novelraw Chapter 322 : Daily Life
Chapter 322 : Daily Life
Rationally speaking, internet cafes are great places.
Especially if it's an internet cafe with a no-smoking section, the atmosphere is perfect. It's an even better gaming hangout spot than the dorm, okay?
Lin Nan followed behind Wu Guodong and Liu Xuefei feeling sullen and depressed, her mind full of thoughts about when she could go to an internet cafe with her roommates for a five-person team again.
Back when she was in the dorm, although they'd played games together, the dorm didn't have that gaming atmosphere. Usually, after a few matches, they'd get bored. But internet cafes were different. There, Lin Nan could play for half a day without stopping. Back in her peak, she'd once duo-queued with Chen Yao at an internet cafe, pulling all-nighters for several days straight.
Following Wu Guodong into a hot pot restaurant, Lin Nan noticed the two of them seemed to have gradually eased their awkwardness, walking side by side and occasionally speaking to each other in low voices.
However, Little Uncle, this shut-in, still couldn't handle being around girls. Even though Liu Xuefei was already being very proactive, Wu Guodong's nerves remained taut, looking extremely nervous.
Finding a four-person sofa seat, Lin Nan occupied two spots by herself. But watching the couple across from her chatting and laughing, she couldn't feel happy at all.
Should have called Chen Yao along.
"Lin Nan, what do you want to eat?" Wu Guodong passed a menu toward Lin Nan.
"As long as there's meat, I'm fine. You order." Lin Nan propped her cheek on one hand, her expression vacant and distracted, just waiting for the meal to arrive.
Who knows what delicious lunch Chen Yao ate at the rental apartment.
He definitely said he could only eat liquid food, but once I left, he probably went and bought himself steak, barbecue, and other good stuff to eat!
Lin Nan had eaten several meals of thin congee with Chen Yao. With less meat and everything too bland, her body felt a bit listless.
While waiting for the food to arrive, Wu Guodong couldn't quite handle Liu Xuefei. He stood up and greeted them, "I'll go outside and see where I can buy you a game console."
"Uncle, no need to go to that trouble. Just give me the one from your place," Lin Nan politely delayed, adding, "Once you give me the game console, you definitely won't have any use for your game cartridges either, so just give me those too while you're at it."
Dream on!
Seeing Wu Guodong leave, Liu Xuefei ran over to sit beside Lin Nan, her face full of gossip. "How did you and Chen Yao get together? What did you see in him?"
"I'd rather ask what you saw in my uncle." Lin Nan turned her head away, not wanting to deal with her.
But Liu Xuefei seriously thought for a moment before answering, "Money!"
"Woman!"
"Plus, even though he doesn't know how to dress himself up, his base features are handsome. Once I have time to do his makeup, he'll definitely be a total heartthrob!"
She thought for another moment, frowning. "The problem is he's dopey, dull and dumb, and doesn't know how to say sweet words at all."
"That shows my Little Uncle isn't a player." Lin Nan defended Wu Guodong. "Shut-ins at most cheat with 2D waifus. I actually think you're pretty easy to—"
"I'm not that kind of easy girl!" She teasingly leaned in even closer. "So what about Chen Yao? How'd you fall for him?"
Since Liu Xuefei had already explained her reasons, Lin Nan could only rack her brains trying to find some advantage of Chen Yao's.
But after carefully pondering for quite a while, she could only hesitate and uncertainly ask, "Good at gaming?"
"More like big enough, right?"
How does this girl drive the conversation straight to that topic just like my younger cousin?
Lin Nan was thoroughly disgusted with her, though ever since meeting Liu Xuefei, this girl had been somewhat unreliable.
What kind of girl gets all excited about putting makeup and women's clothing on boys?
"Hey, Nan Nan, normally speaking, how long should you wait before doing it with your boyfriend?"
"Huh?" Lin Nan was completely stunned by this question.
"Being too proactive makes you seem slutty, but if you refuse too much, won't your boyfriend get angry?" Liu Xuefei continued the explicit conversation with a calm expression.
Lin Nan had no idea girls' conversation topics had such a large scale. She was dazed for quite a while before reacting. "I don't know."
She'd always thought it was normal for men to get together and have explicit discussions about girls, that girls should all be pure and lovely. But after interacting with more girls, she discovered that men and women actually aren't that different after all.
"You're not still a virgin, are you?" Liu Xuefei's face was full of disdain.
Lin Nan's face flushed red from the question, and she glared at her angrily.
"Okay fine, me too." Liu Xuefei sighed. "In our whole dorm, only Lina and I still are. The other two tell us every day how comfortable it is, how comfortable it..."
You guys are this perverted?
They didn't chat about private topics for long before the server brought their food. After waiting a bit, Wu Guodong also returned carrying a game console.
He reluctantly ran his fingers over the game console's outer packaging, placing it on the table and rolling his eyes at Lin Nan. "Here's the game console you wanted. A Switch should be fine, right? It even came with Zelda."
"Whatever works, whatever works." Lin Nan smiled so wide her mouth wouldn't close. "Little Uncle's the best."
She hurriedly pushed Liu Xuefei off the sofa beside her, eager to show herself off! "Your boyfriend's back, why don't you go sit with him instead of sitting with me?"
Lin Nan smugly held the game console close to herself. "Once we finish eating, I'm heading back! Carrying such a big item around is inconvenient."
"You're planning to take the goods and run?" Wu Guodong really had no way of dealing with his niece.
However, his interactions with Liu Xuefei were gradually becoming less tense and awkward. He picked up a chopstick-full of lamb and swished it in the pot, lowering his head to ask Liu Xuefei where they should go play afterward.
"Up to you, whatever." Liu Xuefei smiled and took a sip of cola.
Hearing this, Lin Nan immediately inserted herself into the conversation. "Drop me off after eating. That'll be around one o'clock. Then you two watch a movie, which gets you to three or four. Then stroll around shopping and have dinner, pull an all-nighter duo-queuing PUBG at an internet cafe. Perfect!"
Wu Guodong listened and kept nodding. "Xuefei just said she also plays PUBG. We can duo-queue together. After Nan Nan goes back, why don't you join us too? Call your boyfriend and make it a squad of four?"
But Liu Xuefei just kept rolling her eyes, utterly helpless with these two.
The last hot pot meal was just a few days ago, but that time she'd treated her roommates. This time, Little Uncle was treating her. Not spending her own money made the hot pot taste especially fragrant.
They ate for a good hour. Lin Nan could barely walk afterward.
Aside from eating at Chen Yao's place before, it had been a long time since she'd eaten this full.
"So I'll head back first?" She picked up the game console box and let out a satisfied burp.
"Take a rideshare back. If I drive you there and back, that's another hour round trip," Wu Guodong said hesitantly.
Lin Nan readily agreed, spreading out her small hand confidently and justifiably. "Then transfer me money. A thousand or eight hundred should do."
"You're not taking a plane back, are you?" Liu Xuefei couldn't help but complain. "You think he's an ATM or something?"
Just as she finished speaking, Lin Nan felt her phone vibrate. Looking down, she saw that Wu Guodong had transferred her 100 yuan.
A bit on the low side, but definitely enough for a ride back with money to spare.
She smiled very sweetly, stuffed her phone in her pocket, grabbed the game console and ran. "I'm heading back first then! If there's another good opportunity like this, remember to call me."
"There won't be a next time!" Liu Xuefei shook her fist at Lin Nan.