303. A Date
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In the first class on Wednesday, perhaps due to the long holiday just ending, the teacher at the front found that the students in the lecture hall were a bit too lively.
Normally, although these students would chat quietly, they were mostly glued to their phones, daydreaming or sleeping, with maybe a few actually paying attention. But today, this bunch was just a circus!
As a teacher, nothing annoys you more than grabbing the mic, only to find your voice drowned out by the sea of student chatter.
After several loud thuds on the desk, his efforts were still in vain.
Consequently, he taught with a fury, and as soon as the bell rang, he stormed out of the classroom, but alas, he had to come back for the next class.
When the bell signaled the end of class, Lin Nan hadn’t paid much attention; her usual interest in novels was non-existent. Instead, she lay on her desk, ears perked up to eavesdrop on the discussions around her, sneaking glances at Chen Yao’s face, which brought her a bit of comfort.
“They seem pretty accepting of me…” she murmured into her arms, hands clasped to hide her expression, revealing only her wide eyes.
“Of course, you’re pretty,” Chen Yao deadpanned, not missing the chance to compliment.
Lin Nan shot him a glare, but Chen Yao’s cheeks flushed a crimson red, as he sheepishly scratched his head. “Don’t throw me those flirty eyes; we’re in class!”
Hearing their exchange, Tu Junhui glanced over curiously. Upon seeing them locked in a stare, he scoffed, “You two do your little show; you’re heading for flames at this rate!”
As class ended, the murmurs that were once just whispers now turned into a choir of voices. With the teacher gone, everyone let loose, making it much easier for Lin Nan to catch snippets of gossip about her.
Tilting her head slightly, she picked out topics related to herself from the chaotic chatter.
In front of her, four girls were speaking softly. Though their voices weren’t loud, the proximity made everything crystal clear.
“No wonder she’s gotten more beautiful since last year.”
“Right? A guy that pretty without makeup? How are we supposed to live?”
“Hey, why not ask her for her skincare secrets? I remember she wasn’t this pretty in her freshman year.”
Just when Lin Nan was getting all giddy listening to compliments about her beauty, she looked up to find one of the girls from the front row smiling back at her.
“Nan-jie~” This girl’s voice was sweet and high-pitched, deliberately layered with a teasing tone. “What’s your skincare routine?”
Lin Nan was taken aback. She hadn’t interacted much with girls, let alone dealt with one who was flirting. The only ones who called her “jiejie” were Big Dog and this girl in front of her.
Adjusting to this mode of address was quite the challenge. “Why not call me ‘ge’ (bro)? That sounds way cooler!”
She desperately wanted to respond with “Magic,” but feared it would come off as sarcasm. Instead, she frowned and asked, “What’s your name again?”
“Lin Kexin. Your name is right behind mine on the roll call.”
Lin Nan had no clue how to relate normally with girls. Since starting college, she had only befriended three girls. With Li Na, she almost got stabbed in the back; with Liu Xuefei, she got coerced into wearing girls’ clothes; the only ‘normal’ one was Li Sisi, but she was a notorious online fighter.
Since she was clueless about how to start a conversation, she decided to keep things straightforward.
Puffing out her chest heroically, she proclaimed, “Born stunning; no skincare needed!”
“Pfft!” Lin Kexin burst into laughter. “I still remember you had a ton of acne last year!”
Well, that was awkward. If you asked Lin Nan to recall how her other classmates looked during freshman year, she wouldn’t even remember details. To her surprise, Lin Kexin seemed to have quite the photographic memory.
After a moment’s pause, Lin Nan, feeling a bit distressed, replied, “Maybe I just grew out of my teenage acne… my skin cleared up?”
“But you were so flat back then…” Lin Kexin quickly glanced at Lin Nan’s chest, her eyes twinkling playfully. “Were you even going through puberty yet?”
How do you remember that so well?!
Beside them, Chen Yao lowered his head and whispered to Lin Nan, “She’s the vice class monitor, always calling names for attendance and taking photos for events. Of course, she remembers what you looked like before.”
At that moment, Lin Nan’s ears turned beet red. The male presence so close made her sensitive ears tingle.
Stuttering, she wasn’t quite sure how to respond and felt a headache coming on.
Honestly, she never thought she’d be in this situation; shouldn’t her classmates care more about her gender? Why were they so interested in her skincare routine and puberty?
Seeing Lin Nan remain silent, Lin Kexin appeared puzzled, not understanding why Lin Nan wouldn’t share her skincare tips.
Not wanting to push further, she pulled out her phone, revealing a QR code. “Here’s our girls’ group—want to join? You can help me rank up in LOL sometime. Didn’t your dorm come in first last year?”
“Sure.”
Lin Nan was surprised to learn there was a girls’ group in her class.
Even though she already identified as a girl and was becoming more feminine—she even had a boyfriend—interacting with women still felt like navigating a minefield.
Moreover, the thought of grinding through games with girls made her suddenly want to uninstall all her gaming apps.
While the girls were mostly discussing her looks—albeit with a slight touch of envy—on the guy’s side, Lin Nan was horrified to catch wind of some suggestive jokes about her.
Her expression soured a bit. Although she had spent a good amount of time as a guy, she had never been fond of crude humor, let alone jokes that were somewhat lewd about her.
Lin Nan lowered her head and opened the QQ group she had just joined.
The chat was buzzing with activity. Within minutes, “Welcome, new sister!” flooded her screen, followed by a barrage of skincare questions and some uncertain inquiries about her gender.
What a hassle.
Letting out a sigh, Lin Nan cast a pleading look at Chen Yao, but he merely shrugged and shook his head.
This was really not his area of expertise. Dealing with Lin Nan, a girl who had transitioned mid-game, was challenge enough.
“Wanna catch a movie tonight? I’m bored since there are no classes!” Lin Nan lamented, shaking off her woes and suddenly perked up, ready to check out the movie schedules.
Due to recent pandemic restrictions, all entertainment places had been shut down. Now that the school was about to resume, some theaters were trying to reopen.
“Let’s go!”
Tu Junhui chimed in excitedly, and Chen Yao nodded along, but then shot a discontented look at this 200-pound human lightbulb.
Dude, I’m taking my girlfriend out on our first date! Why are you butting in?!
Meanwhile, Xiong Da popped over, “Can I join? It’ll be good for some dorm team bonding!”
It’s a date! Not a team-building exercise!
