546. Disaster
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Chen Yao didn’t dare to answer the phone; being targeted by a demon wasn’t exactly a cozy feeling.
So he decisively rejected the call and casually clicked on a preset message.
“Driving, please call again later.”
“What’s going on?” he murmured, eyebrow furrowed in worry, “Why do I feel like something bad is about to happen?”
He glanced at the speed limit sign on the highway and suddenly felt a bit cowardly.
Should I not have gone back? Should I have just avoided calling my mom to take care of Lin Nan?
A few hours later, Chen Yao finally arrived at the county city.
He slowly parked in an underground lot, nervously opened the door, and began pacing beside the car, pondering how to solve the problem ahead.
Did Lin Nan misunderstand when I tricked her into staying home? Did she complain to my mom about me?
She doesn’t think I’m cheating, right?
With Lin Nan’s imagination running wild, she could very well think that.
Chen Yao took a deep breath; he couldn’t think too much while driving for fear of causing an accident, but now that he was out of the car, his brain started whirring.
No, I need a plan.
I’ll buy some of Lin Nan’s favorite snacks and cheer her up before explaining everything.
After a quick spin around the street, Chen Yao found himself with a few packs of goodies, which made him feel slightly better as he imagined how happy Lin Nan would be when he walked through the door, snacks in hand, and she would pounce on him with sparkling eyes…
Feeling confident, he arrived at his front door, plastered on a gentle smile, and used his key to unlock the door.
The moment he stepped inside, he sensed that something was off.
Looking up, he saw his mother sitting on the couch, arms crossed and giving him the cold shoulder. Lin Nan was nowhere to be seen, but he could faintly hear the sounds of a game coming from his bedroom.
“Uh…”
“Look who finally decided to come back?” His Aunt snorted, “Get out!”
“Lin Nan…”
“What’s it to you?! Get out!”
Seriously, could you just let me finish my sentence?!
Chen Yao caught the fiery look in his mother’s eyes and immediately realized that Lin Nan had tattled on him.
She must have embellished it too, probably wanting him gone for good!
Frozen in place, Chen Yao awkwardly placed the snacks he was holding on the shoe cabinet, giving her another apologetic glance before stuttering, “I really was out for something important!”
His mom stood up, walked over with a frosty expression, and scrutinized him closely.
The silent tension created by his mom made Chen Yao feel like a deer in headlights, shivering and too scared to speak.
Suddenly, she placed a hand on his shoulder and twirled a long strand of hair between her fingers.
Chen Yao’s face went pale.
“Were you really out looking for another woman?” His mom’s tone was icier than Antarctica.
“I wasn’t!” he protested vehemently, “I was on the bus, and a girl accidentally brushed against me!”
“And what were you doing out there?”
Chen Yao averted his gaze, mumbling, “Just hanging out with a friend…”
“A male or female?”
“Female…”
He didn’t know why, but under his mom’s interrogation, he felt increasingly guilty, even though he hadn’t done anything wrong!
Suddenly, he spotted Lin Nan peeking from the corner of the room, her big, bright eyes fixed on him.
“Lin Nan knows her! That girl is Li Na!” Chen Yao quickly pointed at Lin Nan, panicking, “I was really looking for her!”
“Full of lies,” his mom turned to glower at Lin Nan, then swiveled back to her daughter-in-law, her icy demeanor melting into sweetness as she said, “It’s okay, go play on the computer, I’ll deal with Chen Yao.”
“It’s all my fault for not teaching him properly all these years. Don’t be mad, just go play!”
“Okay!” Lin Nan nodded happily and skipped toward the bedroom.
Chen Yao panicked more. He grabbed the snacks and ran after her, only to be stopped by his mom.
“Buying Lin Nan a whole pile of junk food! You think you know if those street snacks are healthy?” His mom snatched the snacks from his hands and pointed to the couch, “Go sit there!”
“Fine…”
With a sulky face, Chen Yao reluctantly plopped himself on the couch, watching as Lin Nan sneakily exited the room, swiping his snacks from his mom’s hands.
So the stuff I bought for Lin Nan is junk food, but what you hand to her is healthy, huh?
Lin Nan happily returned to her room, arranging the snacks in a row on her computer desk, and instead of playing, she just listened intently to the sounds of Chen Yao being scolded from outside.
His mom had a strong personality, but her reprimands usually came with logic, not too harshly.
Chen Yao had no retort; he could only sit there and take the scolding as his explanations only dug him deeper.
“Making me think you were cheating…” Lin Nan muttered as she shoved more of Chen Yao’s snacks into her mouth.
After half an hour, Chen Yao finally emerged from the bedroom, looking slightly defeated.
Catching sight of Lin Nan, who had already devoured several snacks, Chen Yao closed the door with a wry smile and stepped closer, scratching his head, “Why did you tell my mom I was cheating?”
Surprisingly, Lin Nan didn’t seem particularly mad at him, just a hint of annoyance on her face.
“Well, when you say you’re out, and I don’t see you at home… doesn’t that mean you’re up to no good?” Lin Nan gave him a sideways glance, “And why did you go to school during the Dragon Boat Festival?”
Chen Yao pondered for a moment, “Pretty much, yeah.”
“Hmm?”
Now Lin Nan was intrigued, her eyes wide as she looked at him.
He dragged a chair over and plopped down beside Lin Nan, grinning as he asked, “Don’t you feel like there’s something different about me?”
After inspecting him closely, Lin Nan frowned and hesitantly replied, “Facial hair? You haven’t shaved in a couple of days; you look kind of scruffy.”
“Not that…”
“Then you didn’t get a haircut either?”
Chen Yao couldn’t help but chuckle as he explained, “It’s magic! I specifically went to find Li Na to learn some spells!”
“And then?” Lin Nan didn’t seem too surprised by this explanation.
Chen Yao scratched his head, “She said normally it takes about twenty years to master magic… So I’ve practiced for two days, and I’ve got a tiny bit of magic, which is actually considered good talent.”
After all, not everyone had it as easy as Lin Nan, who already had a nuclear power plant within her, effortlessly learning magic while having a beauty filter on the side.
Compared to the average person in a different world, twenty years to graduate was already genius-level.
Chen Yao held up a finger, a small flame flickering at his fingertip, his excitement bubbling over, “In just two months, I’ll be able to hurl fireballs at people! And then if anyone dares call you a witch, I’ll be right there to help knock some sense into them!”
Lin Nan remained expressionless, letting out a deep sigh.
Clearly, Chen Yao had no idea what being a witch or saintess actually implied, nor did he know the skill level of someone from another world.
