394. Old Friends
==============================
On the third day of the May Day holiday, Pan Maoxin was pleasantly surprised to find that Teacher Lin was once again not coming today.
Around three in the afternoon, Lin Nan, after a long time, put on a full set of boy’s clothes and left the rental apartment with Chen Yao.
For some reason, she used to feel strange walking down the street in women’s clothes, but now that she was used to it, wearing boy’s clothes made her feel a bit nervous.
Guess the brain has totally feminized too, huh?
Today she was in all black attire—black shirt and pants, with a spring coat tossed over it. No matter how you looked at it, she looked a bit odd for this season.
And to top it off, those clothes were clearly a size too big.
She wore a wide-brimmed hat to hide her hair, exposing her pale neck and ears that were reddened from nerves.
This outfit made her stand out on the street like a sore thumb, but she could only brace herself and accept everyone else’s stares.
However, under close inspection, it was still easy to spot her feminine features.
As she was about to meet Zhu Yongwen, Lin Nan couldn’t help but feel a wave of panic wash over her. She bit her lip and occasionally checked her reflection on her phone screen and the glass of passing vehicles.
Dressed as a boy, hiding her hair, and doing her best to conceal her curves. Fortunately, when her hair was hidden, she did manage to look somewhat like a cute little boy at first glance.
“He says he’s at the school’s main entrance now.” Chen Yao turned around and, with a wry smile, looked at Lin Nan trailing closely behind him. “Just relax; it’s no big deal.”
“For you, it’s no big deal…” Lin Nan mumbled.
She tried her hardest to act a bit more masculine, but no matter how hard she tried, she still came off as a playful little girl rather than a boy.
After walking for about ten minutes from the back entrance of the school, Lin Nan finally spotted Zhu Yongwen, who was standing on the sidewalk playing with his phone.
The little chubby guy looked the same as the last time they met, except for his new buzz cut, which made his round face look even more—well, round—almost cuter than before.
Once the moment came, Lin Nan suddenly calmed down. Taking a deep breath, she shoved her hands into her coat pockets, lowered her head, and adjusted her outfit to make sure the zipper lay flat over her chest.
Zhu Yongwen seemed to sense something. He looked up and scanned the area, quickly spotting Chen Yao, his face lighting up with excitement as he waddled over in a hurry.
But when he got closer, he suddenly noticed Lin Jin, who he had met at the last gathering, standing behind Chen Yao, and his expression dimmed significantly. “Where’s Lin Nan?”
“Hello, it’s me!” Lin Nan stepped out from behind Chen Yao without hesitation, lowering her voice as she kicked at him playfully, “Are you blind or what?!”
She chose to take the offensive first.
“？？？”
Zhu Yongwen stared blankly at Lin Nan. “Aren’t you Lin Nan’s cousin? Chen Yao’s girlfriend, Lin Jin?”
Chen Yao quietly kept his distance from Lin Nan and replied to Zhu Yongwen’s confusion, “Lin Jin had something to do in the city, so she can’t make it today.”
“Huh?” The little chubby guy looked at Lin Nan and then at Chen Yao, his expression becoming even more bewildered.
Isn’t this clearly Lin Jin? Even though he wasn’t the best with names, his head seemed fine!
Lin Nan doesn’t look anything like that!
“I happen to look a lot like my… cousin.” Lin Nan knew she shouldn’t back down at this moment, nor could she. With a confident expression and tone, she stated, “Can’t you even tell the difference between boy’s clothes and girl’s clothes anymore? I’m way more handsome than my cousin!”
“No way, you look exactly the same.” Zhu Yongwen replied, looking puzzled. “If you and your cousin were twins, that’d be believable…”
Without hesitation, Lin Nan nodded, “My family values boys over girls, and since my uncle can’t have kids, they adopted my sister, so calling her my cousin is just one way to say it, but really, we’re twins!”
As she said this, she stepped forward and patted Zhu Yongwen on the shoulder, looking as if she was mildly annoyed.
Feel sorry for the unexplainable fate of those lad-less uncles.
“What the heck?” Zhu Yongwen felt like Lin Nan’s words were all made up on the spot, but her earnest tone and confident demeanor made it hard to accuse her of lying.
Chen Yao turned his head, struggling to suppress a laugh, and then, with the seriousness of a witness in court, chimed in to back up Lin Nan’s claims: “I can vouch for that, I know!”
“Is this really Lin Nan?” Zhu Yongwen frowned, his chubby face full of doubt. “But your voice… how come it sounds…”
“My voice has always been like this! You must be remembering it wrong!”
“Really?”
Lin Nan, entirely unfazed, wore a confident expression as Zhu Yongwen began to doubt his memories from years ago.
Wait, hadn’t Lin Nan’s voice always sounded like this?
He racked his brain for a long time but couldn’t remember what Lin Nan’s voice sounded like back in high school.
Reluctantly, he decided to go along with Lin Nan’s assurances, but still hesitantly asked, “Can I ask a question that might be a bit awkward…”
Noticing Lin Nan didn’t respond, he continued, “How did you manage to become so… soft in just two years?”
Before he could finish, Lin Nan elbowed him squarely in the chest, making him take two steps back, pale-faced yet ecstatic, “You really are Lin Nan?!”
This was one of Lin Nan’s go-to moves when she bullied Zhu Yongwen in high school, and that familiar pain combined with her deft movements instantly made him recognize that this delicate-looking guy in front of him was indeed his former desk mate.
“Nutcase, do you need a hit to believe it?” Lin Nan mumbled.
“Well, it’s your fault for turning so soft in just two years!” Zhu Yongwen marveled at Lin Nan, clicking his tongue. “If your hair were longer, you could totally pass for Chen Yao’s girlfriend.”
Chen Yao, standing on the side, chewed his lip.
Zhu Yongwen, ever familiar, draped his arm around Lin Nan’s shoulder, grinning as he asked, “You never mentioned how pretty your cousin is, and now she’s been snagged by Chen Yao? What a bummer for me!”
“She thinks you’re too fat for her taste,” Lin Nan said, trying to extricate herself from Zhu Yongwen’s arm nonchalantly.
She was really struggling to get used to any physical contact with any guy other than Chen Yao, even just shoulder to shoulder.
She thought she could bluff her way through, but Zhu Yongwen looked puzzled again: “Why do I feel like you’ve gotten shorter?”
Lin Nan’s heart skipped a beat. She tried to maintain her expression, responding with disdain, “Must be you who shot up!”
“Is that so? I don’t think I’ve grown.”
Lin Nan had no way to explain the height difference; luckily, Chen Yao stepped forward to change the subject at that moment. “So what’s the plan? Should we grab a bite or hit up the internet cafe for some gaming?”
“Let’s see what Lin Nan wants?” Zhu Yongwen sensed something was off with Chen Yao’s demeanor, but didn’t think much of it as he turned back to the Lin Nan still caught under his arm, “How about a gaming session at the internet cafe tonight?”
He couldn’t shake the feeling that Lin Nan felt a bit too soft against him and, as he leaned in close, he could even catch a whiff of some pleasant fragrance.
Lin Nan hesitated for a moment before shaking her head, “I’ve got plans tonight.”
She really didn’t want to hang around Zhu Yongwen for too long; it would be too easy to blow her cover.
“What kind of plans could be more important than us hanging out? Right, Chen Yao?”
“I’m fine with anything; I can hang with Lin Nan anytime since we live in the same dorm.” Chen Yao stuffed his hands into his pockets, wearing a look of mild frustration, “But I’ve actually got a date planned with Lin Nan’s cousin tonight.”
“What a coincidence?”
Lin Nan’s little head nodded rapidly.
“Then I’ll duo queue with Lin Nan for some gaming!”
But didn’t I just say I have plans tonight?!
Lin Nan turned to him, utterly bewildered.
