The barbecue was finished, and most of a whole box of beer had been downed by Chen Yao.
Chen Yao didn’t feel much from the beer; he drank half the box and only had to make more trips to the restroom, still quite sober. However, Lin Nan had only downed five or six bottles and was now sprawled on the sofa, barely able to move.
Her little face was flushed, and her vision was slightly blurry. To see the enormous snowflakes falling outside, she unconsciously widened her eyes, trying hard to appreciate the snowy view.
The sky had turned dark, with few pedestrians outside. The city lights illuminated the falling snowflakes, a beautiful sight for someone from the south who had never seen snow before.
“Hubby! Let’s go to a park tomorrow to build a snowman?!” she suddenly exclaimed, her mind flashing with scenes from an anime.
“Sure.” Chen Yao was busy playing a strategy game on his laptop, carefully avoiding the now very alluring Lin Nan.
If he got an urge, he probably wouldn’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow.
Maybe it was the alcohol, but Lin Nan’s topics changed as fast as lighting. One moment she was excited about snowmen, and the next she turned to Chen Yao and asked, “What if Chen Jing goes through a rebellious phase later?”
“If he’s anything like you were back in the day, I might just have to knock some sense into him,” Lin Nan sighed dramatically.
Chen Yao rolled his eyes at her. “When I was rebellious, all I did was skip class to hang out at the internet cafe. Trust me, the rules about minors in provincial city internet cafes are way stricter than they were back then.”
“Skipping class every day won’t work either…”
Lin Nan curled up on the sofa like a cat, making gentle cooing sounds that were adorably cute, but the words that came out could send shivers down their son’s spine: “What if he ends up getting into fights like you did in middle school? Do we break his legs?”
“If he turns out like me, being overly introverted is just as bad…”
Being buzzed really made Lin Nan’s thoughts go wild. She suddenly exclaimed, “What if he turns into a girl later?!”
“Yeah, right!”
“Why not?! What if Lilith sets her sights on him?!”
Chen Yao paused and realized it was actually a possibility.
After all, Lilith did have a flair for the absurd; what if one day she decided to bother Chen Jing…
He quickly thought of a solution: “Then we’ll just have to have another daughter?”
“No way! A daughter would be even more trouble!” Lin Nan shook her head vigorously. “If a boy messes up, we just worry about money and health. If a girl messes up, we have to deal with grandkids!”
She clumsily tried to push herself up with her hands, but her body was so weak from the alcohol that she quickly gave up after a few attempts and curled back up on the couch, gazing at the snow outside.
It was so beautiful.
She sighed, thinking that if it weren’t for that little brat at home, she might have had the urge to pack up and settle down in the north right then and there.
And it was warm indoors in the north. Compared to the damp chilliness of the south, it was paradise.
Though, of course, she was only talking about indoors.
She yawned, having drunk too much, her head spinning, and with an overwhelming desire to sleep, her eyelids felt heavy.
“Hubby~” She tilted her head back, half her body hanging off the sofa, leaning towards Chen Yao, “Why have things never gone smoothly for us since college?”
“Huh? Things are going pretty well, I think.” Chen Yao glanced at Lin Nan.
After all, compared to those poor souls who couldn’t buy a house or find a wife at thirty or forty, he was doing great.
He had a gorgeous wife, a cute and obedient son, a house, a car, and aside from being busy with work, life was pretty perfect.
But Lin Nan clearly didn’t see it that way, sighing, “I turned into a girl for no reason in college, thought I’d find a good job after graduation, and then, oops, got married and pregnant. Now I’m jobless and stuck babysitting a little brat, getting upset every day!”
“That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?” Chen Yao chuckled.
The little boy from back then had turned into a qualified wife and mother. Even if she complained, Chen Yao could see it was just for show.
Their big home was always tidy, thanks to Lin Nan. Chen Jing was well-behaved, and she had a better relationship with her in-laws than some daughters.
“Not at all…” Lin Nan abruptly switched topics again, “Hey, Chen Jing is already five! Shouldn’t we sign him up for some extracurriculars? Like dance or music? Even if he doesn’t excel, it’ll help his character!”
Chen Yao nodded in agreement, “Sign him up for ten or eight classes; let him go by himself. Then you’ll finally get some free time.”
You’re not a devil, are you?
“Yeah! Let’s sign him up for more! What if he has a talent for something? Better than having nothing if he doesn’t do well in school!” Lin Nan was all on board with Chen Yao’s idea.
“Exactly! If he’s a gifted artist, even if he can’t study well, he can become an art student later on.”
In their drunken state, they inadvertently decided on Chen Jing’s tragic fate for the next few years.
Chen Yao couldn’t concentrate on the game anymore, stood up, and sat down on the sofa. Lin Nan casually placed her head on his lap, lying back and gazing at the double chin that appeared when Chen Yao looked down.
Without realizing it, Chen Yao had a double chin now, even though he wasn’t particularly fat.
Must be due to loose skin, right?
He rested one hand on Lin Nan’s small belly and played with her slightly curled hair, lowering his head to gaze affectionately at his wife.
Chen Yao gently rubbed Lin Nan’s temples, saying, “I’m really lucky to have met you.”
Lin Nan turned her head away, no longer watching Chen Yao’s face. She continued to look outside at the snow and after a moment, her rosy lips faintly parted, murmuring, “That’s something I should be saying…”
Her drunken mind flashed back to the first time she met Chen Yao in middle school.
It was when some aimless classmates were bullying her, and Chen Yao had stood up for her.
There was also the time she had watched in fear as he led a group of rowdy friends to brawl at the school gate.
Later, their relationship blossomed into something more, and they were always together, eating, studying, going to school, and hanging out at internet cafes. Occasionally, when Chen Yao got into trouble, he would hide at Lin Nan’s house to avoid getting kicked by the in-laws.
As time went on, they would skip classes together, surf the internet, and even binge-watch action movies together…
They knew each other better than they knew themselves.
If she hadn’t met Chen Yao, Lin Nan believed she might have turned into a completely reclusive person back in her middle and high school years, rather than just a bit introverted.
If she hadn’t met Chen Yao, she would have chosen to hide it all when she transformed into a woman.
Though she often complained about the daily grind and that little brat named Chen Jing, and occasionally grumbled about Chen Yao being so busy with work, she knew that this life was a dream come true for many.
“Hubby…”
“Hmm?”
“Kiss me!”
Chen Yao didn’t hesitate to lean down and press his lips against Lin Nan’s.
“Cuddle~”
“You’re quite the grown-up now.” Chen Yao chuckled as he pulled Lin Nan into his arms.
“Lift me high~”
Chen Yao wrapped one arm around the back of Lin Nan’s knees and, with a determined effort, picked her up in a princess carry, standing up.
He held Lin Nan as he approached the window. In the darkness, the city of Harbin sparkled with illuminated lights against the backdrop of falling snow, reflecting in their eyes as well.
——————
And that’s a wrap, folks! Next up, we have a few side stories about the couple’s early encounters in middle school, as well as some chapters about Chen Jing when he grows up.
—
Final thoughts:
The discount event has ended, and so has this story!
But even after this conclusion, there will still be side stories! When I’ll write them depends on my mood…
Before writing this book, my previous one was shut down due to last year’s web writing earthquake, leaving me without income for six months. I had to try my luck at SF.
I thought if this one flopped too, I’d just go find a job!
But, surprisingly, it became a hit…
Such is life’s rollercoaster ride!
Thanks to all the readers who have supported this book, and thanks to the SF platform and my editor, Huang Nian, for their support.
And that’s it!
My new book is titled “I Became a Girl Possessed by a Cute Ghost” and will once again delve into transformation, with a hint of supernatural elements.
