I Don’t Want to Be Turned into a Girl by Magic

Chapter 235 : Morning Commotion

Chen Yao jolted awake.

He sat up, gazing blankly at the sunlight that had already filtered into the room. His head was still a bit foggy, and a voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz seemed to enter his ears once again.

"If I had to get married... you'd be pretty good too..."

This phrase seemed to have echoed and looped in his mind all night, so that even when he woke up the next day, he remembered it clearly.

He looked hesitantly toward Lin Nan on the bed, only to see her facing him, breathing evenly and steadily, brows slightly furrowed, clearly not yet awake.

Was it a dream?

He frowned. He'd had too much contact with Lin Nan yesterday, so he'd had this kind of dream?

After all, Lin Nan didn't seem at all like someone who would say such a thing. And although Lin Nan appeared to have good feelings toward him, it probably hadn't reached the level of liking.

Or rather, she probably couldn't accept any male.

Chen Yao was utterly confused. He propped himself against the bed to stand up, but didn't expect this slight movement would instantly wake Lin Nan.

"Ah!"

She let out a cry of alarm, her body jerking violently, then opened her eyes in panic and sat up, clutching the blanket and looking at Chen Yao in distress.

The two stared at each other. After a moment, Lin Nan explained awkwardly: "I had a nightmare again..."

"Again?"

"Mm." She nodded her little head and lay back down listlessly, wrapping herself in the blanket. She explained softly, "I watched a horror movie a while ago and had nightmares. Now I keep getting them."

"Who told you to watch that stuff?"

Chen Yao sat in front of the computer, rubbing his somewhat hungry stomach: "What kind of nightmare did you have last night?"

"I can't really remember... I was locked up by my grandfather for being mentally ill... probably?" she answered in a low voice.

Chen Yao was stunned. He'd thought it was just an ordinary ghost nightmare, but hadn't expected it to be this type.

"Before I also dreamed... being chased out by my dad, being chased to school and beaten by my mom..."

"Dreams are the opposite of reality." Chen Yao couldn't help but interrupt her.

"Right, my grandfather was pretty good to me after he knew the situation." Lin Nan nodded, her emotions perking up a bit.

He felt great sympathy for Lin Nan. This former close friend was now in such a situation, but he couldn't help at all.

At its root, this was a psychological problem that required effort from both Lin Nan and her relatives. Chen Yao could only try to give her a good environment during this time, hoping it might heal Lin Nan a little and make her less sensitive and fragile.

"You're hungry, right? I'll go see what there is for breakfast."

He got up and opened the door to leave the bedroom. Lin Nan stared blankly at his departing back, curling into a ball on the bed as scenes from last night's dream flashed through her mind from time to time.

Fortunately, she was gradually getting used to such dreams. Compared to crying rivers of tears before, this time she just felt stuffy and uncomfortable.

The bedroom door was gently knocked and pushed open, but it was the aunt who entered.

"I heard you had a nightmare." She placed a bowl of congee on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at Lin Nan, who seemed exceptionally small and delicate all curled up.

"Mm."

"About your family?"

"Mm."

The aunt smiled and reached out, gently rubbing Lin Nan's head. She was a bit averse at first, but being patted by an elder, she couldn't resist and could only endure it. However, the more she was touched, the more comfortable it became, and light humming sounds came from her throat.

The aunt pulled Lin Nan's upper body into a gentle embrace, comforting her: "It's okay. If you don't mind, Auntie wants you to treat this as your second home. How about it?"

"That wouldn't be appropriate, would it?"

Lin Nan was somewhat unaccustomed to this and tried to break free.

"It's fine. Both Auntie and Uncle quite like you. Even if you and Chen Yao don't work out, you'd make a good daughter for us." The aunt said with a smile. "You don't know how much of a headache Chen Yao is. I've long wanted to have a daughter. Daughters are both obedient and worry-free. Much better."

"Um..." Lin Nan felt extremely guilty. "After middle school, all his troublesome stuff was instigated by me..."

For example, going to internet cafes to duo queue while underage, skipping class during breaks to play on the streets, tricking Chen Yao into buying her skins... Back then, Lin Nan was in a free-range state and mistakenly thought Chen Yao was too. Their middle and high school years basically ended in wild playing and fooling around.

Little did she know that every time Chen Yao came home after fooling around with her, he was greeted with beatings from both parents.

However, the aunt didn't mind: "That's his fault for being dumb, listening to whatever you instigated."

Chen Yao, who was eavesdropping outside the door, silently rolled his eyes.

"That... the five hundred yuan in New Year's money he got in eighth grade... I actually spent it all." Lin Nan continued sheepishly. "I told him to spend it on games, share and share alike."

"No wonder that brat refused to say how he managed to spend five hundred in one day!" The aunt immediately became furious.

A miserable cry came from outside the door. Chen Yao had obviously been kicked.

"I was young then! Why are you blaming me for stuff from back then now!"

"Still talking back!"

There was a chaotic commotion outside the door.

The aunt's emotions quickly stabilized: "It's fine, it's in the past."

"He won't get hurt from the beating, will he..." Lin Nan felt a bit regretful about her loose lips. The main issue was that when shown care, she couldn't help but talk, and once she started, she couldn't stop.

"No, we have good control when we hit. It won't hurt him. Besides, he's an adult now, we can't really hit him anymore."

The aunt smiled like a devil: "Confiscating New Year's money and reducing living expenses is good enough."

Lin Nan observed two minutes of silence for Chen Yao. Watching the aunt leave the room, she finally got up and picked up the congee, blowing on the spoon while drinking.

The scallop and shrimp congee even had a braised egg on the side. It tasted good and was nutritious.

No wonder Chen Yao could grow so tall and sturdy. It was all because of good nutrition.

Moreover, although Chen Yao's parents weren't particularly tall, compared to other forty-something middle-aged people, they were "head and shoulders above." Genetically, they weren't lacking either.

After drinking half the bowl, Chen Yao finally came into the room cursing. Getting beaten for no reason was obviously not a good experience.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Thick skin. They hit symbolically, I cry out symbolically." He sat in front of the computer, picked up his bowl to eat breakfast, complaining as he ate. "Why did you tell her everything just because she’s a little nice to you? You're way too easy to trick, aren't you?"

Lin Nan kept her head down, pretending not to hear.

She really had been a bit dishonest this time.

It was mainly the first time encountering this situation. She'd panicked a bit and subconsciously said everything she knew.

She felt a bit guilty, not knowing what to say. She lowered her head to finish the congee, then got up carrying the bowl out the door, preparing to put it in the sink to wash.

However, as soon as she left the bedroom, the aunt immediately came forward.

"You're having steak for lunch, right? Your uncle will make you Beef Wellington, absolutely delicious." The aunt smiled and handed Lin Nan a bag of clothes. "Try these on later. My friend drove them over. There's everything inside. If you don't like any styles, give them to me later and I'll send them back." (TN: Gordon would be proud.)

"Mm."

Lin Nan lowered her head and opened the bag, but what met her eyes were several sets of underwear. Her face instantly flushed red.