It was past midnight when they returned to Wu Guodong's place.
Lin Nan wasn't feeling sleepy yet. Due to his insomnia these past few days, his biological clock had shifted to around 2-3 AM.
Wu Guodong dropped the pile of shopping bags near the sofa, placed the KFC family bucket on the coffee table, stretched his aching back, and sat down with a pained expression.
He never imagined Lin Nan could shop for so long.
His usual exercise consisted only of the ten-minute bicycle commute to and from work. When they left at 6 PM, he thought they'd just spend half an hour buying some clothes. Instead, wearing slippers, they walked for four solid hours until the mall closed. His feet were covered in blisters by the time Lin Nan reluctantly agreed to go home.
If only he hadn't worn slippers.
Wu Guodong's face darkened - he'd spent money and suffered for it, a classic case of asking for trouble.
He looked to the side, where Lin Nan was excitedly pulling items out of the shopping bags. Besides clothes, most were palm-sized cute plush toys.
He could understand men liking cute things - after all, he bought plenty of anime figures and enjoyed moe anime. The issue was how Lin Nan showed his excitement, just like a little girl who'd gotten her favorite toys.
"Uncle, aren't you going to sleep?" Lin Nan was arranging the plush toys on the sofa where he would be sleeping tonight, before Wu Guodong drove him back to school tomorrow afternoon.
"Having a late-night snack."
Does that mean you're planning to eat the whole family bucket?
Wu Guodong munched on a chicken nugget and suggested once again: "Why don't you sleep in my room tonight? I'll take the sofa."
It wasn't out of special care for his nephew - he just felt it wasn't very hospitable to have a guest sleep on a sofa without air conditioning or a fan.
Even if Lin Nan refused again, he could at least feel he'd done his duty...
"Okay, sure." This time Lin Nan suddenly nodded. "You've washed the bedding, and since you've been out all evening, the room probably doesn't smell anymore, right?"
So you were just avoiding the cigarette smell before?
Wu Guodong was at a loss with his nephew. Even before, he had never scolded or hit Lin Nan, let alone now.
He nodded helplessly, then lifted his foot to check the blisters. He told Lin Nan: "Go to the shoe cabinet and get my medicine box. I need to drain these blisters with a sterilized needle."
Lin Nan obediently got up, grabbed a chicken leg from the family bucket to bite on, and bounced off to find the medicine box.
However, just as he reached the medicine box, Lin Nan's brows furrowed as he suddenly felt something wasn't right.
He looked down at his lower abdomen as a familiar pain began spreading from there.
Lina again?
Last time when he had abdominal pain, Lina had admitted it was her magic "punishment" for Lin Nan. Back then, Lin Nan had been terrified, really thinking his period had come, even suspecting something was wrong with his body... though now his body was indeed experiencing the changes he had imagined.
Frowning deeply, Lin Nan brought the medicine box back to the sofa. After handing it to Wu Guodong, he grabbed one of his newly bought plush toys and pressed it against his lower abdomen, no longer able to focus on the chicken leg which he placed on the coffee table.
"Stomach ache?" Wu Guodong took out two bottles of medicine for stomach pain and digestive issues from the box and put them on the coffee table. "Here, diarrhea or stomach pain?"
As a programmer with irregular sleep and eating habits, what started as minor issues had developed into various health problems over the years. Though he was of the parent's generation, his mindset wasn't much different from young people like Lin Nan - always thinking minor ailments didn't warrant a hospital visit, so he just kept various medicines on hand.
"You should eat breakfast regularly and avoid late-night snacks. Keep your diet regular," he advised, preaching what he himself didn't practice.
"Mm."
Lin Nan knew this was Lina's magic, though he wasn't sure what he'd done to upset her this time. According to Lina, there was supposedly a way to break this spell.
So while clutching his stomach and trying to endure the pain, he closed his eyes to search through the vast memories for a solution.
Wu Guodong quickly dealt with his blisters and tested stepping down, finding the pain had noticeably decreased. Only then did he have time to check on Lin Nan, who was now pale-faced and trembling from pain.
"What's wrong with you now? Want some medicine?"
"It's nothing."
Lin Nan opened his eyes and shook his head with a bitter smile.
Lilith's memories were truly vast and detailed. Moreover, the solution to a minor spell was as mundane as eating to Lilith, which made searching for it even more troublesome.
"I'll lie down for a bit," Lin Nan said weakly.
Looks like he'd have to endure for another day.
Wu Guodong, assuming it was just normal stomach pain, casually picked up his controller to play some console games.
But this time the pain came in waves like the tide, one after another, growing increasingly intense. The mild soreness gradually transformed into knife-twisting agony, spreading beyond his lower abdomen to his lower back and thighs.
The pain and numbness gradually spread to other parts of his body. Lin Nan's body involuntarily trembled and convulsed, his lips turning pale as he curled up in the corner of the sofa, whimpering in pain.
Does Lina hate me that much?
Wu Guodong, absorbed in his game, finally noticed Lin Nan's unusual state but didn't know what to do.
"Should I call 120?"
"No need..."
Even if he went to the hospital, they wouldn't find anything wrong with magic-induced pain, and his uncle might discover his body's condition.
His lower abdomen felt ice-cold, with pain radiating outward from a single point. Lin Nan could barely speak through the pain as cold sweat poured down his face.
Now Wu Guodong panicked: "I'll get you some hot water!"
Chinese people always turn to hot water when sick. He hurriedly got a cup from the water dispenser, intending to hand it directly to Lin Nan, but saw Lin Nan's extended arm trembling violently.
With no choice, he had to hold Lin Nan sideways and slowly pour the warm water between his lips.
He could hardly pay attention to the soft body in his arms, being too frightened by Lin Nan's condition.
"Let's go to the hospital?"
"No." After drinking the warm water, the ice-cold feeling in Lin Nan's abdomen seemed to dissipate somewhat, and the pain decreased.
He suddenly began to suspect the Frappuccino was to blame. Could this be acute gastroenteritis?
"What exactly is wrong with you?" Seeing his trembling ease, Wu Guodong felt slightly relieved. "Has this happened before?"
"Once."
"Have you had a checkup?"
"The doctor said everything was fine." Lin Nan broke free from his uncle's arms and took the cup of water.
Wu Guodong frowned and said: "I should tell your parents about this. Have them take you to a big hospital in Beijing."
"Then I'll tell them about all the erotic dakimakura pillows you bought..."
This move checkmated him completely. Wu Guodong's expression froze as he smiled awkwardly: "I'm just worried about you..."
"Hmph~ I need to use the bathroom." Lin Nan struggled to get up from the sofa, but his legs gave way and he fell back. Wu Guodong quickly moved to support him, helping him all the way to the bathroom door before stopping.
Watching Lin Nan close the door, Wu Guodong hadn't even steadied himself when he heard a scream from inside the bathroom.
"Ahhh!!! I... What the fuck?!"
"What's wrong?!"