314. New Magic
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Unexpectedly, Chen Yao’s dumplings actually tasted quite nice.
Compared to the flashy junk from takeout and the supermarket, his dumplings had a good dough-to-filling ratio; the meat was tight and packed, though they did have a bit of a bun vibe from the outside.
But hey, at least they were tasty.
As the night deepened, Lin Nan became increasingly sleepy after playing a couple of games with Chen Yao. She wandered into her bedroom, handed him a thin blanket, yawned, and prepared to hit the hay.
Chen Yao had been sleeping on the couch these past few days, not because Lin Nan had kicked him out, but because he felt that sleeping beside her would be nothing short of risky. Who knows what kind of shenanigans Lin Nan might pull? She always left him hanging—kindling the fire but never extinguishing it.
“Don’t lock the door at night; I might get up to use the bathroom,” he reminded.
“I know,” Lin Nan replied with a hiccup. She had overeaten dumplings and felt a bit bloated.
After stuffing herself, she flopped onto her bed, clutching her phone while reading a novel. The bedroom door was slightly ajar, and she could see Chen Yao in the living room browsing the web on his laptop.
Oddly enough, even though she could barely keep her eyes open while gaming, as soon as she lay down in bed, her sleepiness vanished like magic.
It was only nine o’clock, and lying in bed, she could vaguely hear the sounds of footsteps and chatter from the alley downstairs.
Lin Nan had been reading for half an hour without feeling sleepy at all. Frustrated, she got up and closed the window, trying to block out the outside noise.
Once she had some money, she’d move into one of those high-rise buildings—then it would definitely be quieter.
But suddenly, Lin Nan realized something was off.
She paused for a moment, racking her brain until she felt a slight warmth in her legs—and then it hit her like a ton of bricks.
That elusive Aunt Flo hadn’t shown up for over a month!
Startled, Lin Nan shot up, threw off the blanket, and looked at the bloodstain on the sheets, ready to weep in despair.
“What’s wrong?” Chen Yao noticed the commotion and pushed the door open, only to stumble upon the bl**d-stained sheets and a whiff of something metallic in the air.
Lin Nan looked up at him, both of them frozen in a moment of awkwardness.
The awkward atmosphere was quickly shattered as Chen Yao sighed with a wry smile, “It’s been months—how do you keep forgetting?”
Lin Nan’s face flushed crimson, stammering, “It doesn’t come on time…”
Sometimes it shows up at the end of the month, other times at the beginning. With school starting up, she was swamped with a million things to do, and worrying about Lilith’s revenge didn’t help either…
Oh right, her two cats had mysteriously vanished! Whenever she ran into Li Na, something always came up that made her forget to ask.
She couldn’t just be slapping on pads every day at the end of the month—that would be such a waste!
“Fine, I’m just forgetful,” Lin Nan admitted, lowering her head in shame before standing up, flailing her arms to shoo Chen Yao out. “You need to go; I’m changing!”
“Okay, I’ll go downstairs and get you some new sheets.”
Once Chen Yao left, she took her time getting off the bed.
This had happened several times before, so she was somewhat experienced. But this time—she hesitated.
“Pads, can they stick without underwear?”
She babbled to herself, checking the requirements to unlock a certain magic.
Magic Conversion: Once activated, it continuously consumes magic power to increase stamina recovery speed.
If she could recover quickly, wouldn’t that mean infinite stamina?
But the unlocking method: three days without wearing underwear.
Lin Nan had seen this magic before, but at the time, she thought the unlocking conditions were simple yet the side effects of becoming more feminine weren’t worth it. After all, when she was just delivering takeout, her daily life didn’t really require much energy—she was just attending classes, gaming, and occasionally working part-time handing out flyers.
But after the embarrassing fall this afternoon, Lin Nan had made up her mind to boost her stamina.
Moreover, she had no interest in skirts anymore; whether she wore underwear or not, no one could tell. Who knows if any good-looking dudes or dudettes around her had a thing for going commando?
But to think her period decided to show up now…
Couldn’t it have come earlier or later?!
Lin Nan grumbled and cast a Purification Magic on herself, storming into the bathroom for a quick rinse.
She’d wait five or six days, let the period pass before unlocking the magic.
But she was also a bit reluctant… After all, she had Purification Magic! Just toss it on herself periodically!
Or maybe unlock the passive Purification Magic too?
That long skirt nightgown had already felt uncomfortably empty as it was, and now it was even worse, so after a brief wipe down, Lin Nan rummaged through her suitcase in the corner of the bedroom and pulled out some old male clothes.
It would be a shame to throw out her summer men’s wear, and they fit her body just fine—perfect for loungewear!
Just when she was about to change, the door to her rental apartment swung open again.
Lin Nan’s face turned pale as she panicked, unable to lock the bedroom door in time. Clutching her clothes, she dashed back onto the bed.
“Lin Nan, I also grabbed you a bottle of ice-cold cola!” Chen Yao walked in, placing the wrapped sheets down, clearly confused by the sight of Lin Nan all bundled up like a sushi roll. “Didn’t you clean up yet? Why are you back in bed?”
“Just… just go out for a sec!” Lin Nan cautiously wrapped herself in the blanket, poking her head out, feeling her face burn like a tomato.
“Wow, you look like sushi.” Chen Yao scoffed, eyeing Lin Nan’s bizarrely shy demeanor. “Want the cola?”
Lin Nan shot him an incredulous look. “Are you trying to k*ll me?”
“Well, that means I’ll just drink it,” Chen Yao said with a smug nod, cracking open the cola and gulping down a few sips, sighing contentedly, “Cola is so good!”
You are the worst!
“Why are you blushing? We’re practically old married folks now. It’s just a monthly visitor; just be more careful next time.”
“Get out, now!”
Chen Yao froze for a moment, taking a second look around and realizing Lin Nan didn’t look angry—just flustered.
Wait, was she planning to surprise him tonight?!
Had she finally thought of it?!
Elated, he retreated from the bedroom, but then it hit him—Lin Nan was on her period today…
His smile evaporated immediately, and he sighed, plopping down on the couch again, clutching his laptop.
This time he needed to hide things better, or else Lin Nan would wipe his study files clean again.
Meanwhile, inside the room, once Chen Yao exited, Lin Nan quickly got dressed, her expression softening.
Had she been too harsh with Chen Yao earlier?
Furrowing her brow, she recalled how she had spoken, but didn’t dwell on it. She cast another Purification Magic on herself and began to clean up the chaotic bed.
There was a bit of bl**d on the blanket, but thankfully not much; she could wash it over the weekend. The sheets had a heavier stain, but at least it hadn’t soaked through to the mattress—otherwise, that would have been a disaster.
After putting everything back in order, Lin Nan was sweating buckets. She flopped back onto the bed, feeling like her luck had run dry.
How could something so simple to unlock turn into such a whole mess?
