478. Taking Leave【16/60】
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I might be able to wrangle some helpers.
With only a few days left before heading back home, Lin Nan had been frantically scouring the internet for knowledge on supernatural ghost-exorcism techniques. She was terrified that Li Na would whip up some sort of witchcraft to horrify her when the time came.
This is plain revenge!
She overheard that conversation between Li Na and Lilith before she left! Those two were pure revenge machines!
Not only did they let Lilith enjoy herself but they still wanted to get back at her? Is there no justice in this world?
Her eldest cousin was getting married on Thursday, so she’d have to go back on Wednesday night. After the wedding, she’d need to come clean to some relatives she used to be close with and then figure out how to drag a few cousins out for a midnight stroll to her grandfather’s back hill on Saturday. At least a crowd would make her feel a bit safer.
The only issue was that 3 AM was just a tad too early; she wasn’t even sure if she could wake up in time.
“What are you thinking about?” Chen Yao turned to her, “Worried that your relatives won’t accept you when you get back?”
This had happened several times before, and Lin Nan had always fretted over this issue.
But this time, she was just worried about encountering a ghost.
Overall, the relatives from her father’s side were only a concern for a few cousins and some childhood neighbors. Frankly, they were all around her age, with the oldest cousin barely hitting thirty. They spent a lot of time online, so even if they weren’t exactly on board with Lin Nan becoming female, they probably wouldn’t kick up a fuss.
As for the middle-aged and elderly relatives? Either gambling, being lazy, or recollecting the good old days by bullying little Lin Nan, they were unpleasant and even somewhat loathed. She had no intention of engaging with them.
She could just hide her identity during the wedding and then explain the situation when she had some alone time with her cousins and friends.
Better to avoid any awkward dinner table incidents.
Once she laid out her thoughts clearly, there was really nothing for her to fear.
Except for the ghost hunting part on her grandfather’s back hill. That was a tad nerve-wracking.
“Is it alright?” Lin Nan propped her head on one hand, dazedly watching the teacher lecture on stage.
Who knew if a garlic peach wood sword would even work on ghosts?
It’s all Lilith’s fault!
With a sense of satisfaction from blaming Lilith for her troubles, Lin Nan felt her mood lift.
“I might run into a ghost this time,” Lin Nan hesitantly told Chen Yao.
“What?” Chen Yao stared at her, dumbfounded. Looking at her fair face, he suddenly reached out and pressed his palm against Lin Nan’s forehead, muttering to himself, “Not even feverish? Why are you talking nonsense?”
“I really am!” Lin Nan smacked his hand away, glaring at him in annoyance.
“Are you stressed out or anxious and just imagining things?” Chen Yao tried to come up with a more scientific explanation, then soothingly suggested, “How about I go back with you?”
Lin Nan shot him another annoyed glare: “No way!”
Chen Yao thought maybe his girlfriend’s head really was a bit off—perhaps it was true what he heard at her grandfather’s house about her bumping into a ghost on the back hill as a child, which made her think differently.
Or maybe she fell and hit her head? Got kicked by a free-range cow?
Otherwise, why would she still be acting all delusional at her age?
“How about you see a doctor?” Chen Yao worriedly proposed, “Maybe you were too anxious last year and got depressed. Should we check into a mental hospital?”
“You’re the crazy one!”
Well, that seemed to fit into the mental health crisis category.
Seeing her fuming like a pufferfish, Chen Yao helplessly shook his head. “Honestly, no matter if there’s something wrong or not, it’s always a good idea to check your mental state.”
Lin Nan felt like using her void hand to prove she could indeed do magic! If she could do magic, there might really be ghosts in this world.
But would Chen Yao even accept that? It could be a bit too much for a normal person to swallow.
Suddenly, Chen Yao felt Lin Nan staring at him with a mischievous glint in her eye, and he stiffened: “How about I go and buy you some yellow paper? If you really do run into a ghost, we can burn some paper money and maybe get you a talisman?”
The urge to survive prompted him to go along with Lin Nan’s whims.
“Let’s go after class.”
“Sure!”
Even though there couldn’t possibly be ghosts in this world, getting some odd items to ease Lin Nan’s anxiety sounded like a plan. If it could lessen her worries, he could later trick her into taking some depression tests. If it worked out, he could hopefully persuade her to check into a mental hospital for a little examination.
Chen Yao had decided to take the scenic route to save the day.
Putting that topic on pause, he asked Lin Nan, “Have you prepped your leave request?”
Lin Nan blinked up at him in shock: “Totally forgot.”
“Hold on, I’ll take you to Zheng Qian’s office to get a leave slip.” Chen Yao toyed with one of Lin Nan’s fallen strands of hair and continued, “But it’s not great timing for asking for leave. Even though the pandemic is mostly behind us, the school is still pretty strict about this stuff.”
“You need a solid reason. Just saying you’re going to a wedding might not fly.”
Lin Nan thought for a moment, furrowing her brows. Then she slapped Chen Yao’s thigh, “Just say my dad died!”
“???”
What did you do to make you hate your dad so much? Although he wasn’t exactly a fan either…
“Isn’t that a bit harsh?” Chen Yao protested, rubbing his thigh, “What if your dad suddenly shows up at school looking for you? Sure, he’s gone now, but you never know, right?”
“Fine, how about he’s in the hospital dying from an accident? Or arrested for some crimes?” Lin Nan relentlessly sheathed her father with accusations.
Chen Yao thought Lin Nan would at least miss her dad a little, but he didn’t expect this kind of reaction.
“Suit yourself,” he scoffed, bemused.
When class ended, Lin Nan followed Chen Yao out of the room, heading for Zheng Qian’s office.
Within five minutes, they were at the office door. Chen Yao peeked inside and knocked with his knuckles.
“Come in, what’s up?” Zheng Qian looked up at the two.
The office was a bit sparse; only two or three teachers were buried in their work. They glanced up at the newcomers and, realizing they weren’t their students, went right back to work.
Arriving at the desk, Lin Nan spoke up, “I need to request a leave.”
She could have just ghosted class and got someone to take attendance, but skipping a few days might raise some eyebrows.
“What’s the reason?”
Lin Nan almost blurted out her prepared excuses but thought better of it. So she replied sincerely, “Going to a wedding.”
“Not approved.” Zheng Qian said without looking up, fingers flying over the keyboard.
Since he was focused on his screen, Lin Nan couldn’t use magic on him. Plus, she had already tried a similar charm on him once before, and she still wasn’t sure if it worked.
Chen Yao interjected, “Just let her take the leave. It’s no big deal.”
“Not approved.”
“Wow, how uncaring. Does your dear girlfriend know how heartless you are?” he joked, mentioning a cute username he once saw on Zheng Qian’s phone while snooping. There’s a good chance Zheng Qian had a romantic relationship with this ‘Yaoyao.’
Zheng Qian abruptly looked up, his gaze fierce. Chen Yao jumped, completely baffled by his extreme reaction.
“Approved!”
