280. The Oblivious Cousin
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After all, Chen Yao was a normal guy.
And at twenty, he was as fit as a fiddle.
To make matters worse, Lin Nan had deleted all his precious gaming material before she left, and there she was, standing with an expression that screamed “come hither, but also stay away.”
If he were a scumbag, he’d have replaced Lin Nan with those poor, innocent bits of learning material.
But he wasn’t.
With a sigh, he plopped down on the bed, casually laid his leather jacket over his thighs, and said, “When will you stop being so shy?”
Not daring to gaze too long, he shifted his eyes to the TV stand at the foot of the bed. “You see other girls, most of them are cool with wearing short skirts, right?”
“Nope, my cousin never wears skirts.”
Lin Nan looked all shy and guilty as she hunched her shoulders and scuttled along the wall like a kid who stole a cookie, trying to hide in the corner.
“Your cousin, huh…” Chen Yao recalled the girl smoking and playing games at the doorway. “She’s pretty cute, but she looks just like you did a few months ago!”
“Maybe she wants to be a boy?” Lin Nan suggested.
Chen Yao nodded thoughtfully, but when he turned back to the bedroom door, she had vanished. A quick scan of the room revealed her hiding in the corner, her bare feet battling with two cats for space.
How can she be this cute?
Chen Yao almost snorted with laughter but managed to choke it back.
But it was clear Lin Nan was mortified by the short skirt, and he had no clue how long it would take for her to come to terms with such clothing. Best not to push it for now.
“Didn’t the clothes you ordered online arrive yet?”
“Should be soon? Shipping is slow these days.”
Without Chen Yao’s eyes boring into her, Lin Nan relaxed a bit, annoyedly kicking over a Sprite that was hogging her foot.
Sure, she had taken up the cat’s spot, but it felt like the feline was taking advantage of her shyness!
After a moment’s pause, she asked, “Should I change into something else?”
“Sure, why not?”
Chen Yao agreed without hesitation, worried that he might lose his composure. The mere thought of other guys seeing Lin Nan in that outfit made him feel all kinds of possessive.
Getting the green light, Lin Nan dashed to the bathroom and switched into a hoodie and jeans, finally feeling comfortable enough to flop onto the bed.
But those jeans were a bit too tight, and Chen Yao thought they were just a step away from the stockings she wore before. At least the hoodie concealed her upper body.
With dinner still a few hours off, Lin Nan, bored out of her mind, crawled from the bed’s head to the foot and curiously asked Chen Yao about his dating history.
“You really didn’t have a single girlfriend back in the day?”
“I met you in middle school. If I had a girlfriend, I would have been bragging about it to you.” Chen Yao glanced at Lin Nan perched beside him, his eyes swiftly veering from her cute face to her rear end.
Hmm… Better not overthink this.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Yao couldn’t help but lighten up, placing his hand on Lin Nan’s wrist.
She froze for a moment, glancing nervously at the closed bedroom door before eagerly changing her position to sit closer to him.
She inched a bit nearer, heart racing as her palm started to sweat under his touch.
“Didn’t you mention having a crush on someone back in middle school and asked me to pass notes?” Lin Nan scrutinized Chen Yao’s expression cautiously.
Chen Yao yawned, brushing off her words. “Back then, I was just a clueless kid. Everyone else had girlfriends, so I thought I’d give it a shot and try dating someone cute. If it worked out, I’d be so cool.”
“And you didn’t have a crush on a girl too back then?” Lin Nan teased, knowing they were both envious of classmates flaunting their so-called relationships.
But back then, she hadn’t even known what having a crush felt like.
As they reminisced about their middle school shenanigans, Lin Nan leaned against Chen Yao’s shoulder, relaxed at last.
“That girl who chased you in high school still doesn’t have a boyfriend. Maybe she’s still pining after you!” Chen Yao chuckled. “She pursued you for two years, and you weren’t even a little moved?”
“If she knew I was a girl, she wouldn’t have been interested… Plus, she was kinda ugly,” Lin Nan admitted, unable to hide her superficiality.
They were talking about old times, but the air in the room turned increasingly suggestive.
Lin Nan looked down, inching closer, glancing expectantly at Chen Yao’s wandering hand.
Chen Yao only dared to hold Lin Nan’s hand, terrified of crossing any boundaries.
He should have just pulled her in for a hug right then!
But he was feeling guilty, too scared that Lin Nan wouldn’t like anything too intimate.
After some mental warfare, the virgin in him decided to test the waters. After all, the last time they held hands, Lin Nan had initiated it. It wasn’t fair to let her do all the work!
What’s the worst that could happen? Just a swift kick, right? He’d had enough of those today, so what’s one more?
Slowly, he wrapped his arm around Lin Nan’s back, gingerly resting his fingers on her waist…
He glanced at Lin Nan’s face and saw only shyness, no signs of rejection.
This could work!
With his palm perfectly nestled at her waist, Chen Yao’s confidence surged at the sight of her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of crimson.
Just as he was about to pull her into his embrace, the bedroom door suddenly slammed open.
Lin Nan jumped, slapping his hand away and darting back, creating a distance between them faster than lightning.
“Sis! Open the door! Why are you locking me out?”
She took a deep breath, fighting to combat her flushing face, hastily walking to the door.
“Sis, there’s a big crab downstairs… Want some?”
Liu Xinyi stared at Lin Nan’s blush-stained face, then glanced at the nonchalant Chen Yao inside the room, scratching her head, oblivious to the tension. She grabbed Lin Nan’s hand and pulled her along. “Let’s go! If we don’t hurry, we won’t even get a bowl of soup! There are only three crabs!”
Lin Nan was already flustered and couldn’t refuse, so she got dragged out the door.
“Cousin-in-law! You should come down too! I’ll save you a leg!”
“Got it!” Chen Yao grumbled as he watched the two girls leave the room, punching the bed in frustration.
He should’ve just been more assertive! Why did he have to overthink everything?!
If he had just held Lin Nan first, he could’ve gone in for a kiss!
Now, who knows how long he’ll have to wait for their next meeting? He finally had a chance, and it got whisked away just like that.
His face darkened with irritation as he stood up, mumbling, “Lin Nan’s cousin is seriously clueless! If my mom barged in, she’d be outta here in a flash.”
