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

Chapter 246 : Cold

"Bacterial infection."

Hearing that answer, Chen Yao's tense muscles instantly relaxed, and he nearly collapsed to the floor in relief.

"Here's the prescription. Take it for three days, and if it doesn't get better, come back for another checkup."

"Okay, thank you, doctor."

As his mental tension released, the accumulated fatigue crashed down on Chen Yao like a mountain. He stepped back a few paces and leaned against the hospital wall, letting out a long sigh.

Fortunately, it was just a false alarm. It should have been that Lin Nan's menstrual period happened to lower her immune system, allowing the bacteria to trigger an infection.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked down at his hands, noticing they were trembling badly.

From childhood to now, this was the first time he felt such fear about something happening. It was as if the sky was about to fall.

Chen Yao leaned against the wall, panting heavily in exhaustion, feeling the violent heartbeat that seemed to echo in his ears.

As he rested, scenes of the years since meeting Lin Nan suddenly flashed through his mind.

When he first met Lin Nan, that petite boy had surveyed his surroundings with caution. Having just moved from the countryside to study in the county town, Lin Nan felt unfamiliar and fearful of everything around him.

Later, he witnessed some troublemakers in their class deliberately throw Lin Nan's backpack down from the classroom building. The little boy's eyes brimmed with tears in distress. Chen Yao stepped in, giving one of them a black eye. He earned Lin Nan's admiration and gained a close friend, but Lin Nan never knew that afterward, his family paid over a thousand yuan in medical fees for that fight.

After that, being with Lin Nan seemed to become a part of life. They'd secretly pass notes during class, and after class, this little boy loved to flutter around him like a butterfly. After school, the two were inseparable, usually playing outside until eight or nine at night before heading home.

He vaguely remembered one time when, for some reason, he lost his temper badly at Lin Nan. He only remembered that it was clearly his fault, yet he made a fuss about breaking off their friendship. That very same night, he received a phone call. Lin Nan was crying and apologizing to him...

That friendship was pure. Chen Yao accepted Lin Nan's admiration, and Lin Nan received Chen Yao's protection.

They gradually grew up, and their friendship deepened, but somewhere along the way, without him noticing, this friendship changed.

If it was after learning that Lin Nan had become a girl, that would be one thing, but if it was before...

"Could I have been gay this whole time?!"

Chen Yao suddenly slapped his forehead, tossing this ridiculous thought aside. His strength had mostly recovered, so he straightened up and walked toward Lin Nan, who was sitting in a chair waiting not far away.

"What's the situation?" Lin Nan saw his figure approaching and stood up impatiently, but her legs went weak and she sat back down.

"Bacterial cold. Not a big deal." Chen Yao helped Lin Nan up. "The doctor prescribed medicine. Just take it when we get back."

Only then did Lin Nan relax, glaring at him with dissatisfaction. "So why were you so worked up! Making such a fuss, carrying me all the way here..."

Her voice grew much softer, her face reddening. "Who knows how many people saw that..."

"Don't worry, I only ran for ten minutes on the way here. There weren't many people on the road." Chen Yao stretched lazily. "It’s just like weight training. Also, you should lose some weight. You're way too heavy."

Lin Nan didn't care about being slim like a normal girl. Instead, she pinched her slender arm and retorted, "I should gain another ten pounds actually. For my height, the standard should be fifty-five kilograms."

"That's probably the male standard you're talking about."

Chen Yao helped Lin Nan walk out of the hospital. He glanced at the already dark and gloomy sky. After all this running around, it was already eight in the evening.

It was late, and with the epidemic's impact, there were almost no pedestrians on the streets now. The occasional people going to see doctors all wore masks, kept their distance from everyone, and looked at strangers as if they were sources of infection.

This city was rarely so desolate. It was as if even the city itself had fallen ill, lifeless and dead.

Lin Nan was still very weak, leaning on Chen Yao's body and occasionally coughing dryly. She spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice, asking, "How much did it cost?"

"The examination didn't cost anything, don't worry." Chen Yao said this, but his heart ached for his wallet enough to die.

Testing for the virus was free, of course, but if they wanted more accurate examinations, they'd need lung CT scans and other tests, adding up to several hundred yuan.

Plus, Lin Nan hadn't brought her medical insurance card, or they could have gotten a discount.

Hearing this, Lin Nan perked up considerably and immediately stopped in her tracks, grabbing Chen Yao and trying to pull him back. "Then you should get checked too. We shouldn't pass up this free opportunity. It'll be more reassuring. You should bring your uncle and aunt too..."

"Can we not waste social resources? I don't have any problems, what's there to check." Chen Yao let her pull him, but even a healthy her probably couldn't budge him. Now she couldn't make him move even slightly, as if he were a utility pole planted in place.

He smiled bitterly and persuaded her, "Stop fooling around. Let's go back and rest. It's cold outside, and you're on your period. Aren't you afraid of waking up tomorrow with a fever and stomach pain that'll make you question life?"

Lin Nan thought he had a point and could only puff up her cheeks and obey.

She didn't care about her puffed cheeks. This feminine gesture had stayed with her from the beginning and never left. Before, she would control it a bit, but now that she'd completely become a girl, she didn't care anymore.

Not having been out for several days, Lin Nan observed the changes in the outside world with curiosity, supported by Chen Yao.

There were still a few days until New Year, but there were almost no stores still open on the street. Occasionally, one could see a supermarket or pharmacy, but there were hardly any customers.

A van slowly drove from the end of the street, broadcasting epidemic prevention information in dialect over a loudspeaker. Lin Nan understood only half of it. She had never been very fluent in the local dialect.

"They're saying to stay home, keep windows open, wash hands frequently, things like that." Chen Yao nervously supported Lin Nan while casually explaining.

Although it had been confirmed that Lin Nan hadn't caught the infectious disease, she still had a high fever of thirty-nine degrees, and with Lin Nan on her period, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep well for the next few days.

"Let me see if there's still any food delivery available. After we get back, eat dinner quickly, take your medicine, and then go straight to bed."

Lin Nan's voice was still hoarse, lacking the energy she had at noon, but she still tried to argue, "I slept in the afternoon. I'm not tired."

"Then what do you want to do tonight?"

"Play games!"

Chen Yao rolled his eyes at her but didn't say much. In Lin Nan's current condition, if she played games, she'd probably get completely destroyed, and once she got upset, she naturally wouldn't keep playing.

He hooked one hand under Lin Nan's armpit and used his other hand to pull out his phone to check food delivery apps. He discovered that quite a few places in the county were still open.

Although restaurants were already prohibited from operating, the county hadn't stopped delivery services yet.

"Your family runs a restaurant business. You must be losing a lot this time, right?" Lin Nan looked worriedly at the closed shops along the street.

"My family should have savings... I think?" Chen Yao hadn't paid much attention to the family business. Only when Lin Nan brought it up did he think about it, and he immediately felt somewhat worried. "If we lose everything, I might not even be able to afford food next semester."

"Don't worry, I'll support you!" Lin Nan lifted her little head up, full of confidence. "I can make almost two hundred yuan a day handing out flyers! If I have fewer classes next semester, I'll take on more part-time work. Supporting a pig definitely won't be a problem!"