264. Before Leaving
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It wasn’t until the seventeenth day of the lunar month that the roadblocks between the villages were finally lifted.
That morning, Lin Nan sent a message to Wu Guodong, hoping he could come pick her up, and then she reluctantly glanced up at Chen Yao, who was buried in his game on the computer.
She had to leave.
Li Na, or someone else from another world, had already snuck up beside her. She wasn’t sure if there was any danger, but she definitely didn’t want to involve Chen Yao.
Having come here before the New Year and spent nearly a month, normally she’d be heading back to have a meal with her grandfather’s relatives on the second or third day of the New Year. But with the pandemic, even though the roads were now open, group meals were still off-limits—no outings recommended.
Sitting on her bed, she noticed that Chen Yao didn’t seem the least bit worried and pointedly reminded him, “I’m leaving as soon as my uncle arrives.”
“Yeah, you mentioned that last night.”
Seeing him still engrossed in his game, Lin Nan felt a surge of frustration, nearly hurling the water bottle on her bedside table at him.
Turns out, women are more important than games!
Once standing in the shoes of a guy, she thought that statement perfectly matched the mindset of a gaming nerd. But now, standing on the female side, she felt like blowing a gasket.
Pouting her cheeks, Lin Nan grabbed the laptop from her bedside table, deciding to give Chen Yao the silent treatment.
However, less than ten minutes into her own game, she couldn’t help but ask, “What are you planning to do once I’m gone?”
“Play games every day, and if the store needs something, I’ll run a delivery. Basically, I won’t be too idle, right?”
What a total knucklehead…
A normal girl might’ve been infuriated by that response.
Fortunately, Lin Nan had once been a man herself, so she could at least empathize a little, knowing that Chen Yao just got super focused when gaming.
But it was still maddening!
She whipped a pillow at him.
“What’s up?” Chen Yao finally noticed, turning around during a game loading screen to see Lin Nan had puffed up her cheeks in anger.
This guy…
Lin Nan’s furious expression was cutely infuriating—more like a pitiful little cat that had been wronged than someone to be genuinely angry at.
“Fine, I won’t play anymore,” he said.
Having played the game for years, Chen Yao had long lost any competitive spirit. He tossed out a message in the chat, “My wife is about to give birth, sorry.” and logged off.
He then stood up, smiling at Lin Nan, who was still sulking.
“What’s the big deal? You’re leaving, so let’s go. The roads are open now, and once the restaurant’s back up, I’ll go find you.” He sat at the foot of the bed, glancing at Lin Nan, who sat all the way in the corner. “How about I tag along?”
Lin Nan fixed her eyes on the computer screen, refusing to look at him or say anything, wanting Chen Yao to experience what it felt like to be ignored.
“You’re leaving, though!” Chen Yao wobbled over and plopped down next to her, super excited. “Any parting gifts?”
Ghs! Ghs!
Chen Yao noticed Lin Nan’s cheeks turning pinker, thinking maybe it was the right moment.
They were adults, had known each other for years, and aside from a few hand-holding moments, they hadn’t really done much together. This wasn’t some elementary school romance!
Chen Yao leaned in closer to Lin Nan.
“By the way, Cola seems a little off lately,” Lin Nan tried to change the topic, turning her head toward Chen Yao only to panic as she realized his face was coming in hot.
Her laptop was on her lap, and running was not an option now.
The next moment, Lin Nan didn’t hesitate and delivered a peach of a punch.
“Whoa!”
Chen Yao hunched over, holding his nose, “You’re brutal!”
“You scared me…” Lin Nan sheepishly backed up a bit until her shoulder bumped against the wall, bowing her head as she stuttered, “I—I can’t accept that…”
Sure, she had kissed Chen Yao before because of magic, but that was when she was drunk—cheek and forehead pecks, but this was different—couples didn’t do it like that.
She felt a tinge of guilt for not being able to meet Chen Yao’s needs, but she firmly rejected him, “Let’s talk about it later?”
“What were you saying about Cola?” Chen Yao, still rubbing his nose, didn’t take it too seriously.
Now that they were on the topic, Lin Nan’s worry heightened.
A few days ago, she had sensed some magical energy in the house, thinking it was Li Na. But now that days had passed, Li Na hadn’t shown up.
Chances were it was another visitor from a different world, treating her like Lilith’s reincarnation just like Li Na did.
And Cola had met Li Na before—although not under the friendliest circumstances, at least it was some sort of acquaintance. Cola shouldn’t be reduced to a clueless idiot, right?
She glanced up to see Cola pawing at the blanket again, yelping, “Hey, take care of Cola! Your couch is getting wrecked!”
“How’s your Cola doing?”
Chen Yao hurriedly swooped in to pick Cola up, tossing it into his backpack for safekeeping.
“Cola has indeed been acting weird lately,” Chen Yao frowned. “It used to be so well-behaved, and it even talked to us.”
That was just Chen Yao’s imagination. Watching Cola meow endlessly felt somewhat like it was conversing, but still…
Hearing that, Cola inside the backpack froze and rolled its eyes.
Don’t go around saying that! I’m just an ordinary house cat!
“Right, like just yesterday it peed on the bed… I heard cat bed wetting means it’s in heat,” Lin Nan pondered, “What if it’s gone from a simple rebellious phase to a full-on mating season?”
“Then when the pandemic’s over, let’s take it to the vet?” Chen Yao suggested, “There’s a pet clinic right downstairs, it’s just that they’re closed now.”
Just as they were talking, Lin Nan’s phone rang—it was Wu Guodong’s call.
Looks like her uncle had arrived.
She stood up from the bed, grabbing the backpack that held Cola.
Just a while ago, she was all set to leave, but now that the moment had come, she felt an unexpected reluctance.
“I’m leaving,” she said, looking down, her voice low.
“In a few days, you’ll see each other again. It’s not like it’s a life-or-d*ath goodbye,” Chen Yao remarked as he grabbed the suitcase from the corner.
His mom had bought Lin Nan a bunch of clothes, and now, she would have to borrow his suitcase to take them.
Chen Yao stepped over to Lin Nan, helping her organize her disheveled coat.
Seeing that she still looked down, he gently ruffled her hair, “Alright, I’ll walk you downstairs. Let’s go.”
“Okay…”
“Hey, how about a little kiss before you go?” Chen Yao teased.
Just like that, Lin Nan’s earlier gloom vanished, and she blushed bright red, staring down and saying nothing.
Chen Yao was taken aback for a moment, but he just took her hand and reminded her, “If anything bothers you when you get back, tell me. We can video call every night, and if you have a nightmare, just call me up.”
“Okay.”
“If you’re feeling unhappy over there, give me a call, and I’ll ride my electric scooter to pick you up.”
Lin Nan looked up in confusion, “But your electric scooter, didn’t you say the tires were flat? Who’s gonna fix them now?”
“…”
