327. Torrential Rain
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Lin Nan had complicated feelings about Lilith.
In the past, Lilith only existed in her memories; Lin Nan had dreamed of Lilith’s tragic childhood at night.
She had also glimpsed the adult Lilith, the one who could destroy worlds with a flick of her wrist, exuding authority during the day and partying like there was no tomorrow at night while researching magic.
Lin Nan used to blame Lilith a lot, considering her the culprit behind Lin Nan’s transition into womanhood.
But now, life seemed to be getting back on track. She was starting to get used to her girl body, the monthly visitor, and the fact that her best friend had morphed into her boyfriend. Her resentment towards Lilith was slowly fading.
It wasn’t until the witch from her memories appeared in real life that Lin Nan realized the truth: without her magic, that witch was just an oversized little girl who never grew up.
She tried hard to strip Lilith of the party-animal label but discovered it was a lost cause.
So, the image of a never-growing-up little girl transformed into a hopelessly flirtatious flat-chested being.
On Monday afternoon, class was in session as usual.
Chen Yao stole a glance at Lin Nan, who was deeply engrossed in her book, and then proudly started showing off his game console to Xiong Da.
He’d even brought the game console to class!
“Lin Nan bought this for me!” he bragged, shaking the console like a trophy.
Xiong Da, brimming with curiosity, grabbed the console while Tu Junhui leaned in, ready to tease: “Don’t tell me this is a love token.”
“Seriously, a frugal girl like her giving you a game console… Is this your consolation prize after getting smacked?” he quipped, seeing right through the situation.
But Chen Yao didn’t care about why he got the game console. Even if it was indeed a consolation prize for getting hit, he wouldn’t mind getting slapped again by Lin Nan so he could collect all three consoles.
“Just admit you’re jealous.”
“Not jealous at all!” Tu Junhui retorted, taking a vicious sip of his cola, which somehow tasted like sour regret—so sour he felt his teeth might fall out. “I’m going to find a girlfriend even prettier than Lin Nan!”
As the trio exchanged playful banter, Lin Nan was busy casting her speed-reading spell, devouring the book about memory at lightning speed.
The teacher was rambling on, so Lin Nan figured as long as she memorized the key points, she’d be golden for the final exam.
The only downside was that the spell required a ten-minute break for every half-hour of use, amounting to an eternity in class, and with such a thick textbook, she estimated she’d need half a semester to get through it all.
Ten minutes flew by, and her brain turned to mush. The seven or eight hours of sleep she got last night seemed to vanish, and she quickly began to feel drowsy.
“Did you fall asleep again?” Chen Yao was about to ask Lin Nan what other games to buy when he turned around, only to find her face-down on the desk, sound asleep.
With the cold air returning and light rain outside, Lin Nan, thanks to her spell, had no sense of temperature and was just rocking a thin long-sleeve shirt and cropped pants.
I must say, Lin Nan’s sleeping face was always adorably cute.
Chen Yao leaned over, inspecting his girlfriend’s rosy cheeks, and couldn’t resist giving her a playful poke.
So pretty!
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he noticed a droplet of drool escaping Lin Nan’s lips, followed by her smacking her lips a few times.
“…”
“She must be dreaming about some delicious food,” Tu Junhui chimed in, chuckling.
Chen Yao casually removed his jacket and draped it over Lin Nan’s shoulders. Curiously, he poked a finger near Lin Nan’s mouth.
After waiting a moment, the sleeping beauty actually bit down.
“Ouch!” Chen Yao groaned, pulling his hand back quickly as the pain radiated.
“Maybe she’s dreaming of chicken legs,” Tu Junhui fanned the flames, “Try offering her a hot dog!”
With a look of disdain, Chen Yao shot Tu Junhui a glare, as if he were staring at an utter scoundrel.
But just a few minutes later, a sudden gust of cold wind blasted through the classroom, followed by collective moans from the students. Those sitting by the window scrambled to shut it, and Chen Yao shivered, goosebumps erupting on his arms.
“Junhui, can I borrow your jacket after class?” He rubbed his arms together for warmth.
Tu Junhui glanced up, pouting, “Just wear Xiong Da’s.”
“I can’t fit into his clothes!”
Though Chen Yao and Lin Nan now lived off-campus, their bond remained as tight as ever.
Having only been out of their shared living situation for a week, Tu Junhui started to miss the clumsy camaraderie of their four-person household: “When are you bringing Lin Nan back to stay for a few days? It’s genuinely boring without you two around.”
“I’m fine with visiting, but Lin Nan probably wouldn’t even make it through the door,” Chen Yao scoffed at Tu Junhui’s suggestion. “You seemed pretty thrilled when I wasn’t in the dorm last week.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t have anyone to duo queue with at night! Xiong Da was too busy playing Mount & Blade 2 to bother with me!”
“This is where Xiong Da is failing! He buys Mount & Blade 2 and doesn’t even let me play on his account for a few days? I brought my game console out for you guys!” Chen Yao scolded Xiong Da seriously.
As they continued their playful bickering, Chen Yao suddenly noticed the atmosphere outside had taken a sudden dark turn.
What had been a dreary, rainy gray sky abruptly descended into darkness, as if someone had turned off the lights. The sun disappeared, and what had been a drizzle transformed into a torrential downpour.
The already lively classroom turned chaotic with the booming rain.
The intense sound of raindrops pounding the pavement and rooftops jolted Lin Nan awake.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she looked outside in confusion, “Is it night already? Why are we still in class?”
“We’re not done yet; it’s only five-thirty,” Chen Yao scratched his head, gazing out into the inky-black abyss outside, worry creeping into his voice, “Did you bring an umbrella, Lin Nan?”
“Nope… no such habit…”
Lin Nan yawned widely, glancing at the sky, when suddenly a flash of lightning lit up the clouds, illuminating the world for just a heartbeat.
A chill ran down her spine.
Sure enough, the next moment, the thunder exploded right next to them, followed shortly by the screams of female students throughout the building.
Still groggy, Lin Nan was completely startled, her gaze drifting from the window back to Chen Yao.
“What’s wrong?” Chen Yao noticed her pale face and quickly pulled her in for a comforting hug. “You’ve never been scared before; it’s fine.”
Moments later, Lin Nan collected herself, her face twisted in a frown, “I just woke up… you scared me!”
Tu Junhui, who had been enjoying some lemon candy, abruptly exclaimed, lunging toward Xiong Da with a dramatic flair, “Xiong Da, I’m scared~!”
Xiong Da was left utterly confused, pushing his hands against his face in disgust and declaring, “Get off!”
