165. Hairdo
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Well, that’s one identity crisis sorted out!
At first, he never dreamed of asking Li Na for help. I mean, that girl is a total weirdo! But just half a month ago, he casually mentioned it, and to his surprise, Li Na actually came through for him.
He glanced down at the medical record, which stated “Erudite Island First Hospital.”
Isn’t that a pretty prestigious hospital? If he brings home a certificate from there, his mother might actually chill out a bit, right?
On his way back to the dormitory, Lin Nan started pondering what his new name should be. How about Lin Nan Nan, or Lin Siqi…? But he struggled with naming conventions. After a while, he thought Lin Nan seemed gender-neutral enough; not worth the hassle of changing it.
Unfortunately, Li Na still wasn’t ready to extract Lilith’s soul completely from Lin Nan’s body when the time came.
She had attempted it last month, even making Lin Nan chug an entire bottle of cola to temporarily store Lilith’s soul. But in the end, that chick’s soul seemed to bounce back stronger than ever, making it impossible for Lilith to stop dictating Lin Nan’s character and thoughts.
And now, it was too late…
Lin Nan sighed heavily in resignation. Although he stubbornly believed that having a little Lin Nan inside him made him a man, he couldn’t deny that he mentally felt more girly than ever.
What was once a result of Lilith’s influence was now his own doing.
When he returned to the dorm, Chen Yao was already up. Hearing noises, he looked up at Lin Nan entering.
Their eyes locked, and the atmosphere suddenly froze. Lin Nan felt an overwhelming rush of embarrassment, guilt, or perhaps sheer shame wash over him.
He stood there dazed for a second, then his face turned beet red, and he quickly turned his head aside, rushing to his spot.
Maybe they should recruit someone else to unlock the magic? It always falls on Chen Yao; isn’t that a little unfair?
This guy must be a bit oblivious, but still reaping all the benefits…
Chen Yao had no clue what Lin Nan was thinking. However, the confession from the karaoke bar the previous night was still fresh in his mind. Sure, it was an obvious joke, but it made him overthink a bit.
Initially, he wanted to ask Lin Nan about it directly since he’s the type who’s straight to the point. But after that hug, he felt all guilty; Lin Nan trusted him as his best buddy, and it felt like he was betraying that trust.
Plus, that confession was likely just Lin Nan messing with him in drunken revelry! If he took it seriously, he’d be the real loser here!
With that thought, Chen Yao felt significantly lighter. But still, the memory of hugging Lin Nan and the confession lingered in his head, refusing to budge.
To escape the awkwardness, Lin Nan avoided Chen Yao’s gaze, firmly sitting at his computer, and opened the file his classmate had organized for finals. He also pulled out a textbook that barely saw the light of day since the semester began.
Magic! It’s like reading at breakneck speed!
He wished he could dramatically shout that out, but this was the dorm, after all.
A wave of clarity washed over him, like he just inhaled a whiff of menthol, instantly clearing his mind.
The magic was superb! Studying felt like reading a novel; he could skim a page like nobody’s business. Unlike novels, where you might forget character names right after, after ten minutes of this magic, he could vaguely recall details!
Sure, he was reading like he would a web novel, but it felt like he had carefully read every single word.
Even when Tu Junhui came crashing down from his bed like a tank, he didn’t lose focus, only realizing it ten minutes later.
This magic! Totally awesome!
With this ability, even the most clueless, undisciplined kid could probably turn into a top student.
It didn’t actually boost memory or brain capacity, but it was more than sufficient for acing exams.
However, after just ten minutes, his head started feeling heavy and throbbing, forcing him to stop and ready himself to game.
“Nan Nan studied hard for ten whole minutes today! Impressive!” Tu Junhui chimed sarcastically.
“Trust me, those ten minutes were probably more effective than your entire hour,” Lin Nan scoffed.
That was the truth, but Tu Junhui had no clue about Lin Nan’s unscientific magic abilities and continued with his sarcasm: “Of course, our Nan Nan is the brightest girl in the dorm!”
This guy used to tease; now he’s just picking up on trends from the internet and getting all sarcastic.
Lin Nan felt that this sarcasm was even more annoying than the previous teasing, so he shot back decisively: “Come on! How can a pig that sleeps until noon compete with me?”
“Why’d you admit you’re a girl so fast?”
“……”
Once again, playing word games wasn’t his strong suit.
Lin Nan shot him daggers and then turned into a pufferfish, huffing away and presenting Tu Junhui with his back.
It had been over a month since he last got a haircut, and his hair now completely covered his ears. His bangs were even obstructing his view. Lin Nan was starting to think about getting a trim, but after his last haircut episode, he felt a bit spooked.
What if they mistook him for a girl again? Last time, he just got a little trim, but this time, with long hair, if they styled him like a girl, he probably wouldn’t even be able to step foot in the dorm again.
So, he scooted his chair in front of the mirror and grabbed Tu Junhui’s comb, attempting to create a cute hairstyle that wouldn’t block his vision.
A middle part? He instantly felt it was too weird, totally unacceptable. A side part? Even when he moved a little, it drooped over, and he’d need gel to hold it down. A slicked-back style? Yikes, it would require a truckload of gel.
Ugh, headache. Guess a middle part it is…
Lin Nan evenly split his hair down the middle, revealing a forehead that had rarely seen the light of day.
His forehead was a bit too narrow; honestly, the effect wasn’t great. Plus, years of bangs had left him with occasional zits, and while those had cleared up, he was left with the unfortunate legacy of enlarged pores.
The latter was already fixed by magic; the former he couldn’t tell… because since middle school, he’d kept bangs, and now this was the first time he was genuinely scrutinizing his forehead.
Ugh, no matter how he looked at it, it felt odd.
Lin Nan turned to Chen Yao and asked, “Do I look good with a middle part?”
Chen Yao, fully engrossed in his game, had no time for his teammate and promptly looked over, then froze, taking a moment to answer: “Uh, kinda… looks more girly.”
“Really?”
Lin Nan frowned at the response and promptly ruffled his hair back into bangs.
“With bangs, it barely qualifies as a guy’s hairstyle, hmm,” he muttered to himself, trying to sound confident but feeling slightly sheepish.
