254. A True Weirdo
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Usually, the New Year means new clothes, weight gain, and lucky money.
But Lin Nan had almost never received any of those three things.
By the time her parents got home each year, the New Year was practically knocking at the door – no time for shopping for new clothes. They were too lazy to cook, so unlike Chen Yao’s family who had a whole feast ready to last until the Lantern Festival, lucky money was something that Lin Nan had never even seen.
The next morning, Lin Nan stretched, flung aside her covers, and realized that sleeping on the floor wasn’t exactly a five-star experience. Even with a blanket, the floor still felt like an ice rink, leaving her shoulders sore and cranky.
She glanced over at Chen Yao, who was still snoring away like a chainsaw. Honestly, this guy’s snoring was so loud it could wake the dead! Between that and the fireworks outside, Lin Nan hadn’t managed to fall asleep until three in the morning.
And now it was barely nine o’clock. She was about to lie back down to snooze some more, knowing Auntie would never wake her up, especially on the first day of the New Year – a little laziness was totally acceptable, right?
Just as she was about to drop off, she spotted a red envelope by her pillow.
Startled, she picked it up and opened it. Inside was a mere three hundred yuan – probably her Auntie’s version of lucky money.
But wait a minute, I’m an adult!
Fuming, Lin Nan stuffed the envelope into her pocket.
Still treating me like a child? What’s up with that?
Three hundred wasn’t too shabby compared to the thousands she had had to give back a few days ago. And anyway, lucky money was for the younger ones, while meeting gifts were meant for daughters-in-law. Lin Nan might be greedy, but she knew where to draw the line.
Her spirits lifted a bit. Forget sleep! She hopped out of bed, threw on a jacket, and freshened up before leaving her room.
Auntie seemed to have a soft spot for cola. Just as Lin Nan stepped out, she saw Auntie snuggling with a black cat on the couch, while Uncle had yet to drag himself out of bed. From the open door of the main bedroom, a mound of blankets was visible, along with the same melodious snoring as Chen Yao’s.
“Aren’t you going to sleep a little longer?” Auntie looked up and smiled, spotting the wide-awake Lin Nan. “You probably didn’t sleep well last night? I could hear Chen Yao snoring through the door!”
“When he’s not drinking, he doesn’t snore at all. It just takes some getting used to,” Lin Nan replied, sitting next to Auntie and reaching out to pet the cat.
The cat, however, let out a shriek of warning: “Stay back! I don’t need you anymore!”
It looked nothing like the sad creature from last night; its fur was shiny and clean, clearly having enjoyed a nice bath.
“This cat has no conscience,” Lin Nan jumped, quickly withdrawing her hand and awkwardly asking, “Did Auntie feed it?”
Auntie pinched the cat’s cheeks and nodded, “Yeah, it’s a little odd though, insists on having a bite of food and then a bite of veggies.”
“Maybe it learned that from me?”
Lin Nan hadn’t noticed that quirk before, considering Cola had always just munched on cat food and wet food before.
“Oh, and thanks for the lucky money, Auntie.”
“No need to thank me; we’re family!”
Lin Nan used to find the whole “we’re family” concept strange, but after New Year’s Eve, she somehow accepted it without a second thought.
Auntie was simply too good to her, and Lin Nan wasn’t quite sure how to repay that kindness.
Auntie brought a bowl of seafood porridge over to the coffee table. In this coastal region, seafood wasn’t exactly a staple food for every household, but it certainly popped up every now and then. With the New Year festivities, the freezer was packed with pork and various seafood treats.
Lin Nan took a sip of the porridge and instantly smiled with delight.
Compared to grabbing breakfast off the street or ordering takeout, having someone cook just for her felt like hitting the jackpot, especially when it was something so wonderfully suitable for her taste.
After finishing breakfast and exchanging a few more words with Auntie, Lin Nan headed back to her room. As she stepped inside, she noticed Chen Yao was already awake, sitting at the bedside pouring himself a glass of water.
He seemed to have forgotten all about last night, but Lin Nan wasn’t as lucky – she felt her cheeks heat up just thinking about how she had ended up in his arms.
“What time did I sleep last night?” Chen Yao asked, taking a sip of water.
Lin Nan plopped down at the computer, mindlessly scrolling for a good movie, and replied, “Close to midnight.”
She suddenly regretted not having taken advantage of his drunkenness to ask a few spicy questions, like whether he minded her past as a guy or what he really thought of her…
Chen Yao felt a pounding headache. He rarely drank, but last night he had nearly lost consciousness downing shots.
Of course, that left him feeling rather crummy, especially with a headache that felt like a marching band was playing in his skull… He tried to recall last night but could only remember stumbling into the bedroom before apparently doing something with Lin Nan that he’d always wanted to do…
He glanced at Lin Nan’s silhouette, sensing she had something on her mind.
Did I say something particularly shocking last night?
That can’t be right.
I’m not that kind of person; even drunk, I wouldn’t do anything too over-the-top.
Frowning, he asked outright, “I didn’t do anything inappropriate after getting drunk, did I?”
Lin Nan shot him a glance and huffed, “No!”
Her tone couldn’t have screamed discontent any louder.
Chen Yao immediately backed off, suddenly wary, fearing he might actually have acted like a total creep.
But judging by Lin Nan’s reaction, it seemed highly likely he had crossed the line. Otherwise, she would’ve been swinging a broom at him, not making that disgruntled face.
Chen Yao got up from the bed, yawning. The smell of alcohol clinging to him made him uncomfortable, so he hurried to grab clothes from the wardrobe and rushed off to shower.
With him gone, Lin Nan slumped in front of the computer, her hands doing nothing. She checked out her shopping cart and checked out the clothes, only to turn around and spot Chen Yao’s phone sitting nearby, still unlocked.
Without a second thought, curiosity took over—or should we call it her inner peeping Tom—and she opened his photo album.
The album was filled with screenshots, but as she scrolled upward, one particular heavily edited selfie caught her eye.
“Whoa, this photo is a total lie!” Lin Nan thought, looking at the almost caricature-like sharp jawline. Compared to the square-faced Chen Yao, she nearly burst into laughter.
But then as she flipped through a few more pages, something caught her eye. There was a picture of her sleeping, snapped from the side.
“Wait, did he take candid shots of me?”
This side profile had likely been taken a few days back when she had a fever, her cute little face flushed, gazing dreamily at the ceiling. Adorable, sure, but she looked like a total hot mess.
This is blackmail material! Delete it!
As she kept scrolling, Lin Nan discovered that Chen Yao had unintentionally captured countless snapshots of her – there was one of her hunched over the computer, another where she had just woken up looking like a confused chicken, and another where she was half-buried in her blanket, half-asleep.
From Lin Nan’s perspective, each photo seemed worse than the last.
“Chen Yao is such a weirdo!”
After taking a final look around, she realized she’d only been at Chen Yao’s place for about ten days, and already there were over twenty photos of her being candidly recorded.
“Definitely a weirdo!”
