233. Staying Behind?
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Dinner at Chen Yao’s house usually wraps up around seven, and by the time they’d finished eating, it was already past eight.
Lin Nan, once again, had been fed to the point where she was nearly unable to move.
She’d already napped for two hours in the afternoon and, surprisingly, felt more energized than ever. As soon as she returned to Chen Yao’s room, she commandeered the desktop computer.
Ah, the bliss of a smooth internet connection!
Even though she still felt a bit resistant to the idea of living here, the moment she got her hands on the computer, she flung that resistance out the window.
After all, great internet and games are way better than lounging around at her grandfather’s house doing nothing.
Plus, there are tons of delicious snacks!
Lin Nan rubbed her little belly, secretly suspecting that staying here for a few days might lead to her gaining a couple of pounds.
Meanwhile, Chen Yao was outside, probably still chatting away with his parents. Lin Nan casually clicked on “This PC” on the top left of the screen and opened up various suspicious folders with growing interest.
It was like secretly snooping on someone’s private life, and boy, did it feel thrilling.
But Chen Yao’s computer was a chaotic mess! File folders were scattered haphazardly everywhere, mostly filled with software, games, and downloaded anime.
Lin Nan randomly clicked on one anime and found herself staring at the first episode of “Bone King,” which had been a huge sensation a few years back. She hadn’t watched it back then, but hey, now was the perfect time to catch up!
After only a few minutes, as she watched Bone King forcefully calming himself with passive magic, she fell into deep thought.
Wait a minute… I think I can do that magic too?
She blankly recalled the magic she had unwittingly unlocked when she transformed into a girl, her face a mask of confusion.
The problem was that the activation of this magic wasn’t even by her choice, and the anxiety of becoming a female, mixed with the pressure of final exams, had caused Lin Nan to shove this entire ordeal out of her mind!
I’m such an idiot!
Lin Nan mumbled an insult to herself. Honestly, the afternoon didn’t need to be such torture. She could have used that magic to calm down while watching a horror movie, instead!
But here’s the catch: it’s not like a game where you can throw spells into your shortcut bar and check them anytime. When emotions are running high, who thinks, “Oh, I have a magic spell to calm myself down”?
Just like in a game where a dude from Zu’an is breathing down your neck, Lin Nan wouldn’t remember that she actually has a mute button.
Forgetting things like that is pretty inevitable, right?
Even Lilith from the other world uses the magic ahead of time!
Lin Nan rationalized in her head, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt like a complete fool.
When Chen Yao walked into the room holding a box of Wangzai milk, he immediately spotted Lin Nan, who was regretfully tapping her forehead.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing,” Lin Nan quickly replied, knowing she couldn’t spill the beans about the magic. Instead, she pivoted to a new topic, “I should be heading out tonight.”
Before Chen Yao could respond, his aunt suddenly appeared at the door: “Heading out tonight?!”
Lin Nan felt a bit embarrassed and scratched her head, facing the aunt who had always taken such great care of her. Feeling guilty, she said with a weak smile, “A friend of mine is heading to the countryside, so I’m just gonna go with him after he calls me.”
This “friend” was actually just a ride she had booked on a car-hailing app. Since the bus services were stopping and the roads would be closed tomorrow, she had to make a break for it tonight.
Otherwise, she couldn’t seriously stay at Chen Yao’s house for the New Year, could she?
“It’s not safe to head out at this hour,” the aunt said urgently, grabbing Lin Nan’s hand in a bid to persuade her. “I don’t need more dishes; just stay here a few more days. Once the pandemic is over, you can leave!”
Who knows when that might be.
Even though the pandemic didn’t seem so severe right now, it was likely that investigating those who returned home for the New Year would take at least half a month.
Surely, she couldn’t just hang out at Chen Yao’s the entire time, right?
Chen Yao didn’t try too hard to hold her back but casually mentioned, “Aren’t there parties tomorrow? Aren’t you going to attend?”
“Auntie, if I don’t go home for the New Year, my family will definitely scold me,” Lin Nan tried her best to comfort the aunt, who had always treated her like royalty.
But within just two sentences, the aunt who was in her forties had watery eyes and started to lament: “It’s all my fault for not taking care of you; that’s why you want to leave…”
Wait, why is she crying?!
Lin Nan looked up at Chen Yao, but all he could do was shake his head, apparently powerless.
“You can’t go home and end up getting sick on the way! Auntie would feel terrible…”
“No way, that’s highly unlikely…” Lin Nan, a sucker for soft tactics, watched as the aunt looked like she might burst into tears, and with her head blank, she started nodding like she was agreeing with a life-altering contract. “Fine, I’ll stay for a few days!”
“But I don’t have clothes to change into here…”
Immediately, the aunt’s tears vanished, her face lighting up with joy: “I have a friend in the clothing business! I’ll have her send over a few outfits tomorrow that you’ll totally love!”
“???”
Whoa, lady, your mood swings are scarier than mine!
Seeing the aunt regain her composure, Lin Nan let out a sigh of relief but suddenly remembered that the roads would be closing tomorrow…
What if she stayed tonight and wouldn’t be able to go back for a while?
Feeling panicked, she tried to backtrack, but the aunt completely cut her off, already dialing a friend to send over some clothes. As the aunt turned away, she shot Chen Yao a knowing glance.
Chen Yao immediately stepped forward to comfort Lin Nan: “It’s fine, it’s just road closures. They won’t last long. You can still head back for the New Year on the second or third day, right?”
“If I don’t go back for the New Year, my relatives will definitely say I’m eating from both sides…” Lin Nan said disheartened, staring down at her feet.
“Why do you care about those distant relatives?” Chen Yao pulled out his phone. “I’ll call your mom and explain everything; she’ll definitely understand.”
When did you even get my mom’s number?!
Lin Nan was torn. On one hand, Chen Yao’s parents were overly welcoming, especially during a pandemic, even if there weren’t that many cases around. On the other hand, her grandfather, grandmother, and mother would likely want her back for the New Year. This was her first New Year after turning into a girl, and she didn’t want to skip it for anything!
Once Chen Yao hung up the call, he flashed a big grin. “Your mom said she understands and it’s okay if you don’t go back for the New Year.”
“Really?”
Her phone buzzed, and Lin Nan looked down to see a message from her mother, telling her to avoid going out and that not returning for New Year’s was totally fine, along with other comforting words.
Plus, her mother planned to work overtime during the New Year to avoid a long period without income due to the pandemic.
Aren’t factories usually closed for half a month during the New Year?
Lin Nan was scratching her head in confusion, but given that was what was said, she had little choice but to reluctantly stay here.
“Well then…” She turned her gaze back to the computer screen, clicked the paused player, and readied herself to dive back into the anime.
But suddenly, Chen Yao became all anxious, “I think it’s better to watch on Bilibili; more excitement with the b*llet comments!”
“Ugh, I don’t like those comments; they’re way too chaotic,” Lin Nan replied.
But right as she said that, she sensed something was off and suspiciously cast a glance over her shoulder at Chen Yao. Instinctively, she reached for the mouse and opened the playback history.
And sure enough!
A ton of weird Japanese dialogues stared back at her!
