646. The Capital
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Snow fell over the capital.
A thin layer of uneven, snow-white fluff blanketed the red buildings with green roofs, and delicate snowflakes scattered across the tiles of the Forbidden City. Beneath that shimmering frost, an orange cat, plump as a fluffy cloud, lazily lounged in a corner, eyeing the endless stream of tourists.
Suddenly, its gaze darted toward the end of the path, where a couple was happily meandering through the Forbidden City.
Lin Nan was drawn to its attention and chuckled, “The stray cats here sure live the good life—this one’s even fatter than Cola!”
“After all, it’s an orange cat,” Chen Yao said, gently holding her icy little hand with a warm smile.
Even though his wife had graduated six years ago and they’ve been married for five, she still retained that naïve romance from her university days. That pure and innocent smile of hers could only be found occasionally in their school days.
At work, he dealt with backstabbing colleagues and complex interpersonal dynamics that left him utterly drained. But just stepping back home and seeing Lin Nan’s smile was like a healing balm, reigniting a spark of energy within him.
The orange cat wiggled its hefty backside and scampered over to Lin Nan. She rummaged through her pocket but found no suitable snacks for the cat. She could only helplessly observe the squatting feline in front of her and lament, “No food.”
“Meow~”
Lin Nan hesitated for a moment, then scooped up the hefty orange cat, which easily weighed over twenty pounds, and struggled to stand.
At least it was manageable compared to how heavy Cola used to be back in the day.
Cats in the Forbidden City were known as the royal cats—fed off the state’s dime and allegedly had their very own “imperial physician.” While they might be a bit dingy from all their roaming, they surely didn’t carry any viruses.
Cradling the cat, Lin Nan smiled at Chen Yao, turning her back to a wall, “Come on, snap a picture for me!”
“It seems to really like you,” Chen Yao chuckled, taking out a digital camera from his bag and bending slightly to snap a few photos of Lin Nan.
“Maybe because we have Cola at home?”
After taking pictures with the cat, Lin Nan set the orange fluffball down; after all, holding a royal cat for too long isn’t exactly easy.
Plus, strutting around with the royal cat would draw all sorts of unwelcome attention from other tourists swarming over to her.
After an afternoon of rambling through the Forbidden City, they devoured a roast duck recommended by some foodie blogger and eventually retreated to their hotel.
Settling into a rattan chair, Lin Nan pulled back the curtains and gazed out at the cityscape through the massive floor-to-ceiling window, letting out a sigh of relief as she luxuriously sipped on some Cola.
The room had already been scanned with the new magic they had unlocked over the years—no hidden cameras, since they were staying in a four-star hotel, after all.
“So, where are we heading tonight?” she turned her head to check on Chen Yao, who was sprawled out on the bed, “Are we going to watch the flag-raising tomorrow?”
They had just meandered through the city for an afternoon, and Lin Nan was still rocking her five-centimeter heels, whereas Chen Yao seemed collapse more dramatically than she did.
She furrowed her brow in irritation, “You seriously need to move around more at work; it’s pathetic how much weaker you are compared to me now.”
“I do hit the gym during lunch breaks,” Chen Yao protested, lazily leaning against the headboard.
“Then is your kidney acting up?”
“Must you bring up my kidney every time? Was last night not enough?” Chen Yao shot her an exhausted glare before finally answering, “To catch the flag-raising, we’d have to wake up at four to line up. If there are too many people, we might not even get in.”
“Oh, I see. Then I probably won’t be able to wake up…” Lin Nan mumbled as she scoured the internet for evening attractions.
Chen Yao got up from the bed and dragged another chair beside Lin Nan’s, lounging like a grandpa with his legs crossed.
Moments later, he noticed Lin Nan’s gaze was fixated on him.
“Is Chen Jing getting along fine at our parents’ house?” she worriedly muttered, “That kid has strictly been around me since he was born.”
Chen Jing was somewhat under a strict regime, with Lin Nan setting up all sorts of rules for him. He could be a rowdy child at times like any other kid but never bogged down into the kind of trouble Lin Nan hated; just taking care of him could get a bit tiresome.
With Chen Jing absent last night, both she and Chen Yao had a blast, since they usually had to tiptoe around at night to avoid waking him, who was snoozing in the adjacent room.
However, tonight, Lin Nan felt a bit off; as she searched for attractions, Chen Jing’s face kept appearing in her mind, causing a tightness in her chest.
Upon hearing her, Chen Yao exaggeratedly asked, “Are you having an emotional affair?!”
“Of course not!”
“So here I am, on vacation with you, and you’re thinking of that little brat?” Chen Yao sulked with jealousy.
Rivaling their own son for affection was quite a scene, to say the least.
Lin Nan couldn’t help but poke his side, laughing as she stood up, “Alright, it’s time for skincare. I’m going to wash my face!”
But Chen Yao suddenly fell silent, remaining frozen in place.
When she placed the skincare products on the coffee table, Lin Nan noticed something was off: “What’s wrong? Is it too tedious?”
“You really haven’t changed a bit in all these years.”
“Right?” Lin Nan strutted with pride, hands on her hips, “Forever young! My body’s fabulous, and I didn’t even get stretch marks from having Chen Jing! Back at the parent-teacher conference, some parents thought I was his sister!”
“It took me ages to explain to those parents why I look so young!” Lin Nan shook her head, beaming, “I heard that quite a few parents dash to the beauty salon. They’re only two or three years older than me, yet they look way older!”
Chen Yao watched Lin Nan revel in her little triumph, speechless at her antics. After a long silence, he finally asked, “Is it because of the magic?”
“Must be?” Lin Nan wasn’t entirely sure.
She only knew that when she was transformed into a girl by magic, she was clearly eighteen but had the face of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old. When that face matured to eighteen, it abruptly stopped aging; the only thing that improved was her presence over the years, enhancing her charm.
Her skin remained as tight and tender as the day she was transformed, and her body had only slightly changed after having a child, making her bra a size bigger, which somehow made Chen Yao incredibly pleased.
“Pretty good,” Chen Yao inhaled deeply, “Alright, let’s do some skincare!”
What’s a little age-defying magic, anyway? Just look at time managers! Very few can tell that they’re 41! And look at Louis Koo; even though he shows some signs of aging, he still charms countless younger ladies with his mature uncle vibe!
He wasn’t expecting to look like he was in his twenties at fifty, but transforming into a charming uncle like Louis Koo wouldn’t be so bad.
As Lin Nan watched Chen Yao head into the bathroom to wash his face, her eyes blinked a few times.
Why did it feel like Chen Yao was feeling insecure?
She suddenly realized that perhaps looking too young isn’t all that great.
It’s fine for now, but when they’re in their forties or fifties, all their friends will be showing signs of aging, while she’d become the odd one out among family and friends.
Walking down the street with her grown-up Chen Jing, they might even mistake her for his girlfriend…
But the real question was: was it the magic, or the side effect of being turned into a woman?
Lin Nan turned and took out a small burger wrapped in a tissue from her bag.
Years later, the little burger Li Na gave her remained as elastic as ever, never showing a hint of decay.
She really needed to think of a way to get in touch with Li Na, but that girl hadn’t left any contact info. After crashing the wedding as a bridesmaid to eat and drink to her heart’s content, she vanished with Lilith again.
Maybe she’s still wandering around?
