586. The One Nobody Wants to See【7/20】
On the pedestrian street, Lin Nan and Li Ya had been here before.
And this time, it was already eight at night.
Lin Nan was linking arms with Chen Yao, her eyes darting around at the bustling night market. Everywhere there were stalls selling barbecue, clothes, and, believe it or not, goldfish—this was the only place in the small county where vendors wouldn’t get busted.
“How about we buy a couple of fish to take home?” Chen Yao stopped and pointed to a stall selling goldfish.
Lin Nan rolled her eyes. “What’s the point? After two years, there’s barely any meat on them!”
“So you’re raising goldfish to eat them?” Chen Yao playfully tapped Lin Nan’s head. “You’d be better off with grass carp!”
“If you make me stupid with your tapping, you’re responsible!” Lin Nan cradled her head with both hands and gave Chen Yao an attempted kick.
She was wearing low-heeled sandals with a three-centimeter lift, and when her foot came down, Chen Yao’s face turned pale.
When would she get a pair of heels that were fifteen centimeters? One kick and he’d be crippled!
Chen Yao wisely dropped that topic and shifted gears. “We’ve been walking for a while, but where’s our class teacher?”
“We’ve only covered a third of the street, why the panic?” Lin Nan casually snagged a candied hawthorn from an old man they passed by.
The sandals she was currently wearing were a gift from her mother and aunt after their trip to the hair salon. Even if they were just three centimeters tall, they still felt oddly uncomfortable, like something was slightly off.
She wasn’t likely to trip or twist an ankle, but she unconsciously slowed down her pace, changing her walking style, causing Chen Yao to always lag a step behind, staring at her back.
The night market was lively, filled with young people jostling around, which made Lin Nan feel a bit overwhelmed.
Chen Yao had visited this place often in the past. There were a few internet cafes nearby where he used to pull all-nighters, sneaking out for barbecue when hunger struck. But years had passed, Lin Nan had transformed, while this street stubbornly stayed the same.
After a while, Lin Nan’s feet were starting to feel tired, and she stopped in front of a lamb skewer stall.
It was hard to say whether the owner was actually from Xinjiang, but at least the sign and accent were pretty close. They had half a lamb hanging on display, and the skewers were grilled fresh to order—five bucks each.
“Boss, five skewers!” The aroma of grilled meat wafted to her nose, and she bit her lip, fearing drool might escape.
Chen Yao smartly scanned the QR code to pay and stood next to her with his hands in his pockets, continuing their chat: “Aren’t you worried that by the time we get back, your parrot will have been tossed out by my mom?”
“Auntie isn’t that kind of person.” Lin Nan shot him a glance. “Don’t try to stir the pot between me and Auntie.”
Once the skewers were ready, Lin Nan took a bite, and her little face scrunched up in distaste—the strong mutton flavor hit her hard.
She promptly handed all the skewers to Chen Yao and continued walking.
After passing a few more stalls, Chen Yao suddenly tugged on her arm, pointing to a clothing stall nearby. “Look, our class teacher!”
“Wow, really!”
Next to the stall stood two customers around Chen Yao’s age. Upon closer inspection, Lin Nan recognized one as her high school classmate.
Now that was a headache!
Worried she might be recognized, Lin Nan quickly rummaged through her bag and put on a mask.
Meanwhile, Chen Yao had already approached the class teacher, greeting him with a friendly “Hey, old class!”
The class teacher looked over, his face lighting up with a big smile. “Chen Yao! I almost didn’t recognize you after two years. What happened? You got fat!”
“I’ve just bulked up!” Chen Yao threw an arm around his chubby classmate, who he laughed at. “Old Chen, how come you’re here too?”
“I happened to see the old class while passing by.” Old Chen was a hefty fellow, the kind whose plump figure made it hard to see his eyes.
But before he could chat with Chen Yao for long, he found an excuse to leave, giving Lin Nan a look that felt a bit strange.
The class teacher continued chatting with the other customers about clothes and prices. Chen Yao, ever the helpful guy, joined in to lend a hand.
So, Lin Nan was left standing by herself, arms crossed and watching them like a bored bystander.
Thanks to their teamwork, when the class teacher’s customers left with bags in hand, he finally had time to talk to Chen Yao.
“How’s college treating you?” The teacher set out three little stools. “Sit! Let Lin Nan sit too.”
Chen Yao plopped down with a cheeky grin, but suddenly jumped, turning his head to look at Lin Nan, who was still standing a bit far away, unclear on what was going on.
The teacher waved at her with a cheerful expression. Hesitating, Lin Nan walked over, feeling a bit awkward as she introduced herself, “I’m Chen Yao’s girlfriend…”
But the teacher kicked one of the stools. “Sit.”
“Oh…” Lin Nan shrank into her chair.
Although the teacher had always been nice to her, she felt strange being so casual with him in this new role.
“Lin Nan, you and Chen Yao are dating now?”
“Uh-huh.” Lin Nan instinctively nodded but quickly lifted her head. “Huh?”
“Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize you just because you have a mask on and are dressed as a girl?” The teacher laughed and ruffled her hair. “Pretty nice!”
What’s so nice about it?
Why aren’t you even a little surprised?!
“Your mom told me all about you a long time ago.” The teacher chuckled. “At that time, your mom asked me how to change your registered gender. I asked her a few questions, and I understood everything.”
Back in high school, the teacher had stayed in contact with her parents. After all, someone had to step in when parents did not show up to meetings, plus he had even met with them occasionally.
Later, when her mom wanted to deal with Lin Nan’s registered gender issue and didn’t know the procedures, asking her former high school teacher made sense.
Now, Lin Nan felt awkward and flustered.
If only she hadn’t claimed to be Chen Yao’s girlfriend!
“Take off your mask so I can see?”
Keeping her head down, Lin Nan removed her mask, fiddling with her hands nervously.
Chen Yao shifted his stool closer to her, leaning in. “Old class, can I pair up with Lin Nan?”
“That’s a match made in heaven! Lin Nan looks way prettier than before now that she’s back to being a girl.” The teacher’s eyes crinkled with delight, with the two students who once drove him up the wall now turned into a couple—it all felt unreal.
Hearing the phrase “back to being a girl” put a smile on Lin Nan’s face.
She started relaxing from her earlier awkwardness, and just like before, she reached out to the teacher. “Where’s my fruit?”
“I’ll go get it for you in a bit.” The teacher asked, “So, Lin Nan, how’s university? You’re not still skipping classes and hanging out with Chen Yao all night, are you?”
“Of course not! I didn’t skip classes with him in our senior year.” Mentioning that black history, Lin Nan glared at Chen Yao. “It’s all his fault for leading me astray back then!”
“I even advised you not to hang out with Chen Yao, but you wouldn’t listen!”
Chen Yao looked utterly helpless, always feeling like he was the punching bag everywhere he went.
