065. Suspicion
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Lin Nan couldn’t get a wink of sleep all night.
Her ears were assaulted by some soul-stirring noises. Starting from 9 PM, the rooms above and to the sides were like a bizarre orchestra, producing a cacophony of strange sounds. Lin Nan lay in bed with her eyes shut until 2 AM, and only then did the noise calm down, somewhat.
But when the clock struck 6 AM, she was jolted awake by the ruckus in the hallway.
Groggy and disoriented, she rubbed her tired eyes and let out a long sigh, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Maybe it was because she had slept in women’s clothing, or perhaps the noise from last night was just too overwhelming, or maybe she was simply losing it.
To her sheer horror, she dreamed about being assaulted by some guy…
“Great!” Lin Nan cursed as she staggered out of bed, her messy wig bouncing around like it had its own ideas, and made her way to the bathroom.
Purification Magic was unlocked! This spell mainly cleansed internal waste, meaning that in Li Na’s world, fairies with this power could quite literally avoid the bathroom altogether.
However, even though she could use Purification Magic, Lin Nan didn’t have her male clothes with her. She had no choice but to put on her women’s outfit and venture back to Li Na’s dorm to change.
Her wig was a bit haywire after the sleep, but the inn provided disposable combs, and since Li Na and the others had already styled the wig yesterday, it was much easier for Lin Nan to manage.
After some haphazard grooming, she stared at herself in the mirror for ten minutes, reassured that no one would suspect it was a guy disguised as a girl. Finally, she felt a bit more at ease.
After collecting her things, she checked out of the inn, vowing never to stay in such a low-end place again.
Muttering under her breath, Lin Nan ducked her head to make a quick exit through the back door of the school, avoiding the early morning crowd.
After using makeup remover and changing into her normal clothes, Lin Nan felt a wave of comfort wash over her. The extreme discomfort melted away, but a twinge of disappointment lingered.
Next, she hurried to her dorm—it had been a whole day since she was there, and who knows how worried Chen Yao might be?
Pushing open the door to the dorm, Lin Nan peeked inside, but before she could fully assess the situation, a hand suddenly slapped her backside!
“Where have you been all day?”
Stunned, Lin Nan turned to see Chen Yao, breakfast in hand, standing right behind her.
“Why are you up so early?” she awkwardly chuckled, “A relative came to visit, so I went to pick them up and showed them around.”
“I can tell you’re just making excuses,” Chen Yao replied, striding into the dorm and plopping down at his spot with his breakfast, yawning a few times before tucking in.
Lin Nan felt a bit anxious, worried that their encounter yesterday, with her dressed as a girl, might come up, but after sitting there for a moment, Chen Yao didn’t mention it at all.
Maybe she was just overthinking it?
Curiously glancing at Chen Yao, she noticed his dark circles looked like he pulled an all-nighter.
“Did you stay up all night?”
“Just playing doubles with Dong An,” Chen Yao explained, “We finished our last game a half hour ago, then I went to get breakfast.”
Boy, was that relatable.
Watching Chen Yao yawn repeatedly, Lin Nan caught a wave of yawns herself—she also hadn’t slept well last night.
“I’m going to take a shower and catch some z’s. I’ll help you with your game later,” Lin Nan stretched and stood up, pulling out the male clothes her uncle bought for her.
She had definitely had her heart set on women’s clothing while out shopping, but she couldn’t shake off her male identity, nor could she imagine adjusting fully to life as a woman, even after a day of experiencing it.
Just as she was about to head to the bathroom, Chen Yao suddenly blurted out.
“Yesterday, I saw a girl who looked just like you.”
Bingo!
Lin Nan’s heart raced, her back still turned to Chen Yao as she feigned curiosity. “Really? Was she pretty?”
“Pretty enough, looked a lot like you in girl mode,” Chen Yao said, crossing his legs and watching Lin Nan’s reaction like a hawk.
Having known each other for years, Chen Yao, even just from Lin Nan’s posture, sensed something was off and that she might be getting nervous.
“Is that so?” Lin Nan fumbled, trying to change the subject. “I’m going to shower. I got exhausted playing tour guide for my relative and didn’t even get to bring my clothes.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
If he hadn’t noticed Lin Nan’s behavior, Chen Yao might have thought the girl he saw yesterday was just a coincidence. But seeing her cautious demeanor made him sure that his suspicions were right.
Taking a sip of his soybean milk, Chen Yao was still wrapped in confusion.
Logically speaking, Lin Nan shouldn’t be the kind of person to dress like a girl. Last time, if it weren’t for his “moral coercion,” she wouldn’t have so easily agreed to dress up.
Yet yesterday, not only did Lin Nan wear girl clothes, but she even went to the cafeteria to eat…
Did this mean Lin Nan’s mentality was shifting to that of a girl?
He suddenly remembered the medical examination report he’d seen—though he viewed it with skepticism at the time, now it seemed more credible.
If Lin Nan didn’t realize she might originally be a girl, she wouldn’t suddenly be acting so feminine—after all, it had only been a little over a month.
Last night, he’d worried about Lin Nan and ended up not sleeping, and yet he didn’t feel tired now. His eyes stung, but mentally, he was exhilarated from a night of gaming.
Or maybe Lin Nan was pressured into dressing like a girl again?
Chen Yao thought of Li Na’s ambiguous smile—could it be her?
He felt a flicker of rage; Lin Nan’s girl mode was supposed to be his solo discovery, yet after yesterday, a whole crowd had seen her like that. It felt so unfair.
Why should Lin Nan’s second girl-mode appearance be kept secret from him when he was the one who introduced her to this new world of fashion?
With frustration, he shoved the last bite of his bun into his mouth, sulking as he returned to his game.
He had been the pioneer here! As far as Lin Nan’s girl clothes or their bro-ship went, he was the first. So how had Li Na swooped in at the last moment?
With a defeated sigh, Chen Yao’s mentality shifted slightly.
After half an hour, Lin Nan finally emerged from the balcony, looking refreshed. She wore a comfy short-sleeve and shorts. Compared to yesterday’s full girl garb and heavy wig, she felt like she had shed a weight, floating on air.
However, as soon as she stepped inside, she sensed something odd in the way Chen Yao was looking at her.
It was like the disappointed eyes of younger cousins who felt he was unfair to each of them?
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