This was the first time Lin Nan had gotten this thoroughly drunk.

Chen Yao watched as Lin Nan drank bottle after bottle, with almost no hesitation, showing no interest in the barbecue skewers, purely wanting to quickly get herself intoxicated.

In half an hour, seven or eight bottles of beer were rapidly consumed. Lin Nan collapsed face-down on the table, her hair disheveled.

"I don't want to be like this either..." her voice trembled as she mumbled softly.

Chen Yao stood up, called the owner over to pay the bill, then looked at the barely touched barbecue skewers with only a bitter smile on his face.

He really didn't know how to comfort others, and could only use this clumsy method to give Lin Nan a chance to vent. From what he could see, Lin Nan had indeed suffered countless grievances during the few hours since returning home today.

Chen Yao stepped forward and gently shook Lin Nan's shoulder, but got no response. He could only listen to those heartbreaking words of helplessness repeated over and over.

"I don't want to be like this either..."

"Come on, let's find a hotel to sleep," he called softly, but Lin Nan remained completely unresponsive, still lying there.

Lin Nan felt like her head had turned to mush, unable to think about anything. Her whole being seemed to float up to the sky.

She seemed unable to hear any sounds from the outside world, filled only with grievances that she didn't know how to express.

After a moment, she felt her body being gently lifted. She raised her head to look at the person beside her, smiled foolishly, then lowered her head again, mumbling those words she had repeated countless times.

Chen Yao supported Lin Nan as they walked toward the nearby Super 8 hotel. He worriedly checked on Lin Nan's condition from time to time, while also starting to worry about what Lin Nan should do tomorrow.

It seemed like her mother treated her quite well?

At least during the last visit home, he had seen that Lin Nan and her mother got along fairly well. They had even gone to the beach to play, and her mother had quickly accepted Lin Nan.

But why had Lin Nan's mother suddenly disappeared without a trace? Was she just coincidentally not at home?

"What are your plans for tomorrow?"

Chen Yao still got no response from Lin Nan, so he could only first take Lin Nan into the hotel and book a double bed room.

Entering the room, he helped Lin Nan to the bathroom.

As soon as he let go, Lin Nan immediately fell forward toward the toilet and began vomiting continuously. Chen Yao could only feel somewhat fortunate that he was experienced, otherwise she would have definitely vomited everywhere.

After throwing up, Lin Nan's eyes, which had been clouded by alcohol, finally regained some clarity. Confusion and moisture filled her eyes, making her look somewhat dazed.

"Awake now? Go to sleep then."

Chen Yao followed behind Lin Nan, protecting her, afraid this girl might carelessly fall to the ground.

"Mm." Lin Nan was too drunk to disagree. She swayed as she walked out of the bathroom, then immediately collapsed onto the hotel's big bed.

She rolled over to lie flat on her back, looking up at the mirror on the ceiling.

This was a couple's hotel, with lights casting an ambiguous pink-purple glow, but neither of them had any romantic or strange thoughts.

Chen Yao found a place to sit and yawned: "Tomorrow I'll go with you to get your luggage, then what do you plan to do?"

"What do you mean what do I plan to do?" Lin Nan had already slept for a long time in the afternoon. Even though she was now drunk to the point of nearly losing consciousness, she wasn't particularly sleepy. Instead, the alcohol made her somewhat talkative.

"Where are you planning to go?"

"Stay at home..."

Having drunk alcohol, she was finally willing to respond to Chen Yao instead of maintaining that annoying closed-off attitude from before.

Hearing this, Chen Yao's mouth twitched: "With the way he treats you, why would you go back? Today he squeezed you out and scolded you, what about tomorrow? What if someday you get beaten half to death?"

"It's not that bad, right?" Lin Nan rolled over. She really didn't think her father had done anything particularly excessive.

"I just can't understand your thought process!" Chen Yao got angry seeing her like this, unable to comprehend why Lin Nan was so obsessed with getting her father's acceptance.

Lin Nan felt her father wasn't being excessive, but watching it made Chen Yao’s heart ache so much he could barely breathe.

This was the friend, little brother, and best buddy he had protected for six or seven years! But this time he really didn't know what to do. As long as Lin Nan still held onto wanting her father's acceptance, still carried guilt about becoming female, no matter how hard he tried, it would all be in vain.

Thinking of this, Chen Yao angrily kicked a rattan chair in the hotel room: "I don't care! Go find your mother!"

"Actually, my dad told me to find her tomorrow anyway..."

Chen Yao suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Lin Nan's arm. Under that indifferent gaze, he pulled the phone from her pocket.

"The password is still 2215, right? I'm calling your mom to have her come pick you up."

Lin Nan turned her head away, unwilling to look at Chen Yao: "She probably doesn't want to deal with me either."

Except for that period when she had just returned to school when her mother would occasionally call or text with concern, later, even after the divorce, there hadn't been a single phone call. With New Year approaching, she hadn't even asked about winter break timing.

"Maybe she's busy?" Chen Yao held Lin Nan's phone, searching for her mother's number while asking, "You don't think I'm being too meddlesome, do you?"

"A little..."

"You..." Chen Yao was suddenly too angry to speak. He angrily put the phone back on the table, crossed his arms, and cursed: "If you weren't my friend, would I care this much about you? Damn it!"

Hearing this, Lin Nan suddenly sat up straight, looking at Chen Yao with those eyes that were misty with tears from being drunk.

Chen Yao was startled and looked directly into Lin Nan's eyes, feeling that the drunk version of her was actually quite adorably silly.

"Do you like me?" Lin Nan's alcohol-addled brain had no filter as she asked directly, "Or do you want to sleep with me?"

"???"

Chen Yao's anger immediately dissipated, leaving only overwhelming embarrassment. He was at a loss and didn't dare continue looking into those eyes: "No, absolutely not."

"Whatever. I'm drunk anyway, so I couldn't resist even if I wanted to."

Lin Nan suddenly lay back down on the bed, raising both arms above her head in a pose of complete surrender.

However, Chen Yao had no such thoughts at all. He only felt the embarrassment of being called out. He glanced at Lin Nan, who was now radiating an alluring aura, crossed his legs, yawned, and decided to be a gentleman tonight.

But when had Lin Nan learned how to seduce men without any training?

From the looks of it, he absolutely couldn't let Lin Nan drink without him around in the future. Otherwise, she might act flirtatious like tonight and naively end up being taken advantage of.

After just a few minutes of silence, the sound of Lin Nan's even and heavy breathing came from the bed. Only then did Chen Yao get up from the chair and come to Lin Nan's side to cover her with a blanket.

"Stupid to death," he stood by the bed, looking at that delicate face with a bitter smile. "Even if I really was interested, I couldn't take advantage of someone like this, right?"

Lin Nan was sleeping right in the middle of the bed. Chen Yao had no intention of sleeping either. He turned off the lights and leaned against the wall in distress, looking out at the night view through the window. He wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

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