393. Anxious Lin Nan
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Lin Nan’s excuses were, unsurprisingly, a bit lacking.
After all, her friend who she hadn’t seen in years had specifically come to hang out with her, and she had the audacity to say she needed to get a part-time job. It felt a tad too dismissive.
Even if it were a formal job, she could surely take a day off to play with an old friend, right? Not to mention a part-time gig.
And besides, Lin Nan wasn’t ready to lose this high school pal.
Although she’d completely transformed into a woman, essentially flipping her life over, Lin Nan still didn’t want to completely abandon her past relationships.
Especially since Zhu Yong Wen had always been a close buddy, second only to Chen Yao during their high school days.
There was no escaping it.
Lin Nan wasn’t keen on making her situation public, so meeting Zhu Yong Wen in male attire seemed like a solid plan.
In the evening, she fretted as she laid all her male outfits on the bed, furrowing her brows, unsure which one would make her look more masculine.
There was a transformation magic that could turn her male, but the unlocking conditions were way stricter compared to the female version.
Just taking a glance at the requirements made Lin Nan want to throw in the towel.
“Why not wear black? Throw on a sun protection jacket to hide the girls,” Chen Yao suggested casually from the sidelines.
“But that won’t work!” Lin Nan groaned, “I mean, what’s the point of growing up if you don’t even know…”
It would be better if she was a little bulkier.
Chen Yao wanted to counter Lin Nan, but seeing her anxious expression held him back.
“Just say you’ve gained weight! Look at Tu Junhui, he’s at least a C-cup now, right?”
Lin Nan turned her head and shot him a look. “That’s because he’s 200 pounds! Does weight only go to the chest for some people?”
She weighed around 100 pounds, which didn’t look particularly heavy at all. If she were 130 or 140, then she could justify using that excuse.
“And my hair…” Lin Nan seized her short hair; it was short but almost shoulder-length, styled purely feminine, like a typical schoolgirl cut but just a tad longer.
She sighed dramatically. “I can’t just chop it all off, can I?”
Wigs were an option, but Zhu Yong Wen was arriving tomorrow—no time to shop, and Liu Xuefei wouldn’t have men’s wigs available.
“This is easy—just tie your hair up and wear a cap! Say your hairstylist was a psycho and messed it up too short. You’ve got to cover it up,” Chen Yao advised, surprisingly experienced in this matter.
Lin Nan nodded, taking his suggestion to heart. She picked a black short-sleeve shirt and some old casual wear, turning back to him for approval.
Chen Yao dutifully excused himself from the room.
She locked the bedroom door, anxiously changed into the male outfit, and stood in front of the bathroom mirror.
The black shirt did little to hide her figure, merely obscuring her waistline, but the curves up top were still apparent.
The male casual pants felt tight around her rear, which was definitely a sign they were designed for men, not women.
Plus, having lost about five centimeters in height compared to before, the already loose sleeves hung down so much they completely covered her rear… All in all, this outfit didn’t make Lin Nan look any more masculine; if anything, it just highlighted her feminine curves even more.
“FML!” Lin Nan cursed as she spun around to check her back in the mirror.
The loose sleeves did little to camouflaging her feminine silhouette; one glance and it was obvious she was a woman.
Her frustration climbed higher.
Lin Nan suddenly felt like when she first wore a dress at Chen Yao’s place.
That time, no matter how she dressed, she still looked like a dude. She had to resort to transformation magic to get by. Now, in male attire, she looked like a delicate flower instead.
But after her body had feminized and with Liu Xuefei’s makeup skills, even without magic, she could pull off cross-dressing.
Lin Nan grabbed the sun protection jacket she bought last year and threw it on. It slightly concealed her curves, but overall, it wasn’t much of a change.
“Maybe I should just use charm magic… After a short hypnosis, I could convince him I’m a dude. If there’s a problem, just keep it to himself.”
She mumbled, eventually sighing and abandoning that idea. She was worried about turning friends into pretzels—that would be too cruel.
Besides, she now had a boyfriend; she couldn’t mess around. Worst-case scenario, what if she got caught and it all backfired?
Disheartened, she opened the door and walked out of her room, looking down to ask, “How do I look?”
Chen Yao saw Lin Nan in her male attire, his expression hardly changed since he was already used to it from those first days of school when she was still dressing that way.
“This outfit? No matter how you wear it, it doesn’t scream ‘man’ at all,” he said, lounging back on the couch, grinning.
“Don’t laugh!” Lin Nan exploded.
Chen Yao immediately switched to a pitiful expression.
But Lin Nan felt he was purposely mocking her, so she picked up a nearby empty water bottle and hurled it at him.
What kind of face do you want to see for your amusement, huh?
The bottle hit him smack on the forehead.
Lin Nan collapsed onto the couch, wailing, “What am I supposed to do tomorrow? If Zhu Yong Wen finds out I’m a girl now, my legendary high school reputation will be totally ruined!”
“Not really, right?”
“Why isn’t it?” Lin Nan flipped onto her back, resting her head on Chen Yao’s lap, reminding him sternly, “Tomorrow, keep your distance! Got that?”
Chen Yao looked down at Lin Nan, who was still every bit of a beauty in this pose, scratching his head in annoyance. “But we’ve always been close, right? If we try to act distant, it could raise suspicions.”
“If it looks suspicious, just say we had a fight!” Lin Nan replied, biting her lip and plotting. “I’ll wear a thicker jacket to cover my chest… If only it would rain cats and dogs tomorrow!”
It was already over 30 degrees outside, with everyone sporting short sleeves on the streets. Wearing a jacket would definitely draw attention, and who knows—Zhu Yong Wen might think she was a complete fool.
He gently massaged her temples, trying to ease her anxiety. “Aren’t you afraid of heatstroke?”
Heatstroke wasn’t on her mind, though—she had magic for that.
Enjoying Chen Yao’s not-so-professional massage, Lin Nan’s cute face was still clouded with worries. She remained silent for a long time, finally relenting.
“Maybe I should get a chest binder?”
Chen Yao strongly opposed, “No way! Those things are uncomfortable! And your real problem is… your face is too feminine, not your chest.”
What if it really flattened out? It’s not like she had much to begin with!
“Really?” Lin Nan pinched her cheeks. “Should I ask Liu Xuefei to do my makeup tomorrow?”
“Makeup would be way too noticeable!”
“Then… let’s just take it one step at a time?”
Lin Nan surrendered to her fate, realizing that fighting against life’s curveballs was futile.
