094. Departure
==============================
In the afternoon, Lin Nan and Chen Yao were staring at each other in the corner of the internet cafe.
“So, you’re saying you plan to go to the beach?” Chen Yao listened with wide eyes as Lin Nan shared her itinerary for the day. “Are you just gonna play on the shore?”
“I… should be, right?” Lin Nan felt a bit nervous, not daring to reveal the truth for fear that this guy might have some wild idea about tagging along.
But in reality, it wasn’t too big of a deal. After all, the shame of wearing a feminine swimsuit in front of her mother was way worse than being embarrassed in front of a buddy.
Lin Nan recalled the moment she had told her mom about her plans… Her memory froze at that very instant, and all she could remember was her brain making a sound like a boiling kettle, and then nothing.
The next memory was lying in her bedroom while her mother sat worryingly beside her.
But now that such a situation had popped up, her mother probably wouldn’t have the heart to ask for money, right?
“The beach, huh? Too bad it’s just you and your mom going. I won’t crash the party.” Chen Yao sighed dramatically and then curiously asked, “What did your family say when they found out?”
“My mom felt pretty sorry for me…” Lin Nan hadn’t expected her mother’s reaction to be one of sympathy and guilt.
But from the perspective of the one being pitied, reflecting on her earlier reckless behavior made her feel guiltier the more her mother cared.
However, if she mentioned the magic, she might as well be headed to a psychiatric hospital for electroshock therapy. That’d be better than racking up a debt of a hundred thousand!
“What about your dad?”
“I haven’t seen my dad to this day. My mom says he’s quite traditional and would probably kick me out if he saw me like this.” Lin Nan struggled to control the mouse in the internet cafe. “But I get it; he’s been expecting a grandson all these years. Suddenly telling him he’s been raising a daughter for eighteen years? Who wouldn’t be overwhelmed?”
“Traditional gender bias,” Chen Yao scoffed. “What era is it? As if only having sons can carry on the family name! It’s just a surname issue, isn’t it?”
“Hey, how would I know what he thinks? Anyway, my mom says it’s best not to meet him. But she’ll probably explain things to him when she gets the chance…” Lin Nan realized her mom really was quite reliable. Previously, she thought her parents weren’t very responsible, but now it seemed her mom had been worrying about her for a long time.
“If you’re camping at the beach, don’t go swimming at night. It’s pretty dangerous,” Chen Yao warned, fearing Lin Nan might be carefree.
“Sure.” She nodded stoically.
Though Lin Nan didn’t show much emotional fluctuation on the outside, her heart was in turmoil.
That magic from Lilith was indeed handy. Not only could it deceive, but it could also make the deceived question their own existence.
But let’s be real—this was charm magic. In plain English, it was about flirting. Who flirts with their own mother?
Plus, the unlocking requirements were especially embarrassing…
“Why aren’t you preparing?” Chen Yao turned to look at Lin Nan, who had started blushing again without her realizing it. “What’s with that face?”
“You’re the one with the face!”
“Nah.” Chen Yao pouted and shifted his b*tt further away from Lin Nan.
Maybe it was due to hormones, but now, whenever he got too close to Lin Nan, it risked raising a flag, making things all the more awkward and leaving him with a twinge of guilt inside.
He thought that even if he saw Lin Nan as a little sister, she was still his bro, at most just a female buddy—and it was clear she thought the same.
But his lower half just wouldn’t cooperate…
The internet cafe’s booth was quite plain, fortunately not too fancy like a KTV booth. Chen Yao could only catch a slight whiff of a milky scent, and in the dorm, if they left the air conditioning on for too long, he could smell it wafting from around Lin Nan’s bed.
Not just him, but Tu Junhui and Xiong Da had picked up on that milky aroma around Lin Nan’s bedspace too, though they were suspicious if Lin Nan had spilled some of Cola’s goat milk or if it was just leftover from feeding her.
Ugh! It was obviously her natural scent!
If he hadn’t realized that, it wouldn’t have been so bad. But once he did, every time he caught a whiff, his head would go a bit fuzzy.
This was the internet cafe Lin Nan and Chen Yao frequented during their middle and high school days, which became their go-to spot. Even though they both had computers now, they still came here to hang out and game a bit.
Lin Nan looked a bit melancholic, but since this was her family business, Chen Yao couldn’t do much except try to keep her entertained with video games.
“Forget it, let’s switch accounts. Want to go fish for silver? It’ll be fun!”
“Why do you sound just like Dong An?” Lin Nan forced a smile, but anxiety clouded her thoughts.
If it were nighttime at the beach, wouldn’t no one notice her wearing a swimsuit? After all, it would be pitch black, right?
Lin Nan thought this and managed to ease her nerves a bit, but still, wearing a feminine swimsuit in front of her mom was just too embarrassing, while man swim trunks were equally revealing—basically flaunting her chest like a beach boy.
“If you go to the beach, can you swim?” Chen Yao suddenly asked.
“I swam in the pond by my house when I was a kid. I should be fine, I guess.”
If she couldn’t swim, Lin Nan faintly recalled how terrified she felt the last time she heard Chen Jiang’s name.
After logging into a silver account, and while waiting for the game to begin, Lin Nan fought her way through those chaotic thoughts and focused on the screen.
Unfortunately, just as she punched out a few rounds on silver, her mother called, instructing her to get ready to head to the beach.
Reluctantly, she stood up from the computer, caught a tricycle, and returned to her apartment complex, only to find the uncle she saw that morning waiting right there.
Looks like she’d be hitching a ride with the uncle to the beach this time.
Lin Nan observed her mother and the uncle curiously—there had to be something more than just casual acquaintance here, given the rare smile on her mother’s face.
“I bought your swimsuit! We’ll rent a tent when we get there.” Her mother, beaming, approached and gave Lin Nan’s arm a gentle squeeze.
Lin Nan realized her mother’s smile was quite charming; in that fleeting moment, she could still see traces of her youthful appearance.
But whenever Lin Nan faced her mother, she felt a knot of tension and guilt, and even though she was curious about the uncle’s identity, she kept her head down and stayed silent, looking shy.
“Your son has a personality just like a girl.” The uncle chuckled as he opened the back door of the car. “Hop in! Let’s have a blast tonight. Don’t think about all that other nonsense. You two probably haven’t gone out together in ages, right?”
Ages? More like since she could remember!
——————
With the update at four in the morning, today I’ve released four chapters.
Why does it feel like I’m digging a deeper hole the more I write?
