008. Internet Cafe
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The closest internet cafe to the school is a good half-hour bus ride.
So even though Lin Nan didn’t have a computer in the dorm, she usually couldn’t be bothered to go to the internet cafe.
With their IDs and phone charging cables in hand, a group of four rushed to the cafe like kids on a field trip.
Back in middle school, Lin Nan went to the internet cafe almost daily with Chen Yao. They were inseparable since nobody was home at either of their places, and Chen Yao stood up for Lin Nan, who was often bullied. Lin Nan played support for him in games, and whenever he ran out of money buying skins, she would treat him to meals.
Their friendship, strangely enough, deepened to a point where they even copied each other’s college applications during their final exams.
Thank heavens it was a county town! Back then, real-name registration for internet use was already in place, but the cafe’s counter had a thick stack of IDs ready for underage kids to create accounts. Ever since Lin Nan’s family bought a computer in high school, she stopped going to internet cafes and had no idea if her hometown’s cafes were still as chaotic.
But one thing was for sure: this internet cafe next to the school was definitely up to standard.
Upon entering, the air conditioning hit them, and it felt like coming home. Lin Nan and her friends couldn’t wait to pay, find a four-person table in the main area, and sit down all at once.
Then the charging began, the TV shows started playing, and lo and behold—no one was playing games!
Lin Nan sat between Chen Yao and Tu Junhui, sneaking glances at their screens while her own sat idly by.
“Wanna game?” she suggested. “I’ll carry you!”
“Not playing; I haven’t finished my show,” Chen Yao replied, eyes glued to the screen.
“Hang on, let me check the latest video.”
Speaking of videos, Lin Nan’s interest was instantly piqued. She leaned over to peek at Chen Yao’s computer, only to discover the video was the infamous one where she dressed up as a girl.
Fortunately, Chen Yao’s seat was at the end, so the other two didn’t see anything. Otherwise, recognizing the girl in the video might’ve led to chaos.
Sure, she had used magic for the outfit, but her facial features were still similar enough! Watching her feminine poses in the corner of the screen made Lin Nan cringe with embarrassment.
At the time of filming, she hadn’t realized, but watching it now, she noticed how she always looked pouty and scared, jumping at sudden in-game ambushes, her face a mix of horror and defiance after losing—tears welling up in her eyes, making her seem so pitiful.
Although using feminine adjectives for her on-screen self felt wrong, there was just no way to call her “brawny” or “dashing” when looking at that girl in the video.
Who knows if Chen Yao’s Youtuber persona really had a ton of fans? The comments scrolled by so fast, it was like reading a novel in super-fast mode.
Chen Yao noticed Lin Nan’s peeking and leaned over with a smirk, whispering, “Look, the comments love your girl look.”
“Pfft! No next time!” Lin Nan retorted, face blazing red.
“Some even want you to be their wife!”
Lin Nan shot back, “Tell them to get lost!”
“You know I promised, fifty thousand fans and I’ll dress up again!”
“Then I hope you never reach fifty thousand!” Lin Nan feigned a dramatic curse.
“Just by you dressing up, my fans jumped by thirty thousand! You might as well start prepping for round two!” Chen Yao bragged with hands on his hips, grinning ear to ear.
Lin Nan rolled her eyes, tempted to ignore him, but suddenly something weird caught her nose—a strange scent wafting from Chen Yao. Curiously leaning in a little closer, she pressed her nose to his shoulder, and the smell became stronger, making her feel inexplicably warm.
What’s happening?
Chen Yao glanced at Lin Nan sniffing him and, puzzled, sniffed his own clothes. “Is that… smoke?”
“Did you spray perfume?”
“Are you kidding? I’m not that flamboyant!” he chuckled. “But you? You smell like milk—did you take a milk bath yesterday?”
“No way!”
Lin Nan suddenly had a revelation, sitting back, staring blankly into space.
Chen Yao didn’t think much about her milk smell and was clueless about his own phony scent, suspecting it was just sweat from that afternoon’s power outage.
“Alright, let’s duo queue,” he finally turned to Lin Nan, only to find her sitting there with her mouth slightly agape, looking shocked by something.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing…”
“Why’s your face so red?”
The dim light of the cafe concealed Lin Nan’s skin blemishes, yet the glow from the screen highlighted her blushing cheeks.
Lin Nan shook her head and pressed a hand over her pounding heart—it felt like it was practicing for a marathon.
“I need to hit the restroom.” She stood up, hurriedly running toward the bathroom, leaving a baffled Chen Yao and Tu Junhui behind.
“What’s with him?” Tu Junhui scratched his head in confusion.
“Maybe… suddenly got stomach cramps?” Chen Yao shrugged.
The internet cafe’s bathroom was tucked away in a dark corner, and when Lin Nan got to the door, she found it dimly lit.
At the sink, she bent forward to check her reflection in the mirror, which was shadowy enough that she could barely make out her shape. In this light, staring into the mirror felt like unintentionally applying a low-end beauty filter, making her momentarily think she was looking at a girl.
Not because she looked particularly feminine or pretty—more like her body just instinctively took on a feminine pose while checking herself out.
“Mmp.” She cursed under her breath, about to straighten up when someone slapped her on the back.
“Looking good! Nice and perky—keep it up!”
She felt a surge of anger, but when she turned around, it was Tu Junhui.
“Are you insane?”
“You’ve definitely put on some pounds.”
“Idiot! You must be gay!”
Tu Junhui chuckled while heading straight for the men’s restroom, and Lin Nan splashed cold water on her face, hoping to cool off her boiling body temperature.
After a few refreshing splashes, the redness finally faded, and Lin Nan felt utterly exhausted, letting out a long, helpless sigh.
How long would this weird life continue?
This strange emotion, these unfamiliar gestures, and this distorted sense of aesthetics were constantly influencing her life. To top it off, even her body was gradually heading in a distressing direction!
