408. The Downpour
As expected, the torrential rain engulfed the city.
The sky was dark, looking like the apocalypse had arrived, with a cacophony of raindrops pattering in the background. Occasionally, the sky would flicker, followed by a thunderous boom.
“Boom!”
Lin Nan was jolted awake, her heart racing as she clutched onto Chen Yao beside her, wide-eyed and staring into the pitch-black room.
Her stomach still throbbed slightly, and an inexplicable fear rushed into her brain, making her already hazy mind plunge into panic.
Her throat was dry as she scanned the corners of the room, feeling like every shadow held a pair of eyes watching her. Whenever she turned her head, she thought she saw a black figure dart by, only to vanish into the darkness.
“Chen Yao, Chen Yao.” Lin Nan gently shook her boyfriend beside her.
“What’s wrong?” Chen Yao blinked awake, looking at the girl tightly hugging him.
Another flash of lightning crackled, causing Chen Yao to jump, only to notice Lin Nan burrowing deeper into his embrace.
He tenderly rubbed her head, turned on the bedroom light, and asked with a raspy voice, “Are you scared of thunder?”
“No, I just woke up startled by it.”
With the light on, Lin Nan’s anxiety quickly subsided: “I’m mainly afraid of the dark. Plus, with this heavy rain, it’s making my heart race…”
Ever since becoming a lady, her emotions had been all over the place, especially during that time of the month. If it were before, even being startled awake by thunder wouldn’t keep her from falling back asleep without worrying about what kind of dirty stuff lurked in the darkness.
“Shall I get you a night light by noon tomorrow?” Chen Yao knew of Lin Nan’s fear of darkness. He propped himself up against the bed’s headboard and checked his phone for the time. “It’s seven. We should probably get ready for class.”
“Okay.”
“With this downpour, the sports meet will definitely be canceled today.” Chen Yao stretched lazily, still a bit groggy. “Get up and freshen up. I’ll check downstairs to see if there’s breakfast.”
Lin Nan’s head rested on his lap, curled up worriedly gazing out at the rain, when suddenly she propped herself up, looked at him with alarm: “Aren’t we supposed to get our clothes in?”
“They’re probably soaked, so whether we get them in now or not makes no difference.” Chen Yao inquired with concern, “Is your stomach still hurting? If it’s really painful, just take a day off.”
She glanced down at her abdomen and shook her head, “It’s not that bad anymore, just annoying.”
They say girls tend to get easily agitated during that time of the month, getting all cranky.
But Lin Nan usually had a good temper and rarely let her frustrations show; she was always afraid that once her anger subsided, she’d be left groveling for forgiveness.
Chen Yao popped a painkiller into her little handbag, worried she might be in agony during class later. He then stood up, grabbed a water bottle and thermos, and headed off to get her some warm water.
It was still early, and Lin Nan didn’t feel sleepy anymore. She sat up in bed, pulled back the curtains, and looked out at the pouring rain and the occasional flickering lightning.
She secretly liked rainy days.
Sure, her shoes would get soaked and her clothes drenched, but the tranquility that rain brought was something not found on other days.
“What do you want for breakfast?” Chen Yao, now washed up and having thrown on a shirt, was shivering a bit. “The temperature was over thirty degrees yesterday, and today, it’s just over twenty. We slept with the AC on last night; I’m worried we might catch a cold.”
“Maybe grab a jacket?” Lin Nan got up, threw on a jacket over her pajamas. “I woke up early, so I’ll clean the house a bit.”
Even though Chen Yao usually fretted that Lin Nan would turn into a spoiled princess under his care, she actually cleaned up the place every two to three days.
She couldn’t stand a dusty home littered with trash; just seeing it piled up would irk her.
Chen Yao shook his head, “Forget it. Your stomach hurts; I’ll get breakfast and tidy up.”
Lin Nan realized that having her period had its perks; not only could she eat whatever she felt like, but she also didn’t have to lift a finger to clean the house.
She actually wasn’t in that much pain anymore; perhaps the painkiller had kicked in, or maybe it was just that she had eaten well yesterday. Today, she felt sharp pangs only occasionally, more bearable than yesterday when she could barely stand upright.
Chen Yao changed his clothes, grabbed an umbrella, and left their rental apartment. Lin Nan cast one last worried glance out the window before getting up to wash up in the bathroom.
Who knew when Li Na would be back?
She muttered to herself that ever since Lilith lost that leash, she seemed to be getting wilder.
Lin Nan even suspected she was back to her old ways, partying all night long.
After a quick ten-minute wash-up, Chen Yao returned with breakfast.
Outside, the rain still poured, and with most breakfast places closed, he had only gotten Lin Nan some meat buns and soybean milk.
“Soybean milk is great; it’ll make you bustier,” he joked while handing her a cup and bun. “Still a bit small though.”
“Lilith is way smaller than me,” Lin Nan casually responded.
She wasn’t too obsessed with chest size. She had an average size that was at least decent enough to not feel insecure compared to Lilith.
Chen Yao recalled Lilith’s pancake-flat chest and almost burst out laughing. “Are you sure she’s not a trap?”
“She’s a girl.” Lin Nan was adamant that Lilith was a girl at soul level, but one could never be too sure if Li Na had resurrected her in a male body.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t explain why she was so flat.
Even normal women, no matter how flat, still had to show some signs of curves, right? Even a slightly chubby guy had something going on!
As summer weather can change quickly, the thunderstorm that raged just half an hour ago had now calmed, leaving only a gentle drizzle.
After breakfast and a quick tidy-up, Lin Nan grabbed her small handbag and followed Chen Yao out the door.
She had worn men’s clothes for the last couple of days, and now slipped back into a girl’s outfit; holding a handbag felt oddly unfamiliar, as if something was slightly off.
After a long holiday where Lin Nan barely rested, she felt lethargic on the way to school, dragging her feet and wishing she could just snuggle at home for a few days.
By the time they entered the school, the drizzle had turned into a fine mist. Chen Yao was worried about Lin Nan catching a chill due to her period, yet he still refused to put down the umbrella.
Just as they were heading toward their classroom, Chen Yao’s phone vibrated. He glanced at the notification and discovered it was instructing classmates to gather on the school field.
In other words, the sports meet that was supposed to be canceled due to the rain was going to take place as planned!
