444. White Gift [6/60]
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During dinner, the sky got darker and gloomier.
Lin Nan sat on the sofa, worries gnawing at her as she picked at the shrimp shells with her nails. Every now and then, she sneaked a glance at Chen Yao’s expression, only to rapidly look down again in a fluster.
The wine she bought was sitting unused on the side; Lin Nan wasn’t really in the mood to drink. In contrast, Chen Yao had already downed four cans. Beer with seafood? At this rate, she wondered when he’d end up with gout, just like her grandfather.
“Don’t drink so much,” Lin Nan whispered, “Drinking too much isn’t good for you. My grandfather loved beer, and look where it got him—gout.”
“Okay, I’ll listen,” Chen Yao replied.
His voice was dry, his hands slightly trembling, and he nervously took another swig.
It looked like Lin Nan really had agreed to whatever was happening tonight.
But how on earth do you go about doing something like that?
Despite having watched plenty of “instructional films,” this was his first real-life mission.
What if I finish in three seconds and Lin Nan just ends up hammering me down?
Isn’t there supposed to be something else to do first?
Sweat was pooling in his palms as he feared Lin Nan might be dissatisfied and call off the engagement. He was physically healthy, sure, but when it came to this, he’d never tried before, and he felt shy about it.
He swallowed hard, sneakily raised his head to look at Lin Nan’s pretty face, and felt like time was dragging on forever.
If only he had known tonight would involve seafood! And not just any seafood—shellfish! Peeling them alone took half an hour, not to mention actually eating them.
“Uh… I’ll step outside for a moment,” Chen Yao said, his face turning slightly red. “I forgot to buy something.”
“What did you forget?” Lin Nan asked, lifting her head, her cheeks flushed and her eyes soft with flirtation, her brows arched with seduction.
Chen Yao nearly cracked, but thinking of his future made him conclude stepping out was necessary.
“I forgot to buy… you know, protection…” he said, scratching his head awkwardly. “We’re still in school, so… you know.”
For some reason, seeing him so nervous with his legs shaking, Lin Nan suddenly felt a lot more relaxed.
Turns out this guy is scared too!
She softly replied and looked down at the sea of seafood on the table, feeling a bit lost on how to proceed.
Once Chen Yao had left, she cast a “calm” spell on herself. Her mind cleared up significantly, and the redness on her face was fading quickly. However, just the thought of what might happen tonight made that flush come right back in under a minute.
This magic is totally useless!
She sighed, obediently peeling a shrimp for herself.
The term “shrimp” got popular online a few years ago. Lin Nan didn’t quite get what kind of creature it was at first, but later she realized it was just the same as the shrimp she used to eat at her grandpa’s place back in the day!
Maybe due to the not-so-great weather, the seafood Chen Yao bought wasn’t quite as tender as one would hope. It was more of a “let’s try something new” situation—certainly not satisfying. But to be fair, she was a bit too nervous to focus on dinner anyway.
Chen Yao returned soon, expressionless, continuing to drink and gnaw on the seafood.
The two of them sat in silence, and the atmosphere in the room was a bit awkward.
After a while, the seafood was in a dire state of chaos on the table. Lin Nan sniffed at the fishy smell on her hands and rushed to the bathroom to wash them with body wash, trying to scrub that unpleasant odor away.
Once her hands smelled only of body wash, she sat on the bed, legs tucked beneath her, feeling restless.
“I cleaned up,” Chen Yao said as he pushed open the door to the room.
“Mm,” Lin Nan looked up at him, her curiosity piqued. “Are we… going for a double?”
“…”
Chen Yao silently stared at Lin Nan, and after seeing her blush and quickly look down, he suddenly burst out laughing. “Scared?”
“A little…”
“Well then, forget it,” he swayed slightly, leaning against the door, a bit more tipsy than he had intended.
Lin Nan was surprised and looked up at him again, only to find Chen Yao’s face was completely red and he looked extremely anxious.
“Really forgetting it?” she asked again. “Don’t regret it, okay?”
Chen Yao’s nervousness mixed with a hint of hesitation suggested he might regret his earlier words. After drinking, he clearly couldn’t suppress his emotions, wearing his feelings right on his sleeve like Lin Nan.
“I’ll grab another drink. After today, I promise I won’t drink again.” Chen Yao turned to leave the room.
For some reason, seeing him like that gave Lin Nan a twitch of guilt.
She inhaled deeply, trying to mentally prepare herself. Images of Lilith partying all night swirled in her head, but then she felt bashful. The flush spread all over her body, and she didn’t even think of using magic to calm down.
Her delicate skin began to glow with a flustered pink, and she felt her breathing getting heavier, everything around her tinted with soft shades of rose.
Heat coursed through her, making Lin Nan, who was used to temperature-controlling magic, squirm uncomfortably on the bed.
When Chen Yao downed the last bottle of beer in the living room, he headed back into the room and found her lying on the bed, squirming and panting heavily, her red lips breathing hard, legs rubbing gently against the blankets like a cat in a flirtatious manner.
This scene seemed a bit familiar.
Chen Yao suddenly recalled Lin Nan sleeping soundly in his house one morning.
At that time, he hadn’t thought much of it, but seeing this version of Lin Nan made everything click.
His mouth went dry as he walked over to the desk and took a sip of water, feeling himself heating up as well.
“Lin Nan…” he called out, his voice husky, “Is this really okay?”
“Mm.” Lin Nan tilted her head, looking at him with dazed eyes, resembling a little cat.
Though he didn’t get a confirmation answer, her posture was practically an invitation.
Chen Yao, nervously undressed, climbed onto the bed, but was unexpectedly kicked off.
Stunned, he looked up, only to see Lin Nan had burrowed into the blankets, making muffled sounds from within.
“Turn off the lights.” Lin Nan felt her embarrassment was about to reach critical mass.
She never expected to find herself in a situation like this.
I’m about to give it away tonight! Isn’t it too sudden? Will Chen Yao think I’m too easy?
Even though they were already engaged, they’d only been dating a few months.
Could I still use the calm spell? … But I feel so excited!
Will it be comfortable? Will it hurt? What am I even thinking?! So embarrassing!
Amid overwhelming embarrassment blended with excitement and anticipation, her chaotic emotions and heated body made it hard for Lin Nan to think straight.
“Then why did you kick me?” Chen Yao mumbled as he got up from the floor and switched off the light.
The bedroom plunged into darkness, and Chen Yao climbed back onto the bed, his trembling hand resting on Lin Nan’s shoulder.
Both their bodies froze for a moment.
At that point, Lin Nan suddenly sat up. “Forget it! Let’s go for a double! I…”
“It’s too late!” Chen Yao leaped like a tiger, pinning her down.
