106. Stepping into the Daily Grind
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Lin Nan always felt it was high time he changed his shoes.
It was just a regular walk to class, but those oversized shoes had nearly tripped him up more times than he could count, almost giving him an embarrassing faceplant in front of the entire dormitory’s student body.
He had already become somewhat of a campus legend, being the exceptionally good-looking guy stepping in and out of the dorm every day. It was hard not to notice him, really.
With all that attention, people started paying attention to the LOL match happening tomorrow afternoon too! On the forum, “My Nan Nan is So Cute Team” had shot straight to the top of the popularity rankings, beating out other teams with pretty girls.
As Lin Nan walked toward class, he could hear whispers about him. After the whole swimsuit incident, he had grown a thicker skin, or rather, lowered his standards for embarrassment. Still, he felt a bit awkward under their gazes.
Maybe he’d get used to it eventually.
Pretty girls walked around and were often the subjects of chatter; they never seemed bothered by it. Perhaps they just got used to it?
Or maybe they even enjoyed it?
Once in class, Lin Nan’s emotions had settled down, and he mimicked Xiong Da and Lin Yuan, sitting expressionless next to Chen Yao.
He couldn’t be bothered to pay attention in class. As soon as his name was called, he plopped his head down on the desk, moodily staring at that blackboard that hadn’t seen much action in ages.
Even Tu Junhui knew it wasn’t the right time to tease Lin Nan, but didn’t want to risk it. So, he decided to sit far away with others from a different dorm.
Who knows what Lin Nan had been through? Last night, he and Chen Yao had sneaked out with Xiong Da for a half-hour, and when they got back, they could hear Lin Nan sniffling away. They ended up standing in the corridor for an hour just letting the wind blow through, and by the time they entered their room, they found Lin Nan had already cried himself to sleep.
Something about his dad’s car accident had him home, if he remembered correctly? Could it be…
That thought was a bit cruel, so Tu Junhui quickly pushed it aside and joined his classmate for a game.
Xiong Da hadn’t been bothering Lin Nan all this while, but Chen Yao was trying to subtly inch away from him, fearing that Lin Nan might think yesterday’s actions were a bit too “bromantic.” Sure, comforting your bro is normal, but when it was Lin Nan, things seemed to get a little too “rainbow.”
Chen Yao had no idea if Lin Nan still saw him as his best buddy, but judging by Lin Nan’s demeanor, it seemed like nothing had changed. It was his own attitude that was shifting.
“Hey, tomorrow’s the match. How are you feeling?” Chen Yao knew Lin Nan was very invested in this match, especially since there was a cash prize.
“Not bad, should be able to play.” Lin Nan said through the crook of his arm, leaving just his slightly gloomy eyes visible.
Chen Yao couldn’t shake the feeling that Lin Nan’s look had some sort of alluring charm to it.
Nodding, Chen Yao reflected on how heavily the last few days had weighed on Lin Nan. He didn’t want to add to Lin Nan’s emotional breakdown by reminding him about the game.
“Really, my family’s stopped giving me allowance. Our match is first on Tuesday? If I don’t nail it, I might have to find a part-time job in a hurry.”
“Yeah.”
At this point, Lin Nan was pondering how to magically transform into a girl. Ideally, he wanted to do it just two days before winter break so that when the parents were surprised about how he managed to get surgery, they’d be more shocked than concerned.
Even so, he was reluctant to just become a girl like that.
He hadn’t even been in a serious relationship with a girl yet; he still leaned toward liking girls. Accepting his increasingly feminine features was one thing, but imagining marrying a guy? That was a whole other kettle of fish.
Thinking about it, being in a yuri relationship with a girl didn’t sound too bad, but Li Na was all about Lilith, and forcing her into a situation with other girls would just ruin their vibe—people might say yuri relationships are fantastic, but society still casts a side-eye.
If he were to become a girl, he’d better consult with Lilith.
Lin Nan bit his lip, face twisted in thought.
Despite Lilith’s subtle influence, Lin Nan still felt strong resistance toward fully becoming a girl. Without Lilith’s presence, he probably would have resisted when he first noticed his body changing.
But by the time he wanted to push back, he realized he was too far gone to turn back now.
He barely listened in class, didn’t play games with Chen Yao and the others, and just sulked on his desk, mentally running through the worst possible outcomes of what was to come. That way, if it actually happened, at least he’d be somewhat prepared.
By noon, Lin Nan had spent the whole morning lost in thought, and when he returned to the dorm, he still wore an expression of deep contemplation.
He didn’t even want to eat, secretly hoping to starve that burgeoning chest of his down a size or two.
It had only been about a month since his chest started developing, and at first, it was just a slight pain, but now it was turning into little buns.
It was still summer, and although he had sun protection gear, you could still see a noticeable curve from the side.
Normal girls surely didn’t develop this fast, right?
Sitting at his computer, Lin Nan had initially not worried too much about his chest, but soon realized it was becoming increasingly hard to hide.
He just wished winter would arrive soon. Once it did, with long sleeves and a heavy coat, no matter how big his chest was or how curvy his figure got, he wouldn’t have to worry about prying eyes.
At noon, his roommates had no intention of napping. Lin Nan glanced at the ones already diving into ranked matches, yawned, and climbed back into bed.
He felt drained, and even after a long sleep the night before, his head was still foggy. His body ached, and he couldn’t concentrate, making the whole morning a blur.
Just a few minutes lying in bed, and Lin Nan drifted off again.
“d*mn you! I’ve been grinding for twenty minutes and still don’t have a k*ll!”
Tu Junhui suddenly yelled, jolting Lin Nan awake from his light nap. Blinking at the ceiling, it took him a moment before he grabbed Chen Yao’s pillow and hurled it at Tu Junhui’s noggin.
“Shush! I’m trying to nap!”
“Agh!” Tu Junhui’s voice turned into a squeak as the pillow made contact. He retorted indignantly, “Why didn’t you say you were sleeping? How was I supposed to know?”
“Please.”
Lin Nan snorted, rolling back to lie down. Chen Yao took the opportunity to glance over, only to find his pillow caught in the crossfire.
“First, it’s fine if you have a problem with Junhui, but why are you throwing my pillow?”
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If all goes well, it will launch on March 1st, and the complete transformation will happen around the same time.
