400. Trying to Be Impressive Failed
The Next Day, Early Morning.
Lin Nan opened her eyes with a hint of fatigue.
For some reason, whenever she slept, she liked to treat Chen Yao like a giant stuffed toy. Just before sleeping, she’d be lying flat like a good girl, but upon waking, she’d often find herself hugging Chen Yao, her head snuggled against his shoulder.
Chen Yao was already awake, his eyes wide open, fearing that any sudden movement might wake Lin Nan. He had no clue how long he had been stuck in this position.
“Awake?”
Noticing Lin Nan’s movements, he turned to look at her resting against his shoulder.
With her big eyes still dazed from sleep, Lin Nan was yawning repeatedly, rubbing her face, and then hugged Chen Yao even tighter, planning to catch a few more Z’s.
“Don’t sleep! It’s almost noon! You still have to take the bus for your part-time job.”
“Fine,” Lin Nan reluctantly released Chen Yao, flipped over, and stretched out on the bed.
At last freed from her grasp, Chen Yao struggled to sit up, his left arm having lost most of its feeling under Lin Nan’s weight.
But he didn’t complain; he just gave a wry smile while glancing at Lin Nan, who was still rolling around in bed, “So, what are we having for lunch?”
“Fried noodles. I’ll run downstairs to Sha County to buy some, and toss the trash while I’m at it.”
“Okay, I’ll brush my teeth first.”
Mornings during holidays were typically harmonious. During school time, getting up together felt like a battlefield. It was always Chen Yao dragging Lin Nan out of bed, racing to reach the classroom just in time.
After a few more minutes of dozing off, Lin Nan finally felt a bit more awake. She propped her head up with one hand and asked Chen Yao, who was now in the bathroom, “So, do I have to dress like a guy to meet Peiqi today?”
“Best stick to the guy outfit. He’s still a bit confused,” Chen Yao said, his mouth full of toothpaste foam and tinted with a hint of amusement. “You have no idea how he looked when seeing you in guy’s clothes—he thought you might be taking some weird meds or planning to go to Thailand for surgery!”
“So, when he sees my long hair, he believes I’m a girl and doesn’t think about those things anymore?”
Lin Nan swung her legs off the bed, yawning like a lion.
“Probably because your hairstyle is more girly?” Chen Yao wasn’t a mind reader, so he had no idea what Zhu Yong Wen was concocting in his head.
“Maybe.”
Despite it being the May Day holiday, Lin Nan was still busy today.
After lunch, around eleven thirty, she boarded a bus heading to the city center for her tutoring job.
Just thinking about dealing with Zhu Yong Wen after the class made her head ache. Holidays shouldn’t be this exhausting—she felt more tired than during the actual school days.
She knocked on the door of Pan Maoxin’s house. After a moment of waiting, a stranger—just a kid—opened the door.
“Where’s Pan Maoxin?” she curiously asked the boy.
“Maoxin! Pretty girl’s looking for you!” The boy turned and ran off shouting, “Is she your girlfriend? She’s so pretty!”
Lin Nan couldn’t help but chuckle, stepping inside to change into her slippers. She looked around the living room, which was a complete mess, a chaos that made it resemble a dog’s den.
Feeling comfortable, as if she was in her own home, she headed to the fridge, grabbed a can of sugar-free cola, and started searching for any snacks she fancied.
Pan Maoxin appeared from his bedroom, peeking out at the sight of Lin Nan rifling through the fridge.
His urge to show off overshadowed his fear of Lin Nan. He looked at the boy and said, “See? My girlfriend! Smart and pretty!”
“Seriously?”
“Why else would my dad let her crash our tutoring session? She’s a genius!” Pan Maoxin patted his little cousin on the shoulder. “You see, my English scores for the monthly exam went up by a bunch, all thanks to my girlfriend.”
While saying this, he couldn’t shake off the tingling sensation at the back of his neck. But the show must go on! With a stiffened resolve, he continued, “But you gotta call her Teacher Lin, got it?”
“Isn’t she your girlfriend?”
“When she’s tutoring us, she’s our teacher.”
“What are you mumbling about?” Lin Nan, munching on some beef jerky and holding her cola, walked over with a puzzled look, then turned to the other boy, “Is this your classmate?”
Pan Maoxin draped an arm over the boy’s shoulder and introduced him, “This is my little cousin, he’s sixteen, also a high school freshman. Meet Pan Wen.”
His English isn’t so great either, and Dad made him join us. He said this with a proud smirk, but suddenly the ache in his cheek hit him, making his smile flicker.
At least he had someone to share the beating with.
Pan Wen stood around five foot eight, wore glasses, and looked quite timid compared to Pan Maoxin, who was simply a chaotic mess.
Lin Nan found him somewhat likable.
“Hello, sister-in-law,” Pan Wen greeted awkwardly.
Pan Maoxin’s face dropped in an instant, and Lin Nan’s smile froze like a popsicle.
“Don’t say that! You’re supposed to call her Teacher!” Pan Maoxin frantically covered Pan Wen’s mouth, gazing nervously at Lin Nan’s completely impassive face. His heart raced like a drum.
He stammered trying to explain, but upon seeing Lin Nan raise a hand, he spun around and bolted.
“Teacher! Sis! Give me some face in front of my cousin!” he yelled while running.
If she wasn’t worried about exposing her magic, Lin Nan would have already tackled him from a few meters away.
Pan Wen was bewildered. His reckless cousin was actually scared stiff by a girl, and he couldn’t wrap his head around it.
Feeling a bit unnerved himself, he thought: This girl, who looks about my age, seems to have some powerful skills to keep my cousin in check!
“Alright, let’s get started with the class,” Lin Nan thought, a bit worried.
It seemed like the side effects of her magic were starting to kick in.
While the magic for tutoring was useful and freed students from rote memorization, it was troublesome if they developed a crush on her.
She had already been strict, and in just a few classes, she had smacked Pan Maoxin twice. How were the side effects showing up so quickly?
Following the now cowed Pan Wen into the bedroom, they found three chairs neatly arranged in front of the computer desk, with Pan Maoxin sitting at the back, studiously trying to memorize English words in hopes of smoothing things over with Lin Nan.
“Let’s start with an hour of self-study, focusing on English grammar,” Lin Nan plopped down in a chair, her expressionless face giving nothing away.
“Grammar?” Pan Maoxin froze for a moment. Wait, what even is that? Is it even in the book?
But he didn’t dare ask, nor move, hunching down as he flipped through the book in silence, replaying the memories of being hit. Life was starting to feel like a drag.
Pan Wen took a seat, glancing at his rowdy cousin’s compliant demeanor, silently praising his sister-in-law’s prowess.
Lin Nan felt a bit worn out, yawning and leaning over the desk, keeping an eye on the two while also plotting how to handle Zhu Yong Wen later tonight.
But really, can anyone pull off tutoring with such ease?
