278. Lin Nan’s Relatives
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This was Chen Yao’s first time visiting Lin Nan’s grandfather’s house.
Well, technically it was his first time stepping inside; the last time he had reached the front gate but was dragged away by Lin Nan’s mother for a deep chat about life.
He wasn’t very familiar with Lin Nan’s relatives. The two he recognized were Lin Nan’s mother and Uncle, but even that wasn’t saying much since he had hardly met them a few times.
Walking into the house, he was drenched in awkwardness and nerves, and regretting not bringing a gift today.
Noticing Chen Yao frozen in anxiety, Lin Nan quickly shuffled closer and whispered, “Apart from my mom, little cousin, grandpa, and grandma, the rest all smoke.”
Knowing Chen Yao for a while now, Lin Nan was well aware that this guy always had a pack of smokes on him for making friends.
Even though she found that habit a bit reminiscent of good-for-nothing delinquents, she knew it came from their countless hours spent hanging out at internet cafes.
Chen Yao immediately got the hint, pulled out a pack of Furong Wang and cheerfully offered a cigarette to Liu Xinyi, who was perched on a bench by the door, engrossed in her phone.
“Such expensive cigarettes?” Liu Xinyi looked up and beamed as she accepted it, cheerfully calling out, “Brother-in-law is so nice!”
That “brother-in-law” made Chen Yao’s heart flutter with delight, while Lin Nan wanted to kick him right then and there.
Chen Yao eagerly handed one to Wu Jiaming too, and just like that, he seamlessly integrated into the trio of Lin Nan’s cousins. They sat in a row with their phones out, ready to scheme their way through a game of Chicken Dinner.
Watching Chen Yao having a good time with Wu Jiaming and Liu Xinyi, Lin Nan glanced over at the relatives still chattering away in the back kitchen, letting out a dramatic sigh.
“Mom, where are you and Uncle staying tonight?”
Lin Nan curiously asked.
Although Grandpa’s place was a four-story villa, it had a minuscule footprint; each floor had only two rooms, and the fourth floor wasn’t even renovated yet—definitely not enough for everyone to stay.
Her mom didn’t need to think twice before replying, “Your Uncle owns a place in town, I’ll just follow him over to stay for a few days.”
“Oh, I see?”
“He also has a house in the provincial city that he bought a few years back. I’ve seen it; it’s quite large.”
As she spoke, Wu Guodong sauntered out of the kitchen with a big bowl of tangyuan.
She quickly dashed back to grab seven or eight small bowls and spoons from the kitchen to help distribute the glutinous rice balls, and shouted towards the three gaming at the door, “Stop playing, come eat tangyuan!”
“I’m not eating!” Liu Xinyi promptly refused, “I don’t like meat tangyuan.”
“There’s peanut and red bean paste too, hurry up and eat.”
“Wait until we finish this round, don’t rush us.”
Chen Yao peeked at the two before turning back to Lin Nan’s mom, feeling a bit guilty and opting to bow out of the game instead. “I guess I’ll eat first.”
He was scared of ruining the good impression he had managed to leave on Lin Nan’s mom and was too lazy to keep playing, so he put away his phone and moved to the table.
He put on his best “good boy” face, accepted the small bowl from Lin Nan’s mom with both hands, and politely thanked her.
To be honest, it felt quite awkward and uncomfortable.
Chen Yao felt tense around the elders, then turned to look at Lin Nan, who was giving him a “you’ve got to be kidding me” look.
“What’s wrong with me?”
“You understand how hard it is for me at your house now, right?” Lin Nan shot him a swift kick under the table.
Chen Yao winced and widened his eyes but couldn’t yell out, mumbling in a guilty tone, “I’ve seen you living there for days; you’d practically become their daughter. How is that hard?”
Lin Nan’s mom, oblivious to their little banter, just advised, “It’s pouring outside; after you’re done, go upstairs to turn on the air conditioning, warm up, and take a shower.”
“Uh-huh, thanks.”
Chen Yao was already plotting how to find a place to be alone with Lin Nan.
Yet, just as he was about to finish his tangyuan, he noticed more of Lin Nan’s relatives emerging from the kitchen, chatting and laughing. Spotting him triggered some surprised whispers about whose child he was.
“Whose good-looking kid is this?”
“Never seen him before!”
Chen Yao felt an extra layer of embarrassment; normally outgoing, he didn’t know how to handle this situation. Luckily, Lin Nan’s mom came to the rescue: “He’s Lin Nan’s boyfriend.”
“Such a young boyfriend?”
“Lin Nan is something else; being pretty has its perks,” Aunt teased Lin Nan with a smile that only women understand.
I’m still a kid! I can’t grasp this!
Lin Nan was too flustered to respond to her relatives; she quickly stuffed the last tangyuan in her mouth and yanked Chen Yao’s hand as they bolted upstairs.
“Mom, I’m going to cool off upstairs!”
“Oh, look at her being shy.” Aunt caught sight of Lin Nan’s hasty exit and turned to Lin Nan’s mom, saying, “She’s just like you used to be.”
“Really?”
Lin Nan’s mom seemed momentarily lost; after nearly twenty years of marriage, she could hardly remember what she was like back then.
Meanwhile, Lin Nan led Chen Yao into a bedroom on the third floor, and with no one around, he finally let out a sigh of relief, his tense body relaxing as he flopped onto the bed.
But just as he settled down, Lin Nan yanked him right back up.
“Don’t lay on my bed with those wet clothes!”
“It’s not that wet, just my pants are a bit soggy,” he said with a resigned smile, “I REALLY can’t handle your relatives. It’s so uncomfortable.”
“Didn’t I also have a hard time with your parents?”
Lin Nan, with her clothes also damp, plopped down onto Liu Xinyi’s floor bed. Since she wasn’t sleeping there, getting it wet didn’t matter.
“Your mom still sleeping on the floor?”
“No, my cousin is sleeping here.” Lin Nan clarified and then eyed the two black-and-white cats curled up snoozing in a corner. “Why don’t you go take a shower? You’re soaked.”
Even with a raincoat, it was a single-person size, and with that downpour, it couldn’t possibly keep him dry.
That son of a g*n really dropped the ball on this.
Turning on the air conditioning, Lin Nan relaxed on the ground; indeed, those wet clothes were a drag.
However, not long after Chen Yao went into the bathroom, he poked his head out of the bedroom door, asking, “Lin Nan, so you were in this bathroom for our video call before, right?”
Lin Nan was momentarily stunned, then realized he was referring to that infamous bath video.
Feeling embarrassed and angry, she picked up a drink bottle from the floor and hurled it at Chen Yao.
“Why’re you so shy about it? You’ve already seen it!” Chen Yao dodged the flying bottle and teased, “Too bad the steam covered everything up.”
“Pervert!” Lin Nan was both angry and shy, grabbing a can of cola and chasing after Chen Yao.
But he nimbly slipped into the bathroom and locked the door behind him, whistling casually inside.
