118. Too Lazy to Think of a Title
Despite being single for many years, he had his fair share of experiences. It was blatantly obvious that Lin Nan wasn’t getting cozy with any guy, yet for some reason, her brows were brimming with a flirty vibe—it was the kind of charm that only married ladies seemed to possess.
Such allure was a massive blow to someone like him who’d been perpetually single. It was a potent attraction for any man who’d never had close encounters with women.
After sharing some grilled fish and playing games with Lin Nan in the living room, he had finally gotten used to her current appearance that oozed a hint of seduction.
“I’m going to the room to enjoy the air conditioning.”
He was battling a nicotine addiction and had subconsciously started viewing Lin Nan as a girl, suppressing his urge to smoke around her.
“Go ahead! It’s only because you’ve been overindulging in that air conditioning that you feel weak!” Lin Nan boldly accused him, flaunting her magical prowess.
Wu Guodong realized with exasperation that he had become the one getting lectured.
Digging into his pocket, he found his pack of cigarettes was entirely empty. So he pulled out a crumpled ten yuan note and handed it to Lin Nan. “Go buy me a pack of Blue Sevens. The change is yours.”
Lin Nan happily accepted, scampering out the door like a little kid.
“This kid…” Wu Guodong wondered when his own nephew had turned into such a money-grubber. There was no sign of this financial savvy in Lin Nan as a child.
He rubbed his temples, feeling slightly guilty whenever he saw Lin Nan, afraid she would notice his inclination towards her.
“That’s my nephew, my nephew!” he muttered to himself as he walked to the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face, feeling the heat in his mind begin to dissipate.
“That girl’s a real curse… She’s only eighteen, and back in January she still looked like a guy. How’d she end up like this?”
Wu Guodong was struck by the overwhelming power of Lin Nan’s charm. It baffled him how her dorm mates could remain indifferent after being around her day in and day out.
“It seems like I need to find a way to get Lin Nan to move out soon.” He checked his bank balance on his phone. Although he had just received his paycheck, having borrowed fifty thousand yuan from Lin Nan’s mother last week left him with only about ten thousand for living expenses. After paying rent and utilities, he’d be down to five or six thousand.
Not bad for a single guy, really; while takeout in the city center could be expensive, it wasn’t utterly outrageous. The only concern was how much rental apartments near Lin Nan’s school would run.
As he left the bathroom and entered the living room, Lin Nan came rushing back, panting.
“One pack of cigarettes cost eight yuan! You only gave me two yuan to run errands. Uncle, you’re such a cheapskate!” Lin Nan burst out, rolling her eyes. “Do you know that delivery meals are four to five yuan each nowadays?”
“Hey, it’s a miracle you got any change at all!” Wu Guodong rolled his eyes back at her as he took the cigarette pack. “By the way, can you guys move out during school?”
“I’ve heard you can only do that in your senior year.” Lin Nan plopped back on the sofa, controller in hand, diving into ‘Sekiro.’
Last time they played, with Uncle helping her navigate, she just focused on defeating bosses and felt relaxed. However, now that she was on her second run and needed to explore as well as defeat enemies, the difficulty shot up, especially since Lin Nan had a ridiculous lack of directional sense. Even though she wasn’t completely directionally challenged, navigating a game without maps in a complex environment drove her nuts.
“Why isn’t there a one-click escape feature in online games?”
“Why not add an auto-fight, auto-quest feature too?” Wu Guodong teased, cigarette dangling from his lips. “How strict is attendance at your school? If it’s not too strict, can’t you ask your dorm mates to help?”
Lin Nan pondered the evening attendance process, then nodded. “Yeah, it’s not strict… But the dorm supervisor knows me well and has a vivid memory.”
“??? ”
Lin Nan couldn’t help but complain, “Back then I didn’t look as feminine as I do now. He caught me and lectured me for being a girl hanging around the boys’ dorm!”
Well, at least you’re aware of your femininity.
Lin Nan was odd; even back when she looked like a boy, her mannerisms were naturally feminine. Now that she closely resembled a girl, she still clumsily mimicked some male actions.
But why sit cross-legged with a frown while trying to act masculine?
It didn’t make her seem more manly; it just made Wu Guodong find his nephew adorably foolish.
“So does that mean you can only stay in the boys’ dorm now?”
“Pretty much. I don’t have much of a choice.” Lin Nan wanted to live elsewhere, noticing how awkward the three in the dorm had become because of her presence.
After chatting for a bit, Wu Guodong could no longer resist his smoking craving and turned to his room. Moments later, a wisp of smoke escaped from under the door.
Lin Nan didn’t mind too much, as the windows were wide open, and the smoke would dissipate quickly.
Meanwhile, Wu Guodong sat at his computer smoking and reporting the latest updates to Lin Nan’s mother.
“Lin Nan says she’ll be back for surgery this winter break. Her health seems fine otherwise.” He sent a message and continued, “However, she’s lost quite a bit of weight since we last saw each other. She probably hasn’t been eating or sleeping well because of everything. Let’s not pressure her too much.”
Even though Wu Guodong could see that Lin Nan still wore her usual carefree mask, he could tell she was burdened deep down.
In no time, Lin Nan’s mother responded.
“Why can’t you manage him yourself?” she sounded frustrated. “The doctor said the sooner he has surgery, the better.”
“I can’t do much.”
Wu Guodong tossed his cigarette into a soda bottle partially filled with water, looking utterly helpless.
He wasn’t the type to be eloquent; being a programmer didn’t require much communication, and he was a homebody. Just talking to Lin Nan without stuttering felt like a win, let alone giving her advice.
Besides, Lin Nan clearly resented his attempts to persuade her.
After a few more exchanges and confirming that Lin Nan really was a girl, Wu Guodong left the bedroom and looked over at the sofa, where he found Lin Nan had curled up with the controller and fallen asleep.
He was aware of some antics from the previous weekend. Although details were sparse, he understood Lin Nan’s father had said something out of line, and now he could see why he was so agitated.
He walked over and gently covered Lin Nan with a light blanket.
Just moments ago, she was acting like her typical fun-loving, money-hungry self, looking like a carefree college student. But now, as she slept, he noticed her tightly furrowed brows.
“Why does she have to go through this?”
Wu Guodong gazed at Lin Nan’s delicate features and sighed. As an outsider, he felt utterly helpless. What could he possibly do to help the one facing such difficulties?
He could only feel for Lin Nan and think of ways he might assist her.
