344. Morning Disturbance【10/99】
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Maybe it was being at home or maybe it was the absence of someone stealing his blankets, but Chen Yao was finally sleeping comfortably after a long time.
Still, he felt a bit off without a soft human-shaped pillow by his side.
When the morning alarm went off, ringing incessantly, Chen Yao helplessly opened his eyes and looked towards the clock, only to discover it was Lin Nan’s phone.
He reached over to the charging phone on the nightstand, took a quick look, and saw it was just six-thirty.
“Setting such an early alarm and then not getting up yourself,” he muttered, rolling over to sit on the edge of the bed. With a casual flick of his hand, he silenced the alarm and glanced down at Lin Nan, who was sweetly sleeping on the floor.
Lin Nan had always been the lightest sleeper around. Back in the dorm, any slight noise could wake her up — forget about alarms; even him leaning over from the top bunk would probably send her into a startled fit in the middle of the night.
But today, Lin Nan was still peacefully snoozing despite the alarm.
Chen Yao observed her oval face, noticing her cheeks seemed a lot less puffy than in the last few months — she looked more mature, but not nearly as cute.
He reached out and leaned down, gently pinching Lin Nan’s plump cheeks. They were so soft and bouncy that he couldn’t help himself.
Perhaps feeling some discomfort, Lin Nan slightly frowned, instinctively swatted at his hand, and flipped over to face Chen Yao, nonchalantly lifting the blanket and trapping it underneath her thighs.
A moment later, Lin Nan’s eyes suddenly flew open, and when she looked up, she found Chen Yao grinning down at her.
“You’ve lost it, waking me up so early,” she grumbled in a quiet voice, grabbing the pillow behind her head and hurling it at him before burying her face back into the blanket, ready to continue her sleep.
Not long after, her breathing returned to a steady rhythm, her brows unfurled, and the corners of her mouth curled into a sweet smile — who knows what she was dreaming about.
With a resigned sigh, Chen Yao stood up and left the bedroom.
Lin Nan always had a serious case of crankiness in the morning, especially when she hadn’t had enough sleep — completely unreasonable.
When she finally woke up in a couple of hours, she’d probably blame Chen Yao for not waking her up.
“Up so early?” Chen Yao’s father was already dressed and busy cooking the spicy soup that Lin Nan had mentioned she wanted to eat.
“Woke up to the alarm, just going to drink some water and go back to sleep,” Chen Yao yawned.
His father nodded and asked, “Are you living with Nan Nan now?”
“Yeah, we’re renting an apartment outside the school.”
“You kids should take it easy.”
“……”
Chen Yao silently drank a glass of water and turned to head back to the bedroom.
Who would believe he had been living with his girlfriend for two weeks, sharing the same bed almost every night, and nothing happened?
Even if he explained, it would probably just make things worse and end with him being dragged to the men’s clinic by his dad.
Back in the bedroom, after locking the door, Chen Yao looked up to see Lin Nan somehow had crawled back into bed, hugging a pillow and sleeping on her side.
He didn’t care, lying down next to her, wide awake and staring at her pretty face, slowly feeling more awake in the process.
Lin Nan was probably in light sleep now, and if he stirred her, he’d likely get punched.
That thought quickly pulled his evil hands back.
Sure enough, Lin Nan was startled awake again by the sound of the bedroom door and Chen Yao climbing into bed.
She blinked open her eyes, still a bit foggy: “Why are you sleeping on the floor?”
“This is the bed.”
“Why did you carry me into bed?”
Suddenly panicked, she shot upright, clutching the blanket and widening her eyes in shock, about to say something, but then remembered her fuzzy memory of crawling into bed.
Chen Yao stared at her, completely speechless.
Lin Nan awkwardly changed the subject, “What time is it?”
“Just past seven.”
“But I set the alarm for six-thirty! Did it break?”
“Yep, definitely broken!” Chen Yao nodded vigorously.
She fell silent for a moment, deciding to let her uncle stay with her grandfather in the hospital for a couple more hours, then plopped back down on the bed. But as her head hit the pillow, something hard poked the back of her skull.
Reaching under the pillow, Lin Nan found a flat square object, pulling it out with a puzzled look.
That seems familiar.
Durex?
She vaguely recalled seeing something like that at the supermarket checkout.
Lin Nan’s expression turned to confusion as she lifted her head. “Is this… a condom?”
Chen Yao’s face turned beet red as he snatched the square object from her hand and tossed it into the nightstand drawer, clearing his throat and acting nonchalant. “Nope, nothing to see here. Just go back to sleep.”
Still a bit dazed, she wracked her brain and finally remembered that was something her aunt had handed to Chen Yao last night.
Flushed, she realized what her aunt was implying, her heart racing a bit faster. She quickly turned her back to Chen Yao, closed her eyes, and feigned ignorance, saying, “Sure.”
But now, there was no way she could drift off again. Eyes shut, Lin Nan felt restless, imagining her aunt’s knowing gaze when they’d leave the bedroom.
Attempting to cast a calming magic on herself, Lin Nan found herself tossing and turning, her eyelids heavy, yet she felt completely wide awake.
“Spicy soup is ready! Chen Yao, call Lin Nan to wake her up for breakfast. Eat first, then you can go back to sleep! Your mom and I are heading to the store,” her uncle called softly from outside the door, and shortly after, they heard the front door slam shut.
Lin Nan quickly leapt out of bed, barefoot, leaving the bedroom, with Chen Yao following behind, equally devoid of sleep.
“Let’s go to the hospital after breakfast,” Lin Nan didn’t mind her lack of slippers, since the floor here was really clean.
“Alright, I’ll grab a few things to take along.”
On the dining table, there were already two bowls of spicy soup and a homemade meat sandwich. Following the delicious aroma, Lin Nan dashed to the kitchen where the pressure cooker revealed half a pot of meat chunks and a dozen flatbreads.
Chen Yao’s dad was indeed a chef — he could make just about anything.
She wandered back to the dining table and asked, “Why don’t you go learn from your parents, Chen Yao? Imagine knowing how to cook everything!”
“I did learn a bit for a few months recently,” Chen Yao said, taking a sip of the peppery soup and sighed, feeling beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “Once we get a rental with a kitchen, I’ll cook whatever you want.”
“Just don’t burn it like you did last time,” Lin Nan said, doubtful of his cooking skills.
“Don’t worry! My dad says I’m a pro now; I can make home-cooked meals no problem!”
Lin Nan nodded decisively. “Once we go back, we’re renting a place with a kitchen!”
“Huh?”
“Sure, the rent might be a bit higher, but cooking for ourselves is cheaper than takeout! It’ll balance out!” Lin Nan said excitedly, moving her legs up and down. “I haven’t cooked in ages, so I’ll cook, and you can do the dishes!”
Chen Yao’s face twisted in discomfort; he hated doing dishes too.
“Just buy a dishwasher when we have the money.”
“A dishwasher?” Lin Nan suddenly questioned if he was implying something.
