Trapped in Paradise

Chapter 20: Outing

Now, the family situations of the three in the dorm are pretty average, especially Wen Yang.

Being “poor” is mentioned in the book; otherwise, how could the male protagonist, as a college student, be running around various places working part-time and encountering all kinds of girls, ending up in ambiguous relationships?

Right now, Wen Yang isn’t even the male lead and hasn’t started his part-time job journey, but money is already tight.

It’s almost the end of the month, and Ning Chu and Wang Jie don’t have much left either.

Standing on the balcony, Ning Chu looks inside at the two, and the three stare at each other, bewildered. After a moment of silence, he lowers his head and complains, “The rich guy is actually coming back at this time.”

If Zhang Shaoqing were here, he would definitely fight to treat them.

Thinking about spending the villain’s money makes Ning Chu feel totally justified. He feels no guilt whatsoever and even wonders if he can bankrupt Zhang Shaoqing so he can never become a villain again.

After exchanging dumbfounded glances for a moment, Ning Chu takes the initiative, saying, “Well, let’s just go take a look. The amusement park isn’t one of those places where you have to spend money to have fun.”

Wang Jie agrees, and Wen Yang looks at the two and can only weakly nod in agreement.

This university is located on the hillside at the outskirts of the city, with beautiful, quiet surroundings, surrounded by a commercial district that has risen because of the university. While it’s a hassle to get to the city center, it only takes less than thirty minutes by bus to the amusement park, which is also in the suburbs.

Before this, the farthest Ning Chu had ever been was to the spicy food restaurant behind the school.

He had imagined what the world outside this college, the main stage of the ‘Small Royal Text,’ would be like, and only after getting on the bus did he realize the world seemed pretty normal.

There were no creepy stalkers taking pictures on the bus, no girls with red faces crossing their legs on the street, and no supernatural phenomena. Aside from the fact that people here are good-looking and dress daringly, it didn’t seem too different from his past life.

Ning Chu curiously gazes out the window, taking in everything.

Does this mean that if he leaves the school, escaping the male protagonist’s side, he can live a peaceful life in the second half of his life?

He glanced sideways at Wen Yang, sitting next to him. This guy is tall and has his legs spread out, taking up all the space, making Ning Chu try to squeeze his legs together as he leans against the window.

Wen Yang notices his glance and looks down, “Just to let you know, I only have two hundred left for living expenses this month.”

“I’ll treat you,” Ning Chu rolls his eyes at him.

This fool! Which male protagonist worries about money every day?

Not fully understanding the outside situation yet, escaping doesn’t seem like a wise choice. What if he runs into an even worse situation…? Besides, the plot has only just begun, and Wen Yang is still a virgin, so he’s not a threat for now.

When the day comes that Wen Yang becomes a scumbag, and Zhang Shaoqing becomes the villain, he’ll definitely be on the train out of here at night.

Renting outside would just change the time and place of the scenarios that were supposed to happen in the dorm. Previously with Ling Ling, and later with the bar, both plots had just been delayed and reappeared at another time.

“Do you think I should go work part-time outside?” Wen Yang sighs, leaning back in his chair.

Work part-time? No way!

Ning Chu’s brain starts racing, and he immediately spouts some grand philosophy: “Our job as students is to study! You’re receiving school subsidies, and instead of studying, you want to go work part-time?”

“That’s true…”

“If you’re short on cash, just tell me.” He confidently pats his flat chest, sounding thump, thump, “Although I’m not as rich as Shaoqing, I can still afford to treat you some meals!”

“Is that really necessary?”

“We’re roommates, right? Don’t sweat the details!” Ning Chu waves dismissively, smiling reassuringly.

To Wen Yang, Ning Chu, bathed in sunlight and reflecting a faint glow on his skin, looks incredibly sweet and warm, almost like a little angel.

“Stop thinking so much; just have fun!”

“Okay.”

Ning Chu suppresses Wen Yang’s part-time job thoughts, secretly breathes a sigh of relief, and then starts calculating if his living expenses are enough for both of them to eat.

Buying buns for Wen Yang every meal is not a problem…

He’s just a little royal uncle author, just a side character now—why bother worrying like a parent?

Laughing and joking the whole ride, half an hour later, the three get off the bus and arrive at the amusement park’s stop.

It’s the weekend, and there are plenty of visitors. Groups of three or five are frolicking on the street. This amusement park has no admission fee; only when entering the rides do you need to buy tickets, which eases Ning Chu’s mind.

He was worried he’d come all this way and not even be able to get through the gate.

“I’ll go buy you guys some water.”

Ning Chu, the advocate of this outing, has to take care of the other two too, or else if Wen Yang doesn’t have fun, he might choose to spend weekends with girls instead. He just scolded Wang Jie and needs to make amends.

After buying three bottles of mineral water, he steps out of the small supermarket, looking towards the bus stop, only to realize his roommates are already gone.

He freezes and stands on tiptoe, scanning the square in front of the amusement park, but there’s a dense crowd, and at his height of just one meter sixty, no matter how hard he tries, he can only see a bunch of visitors blocking his line of sight.

“They didn’t sneak back on the bus, did they?”

Ning Chu mumbles. He figures that since Wen Yang and Wang Jie have nothing to do while waiting for him, they should be wandering around nearby.

He hasn’t written anything related to amusement parks, so he’s not too worried.

Just hoping Wen Yang doesn’t bump into any girls mentioned in the book that trigger a plot twist.

He lifts his feet and starts walking into the square, sharply scanning left and right for his roommates.

As a man, he should be fearless in situations like this, but not even a few minutes later, he becomes rapidly anxious and flustered, feeling completely lost.

He notices a sneaky figure has been stealthily following him!

Having been in this world for two weeks, he’s always been with his roommates during meals, sleep, military training, or lectures. Now, he’s all alone.

A strong sense of unease envelops him.

Ning Chu feels a chill run down his back, and when he unexpectedly turns around, the figure quickly hides into the crowd, leaving only a pair of malicious eyes glaring at him, like a coyote lurking in the shadows at night.

Who is it?!

Is it a criminal ready to rob him, or is it one of those subtle monsters standard in small royal texts?

Perhaps his reaction seems a bit strange; a few nearby visitors start to notice him, whispering in low tones, as if they’re relishing in his misfortune.

The sky has darkened, and the air has become sparse, making his heart race uncontrollably, and he can only breathe heavily.

All the scattered sounds around him amplify in his head, filling the space from all directions, utterly pervasive.

Everything around him feels so foreign; he feels rejected by the entire world, floating outside it, not accepted by anyone.

“Ning Chu!”

“Been looking for you for half an hour! Why are you just standing here by yourself?”

The distant call suddenly crashes into his ears like thunder, causing Ning Chu to shudder all over and instinctively look back. Wen Yang and Wang Jie come running toward him, one after the other.

“Wen Yang, Wang Jie…”

If there’s anything familiar left in this strange world, it’s probably the characters he’s written, his roommates he’s lived with for the past two weeks.

The tension in his throat eases when he sees his roommates, and the sinister gaze behind him vanishes at that moment.

“What’s wrong? You look pale and worn out?”

“I… I was looking for you guys…”

“We were looking for you too.”

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