074. Buffet Bonanza【1/11 Extra Update】
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On the way to the buffet, Lin Nan messaged his mother on WeChat to ask about some things.
His father’s condition wasn’t severe—just a multitude of fractures and such. The medical expenses were only a few tens of thousands, but the problem was that just a month ago, his parents had made the down payment on a house in the provincial city. Their finances were already hanging by a thread, and now with his father down for the count and his mother needing to take care of him, the family had no income and still had to pay the mortgage. Poor Lin Nan was going to have to deal with some burdens.
No wonder his mother sounded so stable emotionally. Also, why was he completely in the dark about such a huge matter as buying a house?
Now Lin Nan felt much more at ease. Sure, it would take a hundred days for his father to recover from his injuries, but judging by his mother’s description, he’d probably be back in the money game in two months.
While chatting with his mother on WeChat, Lin Nan had the urge to spill all the beans about what had been happening to him lately.
Otherwise, when he went home for winter break, his parents might not even recognize him!
“What’s up?” Chen Yao walked alongside Lin Nan and turned his head to see him looking a bit hesitant.
“I’m thinking about whether I should tell my family about my situation…” Lin Nan looked down, biting his lip, caught in a whirlpool of hesitation.
Without missing a beat, Chen Yao said, “Dude, you definitely need to tell your family. You can’t keep it hidden forever! What are you gonna say when you get married and can’t have kids?”
Lin Nan froze for a moment but still didn’t take Chen Yao’s advice. Instead, he handed his phone to him and said, “Can you take a photo for me? I want to send it to her so she’s a bit prepared.”
Aside from fearing his parents wouldn’t recognize him, Lin Nan was also worried that if he turned into their daughter, they might take it as an invitation for double trouble!
The real issue was that he couldn’t come up with a convincing reason for his parents.
He couldn’t just say he was a boy in a girl’s body and had saved up for a trip to Thailand, could he? Or tell them that he was intersex in this kind of situation? After Chen Yao’s prompt, he figured his parents weren’t the type to have a kid without any medical checks.
He could theoretically use magic to influence his parents’ perceptions, but then again, the conditions to unlock those spells were pretty tough.
Maybe Lilith had already anticipated he would resort to magic, which was why the spell unlocking was such a pain!
Probably something to do with having kids or night-time escapades with a guy named Yura. Lin Nan thought if he really went down that road, he’d be pretty close to turning into Lilith himself.
The photo went through, but his mother didn’t react much. She just assumed it was another one of Lin Nan’s well-angled beauty shots and replied with, “Don’t overdo the filters—looks too much like a girl! You need a haircut; I almost wouldn’t recognize you!”
“Didn’t use any filters…”
“Then what skincare products are you using? Recommend some for mom?”
Lin Nan was at a loss for words. His mother didn’t even notice that his pose in the photo was indistinguishable from that of a woman!
Even that old dormitory uncle had already figured it out! Maybe it’s just that static photos don’t scream “girly” as much?
As he pondered his mother’s thoughts, the three of them strolled leisurely to the entrance of the restaurant, it was already one in the afternoon.
This place was on the street right behind the school, and Lin Nan felt a little woozy from hunger; he had a bit of a low-bl**d-sugar issue.
“Welcome! Three of you, right?”
“Three,” Tu Junhui replied, striding ahead and nodding at the waiter. “The drinks are free-flowing, right?”
“Drinks are over there—help yourselves.”
Actually, Lin Nan thought buffets shouldn’t serve drinks. They offer all sorts of drinks, even alcohol, but the reality is they’re just trying to trick customers into filling their bellies.
To peak over the edge, the buffet still had plenty of diners left, and under the waiter’s guidance, Lin Nan and friends took a seat at a four-person table in the center.
Lin Nan rarely ate at buffets, and sitting there he felt a bit lost and didn’t know what to do, while Tu Junhui and Chen Yao, once they confirmed their spot, darted off to grab meat.
He leaned on his hand, anxiously pondering how to sway his parents.
Before long, Chen Yao and Tu Junhui returned with a mountain of meat, and the waiter set up an electric grill, brushed it with oil, and turned on the exhaust fan.
Chen Yao set his phone aside, aiming it at the grill like he was some sort of food vlogger. This guy was practically half a food influencer now; every time they went out for a nice meal, he had to document it. After all, with no way to make gaming commentary in the dorm, he had to find some way to maintain his presence.
A month had passed, and his follower count had shot up by a hundred thousand, most of them drawn in by Lin Nan’s past cross-dressing.
“When are you gonna cross-dress again and help me gain some followers?” Chen Yao asked, grinning as he looked up.
“Not a chance.”
The dorm mates rarely watched Chen Yao’s videos and were clueless that Lin Nan had even made cross-dressing videos. Hearing this, Tu Junhui got excited. “I’ll donate a pair of black stockings! I’m ordering them now!”
Lin Nan’s mouth twitched as he flat-out refused, “Absolutely not!”
Chen Yao felt a bit hurt; after all, he had pioneered the idea, yet Lin Nan would rather cross-dress in front of a few unfamiliar girls than don the frilly stuff for him.
Since seeing Lin Nan’s medical exam report, he’d stopped questioning whether he’d been single too long or if he was some kind of hidden gay guy.
“Dude, you’d totally look good in girl’s clothes,” Tu Junhui teased. “You’re already kinda girly; dressing as a woman would be seamless!”
“Go away!” Lin Nan shot him the finger, “I think you’d stun everyone in women’s clothes!”
“Wouldn’t that just be a tank in disguise?” Tu Junhui was self-aware enough.
If it weren’t for the magic unlocking requirements, Lin Nan figured he’d never cross-dress again. After all, even with makeup and filters, he couldn’t pull it off before!
Among them, Lin Nan was the only one with cooking experience. He’d been making his own meals since elementary school, and even when he first moved to the county during middle school, he often cooked for himself. Although he got lazier later and opted for takeout and fast food, he at least knew how to cook meat properly.
Meanwhile, the other two were the type to expect everything to be handed to them. If he left them to grill, Lin Nan wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up with food poisoning!
So he took on the role of the temporary chef, while Chen Yao and Tu Junhui were in charge of getting food and eating.
But just munching wasn’t enough; those two kept yakking non-stop.
“Lin Nan, seriously, aren’t you gonna get a boyfriend? Even the bear got a girlfriend,” Tu Junhui asked, eyeing the gradually browning meat on the grill.
“Well, I can get a girlfriend too.”
“What money do you have for that? Getting a boyfriend could at least mean someone to treat you to food and fun.”
That actually made some sense.
Lin Nan couldn’t help but hesitate for a moment but then coldly shook his head. “No meat left for you!”
Hearing Tu Junhui’s lament, Lin Nan felt instantly relaxed and amused.
But then Chen Yao suddenly looked worried. Since Lin Nan had lived as a male for eighteen years, even turning back into a female—could he still date guys and get married like a normal woman?
Even though he had begun to see Lin Nan as a girl, the thought of Lin Nan marrying a guy just sounded bizarre.
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The debts keep piling up; I can’t take it anymore!
Thanks for the donations from gamers!
