542. Grandfather 【5/30】
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Lin Nan initially planned to hightail it to the Internet cafe to escape those two old geezers from another world, but out of nowhere, there was a commotion among the pedestrians. Suddenly, the crowd parted like the Red Sea, with some dialing 120, some whipping out their phones to take photos, and even a kind-hearted nurse stepping forward to provide emergency aid.
What on earth happened? She had barely said two sentences to Liu Xinyi when everything went haywire!
Before her brain could catch up, Liu Xinyi yanked her along to see what was going on. Lin Nan was reluctant, but curiosity got the better of her as she was half-dragged to the edge of the crowd.
Peeking in, Lin Nan spotted a couple of old men on the ground, while Lilith stood by, looking utterly helpless.
Meanwhile, a nearby bystander, red-faced and flustered, was explaining loudly, “It’s not my fault! He bumped into me! Many people saw!”
What is happening here?!
Are things in the other world this desperate? Did they send sickly old men to Earth to hunt witches? And now they’re dropping like flies just a few steps into their mission?
A nurse was already half-squatting next to one of the old men, carefully examining him.
He was breathing heavily and his heart was racing, eyes shut as if unconscious, but you could definitely see him shaking.
The nurse couldn’t quite figure out what was happening, so she didn’t dare make any sudden moves. Instead, she stood up and urged the crowd to step back to give the old man some space while they waited for the ambulance.
Lin Nan was shocked, but also relieved.
Thankfully, these two otherworlders didn’t start a brawl when they saw me.
Instead, they just collapsed from sudden illness!
Could it be that Lilith had secretly poisoned them?
She looked curiously at Lilith, but Lilith just shook her head.
So what happened then?
“Let’s go, nothing to see here.” Wu Jiaming glanced over and yawned, ready to take the two to the Internet cafe. “Let’s find a spot for gaming first; if you want barbecue, I’ll grab some later.”
“Sounds good,” Lin Nan agreed.
As the three cousins made their way down the stairs to the Internet cafe, both old men suddenly opened their eyes, exchanging a look of relief that they survived.
This act of humility clearly bored the witch.
They quickly stood up, scanned the crowd around them, and one brave soul grabbed Lilith’s hand, desperation shining in his eyes. “I want to go home!”
……
As night fell, dinner had just gone past six. After playing games for two hours, Liu Kexin reluctantly got up from the computer.
She didn’t have a computer at home, and as a dorm student in her senior year with finals looming, there was no chance to go out to surf the net; she usually returned to the dorm after class around nine at night.
Finally having a chance to relax, it felt all too brief for her.
The street was still bustling with activity. The two old men who followed Lilith had mysteriously disappeared, but at least they hadn’t caused any trouble for Lin Nan.
She felt at ease.
The walk from the lively district to Grandfather’s house would take at least half an hour, and the three young people clearly didn’t have that kind of patience, so they promptly hired a private three-wheeled ride.
“Used to cost five or six bucks to get to Grandfather’s from here,” Liu Xinyi complained from her spot next to Lin Nan, clearly dissatisfied with the current rate.
Lin Nan didn’t respond, choosing to look at the street outside instead.
Once they left the busy area, the foot traffic dwindled, and the lush trees blocked the streetlights, making the road seem quite dim.
“Shall we watch a movie on Wu Guodong’s projector tonight?” Wu Jiaming asked. “What movie do you want to see?”
“Saw!” Liu Kexin replied without hesitation.
“There are still quite a few kids around, you know?”
Her cousin quickly shot down her suggestion, then turned to Lin Nan, who simply shook her head. “I’m fine with anything.”
It seemed that since they had arrived at the Internet cafe, Lin Kexin had been sulking.
She had appeared disinterested while they played games earlier, remaining mostly silent and sporting a gloomy expression.
“What’s wrong?” Wu Jiaming furrowed his brow and asked.
Lin Nan was taken aback and looked up at her cousin.
“She must be missing her boyfriend!” Liu Xinyi teased Lin Nan. “You just broke up with him yesterday and you’re already thinking of him today?”
“Of course not…”
She couldn’t deny that if Chen Yao were around, she definitely wouldn’t be acting this morose.
After pondering for a moment, she came up with an excuse, saying, “I just don’t like sleeping in a room full of people. How about I sleep on the first floor tonight?”
The first floor had a sofa and a therapeutic bed Grandfather bought, so sleeping there wouldn’t be an issue. However, the hall would be stuffy in the hot summer without air conditioning.
Otherwise, sleeping in a room full of people wouldn’t be a problem.
“Oh please, even Grandfather won’t let you sleep on the first floor!” Liu Kexin shot her a glare. “You’re both his granddaughters; why the different treatment?”
“Well, who told you to dress so ambiguously?” Wu Jiaming chimed in. “And you’re into girls; Grandfather probably knows but hasn’t said anything.”
Liu Xinyi shot back, “That’s called a neutral aesthetic! I’m just ahead of my time!”
“Sounds a lot like Grandfather being neutral too, huh?”
She pouted sourly. Among their cousins, she was often on the receiving end of the elder’s criticism and didn’t enjoy the same affection. If it weren’t for Wu Jiaming consistently inviting her out, she wouldn’t even want to come back.
Unlike Lin Nan, who would get some secret money from Grandmother after outings with Wu Jiaming, she got nothing or very little.
The ride lasted just about ten minutes before they arrived at Grandfather’s gate. The door to the first floor was already closed, but as they looked up, the lights on the second and third floors were bright, and they could vaguely hear the noise of children.
Just hearing that sound gave Lin Nan a headache.
She didn’t like kids.
Wu Jiaming fumbled for his keys, opened the door, and walked in, only to find Grandfather and Grandmother sitting in the dark living room, watching TV and munching on leftover dishes from a family meal.
“Back already?” Grandfather looked up at the wall clock. “You’re pretty punctual!”
“Of course, we have to be!” Wu Jiaming beamed as he approached.
Liu Xinyi was stealthily planning to sneak upstairs but was spotted by Grandfather, who scolded her, “When are you going to learn from your cousin? Dress a bit more like a girl!”
Lin Nan was clueless as to why her style got dragged into this, but she obediently walked over to Grandfather’s side. “Grandfather, I want to go to bed now.”
“Go on, you’ll sleep on the third floor with Xinyi.”
She nodded to show she understood and was about to leave when suddenly, Grandfather tugged on her.
Looking down, she saw some red bills stuffed in her palm. She glanced back at the two already heading upstairs and then at Grandfather, wanting to return the money.
“Go take a shower and sleep!”
His fierce tone made Lin Nan flinch, and she hurriedly quickened her pace to keep up with Wu Jiaming.
