034. On the Bus
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Wait a minute, didn’t Lin Nan say he couldn’t remember anything from that time? How is he striking the same pose now?
Chen Yao stared at Lin Nan, who was still sitting on the ground, arms wide open with a look of expectation mixed with confusion. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Lin Nan must have fried his brain during that fever.
Or maybe a slight heatstroke makes you loopy and do strange things? He hadn’t heard that one before!
Thinking back, Lin Nan’s transformation into a “girly guy” started around that time, and he became gayer and gayer…
Even though he often slipped up and treated Lin Nan like a girl, there was still a part of him resisting that idea.
He quickly put on his mascot costume, pulled on the headpiece, and grabbed the flyers for both himself and Lin Nan before turning to leave.
In broad daylight, no less! Why not just find a place without people around?
After a moment, Lin Nan trembled and opened his eyes, just in time to see Chen Yao’s back as he walked away. He froze for a second, his already flushed face turning even redder to the tips of his ears.
Am I so completely charm-less? No hugs allowed now?
Grumbling to himself, he got up from the ground and began to reflect on this whole fiasco.
Just like last time, their plan had gone awry from the start. Lin Nan had once again decided to go all out, determined to solve the problem like before, but Chen Yao seemed to have misunderstood something?
He glanced outside the alley and spotted several passersby curiously peeking in. Quickly, he adjusted his mascot suit and hid his face, feeling more justified now, and his embarrassed flush slowly cooled off.
It suddenly struck him that he shouldn’t keep trying to fleece Chen Yao, who, after the last incident, seemed a bit more cautious. Maybe it was time to switch targets.
After lingering in the alley for a while, Lin Nan set off again, bought two cups of milk tea, and found Chen Yao to return half of the flyers.
Since it was Lin Nan’s first time handing out flyers, he had no experience, and the blazing sun forced him to find a place to sit every half hour to take off the mascot suit and rest. This ended up making them distribute flyers until six in the evening when they were supposed to finish by dusk.
Because it was a part-time job, there was no waiting around, so they quickly received their wages for the day.
After Lin Nan booked his spot for tomorrow’s shift, he finally sat down next to Chen Yao on the bus heading back.
“Are you sure you’re still coming tomorrow?” Chen Yao seemed to have forgotten all about what had just happened, sitting next to Lin Nan as if everything was normal.
“How else will I pay you back? Let’s hope it’s not as hot tomorrow,” Lin Nan sighed. According to his plan, he should have already unlocked magic by now, so the only worry would be whether standing too long would make his legs sore.
Chen Yao nodded, saying, “I’ve got training with my team tomorrow, and there’s a match on Tuesday, so I can’t go with you.”
While this reason was logical and made sense, Lin Nan couldn’t shake the feeling that his previous antics had scared Chen Yao off.
He nodded in agreement but felt a twinge of discomfort.
If he scared off his only close friend, that would be a massive loss, right?
Lin Nan’s mind was completely bewitched by the idea of magic, just like how he felt during his first time using cheats in a game back in elementary school—once he used them, he wanted more, fully aware it could lead to a “virus outbreak” on his computer, yet his fingers itched to click that cheat button.
Or like Xiong Da in the dorm, knowing that mobile games are money pits and being broke, yet still wanting to spend money on them.
“Hey, what’s Junhui’s temper like?” Lin Nan suddenly shifted his focus to his other roommate, unsure of how to convince someone else to hug him for twenty minutes.
“Not bad, unless you’re saying you plan to not pay him back?”
“Of course not.”
Actually, the idea of being hugged wasn’t too embarrassing for Lin Nan; it was way more acceptable than kissing Chen Yao.
Considering that his entire class in high school was packed with gay vibes, it wasn’t unusual to see three or four classmates chilling in each other’s arms during lunch. Lin Nan didn’t have a close desk mate like that, but the atmosphere wasn’t strange at all.
Now in college, his lower limits had been pushed, gradually making him resistant to this.
The problem was actually bringing up that request—it was just downright embarrassing!
Lin Nan glanced at Chen Yao next to him and then at his partially dried short sleeve shirt.
It must reek of sweat, right?
He also caught a whiff of a slight sweat odor from Chen Yao, but it was mixed with this strange fragrance that caught his attention even more in the air-conditioned bus.
“Do I smell bad?” Lin Nan asked, a bit anxious.
Chen Yao turned to him, wrinkled his nose, and shook his head. “Nope, just a milky smell, kind of like that Chen Sisi from high school.”
“Chen Sisi?” Lin Nan thought back, recalling that girl who left an impression on him—a strong floral scent always wafted around her every time she passed by.
If that scent was a bit lighter, it might not be bad. But it was overpowering to the point of being stifling, especially after gym class, making his nose uncomfortable.
He had even asked her once if she wore perfume, but it turned out she was usually make-up-free and didn’t bother to dress up, let alone wear perfume.
“Is it that strong?”
“It’s okay, just feels like I’m sitting next to some sweet double-skin milk.”
Lin Nan was at a loss for words. He looked out the window, sighed deeply, and mumbled, “I’m tired.”
“Then take a nap. It’s going to take at least half an hour; during rush hour, it’s usually stuck in traffic.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Nan’s eyes lit up. He immediately yawned several times, his drowsy self leaning back against the seat.
Chen Yao glanced at Lin Nan, who had been looking a bit drained lately; he noticed Lin Nan could usually only manage two or three rounds of gaming, and compared to the late-night gaming marathons at the internet café before, his energy was definitely lacking. So, him feeling sleepy now wasn’t surprising.
Watching Lin Nan close his eyes and his breathing grow steadier, Chen Yao lowered his head and pulled out his phone to check his video.
Since school started, he hadn’t had time to make any game videos. He had plenty of footage but felt weird doing voiceovers when his roommates were around.
He’d have to find a time to kick them all out.
Lost in thought, he suddenly felt a gentle nudge on his shoulder. He looked over to find Lin Nan comfortably leaning against him.
He didn’t mind much; resting against the back of the seat made his shoulder feel more comfortable.
However, it wasn’t long before Lin Nan’s head started slipping, slowly leaning down until it came to rest on Chen Yao’s lap.
“…”
Is this really a comfortable way to sleep? He was practically at a ninety-degree angle!
Chen Yao almost burst out laughing but then noticed Lin Nan rest his hand on his own head.
This is a disaster!
Chen Yao’s face gradually flushed as he looked at where Lin Nan’s elbow was resting, completely unsure of what to do.
The bus suddenly stopped, jolting the vehicle, and Lin Nan, still asleep on his lap, almost tumbled due to the sudden motion. Chen Yao quickly caught him around the waist and forehead, preventing him from falling flat while still in dreamland.
Why does this feel a bit, off?
The same thought flashed through both of their minds.
