"Dad, I'm back." Lin Jin opened the door with his key and listlessly called out into the house.
Glancing at the filthy tile floor, Lin Jin didn't even bother to take off his shoes. He directly dragged his suitcase into the house.
It's been three or four months since he’s been back, and the place was turning into a dump...
Entering the living room, Lin Jin's lips twitched at the sight of three or four trash bags and a floor scattered with liquor bottles. In the middle of this mess sat his dad, engrossed in a small 10 something inch TV on the TV cabinet.
"You're back?" His dad turned his head and glanced at Lin Jin, who had just entered the house with his suitcase. Without saying anything more, he turned his attention back to the television.
Then suddenly, his dad's movements froze, and he looked at Lin Jin as if he'd seen a ghost.
Lin Jin's body stiffened a bit. Pretending as if nothing was amiss, he dashed into his own room with his suitcase, locking the door behind him without hesitation.
My dad must have noticed something strange about me, right? Or does he think I've suddenly turned into a girl?
Ever since his body was altered, Lin Jin found that people on the street often mistook him for a woman. Especially now that his height had shrunk to only 1.6 meters and his frame had become smaller, he could easily be mistaken for a girl even without looking at his face. A height of 1.6 meters was barely acceptable in southern cities, of course, if you're comparing it to girls...
Dad must think I've changed too much after not seeing me for three or four months, huh?
Lin Jin took the clothes out of his suitcase and put them in the closet, placed his laptop on a small table next to him, and then collapsed onto the bed.
His home didn't have much furniture to begin with, a bed and a small table made up the large, eerily empty room. Naturally, there was no internet in Lin Jin's home either. Although he had brought his computer back, he guessed he could only play single-player games on it. Maybe after he got tired of the games downloaded on his computer, he could go to an internet café to mooch off the WiFi and download some more.
"Lin Jin, come out for a moment." Dad knocked on the door twice and tried to come in directly but was stopped by the lock.
"Coming." Lin Jin called out, quickly got up, and opened the door, lifting his head to look at his father.
The dad before him appeared somewhat leaner, lacking the beer belly he had a decade ago. Although he looked thin, he was muscular, his rolled-up sleeves revealing arms filled with elongated muscle groups. His face, similar to Lin Jin's younger brother Lin Chen, was square-shaped, with a crew cut and a long scar on his face. It was said to be from a conflict over business dealings fifteen years ago.
All in all, Lin Jin guessed that his dad could easily lift him with one hand and swing him around.
"What's the matter? I haven't finished unpacking yet." Lin Jin merely glanced at his dad before lowering his head swiftly, feigning nonchalance as he checked his phone. "Do you want me to go to the market to buy some groceries?"
"I have to go out for work in a bit, you can eat by yourself tonight." His dad first gave an instruction, then hesitated as he scrutinized his son.
Just three or four months ago, even though he was small and skinny, he at least looked like a man. How could he have changed so much in just one semester?
The transformation in Lin Jin was immense. Although his roommates, who spent day and night with him, didn't easily notice, his dad was stunned by the change when he saw Lin Jin again after three or four months.
"You..."
"Chengchang! Let's go, the boss said we need to be there by one or it’ll be too late."
The front door wasn't locked, and a man as muscular as Lin Jin's dad walked directly into the house, shouting at him and interrupting his words.
"Got it." Dad, in a rush to go to work, didn't continue questioning Lin Jin. He turned around, grabbed a white towel to hang around his neck, and followed the man out of the house.
Lin Jin finally felt relieved and let out a long sigh, walking over to the front door to close it.
Dad was apparently the youngest among his siblings. It was said that when he was born, he was deeply favored by his grandfather. They hired a scholar to name him, thus giving him the name "Lin Chengchang."
Although the meaning of the name was unclear, the grandfather believed that a name given by a scholar was good, so the name has been with Dad for half his life now.
"I feel like trouble is brewing" Lin Jin frowned as he lay down on his bed, which was only covered with a straw mat. He would have to find his own bedding later on.
He looked up at the off-white ceiling, let out a yawn, and pondered on how he should handle his dad's questioning when he came back.
The change had been too drastic. While the transformation seemed minimal to classmates he spent day and night with at school, it wouldn't be so easy to bluff his way through with his dad.
Lin Jin touched his chest and could barely feel two soft mounds of flesh, his chest wasn't too obvious.
With Dad not at home, and having already unpacked, Lin Jin felt restless. He tossed and turned on his bed, unsure of what he should do next.
Maybe I should go out and buy some groceries?
Lin Jin hesitated for a moment, got up from his bed, and ran to the kitchen.
The kitchen was indeed very clean, but that cleanliness indicated that Dad hardly ever used it. There was no fridge in Lin Jin's home, and naturally, there weren't any food ingredients stored either. Opening the kitchen cabinet where there should have been a bucket full of rice, not a single grain could be seen.
"Guess I really do have to go grocery shopping" Lin Jin shook his head. After tidying up the kitchen a bit, he took some money and left the house.
Lin Jin's home was situated at the center of the city. Despite being in the center, the nearby streets were not particularly prosperous.
The grocery market was only three to five hundred meters away from Lin Jin's residential area. Lin Jin used to go there often to buy vegetables, so he was familiar with many of the uncles and aunties who sold produce year-round.
However, those uncles and aunties probably wouldn't recognize Lin Jin now.
Walking into the market, there were not many vendors in the market at noon. Lin Jin went to a store selling rice and bought a large bag. Then he went around the market and proceeded to buy some bunches of water spinach and a few eggs. Carrying the bags, he leisurely made his way back home.
The rice would be delivered to his doorstep, so Lin Jin didn't have to use his frail body to carry it upstairs.
His home was on the seventh floor, the highest in this old-fashioned apartment complex, which also lacked an elevator. Normally, Lin Jin was used to climbing up to the seventh floor, but now it felt as if walking up seven floors could exhaust him to the point where he could barely walk.
Suddenly, Lin Jin's heart jumped once again. Coming down from the upper floors was a girl with a ponytail, dressed all in white.
The girl curiously looked at Lin Jin, whose face seemed somewhat unfamiliar yet vaguely recognizable. As they passed each other, an image of Lin Jin's cute appearance from elementary school suddenly appeared in her mind.
"Lin Jin?" The girl abruptly halted, turning around and calling out to Lin Jin's retreating figure.
Lin Jin was so startled by this shout that he felt as if his soul had fled his body. Just a moment ago, he felt like his legs were too weak to climb the stairs. Now, a sudden burst of energy appeared from nowhere, and he ran up the stairs, taking two at a time.
"It really is Lin Jin!" The girl's eyes lit up as she hurriedly followed him, shouting, "Hey! Why are you running away? You come back for the holidays and you don't even look for me!"
"I'm not!"
What the f*ck! How did he run into this lunatic?!
"Dad, I'm back." Lin Jin opened the door with his key and listlessly called out into the house.
Glancing at the filthy tile floor, Lin Jin didn't even bother to take off his shoes. He directly dragged his suitcase into the house.
It's been three or four months since he’s been back, and the place was turning into a dump...
Entering the living room, Lin Jin's lips twitched at the sight of three or four trash bags and a floor scattered with liquor bottles. In the middle of this mess sat his dad, engrossed in a small 10 something inch TV on the TV cabinet.
"You're back?" His dad turned his head and glanced at Lin Jin, who had just entered the house with his suitcase. Without saying anything more, he turned his attention back to the television.
Then suddenly, his dad's movements froze, and he looked at Lin Jin as if he'd seen a ghost.
Lin Jin's body stiffened a bit. Pretending as if nothing was amiss, he dashed into his own room with his suitcase, locking the door behind him without hesitation.
My dad must have noticed something strange about me, right? Or does he think I've suddenly turned into a girl?
Ever since his body was altered, Lin Jin found that people on the street often mistook him for a woman. Especially now that his height had shrunk to only 1.6 meters and his frame had become smaller, he could easily be mistaken for a girl even without looking at his face. A height of 1.6 meters was barely acceptable in southern cities, of course, if you're comparing it to girls...
Dad must think I've changed too much after not seeing me for three or four months, huh?
Lin Jin took the clothes out of his suitcase and put them in the closet, placed his laptop on a small table next to him, and then collapsed onto the bed.
His home didn't have much furniture to begin with, a bed and a small table made up the large, eerily empty room. Naturally, there was no internet in Lin Jin's home either. Although he had brought his computer back, he guessed he could only play single-player games on it. Maybe after he got tired of the games downloaded on his computer, he could go to an internet café to mooch off the WiFi and download some more.
"Lin Jin, come out for a moment." Dad knocked on the door twice and tried to come in directly but was stopped by the lock.
"Coming." Lin Jin called out, quickly got up, and opened the door, lifting his head to look at his father.
The dad before him appeared somewhat leaner, lacking the beer belly he had a decade ago. Although he looked thin, he was muscular, his rolled-up sleeves revealing arms filled with elongated muscle groups. His face, similar to Lin Jin's younger brother Lin Chen, was square-shaped, with a crew cut and a long scar on his face. It was said to be from a conflict over business dealings fifteen years ago.
All in all, Lin Jin guessed that his dad could easily lift him with one hand and swing him around.
"What's the matter? I haven't finished unpacking yet." Lin Jin merely glanced at his dad before lowering his head swiftly, feigning nonchalance as he checked his phone. "Do you want me to go to the market to buy some groceries?"
"I have to go out for work in a bit, you can eat by yourself tonight." His dad first gave an instruction, then hesitated as he scrutinized his son.
Just three or four months ago, even though he was small and skinny, he at least looked like a man. How could he have changed so much in just one semester?
The transformation in Lin Jin was immense. Although his roommates, who spent day and night with him, didn't easily notice, his dad was stunned by the change when he saw Lin Jin again after three or four months.
"You..."
"Chengchang! Let's go, the boss said we need to be there by one or it’ll be too late."
The front door wasn't locked, and a man as muscular as Lin Jin's dad walked directly into the house, shouting at him and interrupting his words.
"Got it." Dad, in a rush to go to work, didn't continue questioning Lin Jin. He turned around, grabbed a white towel to hang around his neck, and followed the man out of the house.
Lin Jin finally felt relieved and let out a long sigh, walking over to the front door to close it.
Dad was apparently the youngest among his siblings. It was said that when he was born, he was deeply favored by his grandfather. They hired a scholar to name him, thus giving him the name "Lin Chengchang."
Although the meaning of the name was unclear, the grandfather believed that a name given by a scholar was good, so the name has been with Dad for half his life now.
"I feel like trouble is brewing" Lin Jin frowned as he lay down on his bed, which was only covered with a straw mat. He would have to find his own bedding later on.
He looked up at the off-white ceiling, let out a yawn, and pondered on how he should handle his dad's questioning when he came back.
The change had been too drastic. While the transformation seemed minimal to classmates he spent day and night with at school, it wouldn't be so easy to bluff his way through with his dad.
Lin Jin touched his chest and could barely feel two soft mounds of flesh, his chest wasn't too obvious.
With Dad not at home, and having already unpacked, Lin Jin felt restless. He tossed and turned on his bed, unsure of what he should do next.
Maybe I should go out and buy some groceries?
Lin Jin hesitated for a moment, got up from his bed, and ran to the kitchen.
The kitchen was indeed very clean, but that cleanliness indicated that Dad hardly ever used it. There was no fridge in Lin Jin's home, and naturally, there weren't any food ingredients stored either. Opening the kitchen cabinet where there should have been a bucket full of rice, not a single grain could be seen.
"Guess I really do have to go grocery shopping" Lin Jin shook his head. After tidying up the kitchen a bit, he took some money and left the house.
Lin Jin's home was situated at the center of the city. Despite being in the center, the nearby streets were not particularly prosperous.
The grocery market was only three to five hundred meters away from Lin Jin's residential area. Lin Jin used to go there often to buy vegetables, so he was familiar with many of the uncles and aunties who sold produce year-round.
However, those uncles and aunties probably wouldn't recognize Lin Jin now.
Walking into the market, there were not many vendors in the market at noon. Lin Jin went to a store selling rice and bought a large bag. Then he went around the market and proceeded to buy some bunches of water spinach and a few eggs. Carrying the bags, he leisurely made his way back home.
The rice would be delivered to his doorstep, so Lin Jin didn't have to use his frail body to carry it upstairs.
His home was on the seventh floor, the highest in this old-fashioned apartment complex, which also lacked an elevator. Normally, Lin Jin was used to climbing up to the seventh floor, but now it felt as if walking up seven floors could exhaust him to the point where he could barely walk.
Suddenly, Lin Jin's heart jumped once again. Coming down from the upper floors was a girl with a ponytail, dressed all in white.
The girl curiously looked at Lin Jin, whose face seemed somewhat unfamiliar yet vaguely recognizable. As they passed each other, an image of Lin Jin's cute appearance from elementary school suddenly appeared in her mind.
"Lin Jin?" The girl abruptly halted, turning around and calling out to Lin Jin's retreating figure.
Lin Jin was so startled by this shout that he felt as if his soul had fled his body. Just a moment ago, he felt like his legs were too weak to climb the stairs. Now, a sudden burst of energy appeared from nowhere, and he ran up the stairs, taking two at a time.
"It really is Lin Jin!" The girl's eyes lit up as she hurriedly followed him, shouting, "Hey! Why are you running away? You come back for the holidays and you don't even look for me!"
"I'm not!"
What the f*ck! How did he run into this lunatic?!
