434. Back to School【3/60】
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When Chen Yao woke up, he found that the soft body he had held in his arms had already disappeared.
Rubbing his eyes, he stretched lazily and got out of bed. The hangover from last night had left him in a sleepy haze, and his brain felt like it was filled with cotton.
As he was about to get out of bed, he noticed the door being pushed open, and Lin Nan walked in, balancing two breakfast plates.
“Perfect timing, wake up and eat!”
He looked up to see Lin Nan wearing a cute apron, deftly placing the breakfasts on the computer desk. She had a slight blush on her cheeks, making her adorably shy.
“After breakfast, we need to get ready to leave; our train ticket is for noon.” Lin Nan leaned down, took a spoon, and tasted the seaweed porridge she had made. A look of delight washed over her face. “I made this seafood porridge myself! Hurry, come try it! It’s super delicious!”
Chen Yao rolled out of bed, eagerly taking a seat at the table. Even before tasting it, he boasted, “Your seafood porridge has to be amazing! Just smelling it tells me it’s a feast for the eyes and nose!”
“When we get rich, let’s open a restaurant together! You as the head chef, we’ll have lines out the door every day!”
Lin Nan was flattered by his flattery. It was rare for her to be modest, “A restaurant sounds too tiring. I can just cook for fun now and then.”
She sat beside him, eating her porridge while fiddling with a tablet, yawning occasionally. Last night, Chen Yao’s snoring had kept her up, so she’d have to make up for her lost sleep on the train.
After breakfast, Chen Yao looked a bit more refreshed. Lin Nan took away two bowls and found her Aunt was busy packing their bags.
“Auntie, I can do that myself,” she said, turning to her.
Her Aunt looked back with a teasing smile, “Still calling me Auntie, huh?”
“Even if I’m not officially part of the family yet, I’m basically halfway there. Shouldn’t I start calling you Mom?”
Lin Nan was taken aback, feeling a little awkward about the new title. She glanced down, hesitated for a moment, and then softly called out, “Mom…”
“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore,” her Aunt said with an even more loving smile. She pulled out a diamond earring Lin Nan had seen before and shoved it into Lin Nan’s pocket. “Keep this safe; it’s a family heirloom now.”
“Eh?”
“You wouldn’t accept it last time, but now that you’re engaged, you have to take it!”
Lin Nan flusteredly pulled the earring from her pocket and handed it back, “But I don’t have ear holes… what if I lose it?”
“I’ll keep it safe until the wedding, and let Chen Yao put it on you then.” Her Aunt lovingly ruffled Lin Nan’s hair. “Go have fun; I’ll be done packing soon.”
“I’ll wash the dishes,” Lin Nan said, rushing into the kitchen, afraid her Aunt would forbid her from helping.
No matter how lazy she normally was, when at Chen Yao’s house, she had to show how diligent she could be. Otherwise, Uncle Liu and Auntie might start critiquing her!
Her Aunt didn’t say much, just sighed, wondering why other families could raise such obedient and considerate children while she only had a lazy son.
What went wrong?
By ten in the morning, Lin Nan and Chen Yao were ready to leave.
Lin Nan hurriedly put on her little white shoes, stood up, and linked her arm with Chen Yao’s.
Her Aunt stood at the door, waving them off, watching the two grow ever more affectionate, filled with emotion.
“Go on, enjoy the food at school! If Chen Yao bullies you, call me! And if you need money, just WeChat me.”
“Got it!”
Lin Nan flashed her Aunt a smile but when she looked up, she found Chen Yao already standing by the elevator, waiting. She hurried to catch up with him.
For some reason, even though they were only getting engaged, Lin Nan felt her feelings for Chen Yao were changing a bit.
What was once simply a crush now had tastes of something peculiar mixed in.
Standing next to Chen Yao, she looked down, stealing glances at his face.
He seemed to have matured quite a bit overnight.
“What’s up?” Chen Yao noticed her gaze.
“It feels like you’ve changed a lot,” Lin Nan mumbled, “I’ve seen you smile less today; you seem a bit more serious.”
“Really?” Chen Yao smiled gently, reaching over to ruffle her hair, only to get slapped away.
She was extremely displeased and pulled out a comb from her little bag, frowning as she complained, “Auntie just fixed my hair before I left! And now look what you did, just a few minutes!”
She still wasn’t totally used to calling Chen Yao’s mother “Mom.”
Her hair had grown longer, making daily grooming an essential task for Lin Nan.
When the elevator arrived, she walked in while still fixing her hair in the elevator’s mirror-like wall, turning to Chen Yao and asking, “What hairstyle do you like? I want to do big waves once my hair is longer!”
“That’ll make me look older; otherwise, people keep mistaking me for a high schooler.”
“Black and straight looks good,” Chen Yao leaned against the elevator handrail, admiring Lin Nan’s feminine posture, and his smile blossomed even more softly. “You look good in whatever style you choose.”
Lin Nan stuffed the comb back into her bag and shot him a playful glare. “Stop flattering me.”
Even though that feeble eye roll looked more like she was flirting, Chen Yao had gone from terrified at first to getting used to it now. He even started to question if her eye rolls were her way of flirting with him on purpose.
“Just don’t go around telling everyone we’re engaged, or Tu Tu will definitely laugh at me again.” Lin Nan tucked her hair behind her ear, grumbling, “That guy talks too much and is only going to end up getting duct tape on his mouth one of these days.”
“Junhui is just like that—oblivious and shameless; there’s no fixing him.”
Mentioning him made them both remember the time when Tu Junhui dressed up as a girl, and they couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
It was the first time Lin Nan had seen someone so shameless.
Finally, they reached the first floor, and as the elevator doors opened, Lin Nan was surprised to see her mother and Uncle Liu waiting outside.
She rushed over excitedly, smiling at her mother, “Are you here to see me off?”
“Yep, Uncle has a car; he’ll take you both to the train station.” Her mother linked her arm with Lin Nan’s. “Let’s hurry, isn’t your train at eleven? We might not make it!”
“It’s all Chen Yao’s fault for dawdling.”
Chen Yao, with his bag on his back, walked behind Lin Nan without arguing, though it was definitely Lin Nan who had been wasting time fussing over her hair, trimming her eyebrows, and clipping her nails before heading out.
He walked alongside Uncle Liu, sneaking curious glances at him. He rarely saw Uncle Liu, but his hearty demeanor mirrored the way he looked at Lin Nan’s mother, almost as if he gazed at Lin Nan.
“Want a smoke?” Uncle Liu rummaged through his pocket only to pull out the wedding candy he had nabbed yesterday.
As he was about to awkwardly explain himself, Chen Yao chuckled and said, “No smoking allowed; they all hate the smell.”
“Right,” Uncle Liu grinned silly.
