116. Uncle’s Persuasion
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Lin Nan’s transformation was manageable for those around him, but to Wu Guodong, it was like Lin Nan had just come back from an all-body makeover.
Last time he saw Lin Nan, the main topic was the girl’s figure, but the face still had traces of masculinity. Now? You couldn’t tell he was a guy at all. In fact, Lin Nan looked like he’d shrunk.
Wu Guodong had originally intended to lecture Lin Nan about his increasingly feminine appearance, but upon noticing his reduced bone structure, he opted for silence.
Could it be a calcium deficiency?
But surely a calcium deficiency wouldn’t make hands and feet thin, let alone make someone seem shorter!
He glanced at Lin Nan’s wrist—last time they met, it was about the same thickness as a normal guy’s, but now he wondered if it would snap like a twig if someone pulled on it.
“You’re a bit too skinny.” Wu Guodong looked him over, arriving at the only conclusion he could come up with, “Do you even weigh ninety pounds now?”
“Maybe…” Lin Nan was unsure. He knew he weighed over a hundred before his transformation, but now? Who knows?
Sure, there seemed to be less meat on his arms and calves, but the chest and hips had definitely gained some padding. And the height? It looked like that had shrunk, too. He had access to an electronic scale in the dorm, but before, he never bothered thinking about his weight.
“You really need to eat more; you’re too skinny. You’re not a celebrity filming a movie. Looking this skinny isn’t good for you.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” Lin Nan was busy gaming and nodded absentmindedly.
Though he claimed Lin Nan was thin, Wu Guodong couldn’t deny the fact that Lin Nan had some substantial curves…
He did his best to divert his gaze from Lin Nan’s backside—single for years, sometimes it was hard to control himself.
“Your mom said you need surgery, but why don’t you want to go?” He turned his gaze back to the computer screen, daring not to look at Lin Nan again. “She’s saved up eighty or ninety thousand yuan to take you for a thorough medical exam.”
Wu Guodong had no idea what kind of illness Lin Nan had, but seeing the changes in Lin Nan, he suspected some rare orthopedic condition. How else could someone seem like they’d shrunk after only a month?
“No way, I told her to wait until winter break.” Lin Nan kicked off his slippers and tucked his legs under himself on the sofa, glued to the TV, ignoring Wu Guodong entirely.
“Your mom says that’s too late; she’s worried about your health.” Wu Guodong paused for a moment, unable to resist asking, “So what exactly is wrong with you? You can’t be getting cancer at such a young age, right?”
Lin Nan paused, hesitated for a moment, then decided to be honest. “I got my medical check-up, and they said I’m actually a girl.”
“Huh?” Wu Guodong was momentarily stunned—his brain crashed under this sudden influx of information.
“It means I was born with a condition that’s sort of like a small… thing down there…” As he said this, Lin Nan’s face turned bright red, unable to continue, pretending to be deeply engrossed in his game to avoid his uncle’s reaction.
He figured that since he was bound to become a girl one day, his relatives would find out eventually. And well, Wu Guodong was one of the closer relatives, so having someone who knew the truth could help with the future explanations.
Wu Guodong pondered seriously for a moment, then, thanks to his life experience, somewhat accepted Lin Nan’s explanation.
“Is it called, um, female pseudohermaphroditism or something?” Lin Nan replied, unsure but trying to piece it together.
Though Wu Guodong was from his parents’ generation, he hadn’t hit thirty yet, so he adapted to new concepts way faster than Lin Nan’s mom. He quickly searched online about the condition and looked at Lin Nan with a mixed expression of surprise and confusion.
“This condition isn’t supposed to cause deformities, so why did you even get shorter?”
Now… how was Lin Nan supposed to explain that?
He thought long and hard but couldn’t come up with a reason. After all, being born with a condition shouldn’t lead to a shrinking frame.
“Maybe… I’ve been eating poorly? Nutritional deficiency?” Lin Nan countered, bewildered.
“Aren’t you getting a thousand a month from your family? And you have a part-time job. That should be enough for food, right?”
Of course, it was enough, but Lin Nan wasn’t about to admit that. He immediately launched into a tale of woe: “My school isn’t a prestigious university! The cafeteria doesn’t subsidize anything, and it costs fifteen bucks for a veggie and meat dish. If I eat three meals a day, that’s forty bucks! Plus, I have a cat to feed—she only eats premium cat food!”
“What’s this premium cat food you talk about? The kind that costs over a hundred a pound?” Although he fed Cola cheap local cat food, Lin Nan’s self-righteous tone had started to sway Wu Guodong.
“Look, I’m working part-time when I can. Honestly, just enough to feed my poor cat and me!“
“The cafeteria is that expensive?” Wu Guodong hadn’t kept up with the cost of living since he graduated and was a bit shocked. “Back in my day, five hundred was more than enough!”
Lin Nan gave him a bored glance, hardly interested: “Well, duh, you’re a recluse—what kind of expenses would you have?”
Well, he had a point there…
Though Wu Guodong agreed with Lin Nan’s observations, it still stung inside.
He was forced into being a recluse! If only his company would give more days off… he’d definitely spend them at home gaming. Yep.
Lin Nan’s rebuttal left Wu Guodong feeling a bit suffocated, but he persevered, fulfilling his duty as an uncle. “I don’t know much about your condition, but your mom says it’s dangerous.”
“I know my body better than anyone—I’m as healthy as a horse!”
Lin Nan felt a bit let down. He thought that complaining about being broke would coax a few extra hundred bucks out of Uncle.
This was not the easygoing uncle who would just throw money around with a little persuasion.
Wu Guodong wasn’t sure how to continue the conversation; being a reclusive programmer, he struggled with communication to start. Now he was trying to engage with his almost-girly nephew, while also feeling inexplicably attracted to him. How was he supposed to navigate this?
“What’s for lunch?” Lin Nan lazily propped his feet up on the sofa, casually disregarding decorum, and Wu Guodong frowned deeply.
Although he was only ten years older than Lin Nan, his upbringing was similar to Lin Nan’s parents, and seeing Lin Nan behave so unconventionally made him uncomfortable.
But he couldn’t bring himself to say anything, mainly because his wandering thoughts were back on Lin Nan’s figure.
“Sure, let’s eat something nice. It’s been a few days since we had a good meal.” He pulled out his phone and handed it to Lin Nan. “You order.”
“Can you help me with that?”
This was the second time facing a game that had nearly doubled in difficulty, and Wu Guodong was a mess. He had played it the previous year, but now? Total confusion.
“How about grilled fish?” Lin Nan suggested, his mouth watering. It had been ages since he’d indulged in something greasy.
Usually, cafeteria food was pretty oily, but recently he’d avoided meat to save money.
“Sounds good; let’s throw in an extra two bowls of rice.” Wu Guodong tried not to glance at Lin Nan, his expression stern as he suppressed his own biological urges. “Put on some weight; being skinny makes you prone to injuries.”
“Got it, got it.”
Lin Nan wanted to bulk up too, but the problem was his wallet wouldn’t allow it!
