040. Confession
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Lin Nan slept in late.
His sleep quality had always been terrible. No matter how tired he was, he couldn’t sleep with all the noise before bed, and if he did manage to drift off, any loud noise would jolt him awake like a startled cat.
Back in his freshman year, that guy Tu Junhui loved to play games deep into the night, shouting and yelling, and became the top candidate for Lin Nan’s “most annoying person.” During that time, he teamed up with Chen Yao to mercilessly roast Tu Junhui. Although Tu eventually changed his ways, he began to tease Lin Nan at every opportunity.
But usually, Lin Nan preferred silence when sleeping, and tonight he discovered that what he desired wasn’t silence, but a sense of security.
He was all alone in the dormitory, the black cat Cola had long since gone to sleep, and the only sound was the soft hum of the air conditioner. Thanks to that, he could hear every rustle outside the dorm.
The wind outside, insects buzzing, the faint sound of a glass marble rolling upstairs, and the inexplicable creak of the wardrobe…
It felt like every single sound cluster-bombed his brain, and any slight noise would send Lin Nan’s hair standing on end, his heart racing.
At home, he often lived alone too, but that was his home—lock the bedroom door, turn on the night light, play some live stream on his phone, and wrap himself in blankets; instant safety. But in the dormitory, he felt perpetually on edge as if he were trapped in a horror film where any little sound could spell doom.
With an interview for a part-time waiter position scheduled for the next afternoon, Lin Nan climbed into bed before ten. Yet, no matter how much he tried to nap, an unshakeable nervousness thwarted him. The occasional footsteps and muffled conversations from the hallway made his scalp prickle, banishing any thoughts of sleep from his mind.
Tossing and turning until midnight, his phone buzzed, startling the nearly-dreaming Lin Nan awake.
He fumbled for his phone beside him and saw a message from Chen Yao.
“Are you asleep? Didn’t you say we’d talk about things online?”
They had known each other long enough that neither liked to start conversations with the usual “Are you there?” So Chen Yao dove straight into it.
Lin Nan’s brain was foggy, and without much thought—maybe realizing this secret couldn’t be hidden forever—he typed back.
“I felt unwell, so I went for a medical examination.”
“So?”
“The doctor said I’m a woman.”
The moment those words hit the screen, Lin Nan was wide awake, shooting up from his bed and frantically trying to retract his statement.
But before he could delete it, Chen Yao had already seen the message, replying in quick succession: “?”
“What? Last time your stomach hurt, it was really Aunt Flo?”
“That can’t be right! We’ve shared a bathroom before, haven’t we?”
“Did the doctor misdiagnose you? What kind of medical exam did you take?”
“Don’t joke around with me.”
Even though he couldn’t see Chen Yao’s face, Lin Nan could easily picture him, pacing and anxious. But perhaps he was secretly enjoying this?
They were practically childhood friends; if he really was a girl, didn’t that make them childhood sweethearts?
Lin Nan, unable to recall what the examination included, got out of bed, flicked on the light, and took a photo of the examination report to send to Chen Yao.
The report didn’t state Lin Nan was a woman, but it did indicate some delay in female hormonal development, and due to Lin Nan’s constant diet of takeout and greasy food, he also had a slight case of fatty liver.
Slight fatty liver! For modern young folks, being even a tad chubby could guarantee this diagnosis. Lin Nan hadn’t expected that he could have this condition at just over a hundred pounds. But it wasn’t fatal; with a bit of healthy eating, he could recover.
“Did the doctor mess up the report?”
“It has your name on it, genius.”
After a moment of silence, Chen Yao texted back again: “I’ll come back and accompany you for another examination.”
“Okay.”
“Do your parents know?”
“Nope.”
“Then I’m somewhat honored to be part of this drama.”
Lin Nan had zero expectations for the follow-up exam; he knew the root of the issue. Even if this really was a misdiagnosis, relying on magic would only toss him into this mess again sooner or later.
It hadn’t even been a month since he started using magic.
Thinking of this made Lin Nan’s head throb. Though he knew using magic was bad for him, after experiencing that “cheat code,” he found it hard to control himself whenever trouble came knocking. Plus, being broke and wanting a computer, he had a complicated relationship with money.
“Get some sleep.” Seeing that Lin Nan didn’t respond, Chen Yao replied, “You might as well skip the part-time job tomorrow; it looks like I’ll be back in the dorm before the fourth.”
After chatting a bit more, Lin Nan stuffed his phone into his pocket, but the sleepiness had already fled. His mind buzzed with chaotic thoughts, and the fatigue faded away.
He wondered how busy the hospital would be during the National Day holiday.
He glanced at the light from the hallway spilling into the dorm and decided to turn on his computer to play some games.
“If I can’t get up tomorrow, I won’t go for the interview anyway. One hundred something a day isn’t worth it; it’s less work to hand out flyers,” Lin Nan muttered, thinking that for most people, being a waiter seemed easier than sweating under the sun handing out pamphlets, but to him, it felt quite the opposite.
Honestly, even when he was tired, his gaming skills were up to par, and if he took on some boosting jobs, he could make money too. But earning from boosting wasn’t quick; some people played all day and still didn’t make a hundred bucks. If he fluffed it up, he’d have to pay back.
If part-time work was unstable, then being a boost contractor was even more of a gamble. Look at Chen Yao; he picked up a boost job when he had time, and Lin Nan hadn’t seen him rake in much cash from it.
Lin Nan felt a bit anxious, wondering how Chen Yao’s attitude might change toward him when he returned.
Sitting at the computer, chin propped on one hand, his mind swirled with all kinds of bizarre fantasies.
When he went home during the New Year, would his parents notice anything off? After so long without seeing him, a little change in his appearance was probably normal, right?
After spending about an hour in front of the computer, Lin Nan finally felt the heaviness of sleep creeping back in.
The dorm had become eerily quiet. Previously, there were footsteps, but now it was just the silence surrounding him that made Lin Nan uneasy.
Just as he was about to return to bed, a knock sounded at the dorm door, startling him so much he nearly tumbled from the ladder.
“Who’s there?!”
“Is Junhui back yet?”
From the voice outside, Lin Nan recognized it as a classmate he wasn’t too familiar with.
Tu Junhui could bond with anyone, and people did tend to seek him out at night.
“He’s been back for ages.”
“Dude, he told me he wouldn’t go back and that he would crash in my dorm for an all-nighter! I waited forever, d*mn it!” The classmate cursed as he walked away, leaving Lin Nan momentarily stunned before shaking his head with a mix of amusement and disbelief.
Tu Junhui sure had a knack for spinning tales. If you didn’t know him well, you might struggle to separate truth from fiction.
