### Chapter 170: When Lin Nan Ran Away from Home
When Chen Yao woke up, it was precisely eight in the morning.
It was his biological clock; no matter how late he stayed up, he’d wake right on time, wash up, and stroll into class just as the bell rang.
But today, the atmosphere felt… off.
He looked down from his bed. Across the room, Tu Junhui and Xiong Da were clearly pulling an all-nighter, still battling it out in their game. Peering over at Lin Nan, he suddenly realized she seemed way more feminine than usual.
???
Chen Yao slowly raised a question mark in his mind. Sure, Lin Nan had become more feminine over time, and before today, she already had the looks and figure, but her vibe was like that of a “trap” or a tomboy. Today, though? Today she looked just like any normal girl her age.
This change in aura was indescribable; he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what shifted, but today, Lin Nan had a distinct womanly air about her that felt somewhat distant to him.
Getting out of bed, he took a closer look. Although Lin Nan seemed focused on her game, she was anything but.
“Stop goofing around, it’s time for class,” Chen Yao said, gathering his textbooks for the day.
After all, it was finals season—usually, they’d go over revision and exam points in class, so he’d better have his books; otherwise, he might as well be daydreaming.
“I’m skipping class today,” Lin Nan replied flatly.
“Skipping during finals?” Chen Yao responded incredulously.
Sure, they often played on their phones instead of paying attention, occasionally skipping classes, but now it was finals! Everyone was getting serious, except the students who were just clueless and didn’t care about graduating.
Lin Nan didn’t answer, staring at the screen as if entranced with the game.
When Chen Yao walked past her to grab his towel, he noticed she was actually playing Solitaire and just randomly clicking the mouse.
What’s going on here?
Last night, she was down in the dumps because of her period, but at least she could still chat. Now, after waking up, she seemed to be in even worse shape.
But Lin Nan wasn’t talking, and Chen Yao had no idea how to help her.
So, he trudged off to wash up, occasionally glancing out at Lin Nan with a worried expression.
The last time Lin Nan went silent, it was when her dad broke her heart. The time before that, she found out she was a girl during a medical check-up.
It always seemed like she was hit with some huge blow… But it had only been one night and they were still in the dorm. How on earth could something have upset her?
After washing up, Tu Junhui and the others finally finished their gaming marathon and were getting ready to head to class.
“Lin Nan, you really not coming?” Chen Yao asked again, casting a confused look at Tu Junhui.
No answer came, and Tu Junhui shook his head in confusion, just as baffled as Chen Yao.
With a collective shrug, the three roommates left for class, and Chen Yao had initially considered sticking around to keep Lin Nan company. But thinking it over, if she’d hit a rough patch, maybe what she needed was solitude to cool off, not his supposed “comfort.”
As soon as the dorm door clicked shut, the serious-looking Lin Nan, who’d been focused on her computer, turned her head. Alone at last! She could finally drop her fake brave facade.
What happened to turning into a girl all of a sudden…
Her nose tinged with an unwelcome pitiful feeling, and tears of frustration swelled up.
Her shoulders trembled slightly; she pinched the flesh on her arm hard enough to cringe, and she pulled her pants up repeatedly, hoping some kind of prank by Lilith or Li Na would be over soon, but disappointment greeted her every time.
Her head felt heavy, and that unfamiliar organ felt like a gigantic, horrifying scar on her body.
Lin Nan swallowed hard, finally deciding to stop the fruitless checks.
She had known she’d turn female eventually, but she wanted some time to prepare herself. A buffer period, you know? She had already resigned herself to accepting this fate during the winter break; she just wanted a little more time to enjoy being male until then. But nooo, not even that much time!
It was like being told you’re terminally ill and given three months to live, only for the doctor to swing by and point out that oops, you’re actually out of time and can only hang on for a month!
Anyone would crack under that kind of pressure, right?
For some reason, Lin Nan’s tears flowed quietly, without the raging emotions that had accompanied her earlier heartbreak from her dad. This time, she was calm, simply sitting there as tears blurred her vision.
It must be Lilith messing with me.
Very naturally, Lin Nan assigned the blame to Lilith.
Or maybe it was Li Na?
She sighed and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, feeling utterly exhausted.
Living was so tiring.
She’d just turned eighteen but was already shouldering pressures from school, family, life, AND now this gender switch… It was like she was a pressure cooker at risk of blowing up any second.
And really, she didn’t feel much attachment to this world anymore.
Lin Nan glanced at the balcony railing, envisioning herself jumping off, but that mental image morphed into her mother’s guilt-ridden smile.
Then there was Chen Yao, who had been so caring since middle school, and her Uncle Wu Guodong, who had always let her run wild…
Though she seemed to care only about these three, if she really did choose to end it all, those three would definitely be heartbroken, and she didn’t want to bring them that pain.
Time to leave the dorm now.
Lin Nan pressed her lips together, finally pushing aside her complaints and grief, focusing instead on practical matters.
What she considered a “mini Lin Nan runaway incident” was shaping up to be a misunderstanding for her roommates; she seemed more feminine than before.
Feminine vibes?
That term out of Tu Junhui’s and Chen Yao’s mouths left Lin Nan puzzled, but at least it was clear: these days, she was much more likely to be treated as a girl, despite them insisting she was just a stunningly beautiful guy.
Being treated like a girl and having to live under the same roof as guys? Now that was a recipe for disaster!
Looks like she definitely needed to talk to the counselor.
With a heavy sigh, Lin Nan rubbed her puffy eyes, sniffed, and started making her way to the counselor’s office.
Sure, there was a good chance she’d be denied off-campus housing, but if that happened, she’d just use magic.
Charm spells might be embarrassing, but they were way better than getting caught in this situation!
