**180. Invitation**
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Lin Nan was puzzled. She couldn’t understand why Cola wanted to jump off a building. It made no sense at all!
Looking at Cola’s leap, it didn’t seem like an accident—she didn’t even try to adjust her posture mid-air; she just plummeted straight down.
Fortunately, it was Li Na who happened to pass by; any other person wouldn’t have caught her safely.
Could it be that cats can suffer from depression too?
Lin Nan couldn’t quite wrap her head around a cat’s thought process, but she feared Cola might try to jump again, so she quickly shut the back door to prevent this little furball from taking another flying leap.
Time to study.
Tu Junhui and Xiong Da were still fast asleep. The dormitory was unusually quiet, so Lin Nan rushed to review for her finals. Magic was indeed convenient, but the resulting headaches were a bizarre twist of fate.
Cola perched on the desk, gazing seriously at Lin Nan casting spells, her little head tilted as if deep in thought.
Ten minutes later, Lin Nan’s head throbbed painfully. She had to stop the magic.
Despairing, she slumped over the desk, reaching out to rub Cola’s head, only to have the cat dodge her and swat her hand away.
“Get lost!”
That feline shout dripped with anger, and Lin Nan found herself conjuring a whole backstory about what Cola’s meows really meant.
With the magic book closed for now, Lin Nan fell back into her obsession with money.
The maid café at the back door had gradually returned to normal after a month, and with enough long-term staff to handle the rowdy students, they weren’t hiring part-timers anymore.
Otherwise, Lin Nan might have considered becoming a maid.
There didn’t seem to be any good part-time jobs around Student Street; if there were, she wouldn’t still be handing out flyers.
They said being a live-stream host could rake in the cash, just dance around like a shadow clone and chat with viewers, but Lin Nan had zero interest in being in the spotlight. Plus, those platforms didn’t pay daily.
Just then…
A commotion echoed down the hallway. Lin Nan turned in surprise, just as the dormitory door swung open.
In strolled Counselor Zheng Qian.
Lin Nan’s face turned beet red. The moment she saw Zheng Qian, her mind flashed back to that ridiculous thing she did to get off-campus permission.
“Wake up, wake up! Look at the state of your dorm!” Zheng Qian’s stern face was like a thundercloud as he knocked on the bed frame. He glanced at Lin Nan but didn’t say much to her and headed straight in to inspect the mess.
Outside the door were a few curious students trying to catch the show.
What’s going on? Is the counselor so bored that he’s checking cleanliness?
Chen Yao also turned around in confusion to look at Zheng Qian and hurriedly stood up, trying to explain with an awkward smile: “Counselor, isn’t today the weekend?”
“And what’s wrong with the weekend? Cleanliness must be maintained on weekends too! Do you all only clean up when it’s Tuesday inspection day?” Zheng Qian showed no mercy to Chen Yao, launching into a rant. “You’ve got finals coming up, and you’re all still in bed! And you, still playing Monster Hunter! Get ready to take me on for a couple rounds!”
Chen Yao was on good terms with Zheng Qian, having helped him out a lot, but that only made the scolding worse. He couldn’t even lift his head.
Lin Nan huddled in a corner, trembling at the thought of being swept up in this chaos.
This counselor is scary!
“Get to cleaning!”
Chen Yao quickly picked up a broom and got to work.
After giving Chen Yao a good talking-to, Zheng Qian walked a few steps and stopped in front of Lin Nan, glancing at the clean floor and then at her messy desk.
He stepped closer, his earlier sternness softening as he looked back at Chen Yao frantically cleaning, and the still-snoozing Tu Junhui and Xiong Da. He leaned in and whispered, “Are you free this afternoon?”
“Huh?”
“I know a pretty good place.”
“Uh?”
Lin Nan was completely thrown off; she had been bracing for a scolding, and this was the last thing she expected!
“It’s over by Student Street. How about you finish your part-time gig and join me for a meal?”
Wait, who spilled the beans on me?
Lin Nan stared at the counselor, who, to be fair, was quite the hunk—like a leading man straight out of a drama—totally hard to believe he was asking her out.
“Is that a deal?”
It took Lin Nan a moment to snap back into reality, and she started shaking her head wildly.
This has to be a side effect of that charm spell!
Seeing how Lin Nan was resisting, Zheng Qian couldn’t detect any hint of the enthusiasm from their last encounter and sighed out loud, “I was thinking of treating you to an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet, over two hundred bucks, and I’ve already booked a spot online.”
Lin Nan’s eyes lit up, but she quickly shook her head, “Counselor, I’m a guy.”
Realizing his leverage might be too low, Zheng Qian pondered for a moment and said, “I have a senior friend who was renting a place just behind the school, paid six months in advance, but now he’s changing jobs this month. Not sure what’ll happen to that place…”
“!!!” Lin Nan’s interest was suddenly piqued.
“That place has over two months left unused. If we can find someone to sublet it, that’d be great. But leaving it empty is such a waste… What do you think?” Zheng Qian wore a look of distress, shaking his head and starting to walk away from the dorm. Yet, after taking a couple of steps, he felt a small hand tugging at his shirt.
He turned to see Lin Nan looking at him with a face as cute as a kitten trying to please its owner, blushing adorably, definitely cuter than any girl.
Oh boy! I really do have a thing for cute boys! Is this the Deity’s second-dimensional version? I’m in love!
But what’s up with that cat on the desk looking all judgmental, as if it’s embarrassed for Lin Nan?
“So it’s a deal? You work part-time this afternoon, and I’ll find you in the evening?”
Lin Nan nodded vigorously.
Satisfied, Zheng Qian left, a grin stretching across his face.
Chen Yao, still cleaning, raised his head in confusion at the flushed Lin Nan and then glanced at the overly cheerful Zheng Qian, feeling like something fishy was going on.
Why does it feel like I’m getting a green hat here?
He suddenly imagined green grass growing on his head but then recalled Lin Nan was his best bud, so how could this possibly be a green hat?
Shutting the dormitory door, he walked over to the obviously relieved Lin Nan, asking with mild curiosity, “What did Zheng Qian just say to you?”
“He said he could help me with a rental problem!” Lin Nan was over the moon, eager to share her excitement with Chen Yao. “And he’s treating me to a buffet tonight!”
“…..”
Seeing Lin Nan’s utterly naive and clueless reaction, Chen Yao hesitated for a moment and warned, “Are you sure he’s not after you for other reasons?”
Lin Nan paused, pouting, “The counselor knows I’m a guy.”
He knows, but clearly, he’s still lingering in the after-effects of that charm spell.
This dinner with him might just clear up any of those odd ideas, after all, he is the counselor. If he really had ulterior motives, one or two rejections wouldn’t help. Better to take the initiative to avoid any future awkwardness or worse, harassment.
And it’s definitely not about that two-month rental!
