puffed her cheeks and burst into laughter. She might complain, but having someone to rely on actually felt pretty nice~
With Wen Yang's support, she felt more willing to go back and face the father she had never met. No matter what happened, Wen Yang could handle it.
After all, he is her protagonist—capable of anything!
Ning Chu began to understand more and more why she had fallen for this man back then, despite him having no money or status, and seemingly nothing special besides his looks and… abilities…
Having always faced everything alone, even back when she was still a man, she had always longed for someone to stand beside her—someone who could support and protect her, giving her the courage and confidence to face difficulties.
The elevator doors opened. Zhang Shaoqing and Qian Qian had been waiting outside for a while.
Zhang Shaoqing looked drained, his face pale. Despite just standing, his legs seemed to tremble slightly.
Qian Qian, on the other hand, looked energized, glowing with vitality as she greeted them, "Morning~"
"Morning~"
She stepped into the elevator excitedly. "Today I'm going to win back all the money I lost!"
Zhang Shaoqing followed behind her with a lifeless expression, his body swaying as if he might collapse at any moment. Seeing how weak he looked, Ning Chu was reminded of her father before he left home.
Even so, that didn't justify abandoning his wife and children!
"You guys go ahead first. Ning Chu and I are going to the supermarket to buy some food."
"Get me a can of Red Bull."
"Call me Dad," Ning Chu chimed in from the side.
"Mom, Dad~ please~"
Wen Yang couldn't help but laugh. It was obvious that Ning Chu had become much more lively and cheerful compared to just a moment ago.
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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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[2] https://www.patreon.com/HannibalNotBarca/posts/trapped-in-164939812?collection=234094