168. Unexpected
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To Chen Yao, Dong Juan was just a tiny blip in university life, but Lin Nan was fixated on that girl like a cat watching a laser pointer.
He couldn’t tell if his emotions were all about Aunt Flo making him extra sensitive, or if it was just a plain dislike for Dong Juan, but one thing was for sure: he was not a fan of that girl.
This mood stuck with him through the evening, and Lin Nan sulked while fixating on the fact that Dong Juan had a crush on Chen Yao, with her *assets* bouncing around in his head like some sort of cruel mental torture. It was infuriating!
“Are you, uh, maybe on your period?”
Chen Yao dropped the truth bomb.
Lin Nan froze, nervously looking around like he was re-enacting an episode of a teen drama. He spotted Tu Junhui and Xiong Da running downstairs for snacks and finally sighed in relief, glaring up at Chen Yao, “Don’t say that in the dorm!”
He convinced himself that his emotional problems were all Aunt Flo’s fault, not bitterness over Dong Juan.
After all, that girl wasn’t even as pretty as him, even when she tried to glam up!
“Well, nobody’s here anyway,” Chen Yao was curious as to why Lin Nan’s mood took such a nosedive. Last month, when Aunt Flo came, Lin Nan had been in pain but still found ways to smile and joke around.
This month? Well, Auntie didn’t seem to be causing him much pain, but for some reason, his emotions were off the rails—he’d stuck a permanent grumpy face since noon, dragging the whole dorm’s vibe down with him.
“You really need to manage your emotions,” Chen Yao tried to choose his words carefully, not wanting Lin Nan to develop a psychological condition like the counselor warned once. “If you keep getting upset this easily, you’ll probably implode one day.”
Chen Yao really did care about Lin Nan, especially after the counselor’s reality check. He realized Lin Nan’s discovery of his femininity had to be weighing heavily on him. But for the past month, Lin Nan had mostly enjoyed his food, with only minor grumbles that faded faster than a Snapchat story.
But today? Today, Lin Nan’s mood had exploded like a soda can shaken too much.
“Manage emotions, huh?”
Lin Nan was stunned for a moment; he knew his mood swings were starting to become more obvious.
Maybe that was some weird blending of personality with Lilith? Lilith was a cheeky witch, eager for a fight, while Lin Nan was originally calm and introverted. When they fused, it made him a bit more irritable, which usually just meant he got extra steamed when he got sniped in-game.
Chen Yao cleared his throat, about to launch into a lengthy monologue from his research on the Internet. But Lin Nan turned away, clearly uninterested.
Who knows what kooky stuff is on the Internet? He had hacks, okay?
So let’s pop that last magic slot with something for managing emotions!
Like a spell that could rapidly cool down hot emotions!
Calm: Instantly soothes fluctuating emotions.
In Lilith’s memory, this magic was mostly used in battle. Fighting in another world had its similarities to gaming—getting flustered and taunted means you need a little Calm Spell action.
Losing a game was just a sad little “Game Over” screen, but losing in a life-or-d*ath situation? That meant actual consequences! And if you lost because you lost your cool, well, that was just a bad deal.
Unlocking methods…
He glanced it over, and suddenly the previously locked spell just… unlocked itself? Like, “Ta-da!” What’s that about?
Lin Nan was befuddled, staring blankly at Chen Yao.
Chen Yao scratched his head, clearly confused by the emotional rollercoaster Lin Nan was riding.
He took a deep breath, wondering why the magic had unlocked and feeling strangely anxious.
After all, Li Na had mentioned that if he unlocked three to five spells, he might turn female, and by now he had unlocked two.
One was invisibility, hastily unlocked to escape being seen by Li Na, and the other was some speed-reading spell unlocked at KTV to prove he was serious about studying.
Now that he thought about it, his initial transformation spell was similarly acquired, right after he had that light bulb moment about a transformation spell, and—bam!—it unlocked just like that.
But now…
He scanned the requirements of this new spell: to be used as a magical tool.
What on earth does that mean?
Lin Nan was utterly puzzled.
Chen Yao watched as Lin Nan’s face cycled from flushed red to pale white to furrowed brows of confusion, clearly trying to decipher some cosmic riddle.
“What’s up?” Chen Yao asked, puzzled.
“Uh…” Lin Nan shook his head; Chen Yao wouldn’t understand the magic stuff.
Was it because Li Na had experimented on him with soul magic that this spell casually unlocked?
A lightbulb went off, but then he slumped onto the desk, anxiety crushing down on his chest.
Three spell unlocks could mean changing into a girl, and here he was, unlocking this one for no apparent reason… Please no! Don’t turn into a full-on girl in the dorm!
Transforming into a girl? He could just lose a little Lin Nan, right? The body shouldn’t change too much, right?
But if his body suddenly matured to an eighteen-year-old level, that massive transformation might just be visible to his roommates. No hiding from that!
Lin Nan felt a chill run down his spine and quickly asked, “Is there any way to sneak out and rent a place without getting busted?”
According to school rules, no students were allowed to live off-campus before their senior year unless they lived within a thousand meters and brought their property deed for registration.
Chen Yao froze, unsure why Lin Nan was suddenly so desperate to move out. He furrowed his brow and tentatively replied, “If Director Zheng agrees, then you should be able to move out.”
“But Director Zheng has a pretty proper lifestyle. I heard some students tried to bribe him to live off-campus, and he turned them down.”
So he might really end up as a hidden girl in the guys’ dorm?
While his roommates seemed friendly enough, who really knew what was lurking behind their smiles? Aside from Chen Yao, Tu Junhui and Xiong Da had only known him for a year, and what about everyone else in the other dorms? What if they weren’t so friendly?
Lin Nan took a deep breath, deciding he might risk getting demerits to rent a place if he turned into a girl, when suddenly he remembered the root cause of it all.
Magic!
I still have a charm spell!
It was like a ray of hope shining through the clouds; remembering that seemingly useless charm magic helped ease his anxiety about turning into a girl too soon.
Sure, charming men wasn’t exactly a dignified plan, but hey, it was about safety!
He quickly talked himself into it, feeling an odd sense of anticipation bubble up.
Lilith, don’t mess with my emotions!
