607. Can’t Show My Face in Public
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Sure enough, the next morning, Chen Yao received a message from Pan Hui.
Something about a nearby amusement park opening and wanting to experience it together.
Of course, Chen Yao didn’t hesitate to decline. He was too lazy to come up with an excuse, simply stating that he didn’t want to go out in the scorching summer and preferred to be a shut-in.
It was now August, the hottest time of the year. Being a coastal city, the humidity was high, and stepping outside felt like walking into a sauna.
However, Lin Nan maintained her habit of going out for a stroll every evening. She didn’t mind the heat; her only concern was getting sunburned during the day.
After he turned down Pan Hui’s invitation, Chen Yao happily settled into his two-person life with Lin Nan. If only they didn’t have a parrot in the house that thought his head was a nesting site!
For the last few meals, Lin Nan had taken charge. Since Auntie brought fresh groceries home from the hotel every day, Lin Nan didn’t need to shop herself—unless, of course, she found that all the ingredients were the ones she and Chen Yao absolutely despised.
Like cilantro and fungus.
With no need to feed lemons late at night, their daily routines started syncing up: bed by eleven, waking up around seven or eight, and then diving into games or catching up on summer lessons.
For instance, Lin Nan was working on her standard Mandarin… Although she thought her accent wasn’t heavy, she had a case of “NL not distinct”—everything came out flat, with a hint of nasal sound at times.
If she wanted to take the teacher qualification test, she needed a certification in Mandarin too.
At noon, just when Lin Nan was about to start cooking, Auntie came home.
“You two are in for a treat today!” Auntie entered with a big bag and spotted Lin Nan heading for the kitchen. “Go wait in the bedroom; I’ll whip up something yummy for you!”
“What’s the yummy thing?” Lin Nan asked eagerly.
“King crab! I saw some at the seafood market this morning, and it weighed over ten pounds, so I brought it back just for you!”
Lin Nan instantly dashed away from the kitchen, practically flying to inspect the bag Auntie was holding. Upon seeing the monstrous crab inside, her mouth watered.
She had only seen giant king crabs online before; today was the first time she laid eyes on one.
Auntie had cooked king crab for her before, but they were just a few pounds of small crabs, and gnawing on the legs yielded little meat. But this time was different—this crab could easily go viral if filmed!
She looked up, eyes sparkling, “Thank you, Auntie!”
Auntie ruffled Lin Nan’s hair, looking quite satisfied. “Go wait in the bedroom; this will take a while to steam. I’m also going to grill some crab legs, so it’ll be over an hour.”
“Okay!”
Without hesitation, Lin Nan followed Auntie’s instructions, excitedly racing back to the bedroom to tell Chen Yao about the deliciousness coming their way.
Auntie watched her leave, shaking her head affectionately. The daughter-in-law was great in every way—just loved to eat! She wondered if this could turn her into a little chubby one.
But at least from her observations, Lin Nan didn’t seem to gain weight easily.
With the king crab in the kitchen, Auntie took out the biggest steamer in the house and was about to wash the crab when she heard a knock at the front door.
Auntie hesitated, put down the crab, and went to open the door.
To her surprise, a small girl stood there.
The girl blinked at her for a moment, then took a step back and politely asked, “Is this Chen Yao’s house?”
Auntie was a bit taken aback. “I’m Chen Yao’s mom.”
The girl’s eyes lit up.
If she could win over Chen Yao’s mom, she was practically one step away from snagging Chen Yao himself!
She quickly composed herself, adopting a demure demeanor as she bowed slightly to Auntie. “I’m Pan Hui, Chen Yao’s high school classmate…”
“Oh, then come in,” Auntie said, raising an eyebrow as she observed Pan Hui slip off her shoes.
With Auntie’s wealth of life experience, she noticed the nervousness and shyness on Pan Hui’s face and began to piece things together.
Chen Yao was secretly dating someone else?!
Fuming on the inside, Auntie preserved her calm, grabbing another pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet. “Do you want me to call Chen Yao?”
“Um, thank you, Auntie. I’m here to ask him to go out for lunch with me,” Pan Hui replied, her cheeks flushing more.
Logically, parents would be anxious about a twenty-something son who hadn’t dated, even if they possibly stressed about not dating early in high school.
Surely Auntie would agree, right?
She looked up at Auntie but found Chen Yao’s mom not overly enthusiastic. After giving her slippers, she turned and headed back toward the innermost door of the house.
Must be Chen Yao’s bedroom, right?
Suppressing her glee, she nearly broke into song, turning back to close the door behind her and dutifully standing in the middle of the living room waiting.
She couldn’t help but notice how Auntie’s tone with Chen Yao didn’t sound all that pleasant.
“Chen Yao! Come out! Someone’s looking for you!”
“Who?” Chen Yao scratched his head as he opened the door, looking confused.
Who would just casually come to his house? Was it some drinking buddies from last night’s escapade?
When he appeared, Pan Hui in the living room beamed with happiness.
Then… she noticed another little head peeking out from the bedroom door, curiously looking into the living room, and upon seeing her, it shrank back in a hurry as if startled.
Though she didn’t get a good look, she could tell that face was definitely Lin Nan’s.
Her smile instantly froze.
It was pretty normal for Chen Yao to share a room with a close buddy, right?
But that buddy was way too pretty—prettier than your typical girl, making her brain spin with all sorts of wild thoughts.
What if Chen Yao and Lin Nan were more than just buddies?
Was there some secret crush going on?
Pan Hui’s face grew increasingly awkward as Chen Yao finally joined them in the living room, looking annoyed at seeing Pan Hui.
Did she have to be so persistent?
There were plenty of high school classmates who knew where he lived. He used to like bringing them over to play computer games and whatnot.
But he never imagined Pan Hui would actually find her way to his front door.
“What are you doing here? I really don’t want to go out,” Chen Yao said, glancing at his mom for backup. “I met this old classmate at a reunion yesterday, and I don’t know why she decided to come to my house.”
Pan Hui could hear the hint of disdain in his tone, and it felt like her heart was shattering a little.
“Aren’t you going to hang out with someone who came to see you?” Auntie propped herself against the kitchen doorframe, enjoying the drama. But there was more—she shouted toward the bedroom, “Nan Nan, come help me with the crab!”
This was her plan to show Pan Hui just how gorgeous Chen Yao’s fiancée was to put her weird fantasies to rest.
About ten minutes later, Lin Nan stepped out of her room in a light, feminine sleep dress, an airy white gown, slowly making her way.
Then she awkwardly smiled at the gobsmacked Pan Hui.
Could someone just give her a hole to crawl into? She couldn’t bear to face anyone!
