### Chapter 174: Poor Disease
Lin Nan planned to skip class in the early morning when the campus was nearly deserted to rent an apartment.
However, before she could even set off, she preemptively checked in with Li Na, who had already rented a place.
Six hundred bucks a month, with one month’s rent paid up front.
So, Lin Nan had to reluctantly abandon her house-hunting idea. With less than a thousand in her account, if she forced herself to rent a place, she’d probably end up starving on Northeast wind for the rest of the month.
But staying in the dorm was making her anxious. After Little Lin Nan left, no amount of self-deception could convince her that she was still the manly girl she pretended to be.
By noon, her roommates came back to the dorm after class.
Although Lin Nan looked in the mirror and didn’t think much had changed, the way her three roommates looked at her seemed a bit… off.
Aside from Little Lin Nan having vanished, it seemed like something else was different, but Lin Nan was totally oblivious, completely clueless about what had changed.
Was it that “feminine charm” Chen Yao and Tu Junhui had mentioned?
That intangible thing was really hard to grasp.
Did they mean she was more delicate? Or prettier?
Lin Nan couldn’t wrap her head around it, but after everything that had happened today, she certainly didn’t have the energy to ponder over it and just tiredly sat in front of her computer, mindlessly playing chess in League of Legends.
Lost in thought, she naturally ended up moving at speed 8 (out the door) or speed 7, averaging ten minutes a game.
The atmosphere in the dorm was a bit stiff. It should’ve been the liveliest time, with all four of them playing games or studying hard together, but now, each one seemed lost in their own world.
Tu Junhui was slouched in his chair, seemingly focused on his phone, but occasionally stealing glances at Lin Nan.
Sure enough, Lin Nan looked more like a girl now, or perhaps she was utterly transformed into one.
He remembered that before yesterday, although Lin Nan was already stunning enough to rival any typical girl, she still carried some boyish vibe that kept him from seeing her solely as a girl.
But now…
His personality was outgoing, although only around his male friends. Now, sitting across from Lin Nan felt like there was suddenly a beautiful girl in the dorm, making him feel awkward.
He wasn’t fond of this new dynamic in the dorm. Picking up his phone, he declared, “I’m going to check out the neighbor’s place.”
Xiong Da, who had been studying, perked up, book in hand, and skipped off after him.
Normally lost in his own world and not caring much about others, even Xiong Da felt uneasy about the new girl vibe in the dorm.
Chen Yao, on the other hand, had long regarded Lin Nan as a sister.
“I should go live somewhere else,” Lin Nan closed the screen Chen Yao had sent her and sighed, turning to him. “Do you have any cash left? Lend me some for the rent.”
“They say the counselor won’t allow it.”
“He said it’s fine,” Lin Nan casually made up an excuse. “Maybe he thinks I look too much like a girl, and it’s not good for me to be in a boys’ dorm.”
Chen Yao accepted this reason, but after glancing at his WeChat balance, he shook his head in dismay. “I spent a lot getting Xiong Da that game. I just topped up a bit too much lately… not much left.”
Lin Nan looked at him incredulously. “It’s only the start of the month!”
“Got three hundred left, want it? Soon I’ll be living off my credit.”
“……”
It became clear she had to rely on herself instead of borrowing money.
Lin Nan was never one to ask for a loan, but considering she was clearly making her roommates uncomfortable and worrying about facing three years of being treated like a girl in a boys’ dorm, she wouldn’t have mentioned needing to borrow money otherwise.
“Maybe I should ask around for some quick cash?” Chen Yao pondered, frowning as he started messaging his friends from basketball, but his tone was skeptical. “Making quick money typically involves lying down or drinking, or just straight-up breaking the law. Or you could ask your aunt for some?”
Lin Nan shook her head firmly. “No way.”
Her mother was already stressed out about her situation; she didn’t want to add more trouble.
What’s more, even though their relationship had improved on her last visit home, there was still some awkwardness.
Chen Yao leaned over beside Lin Nan, propping himself against the wardrobe, trying to help her find a side gig while also attempting to cheer her up.
“Your voice sounds a lot nicer now… like normal girls, there’s no way anyone would guess you were a guy before after you have the surgery!”
“……”
Lin Nan suspected this guy must have taken a class titled “How to k*ll a Conversation.”
After a moment of silence, she tried to ignore the second part of Chen Yao’s comment: “I actually had this voice before; I just held it back.”
The “held-back” voice was still feminine, just a little more androgynous. Now that she had officially transformed into a girl, she didn’t even bother lowering her voice to fool herself anymore.
“Right, you didn’t really hold it back when you were drunk, did you?” Chen Yao remembered the last time at KTV when Lin Nan was tipsy; her voice was clear yet had this adorably clumsy ring to it.
After a pause, Chen Yao noticed Lin Nan wasn’t responding. He glanced away from his phone screen and saw her resting her chin in her hands, staring off into space, her legs tightly pressed together as if glued.
From an angle above, her chest’s rise and fall became more apparent, and from the loose neckline, a hint of white peeked through.
Lin Nan rarely exhibited such feminine body language, and even when she did, it was usually inadvertent. But today, she seemed… mentally absent?
Or maybe that unnamed blow had finally made Lin Nan give up all resistance?
Chen Yao dared not look too long, feeling like he was committing a crime.
“There’s a decent part-time job available… promoting events at the campus supermarket—one hundred and fifty bucks for an afternoon and evening.”
Since students were about to go on break, those supermarkets stuffed with goods were eager to sell off items nearing expiration during winter break, and the best way was through discounts and promotions.
“That’s a bit low…” If it were any other time, Lin Nan would have jumped at the opportunity, but the problem was, this one hundred and fifty wouldn’t solve her problems.
Between rent and living expenses, she’d need to make at least five or six hundred bucks to barely get through the winter break, and that’s while living on instant noodles every day.
She’d thought about milking some cash from her uncle, but she’d already bled him dry not long ago, and with a slight sense of moral integrity, she felt asking for more would be pushing it; plus, she needed to wait for the wool to grow first before she could fleece any sheep.
She lay her head on the table in despair, caught between poverty and the awkwardness of living in the dorm.
Truly, the most serious affliction in this world was still being broke.
