219. Total Chaos [36/170]
After staying at her grandfather’s house for a few days, Lin Nan was slowly starting to feel a bit bored with the environment.
Every day was a barrage of playing games on Wu Guodong’s game console and occasionally dealing with that unstable wifi on the computer. Other than that, there was nothing entertaining to do.
If she were back in the county town, she could at least hang out with Chen Yao occasionally. But Wu Guodong was a textbook introvert; he wouldn’t step outside unless absolutely necessary.
The lost cola was temporarily pushed out of her mind. That cat was relatively smart; if it was bullied, it would run back immediately. But given that it hadn’t returned for days, it must be living the high life somewhere else—probably mooching off every household in the neighborhood.
Lin Nan picked up her laptop and walked down the stairs. After a moment’s hesitation, she pushed open Wu Guodong’s bedroom door.
Inside, her uncle looked dazed, glancing up at Lin Nan, thankful he wasn’t caught doing anything weird.
“Got space? I’m gaming here.”
“Can’t you do that upstairs?”
“Upstairs has lag; it’s unplayable.”
The room was almost identical to Lin Nan’s, except for the TV. Most of the furniture and appliances in this small villa seemed to be leftovers from the last century, giving it a distinctly worn-out vibe.
Wu Guodong was hogging the only desk, so Lin Nan simply brought her laptop onto the bed, casually plugged in her charger, and propped the computer on her lap.
“Wow, you sure know how to make yourself at home.”
He stole a glance at Lin Nan’s long legs, beginning to suspect that his niece was intentionally trying to seduce him.
Today, Lin Nan wore the hoodie and jeans her mom bought her. The oversized white hoodie concealed most of her curves, but the snug, stretchy jeans emphasized her lower half in a surprisingly flattering way.
Maybe it was the unfamiliarity with women’s clothes, but Lin Nan’s cheeks were slightly flushed, making her even more eye-catching.
Good thing I’m not a leg guy.
Wu Guodong muttered to himself internally, but his eyes couldn’t help but wander back to Lin Nan’s legs.
Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly heard someone coming in downstairs, frozen in place. Then came a voice yelling, “Is anyone home?”
“Auntie?”
Lin Nan froze, staring up in disbelief. “Why is she here?”
“She lives close by; she can drop by anytime.” Wu Guodong stretched lazily, reluctantly preparing to greet his big sis.
“Just don’t mention me.”
Lin Nan didn’t want to deal with any relatives right now. What if someone couldn’t handle her current looks and identity? That would just lead to unnecessary worries.
“Fine.”
As she watched the door close, Lin Nan was startled to find that the video she had been watching had frozen; no wonder the door had been half-open when she walked in.
The soundproofing here was terrible; she could clearly hear the conversation downstairs in dialect.
“Where’s Nan Nan? Heard she got into some trouble?”
“Not here.”
“Her mom said she was at home. Where’d she go?”
“Out having fun.”
“Nan Nan” was Lin Nan’s nickname, and hearing it from her elders felt like a term of endearment. However, if it came from her peers, it felt more like teasing.
She stretched again, continuing to eavesdrop downstairs, but suddenly something seemed off; her mom must have spilled the beans about her situation…
It was one thing to tell her grandparents, but sharing it with relatives she barely knew? That was pushing it.
“I never knew my mom was such a blabbermouth…” Lin Nan thought becoming a girl was something to be embarrassed about, but her mom was broadcasting it everywhere. That definitely didn’t sit well with her.
Even though she knew she’d have to face all her relatives as a girl eventually, it felt like a betrayal.
Her uncle and aunt started chatting about the recent viral disease news, discussing it like it was a casual topic, completely dismissing it just like Lin Nan did.
After finishing an episode of a drama, which turned out pretty good, Lin Nan decided to download it onto her laptop. Now that she was a girl, she figured she should act a bit more responsibly and not just lounge around in Wu Guodong’s room.
Placing her laptop on the bedside table, she tiptoed to the corridor, cautiously peeking downstairs, only to find her aunt was also looking up at her.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
Lin Nan quickly ducked her head, mentally slapping herself for being so curious.
“Who’s that girl?” Her aunt had only caught a glimpse of Lin Nan and turned to Wu Guodong with a teasing smile. “Is she your girlfriend? Let her come down so I can meet her.”
Wu Guodong was equally flabbergasted, but he wasn’t about to pretend she was his girlfriend. Heaven forbid his sister brought it up during family get-togethers; he could already imagine the consequences.
“Uh… I think you saw wrong?”
“You think I’m blind?”
He shrugged, realizing he could only blame Lin Nan for being careless. “Weren’t you looking for Lin Nan? Didn’t you just see her?”
“Wait, she’s really a girl?”
His aunt paused, surprised. “Is she really a girl?”
“Had a bunch of check-ups, surgeries all done. Apparently, her boyfriend even paid for it.”
“Boyfriend?!”
Lin Nan felt like throwing a brick at Wu Guodong to knock him out. So he sold her out and even made up a boyfriend? Where the heck did that come from?
“She’s not really up to seeing you right now.” Wu Guodong held back his aunt, attempting to redirect her. “Maybe come back in a few days?”
Just as things were getting a bit chaotic, the front door swung open, and Wu Jiaming walked in, followed closely by a pretty girl with short hair.
“Xinyi’s here too?” Wu Guodong was even more confused.
Just when things couldn’t get any crazier, another person had arrived!
“My cousin said she’d drive me here as soon as I arrived,” Wu Jiaming said, plopping down on the sofa and tossing an apple to Liu Xinyi. “What are you two doing? Tussling? Making it look like a robbery?”
“Where’s Lin Nan, your cousin?” Liu Xinyi caught the apple, wiped it vaguely with her sleeve, and took a bite with an excited grin. “I want to duo queue with him!”
“Maybe she’s upstairs. She probably got tied up or something.” Wu Jiaming replied, but as Liu Xinyi got up to leave, he suddenly remembered Lin Nan’s current situation and yanked her back.
Wu Guodong rushed to stop Liu Xinyi too, only to find his aunt had already gone upstairs.
Just then, without anyone noticing, Liu Xinyi darted upstairs, calling out, “Cousin! Let’s go to the internet cafe and rank up!”
“What do we do now?”
“Does my cousin even know what’s going on?” Wu Jiaming scratched his head. “Does Aunt know?”
“You’re asking me? Who should I ask?”
