545. Crisis【6/30】
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Lin Nan’s solar birthday is August 9th, and her lunar birthday is the 20th of the 6th month.
How coincidental! This year, since she’s turned 19, her lunar birthday also falls on August 9th.
This was confirmed by the eternal calendar…
Her mother had also forgotten her birthday.
After having lunch at her grandfather’s place, Lin Nan sat on the bus heading to the provincial city, sighing deeply. Once again, she felt the full extent of her mother’s hands-off parenting.
No wonder her mother never celebrated her birthday before; besides being busy with work, a bigger reason was that she simply forgot.
Her mom sat beside her, clearly mortified about forgetting her own child’s birthday.
The air between them was awkward, as they hadn’t spoken for half an hour.
“Don’t we need to give a heads up before going to Chen Yao’s house?” her mother tried to break the tension.
“No need; if we let them know, Uncle and Aunt will have to prepare a whole feast,” Lin Nan replied, pulling out her keys. “I have a key to their place, so I can go straight to Chen Yao.”
As Chen Yao’s fiancée, Lin Nan had gotten her hands on the house key ages ago.
Her mom needed to stop by the provincial court, so she decided to accompany Lin Nan.
Besides working, her mother was trying to regain her assets through legal means. After all, she had contributed half the down payment for the house they bought in the provincial city, and now Lin Nan’s father had pulled a disappearing act.
“What if Chen Yao isn’t home…?”
“How could he not be home?” Lin Nan retorted. “He spends his time either playing basketball or being a total couch potato. If he’s not home, just check the basketball court in the neighborhood.
The bus between towns was a bit of a wreck, reeking of gas, but thankfully, the journey didn’t take too long, and they could crack a window open. Otherwise, Lin Nan would have been nauseous by now.
In just half an hour, they arrived at Chen Yao’s doorstep.
Her mother looked a bit nervous. Though Chen Yao’s family didn’t live in luxury, they appeared to be well-off, which made Lin Nan’s family seem a bit out of place, and every visit came with a hint of self-doubt.
Lin Nan didn’t overthink it. She whipped out her key and unlocked the door. Peeking inside, she saw four pairs of neatly arranged slippers on the shoe rack.
Wow, nobody’s home?
She stepped inside, slipped on her pink-and-white slippers, and grabbed another pair from the bottom of the rack, moving around like she owned the place.
“Uncle and Aunt usually don’t come back until around ten, so Chen Yao is probably out playing ball. Let me give him a call; you take a seat,” Lin Nan said as she checked the dining room, only to find no traces of lunch.
Did Chen Yao not have lunch at home?
She casually opened a cabinet and pulled out two bottles of yogurt. After handing one to her mother, she noticed her mom giving her a strange look.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Nan asked, suddenly realizing her mother’s confusion. She quickly added, “I’ve been here enough to know where everything is. Uncle and Aunt don’t mess with their stuff.”
Her mother noticed Lin Nan seemed completely at home here, while she felt more like a guest.
“Drink your yogurt. Should I call Uncle and Aunt?”
“It’s fine; I’m just sitting around for a bit. I still need to head to the provincial city, and if I’m late, the court will close.” Her mother placed the yogurt on the coffee table. “I wanted to meet the in-laws, but if they’re not here, I won’t intrude.”
“Eh?”
Watching her mom leave, Lin Nan felt a bit lost but didn’t dwell on it. She quickly dialed Chen Yao’s number.
The call connected fast: “Hello? Chen Yao, where are you?”
“Home,” he replied.
Lin Nan was bewildered and rushed to Chen Yao’s bedroom, only to find it neat and completely empty.
“Stop lying! Where on earth are you?” she frowned.
Chen Yao panicked on the other end: “You’re at my house?”
“What else would I be doing?”
“You’re not supposed to be…”
Lin Nan cut him off: “I was bored at Grandpa’s, so I came back early. When are you coming?”
“About three hours, I guess?”
“Why does it take you so long to get back?” Lin Nan was utterly confused, unable to grasp what was going on.
If Chen Yao was off on a date with some girl, that couldn’t possibly be the case. They had been living together, and she knew just how many times he talked to someone each day—absolutely no way he was sweet-talking anyone else…unless it was some internet crush?
“I’m at school right now. Can you mess around on the computer for a bit? I’m driving back now.”
Lin Nan was even more confused: “What on earth are you doing at school?”
“Can’t explain over the phone. I’ll tell you when I get back.”
Crazy…
She ended the call, displeased with his behavior. What could possibly be so urgent that it couldn’t be explained over the phone?
She walked into the bedroom, powered up the computer, and Lin Nan frowned, attempting to wrack her brain for various possibilities, but realized this line of thinking would only make her more upset.
Trying to distract herself with videos didn’t work either—her mind was set on figuring out which seductive scoundrel had lured her Chen Yao away.
But before long, the door swung open, and Auntie appeared, bustling into the room.
“Lin Nan, you’re here! Why didn’t you give me a call?” Auntie entered, holding a takeout container of tofu pudding. “Want to try? I brought this from the shop.”
“Sure.” Lin Nan took the tofu pudding, pondered for a second, then raised her head, looking seriously at Auntie.
Auntie looked quite puzzled under her intense gaze.
“Auntie, I suspect Chen Yao is cheating!” she declared solemnly.
“???”
Even though Lin Nan trusted her boyfriend enough to know he wouldn’t cheat, she decided to throw out the accusation anyway; it was like digging a pit for Chen Yao, just to see if he dare lie to her again.
“He disappeared after dropping me off at Grandpa’s yesterday. I just called him, and he said he’s at home,” Lin Nan pouted, her serious expression quickly morphing into a pitiful one, her voice heavy with a stuffy nose, “He’s already starting to lie to me…”
Auntie took a deep breath, fuming: “That little rascal! He’s getting bolder!”
On the highway, Chen Yao was driving as fast as possible within speed limits towards the county city, but for some reason, he was sneezing uncontrollably in the sweltering summer heat.
A smile crept onto his face; the lack of air conditioning in the car allowed the warm wind to wash over him.
Just a bit more effort, and he’d have the power to protect Lin Nan!
But why did it feel like his magic was acting up? Why was his scalp tingling and his back feeling chilly?
He cast a bewildered glance at his buzzing phone, which displayed his mother’s caller ID.
Suddenly, it felt like a demon was watching him.
