Extra Chapter
Twelve
Barbecue, beer, grilled fish, seafood—an array of takeout dishes sprawled across the grand terrace on the second floor.
The charcoal grill was crackling to life, and Lin Nan, sitting elegantly with her legs crossed, was skewering meat while giggling at the playful antics of her two old buddies and her husband.
It felt a little like a trip down memory lane back to college days.
Everyone had matured, of course; they were no longer the greenhorns they once were. Out of the four dorm boys, three had settled down, and one had even become a mom.
Yet, when they all gathered, it was easy to feel that pure joy of yesteryears from their dorm life.
“Chen Yao, what’s Lin Nan’s skincare secret? Recommend a beauty salon, and I’ll take my wife too,” Tu Junhui nudged Chen Yao’s shoulder, whispering conspiratorially.
“Maybe… regular exercise?” Chen Yao answered, spouting nonsense.
Tu Junhui glanced at Lin Nan, scoffed, and said, “I’d sooner believe I could drop to 100 pounds than think Lin Nan works out.”
“Hey, Xiong Da, why aren’t you married yet? You’re not actually into guys, are you?” He turned his attention to Xiong Da.
Xiong Da, munching on seafood, shot him a glare: “I just haven’t met someone I like.”
“Living alone is bliss! I can do whatever I want; why would I want someone to boss me around? Sounds miserable!”
“You’re not still a virgin, are you?” Tu Junhui teased.
Lin Nan watched with mild curiosity, but Xiong Da, unfazed, replied, “I go to bars to meet girls when I have free time, alright?”
Whenever the four of them were together, Lin Nan would reminisce about the days when she was still a guy.
Now that she was a woman, she had to keep her distance from her roommates and couldn’t mess around like during freshman year.
Having lost the chance to join in their frolics, Lin Nan could only watch them, a wistful expression gracing her features.
“I’ll help with the skewers; you two can’t just eat—come help grill,” Chen Yao said, plopping down next to Lin Nan, grinning. “So? These two goofballs still have that old charm, right?”
“Yeah.” Lin Nan’s eyebrows curled into a smile like a crescent moon.
“Holy cow! Why did the fire suddenly flare up?”
Tu Junhui’s voice erupted in a shout, and Lin Nan turned to see flames leaping up from the grill, Tu Junhui seemingly singed, bouncing around like a startled cat.
“Burnt fingers, dude,” Xiong Da commented dryly. “Aren’t we adults? Can’t even grill meat? Total loser!”
“Well, if you’re such a hotshot, why don’t you grill?”
“Because I’m a total loser,” Xiong Da replied, his face devoid of expression as he continued to devour takeout.
The hour was getting late, and Lin Nan was too lazy to watch their shenanigans, so she pulled out her phone to check the time. With a trace of worry, she turned to Chen Yao and asked, “Why hasn’t Chen Jing come back? It’s already past five past ten.”
“Still hanging out?”
“Hope he hasn’t been tricked into a motel by his girlfriend,” Lin Nan said, her face clouding with concern. “I haven’t even seen that girl—what’s she like? What if they end up in some crazy situation?”
No sooner had she spoken than they heard a door creak open downstairs.
“Hey, my big grandson is back!” Tu Junhui immediately abandoned his standoff with Xiong Da and rushed inside, “I’m going to see if he even recognizes his grandpa!”
“Don’t you dare chow down my food and then try to ride my coattails!” Chen Yao yelled, throwing an empty drink bottle at him.
“He recognized me as grandpa before he even turned one! I think I’m good!”
Tu Junhui dodged the bottle, his ample flesh wobbling as he moved, just as Chen Jing bounded up the stairs. He spread his arms wide, ready for a hug.
Seeing Tu Junhui, Chen Jing beamed, “Brother Tu!”
“Brother what? Call me Grandpa!”
“Grandpa Bull?”
Tu Junhui felt something was off but shrugged it off, slapping Chen Jing on the shoulder and praising, “Not bad, kid—solid build!”
Chen Jing had seen Xiong Da and Tu Junhui before, although the last time was probably back in his elementary school days.
However, Tu Junhui’s exuberance had definitely left a solid impression on him; he still remembered crying and clutching Tu Junhui’s hand when he found out Tu was leaving.
“Brother Xiong,” Chen Jing called out as he joined them on the terrace.
Xiong Da’s expression darkened slightly, and he nodded back, which counted as a greeting.
Though “brother” sounded nice, it meant he was a rank lower than Chen Yao—they were practically making fun of him!
He shot a glance at Chen Yao, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
It had to be something Chen Yao taught him.
Chen Jing eagerly ran to his parents, gazing up at Lin Nan with big innocent eyes. “Mom, can I have thirty bucks for pocket money tomorrow?”
“For what?”
“To buy food! There’s a new place near school, and my classmates say it’s amazing.”
Lin Nan raised her eyes to meet his gaze, noting his guilty shift of attention. She laughed, “You’re not planning to buy a gift for your little girlfriend, are you?”
“Chen Jing’s got a girlfriend now?” Tu Junhui exclaimed, surprise plastered on his face.
“Of course! Way ahead of us!” Chen Yao shot a look at Xiong Da, who pretended to ignore him while continuing to devour his food.
The teasing shifted to Xiong Da for still being single, and he took it in stride, occasionally firing back retorts, filling the terrace with burst of laughter.
They skewered meat, grilled to perfection, occasionally stacking up pre-prepared takeout dishes, reminiscing about their college youth, lamenting the struggles of adulthood, and complaining about the trials of marriage—something Xiong Da wasn’t too bothered by; in fact, he’d occasionally throw in some cheeky comments.
Even with a box of drinks, Tu Junhui, who usually boasted a high tolerance, had become pleasantly tipsy, staring dreamily at the moonlit sky.
“Speaking of,” he suddenly snapped back to reality and turned to Chen Yao. “If we get drunk tonight, where are we crashing?”
“Right here on the floor! I’ll keep you company,” Chen Yao said, juggling a skewer while playfully mimicking the salty old guy from twenty years ago.
“C’mon, we traveled all this way and you expect us to sleep on the floor?”
“Right! When are the four of us booking a motel room? Let’s relive those dorm days!”
Chen Yao shot him a glare: “Get lost!”
Chen Jing, helping Lin Nan, curiously glanced at his dad’s two friends. “Mom, who’s the fourth roommate they keep talking about?” he asked Lin Nan, turning his head.
The smile faded from Lin Nan’s face, and after a brief pause, she replied, “That person passed away during college due to illness.”
“Huh?”
She reached up to ruffle Chen Jing’s hair, but he shook her hand off.
Ever since he hit puberty, Lin Nan had hardly touched his head again.
“That guy was your dad’s best buddy and was really introverted,” Lin Nan reminisced.
“What did he look like?”
“Pretty ordinary, I suppose. He had a lot of acne scars and was quite shy; he was even afraid of meeting people outside. But he used to play that game ‘League of Legends’ with your dad and even snagged first place in college.”
“He passed away, so Dad must be hurting…”
“Oh no, your dad is actually quite happy.”
Chen Jing looked confused: “Huh?”
