467. Early Morning
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“Lin Nan! Lin Nan!”
In her dazed state, it seemed like someone was calling her name.
Lin Nan opened her confused eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling. The voice came and went, making it a bit hard to tell if this was a dream or reality.
After a moment, her brain started to wake up a little, and the knocking outside grew increasingly violent.
“Who is it?” she mumbled, elbowing the dead-to-the-world Chen Yao next to her. “Go answer the door.”
Chen Yao stirred awake.
He grabbed the phone from the bedside table, glanced at the time, and groaned—just a little past seven o’clock. Still half an hour before their usual wake-up time.
He flipped onto his side and yawned. “Who’s knocking so early? Got nothing better to do?”
“Who knows?”
Lin Nan flipped over, facing the wall, pulling the blanket over her head in a desperate attempt to block out the world’s noise. “Just open the door! I want to snooze a bit more.”
“Fine,” Chen Yao muttered as he got up, trudging to the front door. He flung it open, only to freeze.
Standing outside was Lilith, dressed in pure black and sporting a strappy mini dress, and beside her was Li Lisi, whose baby face made it hard to believe she was in college.
Chen Yao’s gaze couldn’t help but drift towards the long legs peeking out from under Lilith’s dress. “What’s up this early in the morning?”
“We’re here to get Lin Nan for breakfast,” Lilith replied, her expression a mix of world-weary and exasperated. “We planned this yesterday.”
“Really?” Chen Yao scratched the back of his head. He didn’t recall Lin Nan mentioning anything about breakfast plans. Turning back to the bedroom, he called, “Nan Nan, Li Lisi is looking for you. She says you two have breakfast plans.”
From her cozy cocoon on the bed, Lin Nan grunted in response and then buried herself deeper under the blankets.
There was no way she had made breakfast plans with Lilith!
Now fully awake and irritated, Chen Yao abandoned all hope of sleep and went to wash up, while Lin Nan was still firmly refusing to rise, eyes closed, trying to ignore Lilith.
But Lilith didn’t show any signs of patience. Just two minutes later, she burst into the bedroom, yanked the blankets off Lin Nan, and hands on her hips, glared at her. “Get up already! I’ve been waiting forever!”
“Just five more minutes…” Lin Nan reached for Chen Yao’s blanket to cover herself again.
But of course, that blanket was snatched away. “Hurry up!”
“Are you crazy?” Lin Nan opened her eyes, begrudgingly rolling over to glare at the two girls at her bedside. “What do you need me for so early? Go bother Wang Rui instead!”
“Who’s Wang Rui?”
As soon as she said that, Lin Nan noticed Lilith’s expression change, while Li Lisi curiously peeked into the bedroom.
Wait! Li Lisi is here too?
Lin Nan blinked at the two girls and then, curiously, glared past them at Chen Yao, who was in the bathroom brushing his teeth. Why wasn’t he saying anything?
“Nothing,” she shrugged, perking up a little as she sat up in bed, feigning confusion. “Maybe I just overslept?”
“You’re exposed,” Li Lisi pointed out. “And you’re wearing pink!”
Chen Yao’s ears perked up at the mention of ‘exposed’ and he turned to peek under Lin Nan’s skirt.
Lin Nan glanced down at her sleepwear, which had somehow crawled up to her thighs, quickly adjusted her skirt, and shot Li Lisi an embarrassed glare. “So what if I’m wearing pink underwear!”
She sprang up from the bed, indignation radiating from her. “Get out! I need to change!”
“What’s there to be shy about? We’re all girls here!” Li Lisi giggled, clearly wanting to stick around.
Other girls might tolerate it, but not Li Lisi!
Lin Nan shoved the two of them out of the bedroom, then looked over at Chen Yao, who had just finished washing up.
“I want to go out too!”
“Why not?”
“We’re practically an old couple; it’s not like I haven’t seen anything…” Chen Yao mumbled as he left the room, only to receive a kick on the backside from Lin Nan before he could get very far.
What a chaotic morning!
Lin Nan sighed, wondering who she had offended to deserve this.
Her once-peaceful campus life was now a whirlwind, with both Li Lisi and Lilith seemingly eager to stir up trouble.
One wanted to start a business and the other was on the prowl for a guy…
It felt like Li Lisi might be wearing the metaphorical green hat, even if it seemed like it was just her wishful thinking.
After changing into some regular clothes and tying her increasingly long hair into a ponytail, Lin Nan stepped out of her room.
The ponytail didn’t really suit her face, but she was getting tired of hair falling onto her neck—it just felt messy.
Maybe it was time for a haircut; just a trim would do.
With her appearance mostly presentable, Lin Nan left the bedroom and saw the three people in the living room, wearing a look of sleep-deprivation mixed with resignation. “Let’s go.”
Walking beside Chen Yao, Lin Nan observed Lilith and Li Lisi, noticing they both had something on their minds.
Lilith seemed a bit uncomfortable in her flirty mini skirt, constantly fidgeting with the sides, as if afraid of a sudden gust of wind.
After all, such styles didn’t exist in her home world.
She stole a glance at Chen Yao, who looked a bit out of place among the girls, but his gaze…
She stepped on Chen Yao’s foot. “Eyes are going to fall out if you keep staring!”
Chen Yao hurriedly pulled his gaze away from Lilith’s long legs, appearing sheepish. “Your legs aren’t that special.”
“Oh, please. Men.”
Although Lin Nan used to be a guy and understood the urge to check out pretty girls, it still irked her to no end.
“When are you going to wear a mini skirt or shorts?” Chen Yao attempted to nudge Lin Nan. “Your legs are awesome—show them off a little!”
“And be stared at by other guys?”
Chen Yao immediately shook his head. “Nah, let’s just keep that at home.”
Just as they were chatting away, Lilith suddenly slowed her pace, pushed him aside, and sidled up to Lin Nan.
Lilith was eyeing Li Lisi ahead, whispering to Lin Nan, “You didn’t sell me out, did you?”
“Of course not.”
“She seems a little suspicious.”
Lin Nan actually hoped Li Lisi and Lilith would end up together; that way, Li Lisi wouldn’t bother her, and Lilith could spare Earth’s innocent boys… although the guys who got caught up might not mind at all.
But unfortunately, Lilith’s orientation had always been for the male species, so a pairing with Li Lisi was a bit of a stretch.
“Have you considered Li Lisi?” Lin Nan suggested. “She seems to really like you. She’s been working hard for you for centuries! That kind of devotion is rare, you know?”
And let’s not forget, Li Lisi had some yandere tendencies…
“She just wants my body! Disgusting! A pervert who likes women!” Lilith gritted her teeth. “When we were younger, she…”
Lin Nan froze, unsure if she unintentionally strayed into messy territory.
