398. Late Night Encounter【30/99】
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The internet café is about a half-hour ride from the school.
It’s located near a residential area, and maybe because it’s on the outskirts, there are quite a few barbecue places with stalls set up right at the entrance, making the streets look a bit chaotic.
Lin Nan hurriedly escaped from the internet café, wandering around this strange neighborhood.
She had told Chen Yao she was going to take a ride-hailing service back, but now that she was out of the café, feeling the chill of the late-night wind and seeing the desolate barbecue shop across the street with barely any passersby, she suddenly didn’t want to leave so early.
Walking around at night isn’t too bad; it gives her a chance to calm down and think about how to handle the situation.
She wasn’t used to wearing a hat and casually took off her wide-brimmed hat, shaking out her long hair and tidying it a bit. Then she hugged her stomach and strolled lazily down this unfamiliar street.
Her period seemed to be coming more regularly; compared to before when it could be off by a week, now it was about three days late every month, which was probably in the normal range.
She had also gotten into the habit of carrying pads around, fearing a surprise attack like just now.
There was a slight sting; she had drunk a bottle of cola earlier when she was out eating with Zhu Yong Wen.
Lin Nan deliberately walked toward the pitch-black alley, letting her gaze wander as her previously anxious feelings gradually calmed down.
It seemed like many people had a habit of strolling around late at night, but Lin Nan was afraid of the dark and didn’t dare before. Now that she had finally given it a try, she found it rather nice.
If she could just ignore her fear of the dark, then walking around quietly at night when the world was still was indeed a good way to soothe her mood.
She wondered how Chen Yao would explain this to Zhu Yong Wen.
Suddenly, she regretted leaving without saying anything; it made her feel guilty.
To actually clarify her gender to Zhu Yong Wen and explain the situation wasn’t impossible, but she really hoped her old friend would continue to see her as male.
Now that her long hair had been discovered, if she couldn’t come up with an excuse, maybe it was better to just lay it all out, right?
This was her first time in this area, lost and wandering. Deliberately moving toward the dark, she unknowingly found herself in a alley with no streetlights at all.
It was pitch-black in the alley; she could barely see anything around her. After taking just two steps inside, fear washed over her, and she quickly retreated.
Who knows what’s lurking in there?
Just as she took two steps back, she suddenly heard two drunken men making a ruckus behind her. Turning around, she saw two middle-aged men stumbling towards her, linked arm-in-arm.
Just a couple of drunk uncles.
She didn’t pay much attention, yawning and looking down at her map, trying to figure out where she was, hoping to find a recognizable landmark like a bus stop to call a ride.
However, at that moment, a wave of strong liquor breath hit her face as the two drunks stopped in front of her.
A bad premonition settled in.
Did I really have to encounter something so cliché?
“Hey, little sis, where are you off to?” one of the drunks staggered forward, reaching for Lin Nan’s arm with a flushed face and a breath that reeked of alcohol and smoke.
Lin Nan quickly stepped back to avoid his hand, furrowing her brows and instinctively crossing her arms, retorting, “Are you out of your mind?”
She had never imagined encountering such a situation, a little amused and a little resentful of her own naïveté.
Perhaps because she never really accepted her parents’ safety education, Lin Nan’s self-protection instincts were clearly lacking.
But to run into a pervert now?
She turned to leave, but heard scuffling footsteps and dirty remarks behind her. Her brows knitted tighter as she turned back, dodging the hand reaching for her shoulder.
What kind of nonsense is this?
The offensive comments were getting worse, and while most normal girls might be terrified, Lin Nan was merely furious but didn’t dare retaliate too hard, fearing she might seriously injure one of them in her unstable emotional state.
Taking a deep breath, she prepared to run fast, but the two drunks had somehow flanked her on both sides.
“You’re looking for a d*ath wish.”
Lin Nan muttered, raising her hand ready to slap them into next week when suddenly there was a screech of tires behind her.
The three of them turned simultaneously to see a delivery guy in uniform hurrying out of his vehicle, a serious look on his face as he approached.
“What’s going on? Can’t you see she doesn’t want to go with you guys?”
“Mind your own business!”
“Scram!”
The drunk didn’t heed the delivery guy’s words and continued reaching for Lin Nan. But the next moment, the delivery guy charged forward, kicking one of the drunks to the ground, then confidently shoulder-tackled the other.
His moves were fluid and skilled.
Lin Nan was dumbfounded, almost wanting to clap in approval. Her previous anger shifted to exhilaration, and she happily stepped in to deliver a kick of her own.
“Run!” Without waiting for Lin Nan to get another kick in, the delivery guy grabbed her wrist and pulled her along, “Get on my bike! Let’s go!”
Before she could react, she was yanked onto the e-bike, and they sped off into the brightly lit street.
Once they were safe, the delivery guy turned back, panting, to see Lin Nan with a flushed face, totally thrilled.
“Lin Nan?”
“Ah?” She finally looked up at the delivery guy, feeling like he looked familiar.
But when he took off his yellow helmet, it dawned on her: “Cousin?”
No way! This is Lin Qi!
What a coincidence!
No wonder he was so smooth in that fight; Lin Qi had a history of scrapping back in the countryside.
Lin Qi chuckled wryly, “You sure have good luck. Running into me passing by; otherwise… your school isn’t around here, is it? What are you doing here?”
Realizing his cousin had just experienced a near-miss with a couple of drunks but didn’t seem startled, even seemed rather cheerful now, he couldn’t help but suspect that Lin Nan had been toying with those two guys.
“Weren’t you delivering in the city center? It’s just a half-hour bus ride from my school.”
“Changed locations; the city center rent is too expensive, too many cars, and it’s dangerous. This neighborhood’s nice, a bit quieter. Plus, I can come visit you more often when I have the time.” Lin Qi had never imagined that their reunion would turn out like this after changing jobs.
He had planned to surprise Lin Nan at her school next month once he got his paycheck.
“Oops, my delivery order is being rushed.” Lin Qi suddenly felt his phone vibrate. Looking down, he chuckled, “You better call someone to pick you up; it’s crowded here, don’t roam around.”
“I’ll just call a ride.” Lin Nan was about to hail a ride-hailing service.
“Just with your boyfriend…” Lin Qi hesitated a bit to adapt to his cousin being a girl now, even having a boyfriend. He paused for a second, “Get your roommate to come pick you up.”
“Alright…” Lin Nan suddenly looked up at Lin Qi, shaking her head regretfully.
If only she had run into Lin Qi earlier, maybe he could have helped her dress up a bit to meet Zhu Yong Wen.
Lin Qi’s eyes widened in horror: “You’re not suggesting I dress up as a girl again, are you?!”
399. Despicable
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Encountering drunken men was never something Lin Nan had expected.
Throughout her life, she had never encountered thieves, robbers, or similar crimes; not even a bloody car accident. She had a dangerously naive view of the safety of her society.
Moreover, her parents were so busy that their safety lessons were just the occasional “be careful out there.”
School safety campaigns, news reports—everything felt distant and surreal. If she didn’t seek out such information, Lin Nan occasionally wondered if she lived in a crime-free paradise.
Plus, she used to be a male, and it never crossed her mind that a pervert would set their sights on her…
“Call someone.” Even though customers were pacing him for their deliveries, Lin Qi didn’t leave, his eyes keenly watching Lin Nan’s phone.
Lin Nan initially thought she’d just fake her way out and call for a ride home, but seeing Lin Qi’s serious demeanor, she begrudgingly dialed Chen Yao to tell him her location.
Only then did Lin Qi’s expression soften, one last reminder, “Don’t wander around. I’m off.”
“Go ahead.”
In a normal scenario, after encountering a would-be attacker, Lin Qi should set aside his work, help her call the police, and offer some comfort. But seeing Lin Nan so unconcerned, almost excited, he figured she might not need that kind of reassuring after all.
As he rode away on the e-bike, Lin Qi couldn’t shake off his worries entirely and took a final glance back at Lin Nan, sighing as his figure disappeared into the night.
Lin Nan stood idly at the street corner, watching the traffic flow and reflecting on what had just happened, laughing to herself oddly.
After about ten minutes, Chen Yao finally located Lin Nan.
She noticed Chen Yao was not alone; Zhu Yong Wen was trailing behind him. Her expression changed instantly; she hurriedly put her hat on, frantically tucking her hair under it.
“Come on, he already saw your long hair, right?” Chen Yao approached with a serious look, “You said you were accosted by drunks?”
“Yeah, two guys were hammered, um…” for some reason, even though she was the victim, it was a bit difficult to talk about.
Chen Yao became more anxious, “Are you okay?”
“You know my fighting skills.” Lin Nan proudly waved her fist.
That relaxed Chen Yao as well, making him realize he might have overreacted. He teased, “I meant, are those two fine?”
“My cousin just happened to be delivering nearby and took care of them… what a coincidence, running into him like this.” An idea suddenly struck Lin Nan, muttering to herself, “What if he’s a creep? Could he be stalking me?”
“Where are you getting all these creeps?”
After chatting for a bit, Chen Yao turned back to Zhu Yong Wen, saying, “We’ll head back now; you find a hotel to stay at.”
Lin Nan immediately tensed, looking at Zhu Yong Wen, but he didn’t bring up any awkward questions, just nodded obediently.
He seemed a bit awkward and confused, following Chen Yao and staying quiet the whole time.
As they were about to leave, Zhu Yong Wen suddenly turned back, asking, “What about tomorrow night?”
Chen Yao focused on Lin Nan, who had a blank stare: why are you looking at me?
I don’t even know what you told Zhu Yong Wen. Did you mention I had surgery? Or did you convince Zhu Yong Wen that I’m just a long-haired arts student? Or something else?
All those interpretations? Not the same, for sure!
Chen Yao smiled, leaning down to whisper in Lin Nan’s ear, “I don’t know what he imagined, but it sounds like he thinks you’re the girl who pretended to be a boy in high school.”
Is that so?
Lin Nan nodded; the more he imagines, the better.
She had been contemplating how to explain her long hair and feminine hairstyles, but now that Zhu Yong Wen had come up with his own ideas, she no longer had to scramble for an explanation.
“Alright, see you by the back door at school tomorrow night.”
Getting a positive response, Zhu Yong Wen managed a faint smile, then turned to head off towards the prearranged hotel.
Lin Nan was actually a girl hiding for a long time…
He found it hard to accept this setup; after three years in high school, he could see Lin Nan almost every day, but she always seemed just small and thin, nothing at all feminine about her. At most, her voice was somewhat unisex.
But just two years after graduation, she had completely transformed, showing no trace of boyishness.
He suddenly halted, turning back in disbelief, looking toward the distance where Chen Yao and Lin Nan stood chatting amicably, appearing close to one another.
Hold up, if Lin Nan is a girl, then the supposed cousin Lin Jin must be her as well?
So Lin Nan is actually with Chen Yao?!
What the heck?
Zhu Yong Wen was stunned by this revelation.
This means Chen Yao has a thing for his best friend? When did he find out Lin Nan was a girl?
Despicable!
As Zhu Yong Wen was overwhelmed by this barrage of information, Lin Nan and Chen Yao settled into a ride-hailing car back to their rental apartment.
“You really shouldn’t go out alone at night anymore.” Chen Yao said beside Lin Nan, discontent. “Girls shouldn’t be wandering around at night like this. Aren’t you afraid something might happen?”
If she runs into another pervert and takes him down, it wouldn’t be surprising if she ended up in court for overreacting and got sent to prison!
“Next time you go out after nine, you’d better call me.” He added, still concerned.
Lin Nan sighed in resignation; if it weren’t for worrying about overreacting, she would’ve had no problem taking on those two drunks herself.
Had it not been for Lin Qi playing the hero, she would’ve shown them how it’s done.
The driver, hearing their conversation, nodded in agreement, “Yeah, girls should avoid going out at night. What happened to you two just now?”
“She encountered a couple of drunks, luckily a friend passed by to help.”
“Get yourself some pepper spray or something,” the driver suggested, then began to chat about recent local crime incidents.
Like, a few days ago, there was a report about a young woman who went missing while jogging at night and is still unaccounted for.
Or someone who got robbed at night, stabbed for refusing to cooperate, and was now laying in the hospital or something equally grim.
Certainly, this society is more secure than ever, but there will always be some desperate or psychotic individuals among them.
Chen Yao, being a talkative person, started shooting the breeze with the driver, while Lin Nan leaned against the back of her seat, gazing out at the night scenery, occasionally yawning.
She was still contemplating whether to wear male or female clothes for her next meeting with Zhu Yong Wen.
Used to be a boy dressing up as a girl, now a girl dressing up as a boy—her life felt stranger by the day.
