Wait, hadn’t Lin Nan claimed he blacked out and couldn’t remember that incident? Why was he now making the same gesture as back then?
Chen Yao looked oddly at Lin Nan, who was still sitting on the ground with arms outstretched, his face full of expectation and conflict. He couldn’t help thinking that Lin Nan’s brain must have really been damaged by that fever.
Or perhaps mild heatstroke made people lose their minds and do strange things? He’d never heard of such a thing, though.
Come to think of it, Lin Nan had become more feminine since that time, and later started acting so flamboyantly...
Although he sometimes found himself treating Lin Nan like a girl, Chen Yao still felt some resistance deep down.
He hurriedly put on his mascot costume, donned the head, took both his and Lin Nan’s flyers, and turned to leave.
In such a public place—couldn’t he have chosen somewhere more private?
After waiting for a moment, Lin Nan timidly opened his eyes, only to see Chen Yao’s retreating figure. He was stunned, and his already flushed face turned even redder to the tips of his ears.
Don’t I have even a little charm? Not even worth a hug?
He cursed under his breath as he got up from the ground and began reflecting on this incident.
Just like last time, the plan had gone wrong from the start. Then Lin Nan had once again burned his bridges, intending to solve the problem as he had before, but Chen Yao seemed to have misunderstood something.
He looked toward the alley entrance and noticed several pedestrians peering in. He quickly put on his mascot costume to hide his face, which made him feel more at ease, and his flushed face gradually cooled down.
He suddenly felt that he shouldn’t keep trying to fleece the same sheep. After all, this sheep had become vigilant after the last incident. Perhaps he should try someone else.
After staying in the alley for a while, Lin Nan set out again, bought two cups of milk tea, and found Chen Yao to take back half of the flyers.
It was Lin Nan’s first time distributing flyers, and he had no experience. Combined with the scorching sun, which forced him to find a place to sit down and loosen his mascot costume every half hour for a brief rest, the flyers that were originally planned to be distributed by evening weren’t completely handed out until six o’clock.
Since it was part-time work, they didn’t need to wait for anything and immediately received the day’s wages.
After reserving a spot for tomorrow’s shift, Lin Nan finally boarded the bus back with Chen Yao.
“Are you sure you still want to come tomorrow?” Chen Yao seemed to have forgotten the earlier incident and sat beside Lin Nan with a normal expression.
“How else am I going to repay the debt? I just hope it won’t be so hot tomorrow.” He sighed deeply. According to the plan, he should have already unlocked the magic by now, in which case distributing flyers would only require worrying about leg soreness from standing too long.
Chen Yao nodded and said, “My basketball team has practice tomorrow, and we have a game on Tuesday, so I won’t be able to accompany you.”
Although this reason sounded logical and reasonable, Lin Nan still felt that Chen Yao had been frightened by his earlier behavior.
He nodded in agreement, but didn’t feel good about it.
If his foolish actions scared away his only close friend, wouldn’t that be a huge loss?
Lin Nan’s mind was now completely bewitched by magic, just like when he first used cheats in CrossFire during elementary school—after using it once, he wanted to use it again. Even knowing it might result in a computer virus, his hand couldn’t resist clicking on the cheat. (TN: First-person shooter.)
Or like his dormmate Xiong Da, who knew that mobile games were just money traps, and even when he had no money for food, he still wanted to make in-app purchases.
“What do you think of Junhui’s temperament?” Lin Nan suddenly turned his attention to his other roommates, though he wasn’t sure how to trick someone into hugging him for twenty minutes.
“It’s okay, I guess. From what you’re saying, are you planning not to pay him back?”
“How could that be possible?”
Actually, being hugged wasn’t something Lin Nan found too embarrassing, at least it was much more acceptable than kissing Chen Yao like before.
During high school, his entire class had been quite touchy-feely. During breaks, you could see three or four students lying in their deskmates’ arms playing with their phones. Although Lin Nan didn’t have such a close deskmate, the classroom atmosphere hadn’t made him feel it was strange.
Now in college, his standards had gradually begun to rise due to broadened horizons, making him somewhat resistant to such behavior.
The problem was, proposing such a request was what would be most embarrassing.
Lin Nan glanced at Chen Yao beside him, then at his own half-dried shirt.
It must smell strongly of sweat, right?
He could detect a faint body odor from Chen Yao as well, but there was also a strange fragrance. In the enclosed space of the air-conditioned bus, that scent caught his attention even more.
“Does my body smell strongly of sweat?” Lin Nan asked with concern.
Chen Yao turned to look at him, wrinkled his nose, and shook his head. “Just a milky scent, a bit like that Chen Sisi from high school.”
“Chen Sisi?” Lin Nan recalled. This girl had left a deep impression on him because whenever he passed by her, he could smell a strong floral fragrance.
That scent wouldn’t have been unpleasant if it were lighter, but it was so strong it was choking, especially after she sweated during physical education class, making his nose uncomfortable.
He had specifically asked if she used perfume, but in reality, that girl usually went without makeup and didn’t know how to dress up, let alone use perfume.
“Is the smell that strong?”
“It’s fine, just feels like I’m sitting next to a panna cotta.”
Lin Nan was speechless. He looked at the scenery outside the window and sighed again, muttering, “I’m tired.”
“Then take a nap. It’ll probably take another half hour. During rush hour, there’s usually traffic.”
Hearing this, Lin Nan’s eyes lit up. He immediately yawned several times in succession, and with a sleepy demeanor, leaned his previously upright body against the seat.
Chen Yao glanced at Lin Nan beside him. Lately, he had felt that Lin Nan seemed to lack energy, usually playing only two or three consecutive games, showing significantly less stamina compared to when they used to pull all-nighters at the internet café. Therefore, he wasn’t surprised by Lin Nan’s drowsiness now.
Seeing Lin Nan close his eyes, his breathing gradually becoming even, Chen Yao lowered his head and took out his phone to check his videos.
Since the semester began, he had hardly had time to produce gaming videos. He had recorded plenty of raw footage, but he felt awkward doing voiceovers in front of his roommates.
He needed to find a time to get them all out.
As he was pondering this, he suddenly felt a touch on his shoulder. Looking to his side, he saw that Lin Nan had comfortably leaned against his shoulder.
He didn’t mind much, just leaning back against the seat to make his shoulder more comfortable.
However, before long, Lin Nan’s head gradually slid down, inch by inch from his shoulder. Chen Yao watched as Lin Nan’s head slowly slipped onto his lap.
“.....”
Is this sleeping position really comfortable? He’s practically bent at a ninety-degree angle.
Chen Yao almost laughed out loud, but then saw Lin Nan restlessly smacking his lips, and watched as he placed his hand under his head as a pillow.
This was just too much.
Chen Yao’s face gradually began to redden as he looked at where Lin Nan’s elbow was touching, feeling at a loss.
The bus suddenly stopped, causing the vehicle to shake. Lin Nan, sleeping on Chen Yao’s lap, almost fell off due to inertia. Chen Yao quickly held Lin Nan’s waist and forehead, preventing him from falling and becoming disoriented in his sleep.
Why did it feel somewhat... not quite right?
The same thought flashed through both their minds simultaneously.