354. A Video on the Side【14/99】
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Chen Yao returned from the dormitory with the computer monitor that he had left behind.
He also grabbed a small, simple computer desk and was now contemplating how to squeeze it into his cramped bedroom without making it feel like a sardine can.
Lin Nan sat on the sofa, worriedly pondering how to deal with her cousin while munching on the lunch Chen Yao had brought back from the cafeteria.
The peaceful afternoon didn’t last long. She heard hurried footsteps in the corridor, followed by a rapid knocking at the door.
“Who is it? Did you order takeout?” Chen Yao stepped out of his room and glanced at Lin Nan, only to find his girlfriend looking gloomy and showing no intention of getting up to open the door.
Not wanting to dwell on it, he swung the door open and was met with Lilith, Li Na, and Lin Nan’s cousin, whom he had seen just a couple of days ago.
No wonder Lin Nan looked upset.
Without a second thought, Chen Yao tried to slam the door shut, but Li Na had already cheerfully wedged her hand in the doorway. With a gentle push, Chen Yao was surprised to discover that his strength was no match for this girl.
What’s with girls these days?
He was nearly six feet tall, played basketball, and while he wasn’t as buff as gym bros, he was definitely above average for guys, right?
He put all his strength into it, but his feet slipped back uncontrollably. Peeking outside, he saw that Li Na was only using one hand.
Are girls secretly monsters now?
The door swung open, and the three of them filed in like they were on a mission. Chen Yao sighed dramatically, turning to Lin Nan, who was still pretending to be calm and immersed in her lunch.
He frowned at the trio and questioned, “What are you doing here?”
“We’re looking for Lin Nan!” Lilith was as clueless as always, pointing at Lin Nan on the sofa. “See? This is Lin Nan! No relation to your cousin, why the fuss?”
She still hadn’t figured out that Lin Qi’s cousin was actually Lin Nan.
Lin Qi scrutinized the girl sitting on the sofa.
Today she was wearing short sleeves and long pants and had no makeup on.
What an incredible coincidence—this girl shared the same name and surname as his cousin, looked eerily similar, and attended the same school… Coupled with their previous awkward encounter at the hospital, his bold suspicion was starting to feel like a reality.
But then he suddenly paused and turned to look at Lilith.
What’s going on?
This girl looks like my cousin, but how does she look so much like this flat-chested weirdo?
“Let’s get to the point.” Chen Yao’s tone was prickly. He didn’t like this girl who was causing trouble for his girlfriend.
Lin Qi decided to set aside his extra questions and took a deep breath. “I just want to ask you something; don’t take it too hard.”
Lin Nan nodded while still focused on her food.
“You wouldn’t… actually be my cousin, would you?”
He noticed that the girl’s eating suddenly paused, and realizing his question might have been rude, he hurriedly added, “It’s just that it’s very coincidental—my cousin is also named Lin Nan, and you two are strangely similar…”
Before he could finish, Lin Qi saw the girl nodding again.
He was baffled, as was Lilith.
He wanted to ask more questions, curious about why his cousin was living as a girl now, but then Lilith suddenly shouted in excitement.
“What’s this? It really is you?” Lilith leaned in close, snatching a picture from Lin Qi’s pocket, comparing it to the Lin Nan before her. “You looked so ugly before!”
Lin Nan nearly chucked her empty cola bottle at her.
What do you mean ugly?! I just didn’t know how to dress, and my skin was a bit rough back then!
I was at best plain! How is that ugly?!
“You look so pretty now, and that’s all thanks to me!” Lilith proudly placed her hands on her hips, her nose practically touching the ceiling, marveling at her “power” of transformation.
Good thing I wasn’t around to zap you with my magic.
Lin Nan rolled her eyes silently, then finished her lunch. She looked up at Lin Qi with a faint smile and said softly, “Bro…”
She hadn’t seen Lin Qi in over a year.
Back in high school, she used to visit him almost every week, using the computers at his internet café, but now in college, she only went back occasionally.
Lin Qi was silent for a moment. “What happened to you…”
But his words were cut off when Lilith abruptly slapped his shoulder and excitedly reminded, “I found your cousin! You need to dress like a girl later!”
At that moment, Lin Nan and Chen Yao exchanged baffled glances.
When did my cousin develop this interest?
Seeing the strange look from Lin Nan, Lin Qi panicked and tried to defend himself against Lilith’s enthusiasm. “No! You were just joking, right?”
“What? Who’s joking?!” Lilith’s eyes widened. “I walked my legs off to help you find your cousin! Now we’re just waiting for you to dress up like a girl!”
“Who has nothing better to do than wander around in this heat with you? I just want to go home and chill in the AC!”
“You’re not backing out of this, are you?” Lilith flashed a devilish grin.
Lin Qi felt a chill run down his spine, desperately seeking help from the seemingly normal Li Na, only to find her nodding along eagerly, even suggesting, “You’re pretty skinny, and you might have leg hair. I suggest you wear black stockings to cover that up.”
In the end, he only had Lin Nan to turn to, since she seemed to know these two girls rather well.
Lin Nan organized her thoughts. “So, you agreed to their request for you to dress up as a girl just to find me?”
“Uh-huh.” Lin Qi’s expression was pitiful.
He had completely given up on digging into Lin Nan’s situation. Although he had no idea what she underwent in the past year to transform into the person before him, he couldn’t help but think soon, he might end up like this too…
Are girls in big cities this terrifying?
Always insisting people dress up like girls…
Lin Nan furrowed her brow. After thinking for a moment, she felt a bit guilty and suggested to Lilith, “How about you dress up here? Chen Yao happens to have a maid outfit. It should fit you since you’re about 5’7″.”
That was the outfit Lin Nan wore back when she first dressed as a girl; back then, she could still claim to be 5’7″.
“？？？” Lin Qi was even more confused.
I came all this way to find you, and this is what I get?
Seeing his expression, Lin Nan raised her hands in surrender. “I can’t help what they want to do… If you go along with them, you’ll probably end up in a super short sailor suit, and there’s no size that would actually look good on you.”
“True, I can’t exactly lend him my clothes.” Lilith nodded. “The maid outfit works; let’s do it here!”
Suddenly, Chen Yao realized he had set up a girl-dressing flag online, and someone was about to take it up. He stood up, shaking his head dramatically, and patted Lin Qi on the shoulder.
Lin Qi suddenly realized that Chen Yao seemed to be his cousin’s boyfriend.
“Bro, can you help me film a video while you’re at it?”
