Dark red and deep red clots were clearly visible in the water.
Lin Nan stared at the contents of the toilet bowl, face pale, unable to believe it for a long time.
"What's wrong! Did you fall? Is there a cockroach?!"
Wu Guodong tried to open the door from outside, but it was locked, causing him to anxiously bang on the bathroom door repeatedly.
"It's nothing." Lin Nan took a deep breath, wiped himself with some paper, then flushed all the bloody mess down the drain.
He tiredly opened the door and looked up to see Wu Guodong already armed with insecticide, grinding his teeth as he rushed into the bathroom, constantly asking: "Where? Where's the bug?"
"It escaped through the window."
Lin Nan casually pointed at the bathroom ventilation window, then sidled past Wu Guodong's body and made his way back to the sofa, supporting himself against the wall.
He had actually been mentally prepared for this, but the problem was that what was happening now didn't quite align with science.
First, his external organs were still male in appearance. Though he wasn't clear on the structure, since he could urinate it was obviously connected to the urinary system... But here was the problem - periods had nothing to do with the urinary system.
Which meant that if this really was a period, the menstrual blood should stay inside his body, and over time could lead to various diseases due to various reasons - after all, it would be like leaving a basin of dirty water on the ground, which would start to smell after a few days.
But if it wasn't menstrual blood, that would mean there was something wrong with his urinary system... Yet he had physical examinations almost every year or two, and while they might not be full-body checks, at least that area had been fine.
Maybe this was just magic?
Unable to understand what was happening, Lin Nan could only attribute it to magic, though it was also possible his urinary system really had developed problems causing blood in his urine.
The pain continued unabated, but at least it was within Lin Nan's tolerance range. After drinking more hot water and holding a plush toy against his stomach, the pain mysteriously improved somewhat.
At least he wasn't convulsing from pain anymore.
However, wiping his sweat and looking up at the wall clock, he realized it was already 2 AM.
Lin Nan, who had been too focused on fighting the pain to pay attention to others, turned his head to look beside him and saw Wu Guodong still playing games, occasionally glancing his way.
"Awake?"
"Huh?"
Lin Nan was startled, and looking down, he found himself wrapped tightly in a blanket - what he had been wiping his sweat with was actually the blanket covering him.
Had he fallen asleep earlier?
He had felt his brain was actively thinking about problems, but hadn't realized he'd dozed off at some point.
"You seem to be doing better than before," Wu Guodong put down the controller and pulled the blanket that had slipped to Lin Nan's shoulders back up to his chin. "You seemed to be in less pain after being covered with the blanket."
"Mm."
Lin Nan nodded, still feeling a bit confused.
"You should go to sleep now," Lin Nan turned over and looked at Wu Guodong. "You have to drive me back tomorrow, and you have work the day after. Staying up late isn't good."
"It's fine, I'm used to it." The ashtray on Wu Guodong's coffee table was almost full of cigarette butts, yet he lit another one, taking a deep drag before exhaling thick smoke.
Lin Nan beside him felt like he was being smoked into preserved meat, choking and feeling nauseous. He said with disgust: "Can't you smoke somewhere else? I'm sick, you know?"
"Alright, alright." Wu Guodong stubbed out the cigarette and picked up the controller again, his eyes red from staying up late.
Lin Nan sighed softly, sitting up on the sofa with the blanket, his legs placed at an angle.
He looked at the screen hanging nearby, trying to lose himself in the game to forget the pain in his body.
If this really was a period, then he had brought it on himself. Earlier he had been careful to avoid cold water and cold drinks, but after coming to his uncle's place he started indulging himself, especially having an entire Frappuccino while shopping in the evening.
Although Lin Nan didn't really understand much about periods, given his body's condition plus the self-destructive behavior of eating ice cream, it would be stranger if he wasn't in pain.
The night was deep, and looking out the window, barely any lights could be seen in the entire residential complex. The summer night wind was blowing into the room, and Lin Nan, who normally didn't fear cold due to magic, could only shrink his head and wrap himself tightly.
Though he still couldn't be certain whether this was actually a period, Lin Nan decided to treat it as one.
"Uncle, do you have any heating pads?"
"I'll look for some, bought some last year but not sure where they went." Wu Guodong put down the controller and went to search in his bedroom.
Lin Nan started searching online for information about what to do when getting your period.
By his calculations, this should be what they call the first menstruation, right?
The organs in his body had probably developed to about twelve or thirteen years old, not fully mature yet, but already capable of menstruation.
He didn't know what it was like for girls when they got their first period, but for him it was truly torture.
Soon Wu Guodong returned to the sofa with heating pads, charging them with a power bank while tucking them into Lin Nan's arms. He sighed lightly and shook his head at Lin Nan: "Take care of your health while you're still in school. Once you start working, you won't have the chance even if you want to."
"You're only in your second year and already having issues like this, you really should get a proper checkup."
"Don't want to." Lin Nan immediately shook his head.
He didn't want his uncle to know about this, or his parents might find out about his condition... Currently, his plan was to take things one step at a time, keeping it secret for as long as possible.
After all, if his parents found out now that he was already "half" female, and if later he somehow found a way to turn back into a male... his parents would probably question their entire worldview.
"Fine, forget it then." Wu Guodong glanced at Lin Nan, seeing he was indeed doing much better, which finally put him somewhat at ease. But as a programmer and homebody, he didn't know how to express his concern, so he changed the subject: "What do you want to eat before you go back tomorrow? Price doesn't matter."
"How about seafood?" Lin Nan forced a smile through the pain. "I saw a Hema Fresh nearby while shopping tonight, how about getting me an Australian lobster to try?"
Actually, Lin Nan's hometown was in a coastal area, and he could see lobsters at banquets, but they were mostly Boston lobsters, and even then it was just one per table, meaning each person only got a small piece of meat.
"Sure!"
Hearing his affirmative answer, Lin Nan worried he might still be in too much pain tomorrow to have an appetite.
"But I think, maybe you should stay at my place for a couple more days?" Wu Guodong said with concern. "Even though I have to go to work, it's only about ten minutes away. You can call me if anything happens and I'll come right back. But in the dorm, there's no one to take care of you."
"My roommates should be back tomorrow or the day after."