186. Moving Out
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Lin Nan was leaving the dormitory to live on her own.
Even though they could still see each other during classes or free time in the afternoons, after living together for a year, she felt a bit sentimental about it all.
When living in the dorm, she always thought about leaving, but now that the moment had come for her to live alone, she felt an overwhelming sense of unease.
Lin Nan had already packed most of her stuff; next to her wardrobe were four woven bags filled to the brim.
Some things she could easily toss out, but she hesitated—like the paint palette she’d kept from the semester when she took a color drawing class. She wouldn’t need it this semester; it would be fine to leave it behind. But the thought of the money she’d spent on it made her heart ache.
On Sunday morning, Tu Junhui woke up early because he had promised to help her. He poked his head out of bed and saw Lin Nan squatting on the floor, playing with the cat.
In just a few days, he noticed a certain charm about Lin Nan, one that was distinctly feminine. The masculine facade she’d put on before seemed to have fallen away. Even though her face and figure hadn’t changed much, for the first time, she looked like a cute stranger he hadn’t met before.
Lin Nan had only given him that feeling of strangeness when the semester first started. No matter how her appearance transformed thereafter, she remained the same old Lin Nan.
That cat, Cola, really seemed a bit off. It used to be so obedient, but under Lin Nan’s teasing, it acted aloof and even seemed ready to scratch her. But when Lin Nan teasingly said, “You want to get neutered?” Cola cowered in fear and started trembling.
In recent days, Lin Nan seemed to wake up particularly early. He hadn’t even seen her go shower; he only realized she had when he spotted her dressed differently in the morning.
“Nan Nan, are you leaving this early?”
“Just taking some stuff over first. I have a part-time job this afternoon.” Lin Nan lifted the cat onto her lap, sat down at the computer, and used one hand to hold down the restless cat. She looked up at Tu Junhui’s round face, “Why are you up so early?”
“Aren’t I supposed to help you carry stuff?”
Lin Nan suddenly remembered. She had spent hours with Xiong Da last night packing everything and, completely exhausted, flopped into bed and forgot all about Tu Junhui’s offer.
Besides, the way he spoke often seemed like he was just joking around; she’d never taken his words seriously.
Possibly stirred by their conversation, Chen Yao sat up in bed, yawned, and chimed in, “Then I’ll go check out your new place too. Don’t want to get lost later and have to call you for directions.”
“Sure! The more the merrier—I can carry fewer things.”
The dorm started buzzing with life as Lin Nan watched everyone getting out of bed and crowding around the sink to wash up. Some grumbled while waiting for Tu Junhui to finish in the bathroom, complaining about the lingering smells while holding their noses. The quiet from half an hour earlier was long gone, and for some reason, that familiar chaos gave Lin Nan a bit of a heavy heart.
She might never see this again.
With a heavy sigh, she felt a pang of loss.
With everyone busy washing up, Lin Nan decided to take out her phone and order some female hygiene products online.
She had wanted to buy a bra for a long time. Even though wearing one wasn’t something she fully embraced, the occasional friction between her chest and clothes made her blush and made her heart race. It seemed the only way to solve that problem was to get one.
Then there were the panties… Even though she tried not to move much at night and made sure sanitary pads stayed in place, she still woke up to a mess. Just two nights ago, she thought it was enough to wash her boy shorts, but now, once again, her sheets were stained red.
These items were something she had to accept now that she was a woman, no matter how much she resisted. The hassle of denying them was far worse than the embarrassment of buying them. As for going to the mall, there was no way she could face that—online shopping was her only option.
So, what size bra should I get?
Lin Nan stared at her phone screen filled with various bra options, looking utterly confused.
Since she was still developing, wouldn’t a tank-style bra do?
“What are you buying?”
Lin Nan jumped, shoving her phone into her pocket. Looking up, she saw it was Chen Yao, who already knew her situation.
She relaxed a little but still felt a bit flushed, turning her head and stammering, “Just… the essentials…”
“Huh?”
Chen Yao was standing far enough away that he couldn’t see what Lin Nan was actually purchasing.
“I’m just tidying up Cola’s litter box and bowl. She’s coming with me.”
Lin Nan quickly shifted the conversation away.
Cola meowed in protest.
I definitely don’t want to go with you, okay?!
After a half-hour, the three roommates had basically gotten ready, each carrying a woven bag. The chubby one, feeling discriminated against, was carrying two, while Lin Nan had a backpack and was simply cradling her laptop.
As for the cat, she’d shut it in the litter box.
“Why the heck do I have to carry two?”
As they left the dormitory building, Tu Junhui was still grumbling, “I’m gonna report you guys for discrimination, d*mn it!”
Since it wasn’t graduation season, their little group attracted some stares as they walked across campus. But with the morning crowd being so sparse, Lin Nan managed to accept a few curious glances.
It took them a solid half hour to reach the entrance of Lin Nan’s rental apartment. Thinking it through, Lin Nan realized she might have to start waking up at seven-thirty for classes, whereas back in the dorm, she could wake up at eight and still make it in time.
“This place is pretty big.” As Tu Junhui opened the rental apartment door and stepped inside, he placed his things beside the door and plopped down on the sofa, “But it can’t compare to our dorm.”
Sure, he said it was vast, but once the four of them crowded into the living room, there was barely any room to move.
“How much is a one-bedroom like this?” Xiong Da wondered aloud, thinking it was Lin Nan’s own apartment.
Chen Yao had a troubled expression. He originally thought the counselor had just found Lin Nan a shabby little room, but he was surprised to see this rental looked nice—at least clean and smooth on the walls with new tiles outside. It probably wasn’t more than a year or two old.
“Nine hundred bucks a month. I think I’m the second tenant here.” Lin Nan excitedly explained her new home, “The last tenant was a pretty girl, a friend of the counselor. I even saw some of her stuff left behind yesterday!”
“What stuff?” Tu Junhui perked up immediately.
“Oh, it’s something I was curious about too…” Lin Nan gestured with her hands, “It’s a blue stick, pretty well-crafted, kind of like a curling iron I saw on Douyin, and the front has a bit of bead and granule texture…”
“Wait a second.” Tu Junhui interrupted her, “You’re not talking about that, are you?”
“Talking about what?”
Tu Junhui fell silent, while Chen Yao suddenly had an epiphany. Lin Nan and Xiong Da exchanged clueless glances.
“Yesterday, we said we’d treat you to lunch, right?” Chen Yao used the same tactic as Zheng Qian, “Let’s go out to eat, and everyone pays for their own, except Lin Nan.”
“Wait, that trick’s been used by Zheng already.”
“???”
What were you guys even up to yesterday?
