268. Everything Goes Wrong【6/122】
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Liu Xinyi pushed open the bedroom door and peeked inside, only to find Lin Nan sprawled on the bed in a cat-themed pajama set, her face flushed as if she’d just escaped a heated duel with a demon. Lin Nan lay there, mouth slightly open, gasping for air like a heroic warrior defeated.
Oblivious to Liu Xinyi’s intrusion, Lin Nan suddenly covered her face with the blanket and let out a series of low, distressed whimpers, rolling around on the bed like a distressed potato.
“Ahhhh~ I can’t face him again! What will I do when we meet next? I’ve been seen completely…”
After rolling around a few more times, she suddenly stopped and muttered to herself, “What if he uses me as some kind of spell-casting material? Casting…”
A light bulb went off in her head—she realized why that magic had suddenly unlocked and turned her into a full-on lady.
She might have been seen as spell material by Chen Yao all along…
“Ahhhh~ I’m even more embarrassed now~” She sighed deeply, lying flat on her back like a lost cause.
The thought of Chen Yao’s ecstatic expression popped into her mind, and her sense of shame surged up, heating her head until she felt slightly dizzy.
Since becoming a girl, her body had never been glimpsed by anyone—not even by her own mother! And yet, this time, she inexplicably let Chen Yao…
Even with the steam obscuring view, it was undoubtedly enough for him to have seen quite a lot.
The more she thought about it, the more flustered she became, and Lin Nan even contemplated giving a certain cockroach a proper skinning-down treatment.
“Sis, you’re not going crazy, are you?” Liu Xinyi immediately barged in, shutting the door behind her.
Lin Nan jumped at the sudden noise, hesitantly peeking out from the blanket, glaring at her with suspicious eyes. Although the locals’ Mandarin had a tendency to mix up retroflex and non-retroflex sounds, she could still detect her cousin’s teasing tone.
But Liu Xinyi was thick-skinned; she happily pranced towards the bed, “Sis, your face is so red! Let me help cool you down!”
As soon as she hopped onto the bed, Lin Nan booted her right back onto the floor.
The ground was already laid out with blankets and thick quilts, so the fall didn’t hurt. However, Liu Xinyi rolled around on the floor like she’d been blasted away, finally stopping against the wall, head tilted, tongue stuck out.
“Ah, I’m dead.”
“Crazy girl!”
The antics of Liu Xinyi didn’t do much for Lin Nan’s sense of shame, so she resorted to magic to force herself to calm down.
“Sis, what do you mean by being seen?”
When Lin Nan ignored her, Liu Xinyi scrambled up from the floor, kneeling there and seriously saying, “Come on, tell me so I can be happy too?”
Lin Nan waved her hand dismissively, “Go away.”
But only for a moment did Lin Nan’s shame and redness fade under the effect of the magic, bringing her temporarily back to normal.
But wow, what a thrill…
Could I be a little masochist?
She pressed her lips together, fighting against the resurrection of her previous embarrassment. Instead, she tried to adopt a serious pose and asked Liu Xinyi, “Is there any takeout left outside?”
“It’s all closed.” Liu Xinyi immediately understood Lin Nan’s real intention and leaned closer to the bed with a grin, “Sis, you must not be used to Grandfather’s cooking, right?”
“I can’t stand it at all…”
As a child, Lin Nan usually lived at her grandfather’s house and only occasionally stayed over at her grandfather’s for a few days, so she wasn’t really accustomed to the food like her cousin or uncle.
“I usually make myself a bowl of noodles late at night.” Liu Xinyi observed Lin Nan’s expression and continued to tempt her, “Sis, I can make you a super delicious surprise.”
Lin Nan took on the stance of an older sister, arms crossed and leaning against the head of the bed, reprimanding, “Speak properly!”
“Clearly, it’s you who’s got your mind in the gutter!”
Caught off guard, Lin Nan struggled for a comeback and instead found her gaze drifting to the TV.
“Sis, how about I cook noodles for you around ten?” Liu Xinyi let her real intentions slip, “And you can cuddle me while you sleep!”
“I’m not into yuri.” Lin Nan flatly refused.
“Neither am I!”
Who would believe that?
“We can make our own; it’s not like I can’t cook noodles.” Lin Nan huffed, wrapping herself tightly in her blanket.
Liu Xinyi wouldn’t let go that easily: “Sis, on such a cold day, are you really planning to stay under the blankets?”
“It’s not cold.”
“Then going downstairs is a hassle, and someone has to do the dishes afterward.”
Now that was the truth.
Lin Nan hesitated; her main reason for hating cooking was having to do the dishes.
Seizing the opportunity, Liu Xinyi pressed on: “I won’t lay a finger on you! Plus, you’re my sister! You’re all bundled up!”
“Get lost!” Lin Nan suddenly raised her foot as if to kick, causing Liu Xinyi, who had somehow climbed back onto the bed, to jump back down.
She scowled, feeling that sleeping with this girl was even riskier than sleeping with Chen Yao.
At least Chen Yao understood the boundaries between men and women; it was limited to hugs and cuddles, whereas this girl, given the same gender status, might just start poking around to check for development.
After a good round of play-fighting, Liu Xinyi finally gave up, took a shower, and changed into a pair of shorts and a short-sleeve shirt, looking like a boy preparing for bed. Then she flopped onto the blankets and started gaming, legs kicked up.
Lin Nan couldn’t help but glance enviously at the ample chest Liu Xinyi was flaunting.
This girl was even a bit shorter than Lin Nan, perhaps not towering but certainly eye-catching compared to her petite build.
She shifted her gaze to the corner where a makeshift cat bed made from old clothes was placed. The white cat, Sprite, was currently tormenting Cola, who, despite being capable of rallying an army of stray cats, was now as timid as a baby, getting whacked on the head by Sprite’s paw.
Sprite seemed to notice Lin Nan staring and sprang up onto the bed.
Already bathed, this cat didn’t resemble a stray at all; Lin Nan saw no signs of fleas or skin issues, so she had no complaints. She lay on her side, ready to see what this cat had in mind.
Sprite strutted over with classic cat swagger, leisurely strolling across the blanket to Lin Nan’s arm, then flopped over, resting its head right on her chest.
“Meow~”
Lin Nan froze, watching the cat roll over and lightly tap her chest with its paw, making her face turn crimson in a burst of anger.
What?! After dodging Liu Xinyi all day, now a male cat is taking advantage?
In a fit of rage, she scooped Sprite up and tossed it off the bed.
“What’s wrong?”
The thud as Sprite hit the floor startled Liu Xinyi, who looked up at Lin Nan’s furious expression, utterly confused.
“This cat! It’s a pervert!” Lin Nan pointed furiously at the innocent-looking Sprite, her finger trembling with indignation as she accused it of its crimes. “It rubbed against my chest!”
“It probably just likes you?” Liu Xinyi couldn’t understand why Lin Nan was so worked up.
“……”
Lin Nan fell silent for a moment before shaking her head decisively, “It’s definitely premeditated! Look at its eyes!”
She rushed over to Sprite, staring into its innocent, slightly pitiful eyes. Finally, she shrugged helplessly, “Sis, do you have a persecution complex? It’s just a cat, what kind of plot could it have?”
“Don’t want to argue with you!” Lin Nan threw the blanket over her head, sulking under the covers.
Today was just not her day!