### 474. Strolling Around School
Lin Qi casually glanced at his cousin walking beside him, relieved that his tension had eased up a bit since leaving home.
Lin Nan was dressed in typical girly attire: a short-sleeve shirt and long pants. Although the style differed from boys’ clothes, it somewhat resembled the old Lin Qi, considering it was all in sleek black.
But those obvious curves up front… well, they were hard to ignore.
Honestly, how did Lin Nan become so much prettier after turning into a girl?
It was a bit too much to handle, especially when alone.
Last time they met, Lin Nan had even been hit on by a drunken guy. If he hadn’t stepped in, who knows what could have happened.
“From now on, when you go out, remember to carry some pepper spray or something.” Lin Qi recalled that incident and hurriedly reminded Lin Nan.
Lin Nan turned to him with a slightly puzzled expression. If Lin Qi hadn’t interfered, those two drunks would have been hospital-bound from a single punch each.
“Yeah, I know.” She smiled gently.
Lin Qi noticed Lin Nan wasn’t taking his words seriously, feeling sort of helpless: “Last time I was there; what will you do next time? You can’t be glued to your boyfriend 24/7, right?”
Lin Nan wanted to say that if it came to bare-handed combat, nobody on Earth could beat her. But such a statement felt a bit too embarrassing.
In Chen Yao’s eyes, she was already a bit of a weeb; there was no need to explain further.
“Got it, got it.” She waved her hand dismissively, picking up her half-finished cola and heading toward the school gate. “Didn’t you say you wanted to check out the university? Let’s go.”
Lin Qi didn’t have an impressive education, and in his life, he hadn’t really seen what a university was like.
Feeling a tad nervous, he quickened his pace to walk beside Lin Nan, asking, “Can I get in?”
“Of course, don’t worry.”
Upon hearing Lin Nan’s confident reassurances, he felt a bit better, but when they reached the school entrance, a security guard suddenly blocked their path and aimed a temperature scanner at Lin Nan’s forehead.
“Student ID, and flip those bangs back.”
Back in the day, getting in and out of school was a breeze, but this semester things had gotten pretty strict.
Compared to other universities that required reports for entry, Lin Nan’s school was actually quite lenient.
She casually fished her student ID out of her pocket for the guard to see. After taking her temperature, her eyes suddenly glimmered with a barely noticeable red light. “This is my cousin behind me; he just wants to take a look around.”
Lin Qi stood behind her, feeling a little nervous at first because of the strict screening. But when the guard heard Lin Nan’s words, he merely nodded and let them through without further checks.
Without measuring his temperature or looking at any of his credentials, Lin Qi, completely bewildered, followed Lin Nan into the school.
“Do you know that guard?”
He turned back to see the guard still diligently checking the student IDs of others. “Why did he let me through?”
“Yeah, a friend.” Lin Nan nodded.
It was her first time using control magic, and she didn’t expect it to be so effective. With just a few words, she could influence a person’s thoughts and actions. The effect lasted a short time, but the targeted person wouldn’t notice anything amiss at all.
If she had this magic earlier, she could have easily made her relatives accept her sudden gender change. Her father’s attitude toward her wouldn’t have been so harsh either.
But there were no “ifs.”
Once inside the school, Lin Nan strolled around with Lin Qi, introducing him to the different buildings along the way.
“That three-story building is the cafeteria; over here is the Grand Playground, where all the big events are held. Just walk straight ahead, and that large complex facing us is the teaching area…”
It was Lin Qi’s first visit to a university and everything piqued his curiosity. He followed Lin Nan’s lead, scanning around, but he noticed there weren’t many students around.
Even the ones present seemed to be hurrying past.
Noticing his confusion, Lin Nan chuckled playfully. “It’s only nine-thirty! Most students are still asleep. Some who need to head out use the back door; the bus stop is closer that way, you see?”
“Sounds like you all have a good college life.”
She paused for a second, quickly dismissing any ambiguous meanings from that remark, then cheerfully nodded. “It’s alright, but we have quite a few classes; we even have night study.”
The campus was massive. Just strolling along the main road likely took an hour. Lin Nan actually hadn’t fully explored the school either, usually sticking to the teaching buildings, cafeteria, and dormitory.
After a good ten minutes, they arrived at the basketball court surrounded by the male dormitory buildings.
Although it was still early, some groups of students were already playing ball. Lin Nan stood on her tiptoes, scanning the area until she spotted Chen Yao resting on a bench outside the court, sipping some water.
As if he sensed her gaze, he looked up at that moment, noticed Lin Nan, and got up from the bench.
Now, how should I address my girlfriend’s cousin?
As he walked toward Lin Nan, he pondered this dilemma.
“Why didn’t you say you were coming?” He approached her casually, ignoring the title entirely, and casually draped an arm over Lin Qi’s shoulder. “Want to check out the market? I can whip up something delicious for you!”
He thought quite highly of Lin Qi since he’d shot a video of him dressed as a girl before. The video had gotten quite a few views and likes, earning him some easy cash and followers.
Besides, Lin Qi treated Lin Nan well, unlike that troublesome father of hers.
“No need to trouble yourself; how about I treat you both to lunch instead?” Lin Qi, naturally extroverted, quickly struck up a conversation with Chen Yao and brought up the previous topic. “Whenever you’ve got time, buy Lin Nan some pepper spray or something. Otherwise, if she runs into trouble again, who knows if anyone would help her.”
Strangely, Lin Qi noticed Chen Yao giving him a weird look.
He had a similar expression when Lin Nan brought it up earlier.
Did I say something wrong about caring for my cousin?
Lin Qi stared back at Chen Yao, completely perplexed.
“Don’t worry; I’ll get it,” Chen Yao casually replied, then enthusiastically invited, “Want to join us for a game? With you, we’ll have just enough for two teams.”
Chen Yao was puzzled about how Lin Qi had gotten into school. The management was much stricter than before; even parents couldn’t come in to visit students at times.
But he quickly dismissed the thought and clapped Lin Qi on the back, leading him into the fenced-off basketball court.
Only then did Lin Nan release a sigh of relief.
While Lin Qi felt distant regarding Lin Nan’s drastic changes, Lin Nan felt the complete opposite.
After these recent interactions, Lin Qi seemed to be accepting his changes. Perhaps if they spent more time together, their relationship could return to how it used to be.
