609. Habits
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In the internet café, Zhu Yong Wen was spaced out as he occasionally glanced at Lin Nan through Chen Yao.
Earlier, when he went to school to find Lin Nan, he sensed something odd about her, but since she didn’t seem eager to talk or explain, he didn’t press it further and kept his confusion to himself.
Now, after Pan Hui made a special effort to reach out to him online and filled him in on Lin Nan’s situation, he was hit with a wave of realization.
Just as his character was once again slain in the game, Chen Yao slapped him on the forehead.
“Focus on the game! Did you call me out here just for me to lose points?”
“You guys are already too high-ranked. No matter how focused I am, I’ll just get dunked on…” Zhu Yong Wen sighed, eyeing his 0/5 stats on the screen. “You won’t even let me use a smurf account.”
As he waited to respawn, he cast another look at Lin Nan.
Today, she was dressed normally in a short-sleeve shirt and jeans, her long hair flowing freely. She hadn’t put much effort into her appearance, yet her figure drew the attention of many in the café.
Remembering the Lin Nan of two years ago, he just couldn’t reconcile her with the girl before him.
Was Lin Nan always a girl? And now she’s even engaged to Chen Yao?
Am I imagining things after drinking too much?
Zhu Yong Wen scratched his head and forced himself to focus on the game.
Minutes later, the game ended with the big word “Victory” flashing on the screen. He finally relaxed, glancing at his pathetic 0/5 score, which felt oddly comfortable.
Now, with some free time, he asked Chen Yao, “Is what Pan Hui said true?”
“What did she tell you?” Chen Yao glanced at him, noticing the phone already extended towards him.
After taking the phone and checking the chat history between Pan Hui and Zhu Yong Wen, Chen Yao breathed a sigh of relief, realizing Pan Hui had not exaggerated or spun any tales. He was quite relieved that she didn’t go on a smear campaign against Lin Nan out of anger.
“Yeah, it’s true.” Chen Yao handed the phone back to Zhu Yong Wen.
“Really…” Zhu Yong Wen still found it hard to believe and turned to look at Lin Nan again.
Her face was somewhat familiar—a bit more refined than two years ago, skin looking better and her features undoubtedly more feminine, but there was no denying it was the same face, just with a curvier figure that he couldn’t reconcile with his former deskmate.
Lin Nan leaned back in her chair, engrossed in her phone. She glanced up at him with slight disdain, “Why are you staring? If you have questions, just ask.”
“Well… I’m just a bit… unaccustomed.” Zhu Yong Wen laughed awkwardly, quickly redirecting his gaze back to the computer.
Noticing his discomfort, Lin Nan shifted to sit up straight and said, “I actually meant to tell you last time you visited the school, but keeping it hidden is tiring.”
“Hmm?”
“And you said if I didn’t want to talk, then don’t.” Chen Yao interjected.
Is it my fault now?
But this kind of thing is tricky to discuss.
Zhu Yong Wen scratched his head and stood up, “I’ll go grab some drinks; what do you want?”
“Cola.”
As Lin Nan saw him walk toward the counter, she also stood up and leaned against the window in the café.
In the county’s internet café, there were no designated smoking and non-smoking areas; everywhere was filled with chain smokers, which was quite torturous for her. The smell of smoke was overwhelming.
Looking down from the window, she saw that the busy main shopping street had a steady flow of pedestrians. The road was well-maintained, and storefronts appeared to be bustling.
She had worked at a clothing store down there during summer holidays, helping to buy clothes, and was somewhat familiar with the place—but after a month, the store had closed.
“Your cola.” Zhu Yong Wen returned, approaching Lin Nan and resting his arms on the window sill as he handed her the drink.
He turned back to peek at Chen Yao, who was playing a single-player game at the computer, and whispered, “How did you and Chen Yao become a couple?”
“He’s just shameless.” Lin Nan replied casually.
“That is pretty shameless…”
Learning about the situation from Zhu Yong Wen seemed to lighten her mood, and she smiled at him, “What’s up?”
Zhu Yong Wen, feeling somewhat nervous under her striking gaze, flushed a bit and awkwardly muttered, “I just think something feels off…”
“Just keep treating me like a guy, I don’t mind,” Lin Nan took a sip of her cola, and suddenly her eyelids flickered. She quickly added, “But please don’t get too cozy.”
“I’d rather not know. How can I still see you as a guy now…?” Zhu Yong Wen was torn.
That’s not my problem anymore.
Lin Nan turned away and headed back to the computer.
It seemed the gap between them was unavoidable.
Their relationship had always been tight in high school, but after going their separate ways to different colleges, their current dynamic seemed like a friendship that was slightly more than casual yet not quite back to being best buddies.
Now that a once long-lost friend had become a girl, the distance and awkwardness were not something that could just vanish.
Some people even feel like friends have become strangers if they haven’t met for just a few months, making it hard to go back to being as open as before.
Sitting in front of the computer, after starting a new game, Lin Nan could clearly see Zhu Yong Wen’s attitude toward her during gameplay had shifted considerably.
For instance, Zhu Yong Wen used to love stealing kills, but now when facing her, he would deliberately let her have them.
He had also been quite chatty and prone to complain about the game, often donating his life in unexpected ways. Now he was not only quiet but even following commands.
Usually, when a group of friends plays together, there are always a few who d*e, but now Zhu Yong Wen was being excessively polite.
Lin Nan felt a bit dejected; it seemed like yet another friend was slipping away from her.
After three matches, totaling just two hours, the three of them left the internet café.
“I have some stuff to deal with at home,” Zhu Yong Wen laughed as he explained to Chen Yao, “I’ll invite you guys out to play next time.”
“Probably won’t have a next time…” Lin Nan mumbled from a distance.
Chen Yao nodded, patting his shoulder, “Go ahead, if you can’t make it out, just jump online for some games; it’s the same.”
As Zhu Yong Wen boarded the bus that had just pulled up, Chen Yao looked over at Lin Nan, only to find her expression unchanged.
“Don’t you feel like there’s a bit of a gap between you two?”
“Not really; it’s not like he’s the first one,” Lin Nan crossed her arms and yawned.
Since she had clarified the situation, it was expected that some distance might grow.
Like with her little cousin, who, once oblivious to the changes, had come to school to find his “brother,” only to realize his brother had become a sister. The only contact he had since was to inform her about the eldest cousin’s wedding—other than that, he hadn’t reached out again.
He’s a delivery person; though he knows it’s tiring work, he should have a day or two off in a month, yet he hasn’t shown up even during the summer.
Then there were Tu Junhui and Xiong Da, who still teased her on the surface but were clearly keeping their distance, swearing less and making less effort to include her. No one had encouraged her to drink at gatherings lately, and the latest games weren’t extended invitations either.
Even her uncle…
“I’ve gotten used to it,” she said with a smile.
