535. Confession
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The morning sunlight streamed into the tiny bedroom, casting its golden glow evenly across Lin Nan’s fair face.
Her long eyelashes fluttered for a moment before she opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling.
When did I fall asleep?
Still a bit dazed, she rubbed her head and got out of bed, only to realize she was sprawled out in the middle of it.
Automatically, she turned her head to the side, but there was no sign of Chen Yao.
“Nan Nan? Are you awake?” Auntie tiptoed inside, asking softly. She peeked in and saw Lin Nan sitting there with a confused expression.
“Chen Yao went to get you breakfast; he said you like guo bian hu.”
Only then did Lin Nan turn her gaze to Auntie, a tiny smile appearing on her face as she nodded, but her brow immediately furrowed again.
The events of last night left her puzzled, especially the arms reaching out of the void and whether that interdimensional intruder was dead or alive.
Seeing her spaced-out demeanor, Auntie walked into the room, sat at the foot of the bed, and gently reassured her, “You were pretty scared last night, huh? Why don’t you stay here a bit longer? I can drive you to Grandpa’s tonight, okay?”
“Hmm.” Lin Nan still seemed a bit lost in thought.
Auntie sighed softly; it was clear her future daughter-in-law was deeply shaken by what had happened. After all, she wasn’t like Chen Yao, who’d been getting into fights since middle school. Lin Nan was more introverted and sensitive, so that kind of incident would naturally freak her out.
“What do you want for lunch?” she attempted to comfort Lin Nan with food.
Lin Nan thought for a moment and replied, “Anything is fine.”
“How about… pancakes?” Auntie grinned, ruffling her hair. “They have meat and shrimp—way tastier than those street vendor hand-pulled buns.”
“Okay.”
Lin Nan’s reaction was a bit dazed, her attitude lackluster and quiet, but to her, it seemed all too normal, considering what she had gone through last night. Anyone would be spaced out after an experience like that.
Auntie stood up, deciding to give Lin Nan some space.
Just then, Chen Yao returned, carrying two bowls of guo bian hu that he plopped down on the table before heading back outside to grab a chair.
Lin Nan, still staring blankly, lifted her head only to find Chen Yao looking at her strangely.
She didn’t quite understand why, touching her cheek, thinking maybe she had drooled all over it while sleeping or that her face had left impressions on the bamboo mat.
“Time to eat,” Chen Yao said, placing the bowls on the table before running out to fetch a chair. “Stop overthinking it.”
Lin Nan hopped off the bed, barefoot, and sat at the table, glancing at Chen Yao’s face, feeling like her boyfriend was a bit off today.
She took a spoonful of breakfast, then looked up and asked, “Is there something on my face?”
“Nope.”
“Then….” Lin Nan pondered how to phrase it, “Why do you keep looking at me like that? It’s so weird.”
What if he suddenly doesn’t like me anymore?
That thought struck her like a bolt out of the blue.
“Umm… Li Na wanted me to pass on a message,” Chen Yao switched topics.
Lin Nan was confused about what that meant—was he changing the subject? She just watched him, waiting for the rest of the sentence.
“That assassin has already been taken away by her,” he continued, “so she said no one will come looking for you anymore…”
As soon as he finished, Lin Nan fell into a daze, staring blankly into Chen Yao’s eyes.
Does that mean Chen Yao knows?
Does he know I’m actually a normal guy turned girl because of magic?
Does he know about the existence of magic, the other world…?
Chen Yao frowned at Lin Nan’s bewildered and shocked expression and asked, “Is it true?”
Clearly, while she had been asleep last night, Chen Yao had found out something from Li Na.
But how much had Li Na revealed, who knows?
Lin Nan felt a wave of anxiety, unsure how to respond. She lowered her head, placing her hands on her thighs, nervously fiddling with her pants.
The room fell into silence. After a long moment of organizing her words, she finally spoke.
“Well… I actually told you before.”
“But you just didn’t believe me.”
She turned her head away, unable to face Chen Yao’s gaze.
She had no idea what decision he would make after knowing everything or if he would see her as some kind of freak or entertain other thoughts.
Her toes tightly gripped the wooden floor, hands clutching her clothes as she trembled slightly.
“I kinda got it,” Chen Yao said, a look of helplessness crossing his face as he observed her. “So Li Na and Li Lisi are from another world?”
“Yeah.”
“And you can use magic?”
“Yep.”
“And the way you learned magic is… by doing things like in game quests, like how at the start of last semester, you suddenly kissed me during the dorm gathering?”
Lin Nan lowered her head even more, and after a moment, mustered a small “Yeah.”
But before Chen Yao could ask anything more, she began to babble anxiously: “I didn’t see you as a tool or anything…”
Maybe there was a time when she had thought that way, but not anymore.
Chen Yao acted as if he hadn’t heard her, continuing to ask, “You turned into a girl because of magic?”
Each of his questions made Lin Nan more anxious, and she hurried to clarify.
“It’s just that I couldn’t explain why I could still have my… monthly visitor after becoming a girl… so I told everyone I was intersex.” Lin Nan shook as she shared her truth. “It just so happened the doctor thought so too…”
“I wanted to tell you before, but you kept calling me a chuunibyou, and I was afraid you wouldn’t accept it, so I didn’t dare to prove my magic in front of you.”
“When I learned magic, I only did those things with you. I haven’t kissed anyone else, and no one has…”
“Alright.” Chen Yao suddenly interrupted her.
Lin Nan felt her heart skip a beat, biting her lower lip, too scared to look at his expression.
“I kinda get it,” Chen Yao said, his thoughts a bit jumbled, but he had managed to piece together the cause and consequence.
He paused for a moment, let out a sigh, and placed his hand gently on Lin Nan’s waist.
He could sense that Lin Nan was scared of something.
“I’m just asking because, you know, magic and alternate worlds are a bit mind-boggling,” he tried to ease her with a soft tone, “Don’t think too much about it; I’m just a bit curious, that’s all.”
He gently pressed Lin Nan’s head against his shoulder, patting her back as his voice softened further. “You should have told me these things sooner. I mean, how could a guy who reads novels all day not accept it?”
Although he knew that if he hadn’t witnessed Lin Nan confronting a sword controlled by a shadow last night, he probably wouldn’t have believed her regardless of what she said.
“I told you…”
He paused again but sounded a bit more stern: “Regardless of everything, you’re still my fiancée! Don’t overthink it! Now, eat!”
