037. The Quirky Lin Nan
==============================
What’s this about enduring a few days of pain every month even without her magic?
Lin Nan actually found the answer pretty quickly, but he just couldn’t bring himself to believe it. So, he kept guessing in a more positive direction.
Thanks to Li Na’s reminder, Lin Nan decided he was done with drinking cold cola, steering clear of cold water, and even wrapped himself up in his blanket like sushi each day, terrified of catching a cold.
But if he really thought about it, thanks to his temperature-maintaining magic, he could probably wear short sleeves in the Northeast and still not catch a cold.
He got all fired up about running, hoping to boost his constitution.
Two days later, on Tuesday afternoon, Chen Yao was ready to drag Lin Nan to watch a game, but when he turned around, he saw Lin Nan hurrying out of the dorm.
“Is he going on a date? With that girl from before?” Chen Yao scratched his head, asking Xiong Da.
“Never noticed,” Xiong Da mumbled, sprawled on his bed, eyes drooping as he played on his phone. Clearly, he was planning a good afternoon nap.
Chen Yao, feeling reluctant, turned to Tu Junhui, but before he could say a word, Tu just waved him off, saying, “I’m skipping the game for my afternoon nap. Just buy me a cola when you get back and leave it on the table.”
“Is my game that boring?” Chen Yao was confused, but given his friends, he couldn’t do much but change into his sports gear by himself.
“It’s not boring, but the bed is just too comfy. Why would I want to watch you play?” Tu Junhui was always straightforward. After some careful thought, Chen Yao realized he had a point.
Chen Yao was a bit worried about Lin Nan. Lin Nan never used to venture out on his own during downtime. Even when it came to grabbing a drink, he usually got his roommates to help out. And this time, he left in such a hurry without even a casual word.
But with a match ahead, there was nothing Chen Yao could do.
The game, including halftime, lasted just two hours. But when Chen Yao returned to the dorm, he found Lin Nan was still MIA.
Looking up, he saw his two roommates had already fallen asleep, snoring loud enough to wake the neighbors.
“Where could Lin Nan have gone?” Chen Yao pondered, scratching his head. “Is he out passing out flyers again?”
Handing out flyers didn’t have a set schedule, so theoretically, he should have wrapped it up by now. Lin Nan didn’t really need to be in such a rush.
He sent a text to Lin Nan and called him, but there was no response.
Since middle school, the two had been inseparable. Chen Yao was used to being with Lin Nan almost all the time. Even if one of them had unexpected business, they would usually explain the situation clearly. It was quite rare for Lin Nan to be unreachable like this, almost vanishing without a trace.
If Chen Yao didn’t know Lin Nan was already an adult, he might have been tempted to file a missing person’s report.
Feeling uneasy, he waited until around five in the afternoon when finally, the dorm door creaked open. There was Lin Nan, looking like he had faced off against a dragon for the entire afternoon.
His face didn’t look great.
Chen Yao held off on asking questions, observing Lin Nan’s expressions—they were practically written all over his face.
Not happy, looking downcast, and his eyes were red, possibly from crying.
Had he faced a romantic rejection?
Suddenly, understanding hit Chen Yao like a ton of bricks. No wonder Lin Nan hadn’t shared his plans; he must have been too shy! He quickly moved behind Lin Nan’s chair, patted his shoulder, and cheerfully said, “It’s okay, it’s not like it’s the end of the world!”
Lin Nan, sulking and mourning from his spot, merely glanced up with a blank face before plopping down onto his desk, burying his head in his arms.
Was this guy seriously that into the girl?
Chen Yao’s eyebrows knitted together; he rarely saw such emotional sides of Lin Nan.
“Did you lose money or something?” Chen Yao prodded cautiously.
For a boy like Lin Nan, who didn’t have much experience with emotions, it was perfectly plausible to get scammed by a heartbreaker. The catch was, Lin Nan didn’t seem to have money in the first place.
“None of your business.” Lin Nan’s face buried in his arms, he spoke through gritted teeth, attempting to conceal his sadness. “Just go play your games.”
“…..”
Chen Yao scratched his head, feeling perplexed. What’s really going on with Lin Nan?
He glanced over at the nearly empty bottle of rum on Tu Junhui’s shelf and asked, “How about drinking a little? You might feel better if you share what’s on your mind, right?”
“Drink a bit and spill your thoughts. Better than bottling it all up alone, don’t you think?”
Chen Yao had no clue how to handle the withdrawn Lin Nan; it was a first for him.
He scanned the room, checking on his two roommates, now awake and oblivious, before turning back to Lin Nan, “Why don’t we go somewhere private and talk?”
“Forget it.” Lin Nan barely mustered two words before he jumped up, climbed onto his bed, and buried himself snugly in the blanket.
Seeing this, Chen Yao felt helpless and turned to Tu Junhui for backup.
Still slightly groggy from his nap, Tu was unsure of the situation, but he could tell something was off with Lin Nan.
After a brief pause, he called out to Lin Nan, “I’m sure we can tackle anything….”
Before he could finish, a pillow flew through the air, smacking him right in the face. Tu, embarrassed, tossed the pillow back and gave Chen Yao a look that screamed “I give up.”
“You blasting TikToks every day has probably bored Lin Nan to tears with that line,” Chen Yao shot back, rolling his eyes at Tu before turning to Xiong Da.
Xiong Da sat up, considering for a moment, then jumped out of bed without even putting on his shoes, heading straight under Lin Nan’s bed.
He nudged Lin Nan’s mattress, and when Lin Nan poked out, his eyes red and puffy, Xiong Da suddenly contorted his face into an exaggerated silly grin, shouting, “Boo!”
“Crazy!”
Xiong Da rubbed his sore face, returned to his poker face, and shrugged at Chen Yao.
“That’s likely not the best way to console a kid…”
None of them had any prior experience comforting someone. It was all a bunch of grown men, all stoic, concrete guys, just stumbling around in their attempts to offer support.
Seeing his two roommates try their best—especially Xiong Da, whose normally serious demeanor had cracked a bit after making a silly face to cheer Lin Nan—Chen Yao could hardly believe his eyes.
With no effective plan left, he retreated to his own seat, absentmindedly playing games. Xiong Da, still embarrassed from his earlier attempt, crawled back into bed without a word, glued to his phone while Tu Junhui remained his usual carefree self.
Still, he poked fun at Lin Nan:
“If you’re heartbroken, why not find a boyfriend? I think you’ve got potential!”
“Honestly, you might even be overqualified to be a guy.”
“C’mon, don’t be quiet! I think Chen Yao’s right. A little drink, and you can say anything. We’re all bros—uh, sisters here!”
Lin Nan’s blanket quivered a bit, and Tu Junhui thought he had succeeded in making him chuckle, quickly pressing on, “Right! Whoever made you mad, we’ll just go punch them! I’m two hundred pounds and almost six feet tall! Chen Yao is close to six feet too, and Xiong Da and you can cheer us on while we call for an ambulance!”
But as soon as he finished, that pillow shot back at him.
“Get lost!”
Well, at least if Lin Nan could get angry or laugh, it was certainly better than that silent funk he’d been in earlier.
At least that’s what Tu Junhui thought.
