297. I’m Worse than a Beast
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The night had fallen deep.
The school closed its doors by ten o’clock, and the once-bustling Snack Street outside was gradually becoming deserted. The street vendors were already starting to pack up their stalls and throw away nearby trash.
At this hour, a figure effortlessly scaled the school wall and then reached down to pull up a petite silhouette.
This was Lin Nan’s first time climbing over a wall in college. The wall was at least two meters tall, but Chen Yao simply found a foothold, pushed off with his feet, and, like a nimble monkey, swiftly climbed to the top.
She hesitated for a moment, but when she reached out her hand, he yanked her up, and before she knew it, she was ungracefully sprawled over the wall.
“Be careful.” Chen Yao, experienced in wall-scaling, had often taken Lin Nan to skip classes in high school, and his skills hadn’t faded a bit.
“Uh-huh.”
Lin Nan, who was a bit afraid of heights, lay on the two-meter-high wall, her face paling at the thought of it, her limbs frozen in place.
Seeing this, Chen Yao had no choice but to pull her up again, and then, carefully holding her hands, he gently lowered her down.
Fortunately, Lin Nan was somewhat familiar with this routine, but this was definitely a record-breaking height for her.
After she landed lightly on the ground, Chen Yao leaped down, bending his knees for a soft landing, and without thinking, took a couple of steps forward to stabilize himself.
“How about we find a street vendor for a late-night snack?” He looked up, only to find that most of the shops were already closed, and promptly retracted his suggestion. “Never mind, you’re already so plump; better skip the late-night snack.”
“You’re the plump one.” Lin Nan rolled her eyes behind him.
She touched her belly, recalling how staying at Chen Yao’s place for over half a month had indeed made her gain some weight—her stomach was a tad bulgy. Thankfully, the food at her grandfather’s place wasn’t quite to her liking, so she gradually slimmed back down to her usual size.
Probably still just over a hundred pounds.
The streetlights outside flickered dimly with hardly any pedestrians around, making the entire street feel eerily deserted, like a ghost town. Lin Nan took one glance and immediately thought of ghost stories and the horror films she’d seen before.
She wasn’t scared, but she felt an inexplicable sense of panic and instinctively moved closer behind Chen Yao, convinced that something lurking in those dark alleys was watching her.
The street was fine, but once she followed Chen Yao into the alley where the rental apartments were, she became increasingly anxious.
The sounds of feral cats screeching in estrus, dogs fighting, and the distant buzz of mosquitoes made her feel even more uneasy. Chen Yao soon noticed her expression and grabbed her wrist.
“It’s okay, nothing scary,” he reassured her with a few quiet words.
“From now on, you should just climb back over the wall by yourself when it’s time. I won’t wait for you.” Lin Nan felt a bit embarrassed about her timidness but realized that being scared in front of Chen Yao didn’t seem so shameful after all.
In fact, besides him, there was no one else she could show this side of herself to.
If it were Tu Junhui, Wu Jiaming, or Liu Xinyi by her side, she would have definitely tried to suppress her fear and put on a brave face, but she was with Chen Yao now.
So she boldly leaned against him, grabbing his left arm.
Chen Yao looked down in surprise, feeling as if something soft was brushing against his arm.
After nearly ten minutes of walking in the alley, the two finally reached the rental apartment.
Without clothes to change into, Chen Yao quickly washed up, then it was Lin Nan’s turn to shower. She changed into a thin sleep dress.
“Aren’t you usually wearing that cat pajamas?”
“It’s hot! That kind of pajama would give me heat rash!”
Lin Nan had a glass of water in the living room, stretching lazily as she glanced at the sleeping Cola and Sprite in the corner, then turned to Chen Yao: “I think I’m going to sleep.”
“Still tired after napping all afternoon?”
“Yeah. You can play on my computer; it’s already connected to the screen. Just grab a chair and sit by the TV cabinet.” Lin Nan yawned multiple times, but even as she spoke of going to bed, her eyes kept glancing at Chen Yao’s expression.
I’m already enduring the embarrassment of wearing this sleep dress, and you’re not reacting at all! You’re just glued to your phone!
Men really only like big b*obs!
I’ll get some magic for that later!
Filled with righteous indignation, Lin Nan turned and walked into the bedroom, flopping on the bed and reaching to turn off the bedside lamp.
However, Chen Yao noticed the bedroom door was still ajar.
He paused, initially unsure of what to do, but now he sensed that Lin Nan seemed to be deliberately tempting him.
After all, she had never worn sleep dresses before.
Chen Yao quietly rose from the sofa and peeked into the bedroom, but Lin Nan only presented him with her back, leaving him unsure if she was awake or asleep.
It had only been a few minutes; she should still be awake.
Chen Yao couldn’t quite figure Lin Nan out; she was finely sensitive. He truly didn’t dare to do anything too outrageous, as their previous hand-holding had been a subtle hint, and her willingness to share a bed was also initiated by her, with him just sneaking in a kiss when she wasn’t looking.
He mainly feared that if he went too far, Lin Nan would get upset.
But the hints were so blatant now.
Chen Yao realized his palms were starting to sweat from nervousness.
Take a gamble?
If it was a real hint, he’d totally win, but if he misinterpreted it, he might just get beaten up… but what if he accidentally made Lin Nan cry?
Feeling anxious, he began pacing back and forth in the living room, his brain racing through a whirlwind of thoughts. Ultimately, he decided that as a man, if it was time to be brave, he’d better step up!
He looked down and thought he might be a bit too excited, and it was becoming uncomfortable.
After a moment’s consideration, he walked into the bedroom, casually closed the door behind him, and climbed onto Lin Nan’s bed in complete darkness.
The bed was big enough to accommodate both of them comfortably.
In the dark, Chen Yao could see Lin Nan’s silhouette, catch the scent drifting from her, and felt a stirring sensation within himself. He mustered the courage to lean in closer, cautiously glancing at Lin Nan.
Her eyes were tightly shut, her breathing… seemed a little hurried?
He couldn’t tell if Lin Nan was pretending to sleep or truly asleep.
Chen Yao slipped his left arm around her neck, turned to his side, and placed his right hand on her waist.
Her waist was so slim.
This was the first time he’d held Lin Nan like this in bed.
He didn’t dare to get too close, afraid he would succumb to his desires, so he kept it light.
He closed his eyes, intending just to sleep like this.
But his mind was too excited, preventing him from falling asleep, making him even more anxious.
After a moment, he sensed Lin Nan move slightly.
She’s not asleep?
Chen Yao’s eyes widened; if she wasn’t asleep and didn’t seem to mind, then doesn’t that mean…
He cheerfully moved closer, only for Lin Nan to subtly shift back a bit until their bodies were completely pressed together.
“Um…” Lin Nan suddenly spoke, shifting uncomfortably, “You’re pressing against me…”
“Don’t move…” Chen Yao said in a low voice.
Lin Nan’s face flushed deeper, and her voice became barely more than a whisper: “We can only hug like this, don’t do anything weird… You won’t be unable to control yourself, right?”
“Don’t worry, I’m worse than a beast.”
