100. Hoisted by my Own Petard
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Sleeping next to his mother wasn’t the best experience—or really, he just didn’t like sharing a bed with anyone.
As a child, he would insist on sleeping next to his Uncle, mostly because he wanted to get his hands on Uncle’s phone. But ever since the last visit to Uncle’s house, aside from his increasingly feminine hyper-awareness, it mostly stemmed from his unwillingness to share a bed with anyone.
But this time, there was no way around the cramped situation in the two-person tent.
The rental tent came with a flimsy summer blanket, which his mother had laid out beneath him. By the time Lin Nan crawled inside, his mother had already set up the place and was sitting at the far end, engrossed in her phone.
Meanwhile, from Uncle Liu’s tent, the unmistakable sound of snoring was wafting through the air. This left Lin Nan and his mother feeling a bit anxious in their tiny tent, especially since he felt a wave of discomfort wash over him once inside.
He was actually quite sleepy but felt awkward being with his mother. He just didn’t know how to act.
“It’s about time to sleep,” his mother said, plugging in a small nightlight with a power bank to serve as their temporary light source. Then she looked up and caught sight of Lin Nan huddled at the entrance of the tent, and her previously excited demeanor took a nosedive.
She had thought that after their playful antics earlier, Lin Nan would be more close with her, but he was still the same ol’ Lin Nan.
“You don’t seem too keen on getting the operation, huh?” she suddenly asked.
Lin Nan froze for a moment, not even looking at her, only giving a silent nod.
“Are you a little worried?”
“Not really,” Lin Nan said, pursing his lips. Although he was able to use his charming magic now, he wasn’t too enthusiastic about using it on his own mother.
His mother didn’t quite understand Lin Nan’s feelings, but the doctor had said that he was lucky to be as healthy as he was. His physical development had been a bit slow, only recently reaching the level of a typical thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl. Otherwise, if he had started his period, things would definitely take a turn for the worse since he couldn’t exactly expel it.
Of course, his mother was oblivious to the fact that Lin Nan had already had his period once before.
“The doctor said you’re in a risky spot right now…” she gently coaxed, trying to get Lin Nan to see the necessity of the operation. “And it’s not a complex surgery. A hundred thousand doesn’t sound too bad. Your dad and I just spent a couple hundred thousand on a down payment for our new house…”
“How about I get you a leave of absence? What’s your class teacher’s number? Just for a month, we’ll get this surgery done quick. I’m worried if we drag it out any longer, it’ll affect your health.”
She didn’t even know that college didn’t have class teachers, only counselors.
Lin Nan couldn’t help but find his mother’s nagging a bit grating. He didn’t want the surgery, didn’t want a month off, and he certainly didn’t want to complicate a straightforward situation.
With a sigh of despair, he decided to give his charm magic a shot.
This magic made people infatuated with him for an hour, making them easy to manipulate. But judging by Lilith’s experience, people who had been charmed tended to hold onto strong feelings for her and were unlikely to renege on promises made during that hour.
But this is his mother we’re talking about…
He questioned whether he had simply picked the wrong spell.
The spell was supposed to alter perception or control thoughts, but those unlocking conditions were downright harsh, practically impossible for him. Only this spell had a somewhat similar effect.
And then, the magic kicked in.
His mother’s eyes slowly glazed over. She suddenly found Lin Nan to be a total stranger… Then a faint mist seemed to swirl in front of her, blurring her vision. She clutched her head and gently lay down, feeling her mind going fuzzy.
“Nan Nan…” she asked, confused, “Why do I suddenly feel unwell?”
Lin Nan was startled; the effect of the spell on his mother didn’t seem to match what Lilith’s memory had suggested.
“I’m so sleepy…” His mother rubbed her eyes, pulled the blanket over her, and once she found a comfy spot, she just lay down and out she went.
“???”
Did Lilith just screw me over?!
Lin Nan stared incredulously at his now-snoozing mother, his brows knitting together as he wondered where it all went wrong.
After some deep diving into Lilith’s memories, Lin Nan finally had a lightbulb moment about the problem.
Oh, right! Lilith is straight… So she’s never used this magic on women before. The spell’s effectiveness had only ever been tested on the opposite s*x. But Lin Nan, witnessing this magic work wonders on the opposite s*x, just naturally assumed it would work on the same s*x as well.
But I’m a guy!
He looked down and saw his modestly developed chest.
Okay, technically half of one… And in his mother’s mind, even if he hadn’t fully transitioned into being a female yet, she had already labeled him as her daughter.
Or maybe this magic only works on men?
This meant he was burdened with moral guilt and shame as he pushed the limits of his comfort in a swimsuit, all the while dealing with the embarrassment of being stared at by passersby, and in the end, accomplished absolutely nothing. The biggest winners were those who gawked at him!
d*mn it! He felt totally played.
Just recalling that day of donning that swimsuit while being scrutinized by onlookers made him flush with embarrassment, the overwhelming shame washing over him. Then he glanced at the spell that only made people sleepy now and couldn’t help but feel a visceral urge to yank the eyes out of those passersby who had seen him in that swimsuit.
So what now? Should he really take a month off and then watch his mother scrape together money for his operation?
Lin Nan’s expression darkened, feeling the emptiness after all his efforts that yielded no positive outcomes, like working an entire month only to lose a thousand bucks.
I’m so mad!!!
He bundled himself in the blanket, lying right next to his mother, shutting his eyes and trying to block out all the infuriating thoughts. But his mind kept looping back to the emotional rollercoaster of the last couple of days because of the magic—and the stares from those passersby.
Even angrier!!!
His chest heaved with agitation, but no matter how mad he became, he needed to find a solution.
Should he just run away after meeting his father tomorrow?
According to his mother, his father wouldn’t take too kindly to his current self. If he explained the situation, his dad might kick him out right away, and then it would be perfectly reasonable for him to fake being heartbroken and make a break for it.
Though that plan sounded tempting, Lin Nan still wanted to find a more proactive solution instead of just dodging the issue. Avoidance never really solved anything; it only delayed the inevitable.
Maybe he could seek help from Chen Yao, or… charm a doctor so he could tell his mother that there’s no rush for surgery? A roundabout way to save his skin sounds good.
Exhausted after a long day, Lin Nan pondered these thoughts but found it harder and harder to keep his eyelids from weighing down.
Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.
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Scheduled updates; spent last night drafting outlines. Guess I’m still snoozing!
