430. Chen Yao’s Thoughts
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The living room discussion was heating up like a bowl of instant noodles.
They went from deciding on the menu for the engagement banquet, to debating what level of hotel the kids should get married in, and even when they should snap those wedding photos and grab that marriage certificate.
Lin Nan listened intently, occasionally throwing in her two cents. With a gentle smile and eyes sparkling with joy, you couldn’t tell if she was thrilled about the wedding or just the hefty dowry.
She swayed her upper body happily, radiating good vibes.
But suddenly, Chen Yao went silent, his brows knitted as he watched everyone chatter about wedding details, not uttering a word. After a few minutes, he abruptly stood up and marched toward the bedroom.
“Does Chen Yao not want to get engaged?” Mother looked up with a hint of concern as he disappeared into the room.
“Crazy talk! Don’t mind him,” Aunt chuckled, continuing, “In a couple of years, they’ll be graduating and starting internships, just the right time to tie the knot and get that certificate!”
Just as she said that, Aunt noticed Lin Nan also jumping to her feet, zipping away like she was on a mission.
Aunt blinked a few times, then glanced at Lin Nan’s mother, chuckling, “These two really can’t stand to be apart, can they?”
Lin Nan flung open the bedroom door and peeked inside to find Chen Yao sulking at his computer like a grumpy cat.
She couldn’t quite wrap her head around Chen Yao. Just the other day, he was all excited about the engagement; now that it was actually happening, it felt like he’d stepped into a rain cloud.
Carefully, she tiptoed in and locked the door behind her like a secret agent on a mission. With confusion and curiosity in her big eyes, she approached.
Gently resting her hands on Chen Yao’s shoulders, she leaned down and whispered, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Chen Yao said, grabbing her hand and flashing a warm smile that could melt an iceberg.
“You’re acting strangely,” Lin Nan said as she wrapped her arms around him from behind, tilting her head and resting her chin on his. Suddenly giggling, she teased, “Are you worried about the money?”
Before Chen Yao could even respond, Lin Nan, in a fit of dramatic distress, mumbled, “Twenty grand isn’t too bad; ten grand is acceptable too… Maybe we should just scrap the dowry? That way, Mom could save up for my wedding gifts!”
“I’m not some little money-loving miser like you! Why would I be worried about money?” Chen Yao shot her an exasperated look. “Besides, dowries and gifts are our parents’ money, not just mine!”
“No way! It’s all mine! You get nada!” Lin Nan was clearly on a greedy mission.
After some playful banter, Chen Yao’s smile faded again as he stared at the computer screen, where a certain video was ruffling feathers online.
Recently, Tu Junhui’s cross-dressing video had gone viral on Bilibili. This poorly-executed ‘bully the chubby guy’ skit turned into a hot topic of discussion.
While the trolls were plentiful, the engagement wasn’t so bad in terms of views and likes, and it filled Chen Yao’s pockets a bit.
“Do you think I could ever be a full-time video uploader…” Chen Yao pondered, resting his chin on his hand, his expression as blank as a piece of paper.
Lin Nan mulled for a moment, confused. “As a cross-dressing gamer?”
She shook her head, her unenthusiastic demeanor clear. “That’s super unstable, right? Your views only come from those three cross-dressing videos, and the gaming ones are hardly viewed at all.”
“And the earnings aren’t great! You’d be better off finding a solid, stable job. Doing videos as a hobby sounds nice.”
“You never know, short videos could go out of style and be replaced by something totally random, and then you’d be left with nothing!”
Chen Yao totally agreed with Lin Nan, which only made his mood darker.
He had put so much focus on making videos over the years, while his skills in basketball and gaming were good but not quite good enough to pay the bills reliably.
If he settled for a regular job, he might only see a measly income of three to five thousand during his internship—if he was lucky. To make bank, he’d probably have to grind it out for years.
And by the time he graduates, he was already set to marry Lin Nan.
He wanted to provide Lin Nan with a good life on his own merit, not dragging her along for a tough ride, and definitely not living off his parents.
Turning to look at the carefree Lin Nan, he asked, “Are you planning on going to grad school?”
“Yep!” Lin Nan nodded enthusiastically.
With her newfound magical abilities, at least the memory-heavy coursework would be a piece of cake for her, giving her a better shot at grad school than most folks.
“Don’t think too hard about it,” Lin Nan said gently, ruffling his slightly rough face. “There are still a few years to go!”
“That’s true.” Chen Yao forced a smile.
These years should be about setting some goals instead of just coasting along and waiting for food to magically appear.
His smile unexpectedly lit up a bit, causing Lin Nan to frown in confusion, wondering what was rolling around in that head of his.
But it was clear that Chen Yao was nowhere near as grumpy as before. Lin Nan stepped back a few paces and plopped onto the bed, yawning extravagantly.
“What’s your grandpa like?” she asked lazily, supporting her head with her hand, one leg bent, stifling another yawn.
“Not bad, way nicer than your grandpa, that’s for sure.”
“Please, my grandpa only looks scary! He’s a total softie on the inside,” Lin Nan shot back, just then hearing the ruckus outside again and furrowing her brow. “What are they arguing about?”
“Beats me.”
In a hurry, Lin Nan dashed out the door, catching her mother in mid-argument.
“Lin Nan’s dad is hopeless! Why did we invite him? To ruin this happy occasion and make Lin Nan mad?”
“But it’s such a big deal as getting engaged…”
Their talking suddenly stopped as several heads turned to face Lin Nan standing at the threshold of the bedroom.
It dawned on her that all this chatter revolved around her father.
Frozen, she recalled her dad’s annoyed face and mocking tone from before.
Then her mind flipped to a vision of him in a suit, beaming as he offered congratulations to her and Chen Yao.
A wave of bittersweet nostalgia washed over her, leaving her looking somewhat pale.
Her expression cooled, and she turned back into the room.
Now, her mother looked worried, addressing Chen Yao’s mom with a frown, “See? She doesn’t want to see that guy at all.”
“That’s too bad,” Aunt sighed. “If only he could say a few good words at the engagement, Lin Nan would be over the moon.”
“You don’t know her dad,” Mother chuckled bitterly, shaking her head. “If he shows up, it’ll be a miracle if he doesn’t cause a scene.”
