422. Marriage?! 【38/99】
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“Chen… Chen Yao.”
“Don’t do that, I’m not ready yet…”
“Don’t touch there, uhm…”
Lin Nan jolted awake, cold sweat rolling down her face from the nightmare she just had. For some strange reason, she felt a hint of disappointment, wishing she could just close her eyes and jump back into that dream.
The early morning sunlight peeked through the curtains, casting a dim light in the room.
Her head felt heavy. She had mostly forgotten what happened last night, only recalling that after drinking, it was as if she had turned into a different person.
And then…
She looked down and lifted the covers, only to find her short-sleeve shirt hiked up, exposing a good portion of her fair skin, and a hand resting quite comfortably on her chest.
“That guy, no wonder I had that kind of dream…”
Honestly, if she could ignore the wave of embarrassment, being touched like that didn’t feel like much. Lin Nan couldn’t understand why Chen Yao had such high expectations for her chest; back when she was a guy, she preferred a flatter chest anyway.
Carefully pushing Chen Yao’s hand away, Lin Nan’s face flushed uncontrollably. She turned to glare at the peacefully sleeping Chen Yao, her frustration boiling over. With a swift kick, she sent her foot flying right at him.
How dare you do that in my dream!
“Holy sh*t?!”
Chen Yao shot up in shock, “What’s wrong? What’s going on?!”
After a moment of confusion, he finally focused on Lin Nan’s furious face, completely bewildered.
“What did I do to offend you?” he asked, blankly.
Lin Nan shot a glance at the packaging for the pancake on the nightstand and pointed an accusatory finger. “You ate my pancake!”
“Duh, you were asleep before the pancakes even arrived,” Chen Yao said with a helpless grin, “I couldn’t just waste it, could I?”
“Couldn’t you at least wake me up?”
Because waking you up carries a bit of risk…
Lin Nan knew she was being unreasonable and felt guilty after a couple of back-and-forths. She swung her legs out of bed, her bare feet landing on the blanket before jumping down.
She hadn’t showered last night, and now that she was awake, she felt a bit uncomfortable, desperate for a wash to freshen up.
“I’m going to shower, you can step out for a bit.”
“Sure.” Chen Yao yawned and rubbed his eyes as he left the bedroom.
It was Saturday, and barely 7 a.m. Although she had gone to bed late, maybe thanks to the alcohol, Lin Nan’s sleep had been cut short.
She still had a class to attend at Pan Maoxin’s later that afternoon.
Finally having a weekend off, yet she couldn’t just lounge in bed all day. Instead, she had to endure a long bus ride back and forth all afternoon.
If it weren’t for the money, Lin Nan would have been tempted to quit her job.
No wonder Li Na isn’t a tutor anymore… But if it were her, wouldn’t taking the bus be a little beneath her? She should be able to zip from school to downtown in an instant.
As she showered, lost in thought, Lin Nan glanced down at her proportional body and let out a long sigh.
If she had seen a girl with that figure in the past, she would’ve been over the moon. But now, she felt nothing, as if she had become Chen Yao’s half-cooked duck.
Once married, it would be a whole different story…
The images from her recent dream suddenly popped back into her mind, and Lin Nan bit her lower lip, feeling a surprising lack of aversion.
After all, having been around Chen Yao for a while now, every inch of her body had been touched in some way… I mean, Chen Yao was a normal guy. If he spent every night with his girlfriend and didn’t make a move, she’d start to suspect he had a condition or was just gay.
But she had to keep it together; marriage could wait.
With how men are, who knew if he’d lose interest after some time?
That thought made Lin Nan feel extra embarrassed. Taking a deep breath, she turned to look at her reflection in the mirror.
Her skin glowed with a subtle blush, her brows slightly furrowed in a shy manner, yet there was an alluring charm in her expression.
“Good lord, I look ridiculous…”
Lin Nan quickly averted her gaze from her figure and adjusted the water temperature down, hoping to wash away that blush with cold water. But the magic of her own embarrassment made it so she only felt the coolness pass over her skin; it did nothing to help her at all.
She shook her head vigorously and bent down, splashing cold water on her head.
She took a good thirty minutes to shower before finally slipping into her cozy homewear, and then hanging the alcohol-scented blanket from last night on the window’s drying rack.
Stepping out of the bedroom, she realized Chen Yao had already returned with breakfast.
“Some crispy pancakes, triangle cakes, soybean milk—pick what you want.” Chen Yao lounged with his legs crossed, sporting dark circles under his eyes while yawning intermittently.
“Crispy pancakes? Can those be eaten?” Lin Nan asked, dubious.
Crispy pancakes were a specialty breakfast from her hometown, and back in high school, she’d get up early every few days just to have a bowl.
“They’re not great, too fishy, and their color’s a bit off—eat them if you want,” Chen Yao shrugged.
Lin Nan sat beside Chen Yao, feeling cautious that her earlier flustered appearance might still linger.
But judging by Chen Yao’s expression, he seemed to have returned to normal.
Breakfast was disappointing, but what could she do? Eating her hometown’s specialties elsewhere rarely tasted authentic.
“It’s still early. Are you going to catch up on sleep or…?” Chen Yao looked at her, smiling, “We need to take a day off on Monday and Tuesday.”
“Huh?”
Lin Nan looked up, unable to process what he was saying.
He handed his phone to Lin Nan. “I’ve already bought the tickets for you. We’re heading back this afternoon.”
“Back for what?” Lin Nan was taken aback.
Is it engagement? Already? Haven’t Chen Yao and I only been together for just under six months? Isn’t that a bit too rushed for an engagement?
Do you have to host a banquet for an engagement? I don’t even know how to do my makeup, what does that mean for me…?
“Your mom wants to get married.”
“???”
Now she was utterly confused.
“She said she got divorced not long ago and is thinking of marrying again. She didn’t know how you’d feel about it, so she sent me to ask.” Chen Yao rested his chin on his hand, a bright smile on his face. “I think it sounds good.”
“Is it that uncle?”
Chen Yao didn’t know who Lin Nan meant by “that uncle.” Seeing her stunned expression, he assumed she wasn’t too happy about it and tried to reassure her. “I get your mom’s situation. Even if I didn’t know her well, she’s at an age where it’s perfectly fine to find someone she likes and settle down for the rest of her life, right?”
“Well, I’m not opposed…” Lin Nan nodded, “But who’s she marrying? Why is it so rushed…?”
Chen Yao explained, “It’s not rushing, really. Just over the weekend, you’ll get to meet her new partner. If you like him, great; if not, then your mom won’t marry him.”
“What’s that got to do with me?” Lin Nan mumbled, but her smile was wider than she could contain.
Well, looks like her mother’s later years might just have some hope. That’s nice.
