401. Acceptance【31/99】
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There’s really not much to say about the tutoring sessions—two classes that add up to two hours, and they spent an hour and a half just slacking off, with actual teaching time not exceeding half an hour.
But despite that, Lin Nan felt a bit dizzy.
It wasn’t until the end of class that Pan realized Lin Nan was just a tutor and not the sister-in-law that Zhu Yong Wen had mentioned.
However, even though this tutor looked young, she did have some skills.
They were just reading words out loud, but looking back, she surprisingly remembered all those words.
“I’m leaving now. Make sure to tell your dad to pay me after class tomorrow,” Lin Nan said as she grabbed a three-flavored ice cream.
She was originally planning to buy a guy’s wig after the tutoring session, but since someone already saw her long hair yesterday, it didn’t really matter anymore.
After a quick ride back to her rental apartment, she changed into a similar outfit to yesterday’s—dressing like a guy, stuffing her hair into a hat. Without much of a break, Lin Nan headed out again with Chen Yao.
She felt a bit nervous.
Yesterday, meeting Zhu Yong Wen, she was worried he’d discover her true identity as a girl.
But today, she was concerned about what Zhu Yong Wen had been thinking overnight about her.
Would he think of her as someone who just liked cross-dressing and was on hormones?
Or would he think she’d gone to Thailand for surgery?
Or maybe, as Chen Yao said, he thought she just liked dressing as a boy during high school but was actually just a regular girl?
If his thoughts took a bizarre turn, she’d have to explain, right?
Feeling restless, Lin Nan followed Chen Yao, regretting not having concealed her long hair better yesterday. If she had, they could meet again today without all this worry.
Leaving the rental apartment and crossing the street, which was only about ten meters, they arrived at the back gate of the school.
Zhu Yong Wen stood by the roadside, just like yesterday, head down, fiddling with his phone.
He quickly spotted the two and raised his head to greet them, but then he hesitated, unsure how to start.
He realized he was struggling to accept Lin Nan’s change.
After all, Lin Nan had been his male friend for three years. They weren’t exactly brothers, but they were good friends. Now, his friend had suddenly turned into a girl. How was he supposed to accept that?
And had Lin Nan really dressed as a girl during high school? Because back then, she didn’t have any curves.
Normal girls would have developed by fourteen, right?
With a brain full of confusion, he faced Lin Nan again and felt a little tense.
“Hey, Peiqi, where are we going to have fun tonight? Have you eaten?” Chen Yao asked as he approached.
Lin Nan kept her head down, acting serious as she fiddled with her phone, sneakily glancing at Zhu Yong Wen’s expression. She noticed he definitely didn’t have yesterday’s enthusiasm.
A wave of disappointment washed over her.
“No, not yet. Should we grab a meal first?” Zhu Yong Wen wanted to ask, still feeling puzzled.
Like, about Lin Jin, his cousin. He had asked about her yesterday and didn’t get a straightforward answer, so he was left to guess.
The street by the school’s back gate was filled with restaurants of all sizes. A few steps later, the three found a Sichuan restaurant and chose a four-seat booth in the corner.
Lin Nan sat next to Chen Yao, keeping her head down, too shy to look up at Zhu Yong Wen.
After they ordered, the three fell into silence at the table.
When Zhu Yong Wen saw Lin Nan yesterday, he thought she seemed even more delicate, and the fact that she was dressed as a boy felt weird, but at least he considered Lin Nan a normal guy. It was awkward to interact, but it was no different from before.
But today…
While waiting for the food, Zhu Yong Wen, feeling a bit nervous, asked, “So, Lin Jin must be you, right?”
At the previous gathering, the so-called Lin Jin had called him by his nickname, which he hadn’t thought much of at the time.
Lin Nan silently nodded, not saying anything.
Chen Yao, on the side, smiled and asked, “Didn’t you already know Lin Nan was a girl? You asked me about it yesterday.”
“I just think it’s a bit unbelievable,” Zhu Yong Wen scratched his head, a silly grin spreading across his face. “And I have way too many questions.”
Anyone would find it hard to accept an old friend suddenly transformed into a girl, and Zhu Yong Wen was no exception.
Lin Nan looked up, pursed her lips, and let out a sigh. “Go ahead and ask.”
“About you and Chen Yao…”
“She’s my girlfriend. We’ve met the parents and are planning to get engaged,” Chen Yao answered boldly.
You guys used to be best buddies in high school, and now you’re a couple getting engaged just because you went to the same university?
“What’s happening with Lin Nan?” Zhu Yong Wen frowned. “If you say you were always a girl and just cross-dressed in high school, then you definitely didn’t have any curves back then.”
He dismissed his theory from yesterday.
“If you think you want to have surgery to become a girl, can Chen Yao’s parents truly accept that?”
“Or did you two not tell your parents about Lin Nan?”
Lin Nan and Chen Yao exchanged a glance; evidently, this guy was hard to fool.
Looking back, she regretted not confronting Zhu Yong Wen when he was confused yesterday; she should have just talked her way through it confidently.
Overnight, Zhu Yong Wen must have considered many possibilities.
She sighed, originally not wanting to tell Zhu Yong Wen about her situation, but it simply couldn’t be helped. If she hid it any longer, she might actually lose a friend.
With her head down, she nervously wrapped her legs together.
Under the table, Chen Yao tenderly held Lin Nan’s hand, hoping to give her some reassurance.
Lin Nan remained silent, carefully choosing her words, trying to explain her situation completely. Suddenly, Zhu Yong Wen’s face lit up with a relieved smile: “Forget it, having secrets is normal. It’s your private business; I shouldn’t pry.”
“Eh?” She was ready to go back to her rental apartment and pull out her medical records.
“At the end of the day, you’re still my old classmate from high school. Your looks may have changed, but you haven’t,” Zhu Yong Wen chuckled. “Your personality has shifted a bit, but I’m getting used to it.”
This chubby guy was getting smoother.
Lin Nan found it both funny and baffling; she couldn’t quite figure out this former clueless friend.
“But you still need to take care of your health and not overdo it…” Zhu Yong Wen scratched his head. “I was hoping that when we’re old, we’d still be gaming and chatting together.”
She thought this guy would be a handful, tossing a bunch of questions at her, but surprisingly, he hadn’t planned to get any answers.
Lin Nan’s tense demeanor relaxed all at once, and she finally managed a gentle smile.
“I’m not overdoing it.” She took a sip of the cola in her cup.
Seeing her happy, Chen Yao finally felt relieved and shot a glare at Zhu Yong Wen.
Even though he didn’t pursue it directly, wasn’t this guy the one who caused all this trouble in the first place?
402. Inside the KTV
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Maybe it was because they had cleared the air, but Lin Nan immediately felt her relationship with Zhu Yong Wen had returned to their high school days.
It was just that she didn’t know whether Zhu Yong Wen now saw her as male or female.
Just like Zhu Yong Wen, Lin Nan didn’t want to overthink it. No matter the gender, this fat guy should see her as an old friend, an old classmate, and that was good enough.
After dinner, they made their way to the KTV where they had celebrated Xiong Da’s birthday last time.
Zhu Yong Wen intended to drink a bit tonight, so he went with the waiter to the KTV’s little supermarket to buy beer and snacks. Lin Nan stood outside the private room in front of a claw machine, contemplating whether to waste some money trying her luck.
Meanwhile, Chen Yao was busy picking out songs to sing.
Lin Nan wasn’t a fan of such loud environments; they always made her feel a bit uneasy.
After lingering in front of the claw machine for a moment, she eventually decided to save her money and turned back towards the private room.
As she walked in, Chen Yao, smiling, moved toward her, trying to wrap an arm around her shoulders, but she nimbly dodged.
“Don’t get too close when Zhu Yong Wen’s around,” Lin Nan said with a serious face.
Chen Yao stared at her in disbelief. “The problem is, he’s not even here right now.”
“Anyway, not now!” Lin Nan settled into the corner of the sofa.
A moment later, Zhu Yong Wen entered the private room with the waiter, pushing a cart piled high with beer and snacks, which he put down on the coffee table.
Lin Nan’s expression grew even more serious.
Although they had cleared the air, she still felt tense in front of Zhu Yong Wen, desperately trying to find the same interaction they had during high school.
She knew that her personality had changed dramatically under Lilith’s influence, and she was now a different person compared to the boy she had been a year ago. Although Zhu Yong Wen claimed not to mind her appearance or gender, if her personality and behavior changed, it might make him feel really strange.
“I remember Lin Nan doesn’t drink, right?” Zhu Yong Wen said, handing a can of beer to Chen Yao.
“Yeah, I don’t drink,” Lin Nan didn’t dare to mention she had already learned how to drink.
Besides, drinking could expose her true nature.
If yesterday she had aimed to hide her gender, then today she needed to hide her personality.
Chen Yao took a couple of gulps of beer and then grabbed the microphone to start singing.
His voice was pretty good—deep and resonant. Although he lacked any singing technique or talent, he was already competent enough to be a KTV contestant.
Lin Nan held a cola, munching on snacks in an attempt to mask her nervousness.
After a moment of silence listening to Chen Yao sing, she looked up and proactively asked Zhu Yong Wen, who was sitting not far away, “I remember you didn’t drink before, right? You only got drunk at the graduation gathering.”
“Got corrupted by my college classmates,” Zhu Yong Wen took a sip of beer and rubbed his belly. “I was starting to lose weight, but then drinking with them made me gain it all back…”
Turns out, being around bad influences can really have an effect. Zhu Yong Wen hadn’t had any bad habits back when they were classmates.
But now he seemed more lively than back in high school.
“You also drank at that gathering. Are you going to drink a bit this time too?”
Lin Nan shook her head vigorously in refusal. She was trying to avoid any overly feminine actions or traits. If she drank, her disguise would vanish.
Zhu Yong Wen suddenly laughed, remembering how Lin Nan had acted in her drunken state: “You squatted in the corner after drinking, and Chen Yao and I couldn’t pull you up; you insisted on sleeping there.”
Nostalgia washed over him; back then, he was focused solely on studying without any deceitful games among classmates. The most they’d done was tease each other.
But now, as college students, living in a dorm with eight people, conflicts popped up everywhere.
He noticed Lin Nan’s tense stance and suddenly realized she had her thighs tightly pressed together.
Knowing Lin Nan’s gender was still a mystery, he found this small gesture unsettling. After all, the image he held of Lin Nan was still that slightly short, ordinary male classmate.
“That’s why I dislike drinking…” Lin Nan recalled, her cheeks slightly flushed from embarrassment.
As Chen Yao finished his song, Zhu Yong Wen stood up, ready to sing next.
Lin Nan sat there, shoving chip after chip into her mouth. Chen Yao handed the microphone to Zhu Yong Wen and plopped down next to Lin Nan, turning to ask, “Isn’t that hat uncomfortable?”
“Well, I’m just trying to keep Peiqi thinking of me as a guy…” Lin Nan replied but suddenly felt a hand sneak behind her, wrapping around her waist.
She shot an angry glare at Chen Yao. “Didn’t I say don’t do that when he’s around?”
“It’s fine. He’s busy looking for songs; he’s not watching us,” Chen Yao said, glancing at Zhu Yong Wen, who was sitting in front of the screen.
As he held her slim waist, he felt a bit unsatisfied, letting his hand wander under Lin Nan’s shirt, directly against her smooth skin.
Lin Nan felt like she’d explode. She slapped Chen Yao’s thigh angrily, but worried about drawing Zhu Yong Wen’s attention, she didn’t make a sound.
Trying to stay quiet, she cautiously attempted to pry Chen Yao’s hand away. But this guy was relentless, wrapping his arms around her even tighter, drawing closer until he practically enveloped her.
“You’re such a creep!” Lin Nan glared at Chen Yao, only to find an intense possessiveness in his eyes.
She froze. “What’s wrong?”
“I saw you being all cozy with Zhu Yong Wen yesterday; it made me uncomfortable,” Chen Yao turned his head away. “You’re clearly mine.”
“I thought something big was happening…” Lin Nan felt both amused and exasperated. “He thinks of me as a guy. Can we not be so childish?”
Mentioning childishness made her recall a famous saying: “Men are boys until d*ath comes.”
That statement might sound motivational, but it really implies many men are still very immature even when they get older.
Feeling helpless and a bit uneasy, she secretly wondered if Zhu Yong Wen had noticed anything off behind her. “Just don’t let him see us.”
“Didn’t he already know you’re my girlfriend? What’s there to be afraid of?”
Lin Nan awkwardly tried to pull away but was tightly held by Chen Yao.
“I don’t want to ruin the image I have in his head, got it?” As she said this, she cautiously glanced at Zhu Yong Wen, strangely feeling a thrill at being sneaky.
It was an odd sensation—both embarrassing and strangely exciting, causing her skin to flush.
Just then, Zhu Yong Wen called out, “Lin Nan, do you want to sing with me?”
As he said this and turned around, he heard some commotion behind him. When he looked at Lin Nan, she was already standing, her face flushed.
“Oops.” Zhu Yong Wen misinterpreted her actions, thinking she agreed and reached for another microphone, offering it to her. “Those years, can you sing?”
At this point, Lin Nan could only stubbornly nod her head.
