227. Outing
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With nothing to do here, every day was just watching TV, playing on my phone, or torturing myself with Mahjong.
Lin Nan was getting fed up, and Wu Jiaming, that guy who was out on the town every day, was even more restless.
So, after welcoming his cousin, Wu Jiaming stayed a few days before running off to his grandfather’s house again. And Liu Xinyi, being the thick-skinned person she was, heard he often went clubbing and to KTV with his buddies and immediately lit up, pestering him to let her tag along.
Suddenly, Lin Nan realized she was left with only her little uncle to keep her company.
With the New Year just around the corner, her grandfather and grandmother started getting busy preparing for the festivities, leaving less time to spare for Lin Nan. At least before, she could bump into them at the Mahjong hall, but now the only time she saw them was during meal times.
Lin Nan missed home.
Even if that home was just a rental apartment, it was still better than being a guest at her grandfather’s house.
But then again, home wasn’t exactly welcoming with a father who didn’t care for her… In the past few days, Lin Nan had come to terms with it: with a father of such personality, she didn’t need his approval or acceptance. Even if he did accept her, he’d probably still ignore her feelings, only thinking about how to make money and enjoy life.
She didn’t miss the new house her family bought either; now that she was a woman, even if she got married, she didn’t have to worry about property pressures. Besides, she had no plans to get married—just looking forward to renting an apartment after graduation and living the rest of her life.
If all goes well, she might even save enough for her mother’s retirement fund… Her parents had always been long-haul truck drivers and only registered with a company without any benefits, so there was no one contributing to their social security. They’d never even thought about it, which meant Lin Nan had to ensure her mother was taken care of.
As for her father, he still had a truck; driving could net him at least ten thousand yuan a month, so he shouldn’t be broke enough to not have any retirement funds. Worst case, Lin Nan could send him a little money each month as a way to make up for the years he’d spent on her.
Lying on Wu Guodong’s bed, Lin Nan pondered her future.
According to Li Na, magic would eventually be impossible to use due to draining mana, but by then, Lin Nan would just have one less cheat in her life—still a pretty girl on the outside, though. Hmm.
“So, can you get off my bed?” Wu Guodong said helplessly, sitting at his computer while glancing at Lin Nan, who sprawled out in a women’s nightgown, refusing to budge.
“Playing a game.”
Then could you not wear a women’s nightgown? Do you even realize how tempting your figure is?!
His gaze lingered on the hem of Lin Nan’s dress, which had hiked up close to her thighs due to her slouched position, giving a teasing glimpse of her white skin.
Lin Nan’s own sleepwear had been tossed in the washing machine by her grandfather, leaving her with the nightgown her mother had bought.
It was just a long-sleeved dress; she had worn it once before but was horrified at the time since she hadn’t worn a bra and it had led to some unfortunate revealing moments.
But now, fully dressed, and with Wu Guodong being the first relative to see her femininity, she didn’t mind too much.
With the New Year approaching, relatives would randomly drop by her grandfather’s house, usually making Wu Guodong the spokesperson while Lin Nan dutifully stuck to the second floor, refusing to play host.
Unless it was meal time, she generally avoided the first-floor living room.
She mainly feared awkward questions from relatives. If she told the truth, she’d be shunned; yet if she lied, the truth would be easy to uncover.
Wu Guodong stretched and got up. He was a classic homebody; as long as he had a computer, he could tunnel through days without realizing it, and here was no different from his usual workdays—just sitting in front of the screen.
So he didn’t find it boring; he just thought his parents were a bit too controlling.
“I’m going on a blind date; are you coming?”
His biggest headache during the New Year was all the matchmaking.
“Where? You don’t want Liu Xuefei anymore?”
“To the county seat, just for more options. Liu Xuefei and I haven’t confirmed anything.”
“Then hold on; let me change!” Lin Nan, tired of boredom, jumped out of bed the moment she heard Wu Guodong’s invitation, scampering upstairs to switch outfits.
Wu Guodong figured he might as well not change either; this was just a way to satisfy his parents’ expectations. He only swapped shoes and waited in the second-floor hallway for Lin Nan.
It wasn’t long before Lin Nan rushed down, looking all spiffy in a black suit that made her look like she was in her twenties.
Too bad her face still looked a bit too youthful; otherwise, she’d totally pull off that cool older sister vibe.
“Are we driving?”
“Duh! Who’s taking the bus when I’ve got a car?”
Wu Guodong kept his hands in his coat pockets. Lin Nan was a bit nervous stepping out during the day in women’s clothing for the first time, closely following behind him, glancing around.
Besides that one late-night outing, she hadn’t left her grandfather’s house much. It was fine under the eyes of relatives, but going out during the day…
Honestly, she felt super anxious.
She had this lingering feeling that someone would figure out her secret, even if she looked like a cute girl in mirrors or selfies. She just thought pedestrians could somehow sense her past.
They won’t discover I used to be a guy, right…
With these anxious thoughts swirling, Lin Nan settled into the passenger seat of her uncle’s car, nervously looking around.
“Speaking of which, should we swing by your boyfriend’s house to say Happy New Year? It’s almost that time.”
“I told you he’s not my boyfriend!”
“Well, if someone paid for your surgery, you should at least bring a gift during the New Year, right?”
Though Wu Guodong was a homebody, he understood a bit about social etiquette.
Lin Nan thought for a moment and realized he had a point; even if it was a lie, she needed to act like it was the real deal.
“Just tell him you’ll head home first…” She was afraid Wu Guodong might leak her secret to Chen Yao’s parents and ruin everything.
Wu Guodong thought Lin Nan was just shy and nodded, smiling, “So, do you want to stay over a couple of days at his place? Just come back on New Year’s Eve.”
“Depends…”
Whenever Lin Nan lied, she felt a nervous twinge, fiddling with the hem of her suit, staring at the ground. “I didn’t bring clothes to stay over, so forget it?”
“I was only joking.” Wu Guodong put the key in the ignition, teasing, “I can’t believe you actually considered that! And yet you claim he’s not your boyfriend?”
Teasing aside, a twinge of jealousy struck him…
This was a beautiful niece he had watched grow up, and now she was about to go off with someone else?
Lin Nan shot him an irritated glare. “You’re not going with me on this blind date!”
“Eager to see your little boyfriend, huh?”
“I’m not! Get lost!”
Surprisingly, Lin Nan could only send Chen Yao a quick text online, letting him know she’d come to hang out at noon.
But the problem was… after more than a week, could she really tell him she had undergone surgery and became a girl? Was that realistic?
