598. The Delayed Class Reunion
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The otaku dance and the subsequent morning exercises made Chen Yao feel extremely satisfied with this birthday gift.
Unfortunately, that bold outfit was quickly swapped out, and his eyes had barely feasted before it was gone. But thinking that this delight was just for him brought a smirk to his heart.
Stretching languidly at the head of his bed, Chen Yao felt invigorated by today’s events and asked Lin Nan with a grin, “So what made you think of dancing as my birthday gift?”
Lin Nan had changed into her usual home long dress, wrapped up snugly with only her calves showing, the oversized garment concealing her curves.
Her face was still flushed, quite tempting really, but she was focused on her phone with a serious expression. Upon hearing Chen Yao’s question, she buried her head deeper, mumbling, “I see you watching otaku dance videos all the time. Didn’t you mention it before?”
Didn’t I?
Chen Yao scratched his head, realizing he only watched a few UPs’ dance videos, maybe once a week.
So Lin Nan was likely… jealous?
He stared at her profile, but aside from her blush, not much else was visible. He ventured, “It’s my birthday today, how about we treat ourselves to something nice?”
“Oh right! The class teacher mentioned organizing a high school reunion, wasn’t that today?” Lin Nan suddenly asked.
Reunions are usually set for around the fifth day after New Year. Students in college are still on break, and those working are typically off at this time, plus visiting relatives on the second and third days means maximum attendance.
But this year’s reunion was interrupted by the pandemic, so the teacher rescheduled it for summer.
Now, in mid-August, most school-age students would be on break.
Chen Yao hadn’t expected Lin Nan to bring this up, especially since she probably wouldn’t attend the reunion.
After considering it for a moment, he nodded, “I plan to go, but if you’re treating me to a big birthday meal, then I might skip the reunion?”
That was what he said, but he really wanted to go. Unlike Lin Nan, who had barely any friends in high school, Chen Yao managed to connect with almost every guy in the class.
Whether it was the basketball lovers, game enthusiasts, the habitual truant who hung out with him, or the anime nerds who could actually hold a conversation—he had a ton of interests and was pretty easygoing.
Lin Nan only really knew her deskmate, Zhu Yong Wen.
And that guy still couldn’t figure out why Lin Nan looked like an androgynous creature when she returned after two years. He was probably still scratching his head over it.
“How about I make you a late-night snack at home? You go enjoy the reunion?” Lin Nan thought it wouldn’t be nice to keep Chen Yao from attending.
“Your late-night snacks? I’d definitely rush back for that.”
Chen Yao ruffled Lin Nan’s hair and glanced out the window.
It was already nearing afternoon; after some ruckus and gaming, it was about time to head out for dinner.
So he stood up, threw on a short-sleeve shirt, and donned his beach shorts, intending to go out like this.
“You could at least shave a bit first!” Lin Nan complained about Chen Yao going out looking like a scruff.
He paused, reluctantly fetched a razor from the drawer, and grumbled, “It’s not like I’m going on a date. Why dress to impress? Am I trying to snag a cute girl?”
As soon as he said this, he quickly dodged to the side—sure enough, a pair of delicate little feet kicked at the air.
“Caught you!” he exclaimed excitedly.
Then a lemon dove straight at his face, flapping its wings indignantly before returning proudly to Lin Nan’s shoulder, making a mocking squawk.
The claws had scratched his face a bit, but nothing severe. Chen Yao gnashed his teeth at the proud little lemon, wondering what kind of circus it thought it was running.
After hastily shaving his scruff, Chen Yao dashed out the door.
Although it was only three in the afternoon, it took about an hour to reach the spot, order food, and chat, so he’d need to hustle to eat by five.
As the sound of the front door closing echoed through the house, Lin Nan suddenly felt a wave of silence wash over the room.
The lemon on her shoulder clearly wasn’t adjusting well to this newfound quiet either, hopping over to the computer and squawking at Lin Nan a couple of times.
So, she sat in front of the computer, opened the music software, and started playing some tunes.
Resting her chin on her hands, she gazed out of the small window into the world where hurried pedestrians rushed by, accompanied by the lemon’s off-key chirps trying to keep time with the music. For some reason, Lin Nan felt bored so soon after Chen Yao left.
Would Chen Yao feel the same way when she wasn’t home?
Probably not. He’d be gaming—or at least he’d have a ton of games in his backlog, probably dozens he hadn’t beaten. Even if he got tired, he could argue with the lemon or make some videos. He was just never idle.
Her gaze shifted back to the screen, landing on the latest Monster Hunter game Chen Yao had been obsessing over.
Starting a new file meant she’d have to sit through the opening anime. Too boring! She figured it was easier just to use Chen Yao’s character and see how this game worked.
Thirty minutes later, Lin Nan slammed the mouse down in frustration.
“Stupid game! How hyperactive are you? I can’t land a hit and I’m dead already!”
Unable to hold back, she let out a curse.
Even though she had a passive magic that boosted her reflexes, jumping into a game without knowing its mechanics was a recipe for disaster. Back when she played Sekiro, she practiced on the regular enemies. After all, the creatures and bosses had similar mechanics. But in Monster Hunter, she dove straight into the hardest quest available and faced the Icefang Dragon.
Chen Yao had spent three days trying to beat that beast.
And the sense of failure in Monster Hunter stings way more than that of Sekiro.
Fuming, she stood up and shot a glare at the lemon, which looked far too pleased with itself over her struggles. Without hesitation, Lin Nan grabbed it and stuffed it into its cage.
Although this bird couldn’t express emotions on its face due to physiological reasons, its antics and body language clearly conveyed its feelings.
After caring for it for so long, Lin Nan had easily seen through its smug demeanor.
“I’m stepping out for a bit. Don’t go running around.”
Changing into her usual pants and T-shirt, donning a hat and mask, Lin Nan observed herself in the mirror for a moment before striding confidently out the door.
Just because she wasn’t attending the reunion didn’t mean she couldn’t sneak a peek! She could always just stand far away and satisfy her curiosity.
If that wasn’t a good enough reason, who knew if Chen Yao might end up flirting with other women out there?
With a perfectly sound excuse in her mind, Lin Nan stepped out with even more determination.
Reaching the street, she looked up her high school class group, found their reunion location, and excitedly flagged down a passing motorcycle.
“Hey! Where’s the Hui Min barbecue place? The one by the pedestrian street? How much?”
“Fifteen.”
Not even bothering to haggle, Lin Nan hopped onto the motorcycle: “Let’s go!”
She suddenly felt a thrilling mix of nervousness and excitement from the act of stalking and peeping.
