046. Uncle’s Hobby
==============================
Video games, oh boy, they sure are a delight!
Lin Nan used to be somewhat uninterested in single-player games. He preferred something competitive, like League of Legends.
But after spending an entire afternoon at Uncle Wu’s place, he suddenly realized, hey, single-player games could actually be fun! He especially liked “Sekiro.” If his reflexes were quick enough, the kn*fe-fighting moments felt just like a rhythm game. As long as he focused, he could take down bosses after only a few tries of figuring out their patterns—no damage at all!
Beside him, Wu Guodong was flabbergasted. Who knew his nephew had such gaming talent?
As the sun dipped outside, Lin Nan’s energy dwindled. With a long sigh, he set down the controller.
“Since when did you get good at games?” Wu Guodong asked, a bit astonished.
“I’m about to hit Diamond in LOL,” Lin Nan replied casually, “almost a Master.”
“Nice one!” Wu Guodong nodded, not that he played LOL, but he knew Diamond was a decent rank.
Lin Nan’s progress in ranking was a bit slow. Focusing for long stretches to sharpen his reflexes could be exhausting, plus he still had to practice teamwork with Chen Yao and the others for match prep. So even with his enhanced reflexes, he was stuck in Diamond.
He leaned back on the sofa, barefoot and cross-legged, yawning. After a whole afternoon of gaming, he was worn out and just wanted to sit back and relax.
The living room was thick with smoke; Wu Guodong was a heavy smoker. Lin Nan found it hard to adjust at first, but eventually, he just had to deal with the smoky air. The windows were wide open, yet the smoke still twirled around like some fantasy realm.
By the end of the afternoon, the once-strained relationship between the two had thawed a little. Originally a bit stiff with each other, now one was sprawled out like a lazy cat while the other just plopped down on the floor.
Yet, Wu Guodong still felt a bit unsettled; he couldn’t help but wonder why, after not seeing Lin Nan for half a year, he seemed so… feminine?
He’d been observing all afternoon and realized Lin Nan’s femininity was rather natural, totally unforced. His voice was pretty neutral, and his physique was slender like a girl’s. If you didn’t look at his face or hairstyle, you’d probably think he was female!
With just a bit of makeup or longer hair to cover up some angles, Lin Nan’s already delicate features could make him a little beauty.
What happened to his nephew?
He didn’t think Lin Nan had changed much outwardly—just his face had seen some “beautification,” but the rest of him seemed a bit more… pronounced.
And that backside? Whoa, it seemed perkier than he remembered! He just couldn’t help but sneak a few glances!
Even though he was ten years older than Lin Nan, this was the age of hot-blooded youth!
“What skincare products are you using? When I saw you earlier this year, you had quite a few acne scars!” he subtly tried to get an answer.
“I haven’t used anything; it just randomly cleared up,” Lin Nan said, suddenly defensive. He went from lounging to sitting up straight, crossing his legs, trying hard to present the most masculine version of himself.
But in Wu Guodong’s eyes, it only looked like he was trying to hide something.
Wu Guodong had his doubts. Even though he was Lin Nan’s uncle, he was only twenty-eight years old, just graduated from college not long ago, and was pretty internet savvy and open-minded. Though his name sounded a bit old-fashioned, he was basically from the same generation as Lin Nan.
He hadn’t been thinking along those lines until now; seeing Lin Nan trying to cover something up set off all sorts of bells in Wu Guodong’s mind.
He eyed Lin Nan closely, and the more he looked, the more he thought there was something fishy going on.
“Shouldn’t it be dinner time by now?” Lin Nan felt extremely uncomfortable under that gaze, instinctively scooting a little away, and awkwardly tried to shift the topic. “What are we having for dinner?”
“What do you feel like eating?”
“Whatever works…”
“Barbecue? How about some drinks?” Wu Guodong pressed on.
“Not drinking.”
Lin Nan knew himself too well; while he didn’t go wild after a drink, once he started talking, he’d blurt out anything that crossed his mind, and he would regret it the next second.
Wu Guodong had definitely picked up on something; although he didn’t ask too many questions, he kept stealing glances at Lin Nan. There was no way Lin Nan could drink under these circumstances; if he let something slip, the New Year would be a nightmare.
“Should I tidy the bedroom a bit? Are you really sleeping on the sofa tonight, Uncle?” Lin Nan hurriedly asked.
“I’d rather not,” Wu Guodong shot him a glare. “You used to cling to me every day as a kid, and now you won’t even share a bed. If word gets out, people will think I’m mistreating you!”
“Like that would ever get out!” Lin Nan laughed nervously, retreating a couple of steps before darting into the bedroom.
Wu Guodong’s room wasn’t big—a double bed, a computer desk, and a small wardrobe filled up the whole space.
The bed and blankets seemed large enough for three adults, but half of it was taken up by a giant white long pillow featuring an embarrassingly provocative anime character.
“…”
As Lin Nan entered the room, he was taken aback, his face turning beet red. Just then, Wu Guodong rushed in, frantically snatching the pillow and stuffing it toward the wardrobe. But the wardrobe was already stuffed to bursting; the moment he opened it, a couple of long decorative pillows tumbled out.
So this is what the world of otaku looks like?
Lin Nan bowed his head, silently backing out of the room, quickly closing the door behind him, terrified he might accidentally stumble upon Uncle’s secrets again.
Standing outside, Lin Nan’s embarrassment quickly faded. He thought, well, his uncle had been single for years, having some urges was pretty normal…
But running into this kind of privacy was just plain awkward.
Inside, Wu Guodong felt utterly humiliated. After stuffing all sorts of intimate items into the wardrobe and tidying up the room, he blandly opened the door, trying to act casual.
“Come on in! Look, this bed is really big; there’s no problem with us sharing.” He opened his mouth, but saw Lin Nan leap back two steps, his expression practically screaming “creepy psycho.”
“I’ll just sleep on the sofa,” Lin Nan chuckled awkwardly, having trouble not viewing Wu Guodong as some kind of weirdo.
After all, it was just way too creepy!
And even though he could confirm his uncle definitely liked women… that pillow could very well depict a female character asserted to be male!
God knows what could happen if they slept together. Although Lin Nan didn’t think he was particularly attractive to men, he realized that being near Chen Yao made him respond with a similar feeling.
Wu Guodong was left speechless, unsure how to explain his way out of that situation, nodding reluctantly.
After all, it was better to be criticized for not taking care of his nephew than to be found out for owning a bunch of weird decorative pillows!
