011. Love at First Sight?
==============================
At nine o’clock in the evening, Lin Nan laced up his sneakers and charged out of the dormitory with all the enthusiasm of a puppy chasing its tail.
The school had two playgrounds. One was nestled within the dormitory buildings, made up of eight basketball courts snuggled together like overly friendly hedgehogs, surrounded by chain-link fencing. Chen Yao often hung out there, but it was clearly not meant for running—considering Lin Nan’s height, his basketball skills were nonexistent, to say the least.
The other grand playground was a good distance away, claiming a rubber track that encircled a soccer field, all adorned with artificial grass. Most of the school’s larger events took place here, including the military training of the first semester, which was basically a bunch of students pretending to be soldiers.
Lin Nan made a beeline for the grand playground. Though it was late, it was brightly lit, revealing dozens of people jogging along the track, while some couples and friends lounged on the grass, chatting away as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
Who would have thought so many folks were exercising at night? Didn’t they say today’s college students were lazy and disinterested in physical fitness?
With a hint of hesitation, he stepped onto the track, inhaled deeply, and gripped his phone, beginning to jog at a leisurely pace around the inner circle.
Last semester, during the physical fitness test, he had nabbed a middle-of-the-pack time in the 1000 meters—even if he didn’t meet the standard, at least he finished alongside the herd.
He had been somewhat confident in his stamina until an unfortunate delivery incident popped his bubble.
So what if Lilith’s spirit had influenced his memories and actions? Who knew it would affect his physical strength too? Or even body development?
By the time he finished a lap, he was huffing and puffing like a train going uphill.
His legs began to ache, his feet were tingling, and breathing in the cold air had his throat feeling like dry toast.
Determined to push for a second lap, his calves protested, and his thighs turned to jelly, wobbling dangerously. He was convinced that if he kept this up, he’d be kissing the ground before long. So he switched to a brisk walk to regain some composure.
Suddenly, an alarming thump jolted his brain—his heart seemed to skip a beat, and every hair on his body stood up like he’d just discovered a mouse in his kitchen. With an irrational fear washing over him, he instinctively stopped.
His heart beat like a jackhammer, making it hard to catch his breath. Cold sweat rolled down his forehead, but quickly, the feeling began to fade, and he returned to normal.
Turning his head around the surroundings, he noticed nothing particularly scary lurking nearby.
“Must be Lilith’s doing again.” Lin Nan scratched his head, grumbling to himself while throwing the blame back at that otherworldly spirit. “It can’t be my heart acting up, right? I’m too young for heart problems!”
With all the bewildering things happening lately, he thought it best to shake it off and keep moving—he intended to walk a lap and jog another as a cycle.
But after barely half a lap, that suffocating heart thump returned with a vengeance. This time, he held his discomfort at bay and scanned the area.
Just then, a girl with long hair came running toward him. When she got closer, Lin Nan felt that heart-pounding sensation intensify like a poorly tuned radio.
The girl noticed him frozen in place, looked up slightly and revealed a face as delicate as porcelain.
Lin Nan was instantly breathless.
That pretty face flickered away as she dashed past him, and as she left, his racing heart slowly returned to a steady rhythm.
What in the world just happened?
He fell into deep contemplation and lost any interest in further exercising. He started strolling back to the dorm.
It struck him at the door—was this… love at first sight?
Dazed, he pressed a hand over his heart.
But can love at first sight really scare you half to d*ath like stumbling into a cockroach when you turn on the lights at 3 AM?
“What’s up with you?” Chen Yao, not too far from the door, glanced over and saw Lin Nan poking at his chest, head tilted in confusion. “Are you checking for a conscience or something?”
“Not quite.” Lin Nan quickly dropped his hand, wearing a playful grin as he sauntered over and casually draped an arm around Chen Yao’s neck, “I need to ask you something, let’s hit the balcony.”
“I’m not that kind of person!”
Chen Yao didn’t resist, shouting while Lin Nan’s arm felt excessively soft. The closer they got, the stronger that peculiar sweet scent emanating from Lin Nan became, almost dizzying.
“Let’s go!”
Lin Nan tugged Chen Yao onto the balcony, and they faced each other.
Having known each other for seven years since middle school, they were practically family now, which made it easy for Lin Nan to spill the beans about his recent experience.
“So, why does my heart speed up when that girl gets close?” Lin Nan asked, all seriousness, “Everything’s fine when she’s away, but have you ever had this happen to you?”
“Absolutely!” Chen Yao recalled that time Lin Nan had donned a girl’s outfit at his place and bragged, “I’m an expert when it comes to feelings—ask me anything!”
Honestly, if he hadn’t known the pretty girl in front of him was his long-time buddy, he might have lost control.
He examined Lin Nan from head to toe, sensing the girl vibe in his posture. Yet compared to that time in the dress, he looked totally different. At least back then, his rear had popped a little more, and… wait, did Lin Nan wear anything like a padded bra back then?
“So what do you think it is?” Lin Nan pushed, not noticing the odd look in Chen Yao’s eyes—he was just a fellow eternal bachelor who had never touched romance!
Feeling the fiery gaze from Lin Nan made Chen Yao puff out his chest with pride, declaring, “It’s definitely love at first sight!”
“Ah?” Lin Nan exclaimed in surprise, “I can buy the heart racing part, but why was I also scared? It felt like opening a door in the dark and grabbing onto a cockroach!”
After a moment of silence, Chen Yao racked his brain, finally concocting another excuse: “That’s just your destiny! Just imagine living decades under her shadow—you’re bound to be scared!”
That… actually made some sense.
But Lin Nan wasn’t an idiot. After a brief daze, he snapped back to reality, pinpointing that Chen Yao was talking out of his hat like the self-proclaimed relationship guru he was.
So he could only silently glare at Chen Yao until the latter, feeling guilty, whistled to change the subject. “By the way, there’s gonna be a competition in October—hurry up and practice on my computer. I’ll run downstairs for some cola.”
