061. The Encounter
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Lin Nan peeked nervously around the corner of the dormitory building, cautiously eyeing the glass doors outside.
Beside him were Liu Xuefei and Li Na. The two usually had a frosty relationship, but now that they shared a common goal, they were working in perfect unity, trying their hardest to nudge Lin Nan into action.
“There aren’t many people outside; nobody will notice!”
“You’re wearing Xuefei’s safety shorts, so don’t worry about any wardrobe malfunctions.”
“Since it’s National Day, your classmates have probably gone home, what are the odds you’ll bump into someone?”
Lin Nan was slowly warming up to the idea, his hands nervously fiddling with the hem of his clothes, his face burning crimson with a thick layer of embarrassment.
He swallowed hard and took another peek outside; sure enough, not many people were around. The thought of dressing as a girl already gave him enough trouble, but now forcing him to step outside in this outfit sent his mind spiraling—it felt like his brain turned into a gooey mess.
Eventually, he was half-pushed, half-dragged out of the girls’ dormitory.
Once outside, Lin Nan took a quick glance around. His gaze landed on three or five passersby, but he still felt as if hundreds were staring right at him. The realization was mortifying; it felt like he was stripped to his birthday suit and tossed onto the street, and his already rosy cheeks now blazed brighter than a traffic light.
One of the passersby seemed to sense something and turned his head toward Lin Nan. Immediately, he ducked his head and buried it deep into his chest, scared to meet anyone’s gaze.
“Let’s go!” Liu Xuefei clearly enjoyed Lin Nan’s flustered demeanor, throwing her arm around his shoulder in a friendly embrace.
Li Na shot her a displeased look. Although they had established that Lin Nan was definitely not Lilith, if Lilith ever returned, she’d use Lin Nan’s body, and Li Na wasn’t going to let Xuefei have him all to herself. She grabbed Lin Nan’s other arm, huffing, but secretly felt like she was wearing a green hat.
Walking from the girls’ dorm to the canteen took at least ten minutes, compared to the boys’ dorm, which was just a few minutes’ walk away. During this lengthy trek, Lin Nan felt as if he had forgotten how to walk, his head downcast in a daze, being half-conveniently “kidnapped” by two girls. Onlookers probably thought he was being abducted by them!
His head was so overwhelmed with shame that it was like a faulty machine; all he wanted was for this awkward day to end as quickly as possible.
Ten minutes felt more like a decade, but finally, they reached the canteen. Just when he thought he could catch a break, he realized it was peak meal time. Even though many students left campus for National Day, the canteen was still buzzing with people.
The sight made Lin Nan even more timid, his head hanging low, as the two girls “assisted” him in ordering takeout, and they eventually found a spot to sit down.
“Dig in! I’m treating today!” Liu Xuefei announced generously.
At the mention of a treat, Lin Nan perked up slightly, but hesitated to ask, “Aren’t you eating?”
“Eye candy! Besides, I’m on a diet right now.”
Honestly, Lin Nan could never understand why these girls, who were already skinny, still insisted they needed to lose weight. Liu Xuefei had no curves to speak of; she was so thin she probably weighed around 90 pounds. If she continued dieting, she’d turn into a walking skeleton!
After all, he had only embraced femininity for a little over a month and couldn’t quite grasp a girl’s mindset. Besides, he never had to worry about dieting; his allowance hardly covered the costs of a feast, so gaining weight was never a concern for him.
With someone treating, Lin Nan found himself eating a bit more heartily.
He was trying hard to relax both physically and mentally, but halfway through his meal, he suddenly heard two familiar voices from behind.
“Have you noticed Lin Nan has been acting all strange lately?” The familiar voices sent a shiver down Lin Nan’s spine.
“Not my problem! You’re not actually into her, right? During National Day, you even called me to hang out just to ditch me after turning off the AC!”
“Wasn’t that because you were smoking?”
That voice was all too familiar, but Lin Nan dared not check to confirm. Trembling, he shoveled food into his mouth.
Li Na noticed Lin Nan’s anxiousness and looked back, confirmed it really was Lin Nan’s friends behind them, and a scary smile crept onto her face.
Lin Nan quickly clamped his hand over Li Na’s mouth, trying to intimidate her with a fierce glare.
But his stares had zero effect; Li Na wriggled free and cheerfully patted Chen Yao on the back, all while saying, “Heard Lin Nan’s been borrowing money from the fruit loan sharks!”
Chen Yao turned, bewilderment written all over his face. “What did you just say?”
As he asked, another long-haired girl beside Li Na smacked her head playfully and then apologized in a nasal, somewhat androgynous voice, “She’s got something wrong with her head.”
That voice sounded all too familiar. Chen Yao wanted to look at the girl’s face but felt it was rude to stare so obviously.
So, he stuffed his curiosity deep down and continued talking to Dong An, “You have no idea. Lin Nan’s been hiding everything from me, and now I’m all anxious, afraid something bad’s going to happen.”
Dong An rolled his eyes at him. “I suspect you’re into guys.”
“Nonsense! I’ve known him for nearly ten years – what’s wrong with caring?” Chen Yao quickly denied.
On the other hand, Li Na shot a teasing look at Lin Nan, but he sat there with a stiff face, awkwardly chewing his food, too scared to say a word.
If he did say something, Chen Yao would surely get into the whole “girl-dressing” dilemma, and one Xuefei was already a handful!
Originally, he thought today’s outing would be tough but manageable, but now it seemed hellishly challenging. Who would’ve thought he’d run into Chen Yao at the cafeteria? The guy usually preferred takeout!
Therefore, Lin Nan hurried to finish his meal, wishing to escape this predicament as quickly as he could.
But Li Na was leisurely nibbling her food, unconcerned about the situation, which made Lin Nan feel like she was just waiting to see him humiliated.
“Hey, how about we go out and catch a movie later?” Liu Xuefei suddenly proposed.
Lin Nan’s expression froze further. He had initially planned to just crash at Li Na’s dorm for the day, but stepping out for a meal was already unexpected. If they went out, he’d undoubtedly run into more people.
What if someone figured out he was really a “man”…
Yet, the impulse and thrill bubbling up inside him pushed him toward more embarrassing actions, even stirring an urge to step outside in a short skirt without any undergarments.
That was far too shameful!
Fortunately, while Lilith had a significant influence on Lin Nan’s thoughts, according to Li Na, she was just remnants of fragmented soul hiding inside him and wouldn’t be able to control his actions.
“Maybe it’s best if we skip it?” Lin Nan suggested, trying to backtrack.
However, this caught Chen Yao’s attention, and he had overheard, his suspicions aroused.
