Chapter 505: Daily Life
Lin Nan realized that whenever her affairs were related to Li Na, it was bound to be trouble.
The debate competition had concluded.
As expected, Chen Yao emerged victorious, towering and booming like a human lighthouse. Those four timid little lambs—who looked like they were from Mianyang—were absolutely no match for him. Just standing beside him was enough to make them feel like they were in the ocean being splashed by waves.
By the time it ended, it was already 8:30 PM.
He took Lin Nan by the hand as they exited the classroom, but noticed that his girlfriend’s mood wasn’t exactly peaking; she was pouting like a deflated balloon.
“What’s wrong?”
“Not happy.”
Lin Nan’s expression was as cool as a cucumber, but her voice had just the right hint of a whine.
Chen Yao didn’t quite get what was eating her, but when he glanced over at Li Na and her crew, he had a pretty good hunch.
After all, Li Na had a knack for teasing Lin Nan, and somehow Lin Nan always fell for it like a dog chasing its tail. From once being dressed up as a girl to now being paraded around like a mannequin…
“How about we treat ourselves to a nice meal tonight?” Chen Yao suggested cheerfully. “Crawfish? Grilled fish? Barbecue?”
“Let’s pass on the barbecue,” Lin Nan mumbled. “The barbecue around here is either too salty or just plain bad.”
She had a soft spot for the barbecue from her old home, even though it was more like deep-fried stuff with a sprinkle of seasoning thrown on the grill—definitely not gourmet-level barbecue.
“Okay, then let’s just order some grilled fish?” Chen Yao was clearly in a good mood, hands shoved in his pockets, but he felt slightly uncomfortable in his ill-fitting white shirt. “I need to swing by the dorm to return some clothes and grab Big Dog’s fan.”
He tugged at the small portable fan hanging around his neck and chuckled, “Surprisingly handy!”
“I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
As Lin Nan made her way from the classroom to the boys’ dormitory, she briefly entertained the idea of sneaking inside to explore. But when she spotted the dorm supervisor smoking at the gate, all hope was dashed, and she plopped herself down on a flower bed directly opposite the entrance.
It felt like the old man had it out for her.
Why was last year’s events still hanging over her like a dark cloud?
Now, even though her social identity had shifted to a female, the school hadn’t bothered to give her a new dorm room—she was still technically a resident of the boys’ dorm.
Having paid for the room, she still couldn’t step inside.
Chen Yao noticed Lin Nan’s pouting expression but didn’t think much of it. He headed straight through the dorm’s entrance.
After watching her boyfriend disappear inside, Lin Nan took a glance around. It was just past 8 PM, and there were still plenty of students milling about, usually in energetic packs.
She looked wistfully at four guys not too far away, goofing off and swearing like sailors, then quickly averted her eyes, distracting herself with her phone.
Since becoming a girl, she couldn’t mess around with her friends like before, and she had to keep her distance. After all, she was now Chen Yao’s fiancée!
And she had no idea what to talk about with other girls. Despite her outward appearance being just like any other woman, she’d spent her whole life identifying as male, which made hanging out with girls feel a bit off.
She slapped her cheeks with both hands, took a deep breath, and swiftly cleared away the gloom that had settled in her heart.
No more overthinking! As long as she had Chen Yao, that was enough.
Employing her optimistic outlook like a seasoned pro, she had become quite skilled at this over the past year, especially with all the nonsense she’d dealt with. If she hadn’t mastered it, she would have totally cracked by now.
“Yo! Nan Nan!”
Hearing a call, Lin Nan looked up to see Tu Junhui, clad in a T-shirt and shorts.
“Call me Lin Nan.” She corrected him, not too pleased with his nickname.
It was one thing before when he called her that, but now with a boyfriend in the picture, having other guys use a nickname felt… strange.
“What are you up to?”
“Working out! Spent an hour in the gym.” Tu Junhui excitedly patted his belly, and a wave of belly fat rolled like ocean surf for a few seconds. “Do I look slimmer?”
Lin Nan wrinkled her nose in disdain, “If working out just twice made you slimmer, all the overweight people in the world would be plotting your demise.”
“Waiting for Chen Yao?” Tu Junhui plopped down beside Lin Nan, tongue lolling like an overexerted dog. “Man, I’m dead tired; I’m skipping the gym tomorrow for sure.”
“Yeah, he has something going on.” Lin Nan scooted a tad away, creating a little breathing room between them. “Are you joining us for dinner?”
“Nope, dieting! I haven’t had dinner in three days.”
“Chen Yao said we’re having grilled fish.” Lin Nan lowered her head and pulled up a photo of grilled fish on her phone. With a triumphant grin, she shoved the screen in Tu Junhui’s face. “It looks so good!”
Tu Junhui’s face froze in horror, “You little devil!”
He jumped to his feet, clearly spooked, and strode toward the dorm while grumbling, “You guys just can’t stand to see anyone diet! Yesterday, Xiong Da was eating fried chicken in the dorm, and it smelled like a food factory in there!”
As he was commiserating with himself, Chen Yao came out just in time.
He had swapped his white shirt for a black T-shirt and looked much more at ease. Seeing Tu Junhui’s outrage, he raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
But before he could ask, Tu Junhui shot him a glare and ignored him completely.
“Did he lose it again?” Chen Yao approached Lin Nan, “What’s his deal this time?”
“Nothing much.” Lin Nan’s face lit up with joy upon seeing him. She got up and hugged his arm, leaning against him. “We’ve got grilled fish waiting for us!”
Chen Yao nodded without hesitation, an enigmatic smile creeping onto his face. “Since I’m treating you to grilled fish, then tonight…”
Lin Nan straightened up, releasing his arm, ready to walk away when suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.
She looked up, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink, eyes slightly annoyed, “Are you a teddy bear?!”
Students around them seemed to be stealing glances, which filled Lin Nan with embarrassment and anger, “Let go! People are watching us!”
“Let them watch! It’s not like I’m going to lose any weight,” Chen Yao said, but he still loosened his grip on her waist.
As his hands retreated, he felt a twinge of regret. He didn’t know why, but even after having taken Lin Nan to cloud nine, she still managed to bring freshness into his life every now and then.
Hadn’t Lin Nan’s waist always felt this slender?
“Let’s go! What are you standing around for?” Lin Nan walked a few steps, then realized Chen Yao was still rooted to the spot, staring at his own hands as if they were aliens.
What was up with this guy?
