530. Chen Yao’s Father
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After waiting for a moment, Lin Nan saw her cousin come out of the bathroom.
She had to admit genes were indeed a magical thing.
Though Lin Nan used to be just an average-looking girl, most of that was due to acne and acne scars messing up her face, not to mention her complete lack of style. Back then, her personality was super introverted, which naturally made her just a face in the crowd.
And her little cousin, Lin Qi, despite being a bit of a slacker who used to sport an edgy haircut covering half his face, working as a gamer and living the hermit life, still managed to have a steady stream of girlfriends. Guess looks do matter a little.
Oh, and that time when he was coaxed into dressing as a girl? He actually pulled it off, which just shows the perks of being handsome. If it were an ugly dude, even a wig would be a total eyesore.
Her cousin Lin Jin, on the other hand, knew how to doll herself up, boosting her already pretty face even higher with that ever-so-tempting “wife” vibe that pulls in the youths…
Lin Nan thought if she were a guy, she’d probably have a crush on Lin Jin.
She grabbed four zongzi and waltzed over, practically shoving them into Lin Jin’s hands. “I made these myself, take a few for dinner!”
A faint smile spread across Lin Jin’s face as she nodded and accepted the zongzi, then looked toward Lin Nan’s seat. “Is that your boyfriend?”
“Yep.”
“Nice!” She smiled and pointed toward another compartment. “My husband is still waiting for me. If I have some free time in the next couple of days, I’ll come find you to hang out.”
Following her finger, Lin Nan spotted her husband— a slender, charming guy with that mature, manly vibe. “Okay.”
He was handsome, sure, but maybe a bit too old for her taste.
He looked a few years older than Lin Jin, probably nearing thirty, which meant he was nearly ten years older than Lin Nan.
Lin Nan gave a slight nod to Lin Jin’s husband as a greeting and ran back to her seat.
She lifted her head, stared at Chen Yao’s face, and after a long comparison, she smirked. “You’re not as handsome as my cousin’s husband.”
Chen Yao shot her a glare, looking a tad jealous. “So what if he’s better looking? There are plenty of better-looking guys on TV and in movies, and you won’t be able to cozy up to them.”
“Well, that’s a whole different story,” Lin Nan reminisced about her alluring magic spells.
Theoretically, as long as she could see those handsome stars, she could charm them up.
Maybe she should consider attending Hu Ge’s offline meet-and-greet. Hmm…
“Are you really thinking of hitting on them?” Chen Yao teased in mock surprise. “So you’d ditch me?”
Lin Nan puffed out her chest, declaring confidently, “I’ll create a harem! I want them all!”
“Good luck keeping up with that!” Chen Yao chuckled, lightly tapping her head.
“Alright, I’ll pass then.”
With the joke wrapped up, Lin Nan stretched and leaned on Chen Yao, yawning nonstop.
The light outside dimmed, and she squinted towards the distant rosy clouds, watching the sun sink lower on the horizon until she dozed off.
When she woke up, the train was almost at the station.
Chen Yao had his backpack on, one hand gripping Lin Nan’s bag, standing in the aisle and urging her, “Hurry up, or we’ll miss the stop!”
“Ugh, no rushing.” She lifted her b*tt, groggy as she stumbled into the aisle, grabbing onto Chen Yao’s shirt, squinting like a sleepy cat as they walked off the train.
The train station was in the provincial city, and they had to take the bus back to their old home in the county.
However, the train ride took only about an hour and a half, while the bus usually took about an hour, if they were lucky enough to find seats.
As they left the exit, Lin Nan finally felt a bit more alert. But just thinking about the crowded bus made her mood sink again.
“How about we just order a Didi to get home?” Lin Nan mumbled, her face showing her displeasure. Snatching her bag from Chen Yao, she grumbled, “We have a train station in our county too. Why doesn’t the train run that way?”
“Don’t worry, my dad’s coming to pick us up.”
“Huh? Really?” Her gloomy face instantly brightened. She looked around and, sure enough, spotted her uncle standing in the distance.
Excitedly, she dashed over and politely greeted him, “Hello, Uncle. Sorry for crashing at your place again tonight!”
“What do you mean ‘your house’ and ‘my house’?” her uncle teased, smiling at Lin Nan. “Soon enough, we’ll all be one big happy family!”
Chen Yao stepped up next to her, nodding in agreement with his dad. “Exactly! She’s still getting used to calling you ‘Dad’.”
Calling Chen Yao’s dad “Dad” felt just so weird it was practically impossible.
Lin Nan noticed Chen Yao’s dad looking at her expectantly, her face turning crimson as she lowered her head and let out a soft, mosquito-like “Dad…”
“Ah!” Uncle’s face lit up as he beamed with joy, his wrinkles crinkling into a cheerful tableau.
When he heard her voice, he handed her a bottle of cola and cautioned, “Try not to drink too much of this, okay? It’s not good for you.”
“Yeah, got it.”
The three of them followed Chen Yao’s dad toward the train station parking lot, while Lin Nan’s cheeks remained flushed and she hung onto Chen Yao’s arm, avoiding eye contact.
After all, it had only been a few months since they’d first met Chen Yao’s parents.
Calling someone “Mom” and “Dad” still felt way too strange.
Then Chen Yao leaned in close, whispering in Lin Nan’s ear, “When can I hear you call me ‘hubby’?”
Lin Nan’s face turned red with a mix of embarrassment and anger as she stomped down on his foot.
He yelped silently, his face turning red, but with his dad right ahead, he couldn’t let out a sound.
“Chen Yao isn’t bullying you, is he?” Uncle chimed in cheerfully, oblivious to the drama unfolding behind him. “If he’s giving you a hard time, you just let me know! I’ll sort it out for you, no matter how big or small!”
Seriously, why do everyone think I’m the one bullying Lin Nan instead of the other way around?
Chen Yao grinned through the pain, limping behind them.
Glancing over at his girlfriend, he caught Lin Nan sweetly cooing, “No way! I’m the one who bullies him all the time!”
“Ah, then no problem! He’s tough skinned and can take it. Go ahead, bully him as much as you want! He’s broad-minded, he won’t mind.”
Uncle clearly thought of Lin Nan as a fragile, shy flower, easily bullied by the world.
Chen Yao’s face twitched, but thankfully, he’d already been through this with Lin Nan multiple times during the New Year when she had been at his house. Initially infuriated, he’d now accepted this as the new normal without missing a beat.
Sometimes he even doubted if Lin Nan was actually their biological child and that he was just the unexpected odd one out.
Finally arriving at the parking lot, the three of them stopped in front of an old Audi.
Before Lin Nan could ask anything, Chen Yao chimed in, “This car isn’t worth much; it’s a second-hand model now worth just a few thousand.”
“Really?” To Lin Nan, anyone driving a car was a wealthy person.
Once inside, she couldn’t help but touch this and that, feeling a bit restless.
Uncle chuckled at her excitement and said, “Once you two get married, I’ll get you both a car as a wedding gift.”
Lin Nan’s eyes widened as she feigned modesty, “Oh, that would be too expensive! Nah, let’s not.”
——
There’s more to come tonight!
