062. Suspicions
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Lin Nan realized his blunder the moment he spoke, quickly bowing his head to feign an intense focus on his meal, hoping Liu Xuefei’s makeup skills were impressive enough to make Chen Yao not recognize him.
Liu Xuefei finally noticed Lin Nan’s strange behavior. Although he had been nervous earlier, he seemed to relax somewhat once he started eating. However, when she heard the two people behind her talking, she could see he had tensed up again.
She turned to look at the pair, just in time to catch Chen Yao glancing over with a furrowed brow, scrutinizing the back of that long-haired girl like one might analyze a cryptic puzzle.
Being students of the same major, they shared big classes together every week. While Liu Xuefei didn’t know his name, she could vaguely tell Chen Yao looked familiar and guessed he might be Lin Nan’s classmate.
Unlike Li Na, who could be downright wicked, Liu Xuefei noticed Lin Nan was genuinely nervous and decided to stand up and lead him back to the dorm.
Lin Nan, seeing Liu Xuefei stand, hurriedly followed suit, but then noticed Chen Yao also stood up almost simultaneously, striding towards them like he was about to deliver a life-or-d*ath proclamation.
He was so startled that he could barely move, feeling all tingly and just pretending to fumble with his tray.
Not too long after, Chen Yao breezed past him, took a casual glance over his shoulder, and continued on his way to the counter, unfazed.
“Wow, the school has some real beauties, huh? Just wish the makeup wasn’t so over the top.”
And as his gaze snagged on that absolute territory—those legs could last him a whole year as a dedicated project…
After taking a peek at her face, Chen Yao’s attention got glued to her legs for a moment, lost in admiration before he jerked his gaze away, mentally sighing.
But that girl’s voice did have a slightly androgynous ring to it, quite reminiscent of Lin Nan’s. But come on, Lin Nan could never pull off looking that stunning. There’s no way the guy who usually wore baggy T-shirts to class would waltz out in something so short and girly!
Lin Nan, almost giving in and collapsing back down into his seat, was saved only by Liu Xuefei’s steady grip on his arm. Crisis averted—at least for now!
That was close! Thank goodness Chen Yao had a thing for legs!
Feeling a surge of relief, he couldn’t dawdle in the cafeteria any longer. He kept his head down and shuffled out as fast as he could, like a ninja escaping the scene.
Meanwhile, back at the table, Chen Yao watched Lin Nan leave and couldn’t shake the feeling something was off.
Was that girl way too shy? I mean, she only glanced at him—could it be her first time wearing a short skirt?
“What’s the verdict? Is she a looker or what?” teased Dong An from across the table. “Giving up on Lin Nan, huh?”
“I’ve told you a million times, Lin Nan and I are just childhood friends! I’m into girls, alright?” Chen Yao retorted, but his mind kept flashing back to the girl’s face and those tantalizing thighs.
Chen Yao had been momentarily stunned by her looks, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt like her features were strikingly similar to Lin Nan’s. The moment he pulled out his phone to look at an old video of Lin Nan dressed up at his place, the similarities only added to his confusion.
That face looked almost too much like Lin Nan’s!
Suddenly, he had an epiphany.
Could that girl actually be Lin Nan? Out and about in girl mode without telling me?
“What’s wrong? You’ve spaced out?” Dong An asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Nothing.” Chen Yao turned back, only to catch Li Na leisurely packing up her dishes after lunch, blissfully unaware of the chaos she was indirectly causing.
Li Na met his gaze and flashed him a smile, then waltzed toward the recycling station.
Chen Yao felt even more baffled. Why did that smile seem like it held a secret?
On the other hand, Lin Nan finally trudged back to Liu Xuefei’s dorm. Even though he didn’t feel hot due to his magic, his forehead was slick with sweat.
What a thrill…
The adrenaline rush made his brain feel like it was malfunctioning, leaving him sitting there blankly for quite a while.
It was like dancing on the edge of a reckless cliff! Shame, thrill, guilt—all emotions collided in his brain, sending dopamine through the roof and sparking an embarrassing urge to go out again.
However, he quickly squashed that impulse. After taking a deep breath, he looked up at Liu Xuefei.
“Was that your classmate?”
“Roommate.”
“He probably didn’t recognize you, right?” Liu Xuefei awkwardly chuckled, feeling bad that everything had turned out this way. Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, “You won’t get recognized when you go back, will you…?”
Her cheeks flushed pink as she began to wonder if she should find an art major friend to whip up a little, uh, illustrated guide.
Lin Nan didn’t pick up on her expression. He sighed, “He probably didn’t, but he might after thing settle down.”
“Why’s that?” As she was just getting to know Lin Nan, her boldness only stemmed from Li Na’s encouragement. Now, with the situation unfolding, she felt a pang of guilt towards Lin Nan and spoke more softly, “You won’t end up in trouble with him, right?”
Lin Nan grimaced and shook his head, “I’ve known him for almost ten years; even with filters and photoshopping, he’d probably still recognize me. Makeup doesn’t change that much.”
As he spoke, he absentmindedly grabbed a compact mirror to check his face. Sure, thanks to makeup he looked more feminine and quite pretty, but overall he was stuck at the amateur stage of magical cross-dressing—different hairstyle aside, if Chen Yao didn’t think to sneak a peek in the direction of girl mode, he probably would’ve recognized him right away.
That brought back memories of Chen Yao’s gaze lingering on his thighs, making him glance down at his fantastic legs, causing his face to heat up.
Chen Yao really is a leg guy! I bet he was the one who stared the longest during those pants-changing sessions back in the dorm!
Just then, the dorm door swung open, and Li Na strolled in, yawning.
She plopped down on a chair and looked at Lin Nan, “He suspects you.”
“I know.” Lin Nan felt an existential dread creeping over him, slumping down onto the table to feel the cool surface.
He felt like he could d*e just thinking about what would be said when he went back tomorrow.
“I suspect he might be my romantic rival,” Li Na said seriously, “You’d better watch out—not every day someone gets to be Lilith!”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Lin Nan waved dismissively.
If Li Na knew Lilith was already assigned the title of “Heartthrob” ages ago, she might just try to take him down.
Liu Xuefei watched Lin Nan with admiration, impressed that he could keep up with Li Na’s nonsensical rambling, especially after all the headaches her roommates had endured listening to Li Na’s outrageous comments over the years.
It was a miracle how the conversation didn’t go off the rails again. Li Na had suddenly calmed down, sensing Lin Nan’s embarrassment, and refrained from suggesting any outings, wary of pushing his limits.
Lin Nan, meanwhile, gladly embraced the mundane, sitting there with his phone, bracing for another day of life in this girl’s clothing.
Tomorrow, he’d unlock a new spell!
He cradled his small, pulsating belly—stirred by excitement—and brimmed with anticipation for the next day.
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Afternoon updates incoming, just typing away!
