604. I’m His Girlfriend!
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“What’s this Lin Nan business?” That class clown sidled over, looking a bit skeptical as he peered at Lin Nan, his eyes wide with confusion. “Zhu, are you sure you didn’t drink too much? Your eyes are all blurry!”
That new girl is clearly a stunner! How on earth does she resemble that unremarkable little dude from high school?
Though he hardly paid attention to Lin Nan back then—hey, he was too busy being cool with Chen Yao—he still didn’t forget that little guy’s face.
Chen Yao nodded sagely, as if he were the wise oracle of their circle. “I think you’re going blind, dude.”
Zhu Yong Wen scratched his head, feeling lost. No matter how hard he squinted, the girl at the table—mask and all—looked just like Lin Nan! But Chen Yao, her best buddy, was denying it like it was a bad joke.
Pan Hui, realizing Chen Yao was trying to change the subject, shot a glare at Li Ya.
Help me out here! We’ve got to snag both Chen Yao and Lin Nan! If you don’t help me now, there’s no way I’m helping you chase Lin Nan later!
Li Ya froze, glancing bewilderedly at Lin Nan beside her.
“What do we do?”
“Just ignore her,” Lin Nan mumbled, fiddling with her chopsticks.
She desperately wanted to shout, “I’m Chen Yao’s girlfriend!” but, you know, she wasn’t exactly using her own identity right now. What if Zhu Yong Wen went off on one of his wild tangents?
And he had no idea she was Chen Yao’s girlfriend.
After mulling it over, Lin Nan couldn’t come up with a solid plan. Meanwhile, Li Ya stood up, wobbling like a newborn giraffe, and strutted over to Chen Yao.
Chen Yao instantly went on high alert. “What are you doing? Don’t drink anymore; you’re already tipsy out of your mind!”
Li Ya approached him silently, stared for a moment, and then suddenly wobbled and flung herself at Chen Yao.
Lin Nan’s instant reaction? To jump up, completely ignoring the shocked gazes all around her.
No shame whatsoever!
But Chen Yao was ready for her shenanigans. The moment he saw her falling, he was up and sidestepping like a ninja on caffeine.
And that’s when Pan Hui, caught off guard, crashed into a chair, sending her tumbling down onto the floor like a toppled statue…
“Ouch…” She was totally dazed.
The old classmates gasped, while Chen Yao shot Lin Nan a smug look. She tried to pounce on him? Not on his watch!
A couple of girls familiar with Pan Hui rushed to help her up, glaring daggers at Chen Yao.
“Do you even know how to help her? All you do is dodge!”
“???”
She’s not falling! She’s literally throwing herself at me, okay?!
Chen Yao blinked, then got ambushed by the barrage of witty remarks from the girls, who were totally hyped up on bubble tea. He usually could charm his way out of such situations, but tonight? He had become a befuddled mute.
On the surface, he did seem to be acting like a j*rk.
But if he hadn’t dodged, and let Pan Hui throw herself at him, he might have had to trade his future for a one-way ticket to oblivion!
As he stood flabbergasted, one girl already had Pan Hui shoved right next to Chen Yao, and she immediately latched onto his arm.
“How about you take Pan Hui to the inn? It’s kind of your apology!”
Pan Hui nodded vigorously and shot that girl an approving look.
Oh yes! She felt like a hero! Then she patted Chen Yao on the shoulder, like, “Go on, be careful. She’s had a bit too much to drink.”
Chen Yao was now utterly bemused. He glanced at Pan Hui, who was clinging onto his arm for dear life, and then back at Lin Nan.
Lin Nan was staring down at the floor, like she was trying to check if her shoes were still tied.
Pan Hui, feeling cozy, rested most of her weight against Chen Yao.
“No, I really have a girlfriend,” Chen Yao tried explaining.
“So what if you have a girlfriend? I’m just asking you to drop her off at the inn! What are you even thinking?”
Caught in the act, Chen Yao grabbed Zhu Yong Wen’s shoulder with his free hand. “Come on, you’re coming with me!”
Zhu Yong Wen was still puzzled over whether the girl next to Li Ya was really Lin Nan, but with Chen Yao grabbing his shoulder, he looked up, his eyes filled with confusion.
He could hardly stand!
“I’ll take over,” Lin Nan suddenly stood up. “I’m done eating; I’ll help him take her to the inn.”
Saying that as if she were just a random party guest wasn’t the smoothest move, but hey, she had to muster up the courage!
Pan Hui shot Lin Nan a sharp glare, but Lin Nan returned with a gentle smile.
Tonight, Chen Yao and I are dragging you to the depths of despair!
“Well, I guess that works?” Li Ya chimed in, trying to play referee. “Otherwise, it might look suspicious if it’s just a guy and a girl heading to the inn.”
As if two girls and one guy wouldn’t look snagged by rumors!
Lin Nan walked alongside Chen Yao, brightly lifting Pan Hui’s other arm. “Let’s go? I saw a decent inn nearby.”
Pan Hui shot her a sideways glance, wondering why Li Ya’s cousin was suddenly so shady towards her.
Chen Yao felt relieved as he shot a grin at Lin Nan, agreeing with her idea. After a quick greeting to the class teacher, the trio made their way toward a not-so-distant inn.
Inns always seem to hide in weird spots, but thankfully, a big one appeared just around the corner, its massive sign practically screaming “In here!”
Chen Yao had drunk a bit too much, wobbling like a ship in choppy waters, while Pan Hui, flushed like a tomato, was actually pretty clear-minded. She had planned to sneak a moment alone with Chen Yao after leaving the outdoor eatery, maybe confessing her feelings too. But now with this unfamiliar girl tagging along, she was feeling a tad hesitant.
Also, it seemed like Chen Yao was oddly rejecting her advances—she might have been a bit too forward.
Turning a corner, they left the street filled with food stalls behind. Lin Nan looked up and spotted the inn entrance about five or six hundred meters ahead.
“That’s the one, right? Looks pretty legit,” she said cheerfully to Pan Hui.
This girl was a tad shorter than Lin Nan, barely scraping five foot three.
Pan Hui turned her head, ignoring Lin Nan, and sweetly asked Chen Yao, “What does your girlfriend look like?”
She was dying to know if Chen Yao’s girlfriend was prettier than her.
If she wasn’t, that’d give her a confidence boost to pursue him.
Chen Yao was stumped, staring at her without replying.
“Come on, you’re just misleading everyone about having a girlfriend, aren’t you?” Pan Hui shot back, a smug look on her face.
Looks like she was too hasty, causing Chen Yao to get a bit put off, which is why he mentioned his imaginary girlfriend!
Lin Nan let out a soft sigh next to them, reaching out to ruffle that clueless girl’s hair.
The texture? Not great. A bit rough.
Before Pan Hui could react, Lin Nan opened her mouth.
“I’m his girlfriend, actually…”
