Trapped In Paradise
Volume 2 Chapter 212 / Chapter 492: Night
Later on, the sky had already turned completely dark. Ning Chu sat on the sand with her knees drawn up, arms wrapped around her legs, staring blankly at the ink-black sea.
Her shoulder-length hair was blown loose by the wind, leaving her cheeks damp and cold.
Behind her was a mix of girls' chatter, laughter, and shrieks—lively and noisy—but she sat alone on the beach, half her face buried in her arms.
Her mind kept replaying possible scenarios of meeting her father—what it would be like, what might happen, how she should respond…
Maybe her father had made a lot of money out there and never remarried or had children, and now he was returning with money to reconcile with her mother?
Maybe he hadn't been able to make it out there and had no choice but to come back seeking help?
Or perhaps he had his own hardships, some reason that forced him to cut off contact with the family for nearly twenty years?
Her mother already had that uncle now—if her father found out, would he become emotionally unstable and cause trouble?
And what about her…? The son from back then had become a succubus daughter, how would he react?
What did her father even look like? Back then, her mother had insisted on choosing him despite everyone's opposition—he must have been quite handsome, at least.
Her thoughts were a tangled mess. Ning Chu shook her head, trying to throw all those chaotic ideas aside.
Better to just have her mother divorce him outright!
Aside from contributing a single sperm, what relationship did that man even have with her?
Ning Chu had never considered the possibility of her father returning. But now that it was right in front of her, she couldn't let her mother face it alone.
Not to mention her catgirl little sister at home—she could already imagine Black Bean's confused, panicked expression.
As for her brother… who knew what he would think.
"Ning Chu~ barbecue!"
Yan Xinya came over with disposable bowls and chopsticks, plopping down beside her with a grin.
"What are you thinking about? You've been off all day. Camping is so fun, and you're just sitting here alone in the wind."
"I'm just a bit sleepy."
Lily was still grilling. Three of them were playing Dou dizhu, while Wen Yang had gone to the promenade to buy milk tea for everyone.
"Then why don't we go walk around the street too?"
Ning Chu shook her head, refusing the wolf girl's invitation. She took the disposable bowl and chopsticks, picked up a slice of grilled beef tongue, and put it into her mouth.
Pre-prepared barbecue couldn't really taste bad, and the doneness was just right—not too tough to chew. It was pretty good.
"Too bad we're not allowed to make a bonfire. It'd be way more atmospheric—we could grill skewers over it."
Yan Xinya muttered beside her, idly piling sand into a little mound. This girl seemed almost incapable of having worries—always noisy, excitable, and a bit neurotic.
She's more of a husky than a wolf.
"Lily, is it done yet?" As soon as a round of cards ended, Xi Xi ran over to Lily and looked at the meat that had already changed color.
"Almost."
"So slow~"
She suddenly lowered her voice and whispered, "Use magic~ secretly use magic to grill it faster~"
"..."
After the first batch was done, the grill plate had reached a good temperature, so the following batches didn't take as long.
Even so, Lily's grilling speed still couldn't keep up with how fast everyone was eating.
The group stared eagerly at the grill from time to time, their hungry eyes practically glued to it—looking at Lily as if she were their own mother.
"Ning Chu."
Lily picked up a skewer, wrapping the stick with a tissue, and reached it out to Ning Chu.
"Mm, thanks."
Yan Xinya immediately jumped up. "Lily doesn't love me anymore~ The first skewer isn't even for me!"
Ignoring the wolf girl, Ning Chu took a bite of the skewer and nodded at Lily. "It's good."
Lily gave her a gentle, elegant smile, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear before lowering her head to continue grilling.
She didn't look like a succubus at all—more like a slightly introverted girl-next-door type.
"Let me have a bite too!"
And Yan Xinya was probably that neighbor girl's husky…
They were all girls, how could they be so different?
With a helpless sigh, Ning Chu handed over the half-eaten skewer. "Why are you in such a hurry? Lily's still grilling, isn't she?"
"I'm hungry~ starving!"
As they were talking, Wen Yang—who had gone to buy milk tea—came back carrying several bags.
"Milk tea's here!"
Yan Xinya's ears practically perked up. She immediately abandoned Ning Chu, rushed over excitedly, grabbed a cup of milk tea, and ran off.
"I also bought some snacks."
Standing outside the picnic mat, Wen Yang handed out the milk tea and snacks before walking over to Ning Chu and sitting down beside her.
"The jasmine milk tea you wanted—with coconut jelly."
"Okay."
"I also saw grilled sausages and egg burgers, so I got some for you." He unzipped his jacket, pulled the snacks out from his inner pocket, and glanced suspiciously around. "Hurry and take a bite before Xinya snatches them."
His secretive, treasure-hoarding behavior made Ning Chu chuckle, her eyes curving into crescents. "She's not a bandit."
"Close enough. Try it, if it's not good, we'll give it to her."
Ning Chu took a bite of the sausage and immediately frowned. "Ugh… this tastes awful… so spicy!"
She quickly took a couple of sips of milk tea to suppress the chili flavor, but still stuck out her tongue, fanning her mouth as her eyes watered from the heat.
"I said mild spice… maybe the vendor didn't hear clearly?" Wen Yang muttered to himself. "Let me try."
"Xinya!" His expression quickly changed as he forced a straight face and called out, "Want a sausage? I just bought it!"
"Coming, coming!"
Like a gust of chaotic wind, Yan Xinya swooped in, snatched the sausage, and ran off noisily.
Moments later, they heard the wolf girl's dramatic cries:
"Ah! Water! Water! It's so spicy! You two are evil!"
Ning Chu and Wen Yang exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.
"You're so mean~"
"Not really?"
Lily held up a skewer and was about to hand it to Ning Chu. But seeing the couple chatting and laughing together, she opened her mouth as if to call out—then stopped. Instead, she handed the skewer to Xi Xi and muttered sourly under her breath:
"Shameless couple…"
As the night grew darker, most of the shops along the promenade began to close.
After losing at Dou Dizhu all night, Xi Xi dragged a few girls to a well-lit area to play mahjong instead—truly bad at it, yet addicted to playing.
Inside the tent, a small night lamp glowed softly. Having skipped her breakfast milk today, Ning Chu was already drowsy, wrapped in her sleeping bag, barely able to keep her eyes open.
The wind made the tent rustle noisily. In the distance, Yan Xinya's excited shout of "Hu!" could still be heard. Wen Yang sat inside the tent, his figure cast over Ning Chu by the dim light.
After adjusting the night lamp, Wen Yang turned back and reminded her.
"I'll be right outside. If you need anything, just call me."
"Where are you going?"
Seeing her bright eyes staring straight at him, he paused. His half-raised body sank back down.
"Never mind, I'll stay here with you. Go to sleep. Do you want me to tell you a little story or sing you a lullaby?"
"No! Get lost!"
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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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[1] https://www.patreon.com/HannibalNotBarca/posts/trapped-in-164939812?collection=234094
[2] https://www.patreon.com/HannibalNotBarca/posts/trapped-in-164939812?collection=234094