348. Old Classmates
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When they finally escaped the hospital, it was just past ten.
Lin Nan was still feeling a bit down, trailing behind Chen Yao like a sad puppy leaving the hospital ward.
Outside, the street was buzzing with activity—crowds, private rickshaws, and cars—a chaotic two-lane stony roadway jam-packed with people and vehicles slowly inching forward like molasses.
It was probably faster to walk than to catch a ride here, so the two of them decided to hightail it out of this street as quickly as possible.
Lin Nan felt a gaze lingering on her, and when she turned around, she spotted Lin Qi among the crowd.
Still here, huh?
It was clear now that Lin Qi had caught onto something.
Whether he had misinterpreted things was anyone’s guess…
Like, did he think she was determined to get a s*x change? Or maybe she was addicted to cross-dressing? Hence, the family conflict that caused her to run away?
Perhaps he thought she was something like Lin Nan’s cousin or something?
Lin Qi had dropped that bombshell on her without a moment’s notice and walked off, leaving her with zero chance to clarify, leading to a myriad of misunderstandings she could see coming from a mile away.
In short, it was all Lilith’s fault for turning her into a girl.
The more Lin Nan thought about these misunderstandings, the more her scalp tingled, wishing she could just whip around and pull Lin Qi back to set the record straight with her carefully fabricated lies.
Noon was creeping up, and Chen Yao was busy gathering their high school classmates on his phone while trying to drill some ideas into Lin Nan’s head.
“Remember, you are Lin Nan’s cousin, Lin Jin.” He attempted to craft a backstory for her. “Just say you go to the same school as me, that you used to study at Qiao Zhong, but don’t get into specifics about which class or year.”
“I know, I’m not an idiot.”
Although there were a handful of high schools in this county, it was still a county, so it wasn’t unusual for students from neighboring schools to have connections.
Lin Nan felt a bit sleepy, occasionally glancing back at Lin Qi, unsure if she was being followed or if Lin Qi happened to be headed to the same street to catch a ride.
But really, this was so aboveboard it couldn’t be considered stalking, right?
Maybe just… tailing?
The use of words was getting more and more cringeworthy.
“Who’s coming to the gathering?” Lin Nan quickened her pace to match Chen Yao’s strides.
“Three. Your old high school desk buddy, Zhu Yong Wen. This guy is stuck in a pandemic zone for college; I don’t think he’ll be back for this semester.”
“Then there’s Chen Jia Jun, who bailed on studying after graduating high school and worked with you at the hotel last summer, and Li Qiang—you don’t know him well.”
Lin Nan conjured the images of the three in her mind and began to rant, “That Zhu guy said he’d study marine biology with me, and now he’s off studying in another province!”
“And Chen Jia Jun! That guy lured me into being a waitress too, and halfway through, just ditched! He promised me three thousand five for the month, but I only got two thousand five!” Lin Nan felt the familiar grudge bubbling up.
“I don’t know Li Qiang that well, but everyone calls him Ah Qiang, right?”
As she reminisced about those guys, a wave of sadness washed over Lin Nan: “I still feel like a high schooler, and suddenly I’m a sophomore! In just two years, I’ll be out in the workforce, hauling bricks.”
“You started school early. You’ll have a shot at grad school. After you graduate, you’ll only be two years older than a typical college freshman,” Chen Yao said optimistically.
And I have magic…
I could totally ace grad school.
Lin Nan’s eyes lit up. Compared to her peers who would be cramming all night, she could use her speed-reading magic to bolt through studying, giving her a much higher chance of success.
But what if I just waltzed into Tsinghua or Peking University directly?
That would totally impress the ancestors…
But then her mood took another nosedive.
After a ten-minute trek, they finally escaped the crowded street. Chen Yao hopped on a private rickshaw and headed towards the pre-agreed meeting point with their high school friends.
A few years back, this little county had cracked down on rickshaws, and for a while, they vanished without a trace, leaving only motorcycles.
That phase had passed, and now rickshaws were back, proving convenient for group outings… Not many taxis in small towns like this, and compared to private vehicles, they were also ridiculously expensive; the rarity of ridesharing services meant that these rickshaws had carved out a nice little market.
They agreed to meet down by the internet café everyone used to frequent.
As Lin Nan stepped off the rickshaw, she quickly spotted some high school pals waiting downstairs.
One guy was about her height, sporting a buzz cut and a darker complexion—this was Li Qiang. Short but loyal, he was pretty popular in high school, often leading the charge in schoolyard brawls, and was once a comrade with Chen Yao.
Chen Jia Jun, the guy who had previously hoodwinked Lin Nan, was decked out in a sharp suit, looking like a miniature success story, so mature he could easily pass for someone in their late twenties.
They were laughing and joking, while Zhu Yong Wen, the guy who used to bully Lin Nan, was off to the side, shaking like a leaf—he looked like a quail now, short and plump.
Chen Yao and Lin Nan’s arrival instantly caught the trio’s attention.
“You’re not as buff as before. You should hit the gym!” Li Qiang said as he approached and clapped Chen Yao on the shoulder, his gaze now shifting to Lin Nan.
“Your family’s gym is just waiting to lure me in, huh?” Chen Yao chuckled.
Lin Nan nervously smiled, fearing she might be exposed.
“Oh, you really brought your girlfriend?” Chen Jia Jun stood upright, grinning as he extended his hand. “Long time no see.”
Chen Yao paused, briefly taken aback, before shaking Jia Jun’s hand somewhat awkwardly, then finally glanced at the shy Zhu Yong Wen and burst out laughing, “The photo you sent me online was so heavily edited, it’s absolutely ridiculous!”
“I was pretty skinny last year… then gained some weight during the New Year,” Zhu Yong Wen replied with a voice as soft as a girl’s, lowering his gaze and not daring to examine Lin Nan too closely.
After exchanging casual greetings, Chen Yao kicked off with the introductions: “This is Lin Nan’s cousin, Lin Jin, they just started going out a few months ago.”
“Lin Nan’s cousin? No wonder you look a little alike,” Zhu Yong Wen mumbled.
Li Qiang and Chen Jia Jun thought hard for a moment before picking up on the memory of the invisible girl who used to sit beside Zhu Yong Wen.
If Lin Nan hadn’t always hung out with Chen Yao, they probably wouldn’t remember her at all.
All eyes shifted to Lin Nan, making her even more nervous. She forced a smile, feeling awkward, scared that she might slip up and reveal her true identity.
Her feet instinctively shuffled behind Chen Yao, even though she actually wanted to have a proper chat with Zhu Yong Wen.
“Your girlfriend’s pretty cute,” Li Qiang grinned.
His smile wasn’t the best sight, but it was really friendly. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered them to the two, but Chen Yao waved his hand—he wouldn’t dare draw a puff with Lin Nan around.
Even though Lin Nan had never explicitly asked him not to smoke, he feared getting scolded later.
“Smoking’s bad. My grandpa passed away from lung cancer,” Chen Jia Jun said while he took a drag to steady his nerves. “Where are we eating?”
“This place is fine. After eating, we’ll hit the internet café, just in time for some gaming,” Chen Jia Jun nodded, glancing at the quaint little eatery that didn’t exactly scream ‘high end.’ “I’ll treat today! If anyone tries to split the bill, I’ll be furious!”
Lin Nan suddenly felt a newfound liking for Chen Jia Jun.
