Chapter 407 - 205: Folk Solo
Chapter 407: Chapter 205: Folk Solo
Lin Shen felt a little uncertain, but he had a pretty good idea about one thing.
Namely, that Xia Nuonuo’s troubles likely had to do with her sexual orientation.
"Two Berry Forests, please."
Taking a seat at the bar, Lin Shen ordered two non-alcoholic drinks from the bartender.
Xia Nuonuo sat down next to him without saying a word.
They sat in silence, and the atmosphere grew a little awkward.
Seeing this, Lin Shen decided to be the one to break the stalemate. He planned to start with her hobbies to find some common ground.
"Your singing is really good. Was that blues?"
"Hm?"
Xia Nuonuo hadn’t expected Lin Shen to be able to identify the genre of music. She looked up slightly, surprised.
"You listen to it?"
"Occasionally."
The corners of Lin Shen’s mouth lifted into a slight smile.
"I mostly listen to folk and classics. What about you?"
"Blues and rock."
Xia Nuonuo remembered the advice Luna had given her. After a moment of hesitation, she made a quiet request.
"About today... can you not tell my mom? She doesn’t know I sing at bars."
"Of course."
Lin Shen shrugged.
"But I need to be sure that your singing gigs are safe, and that your daily relationships are healthy."
"Luna is a very good person."
Xia Nuonuo insisted.
"She joined the music club with me right after we started school. We play music and record songs together. I’m positive she’s a person of good character."
"But no matter how good her character is, you shouldn’t develop *that* kind of relationship, right?"
Lin Shen’s teasing sent Xia Nuonuo into a long silence. Only after the bartender brought their drinks did she touch the cold side of the glass and murmur softly.
"There’s a reason for it."
"Can you tell me about it?"
"I have misandry."
COUGH, COUGH—!
Xia Nuonuo’s words almost made Lin Shen spit out the mouthful of his drink. After a few violent coughs, he looked at her with a rather strange expression.
’Huh?’
’Misandry?’
’Are you one of those Xiaohongshu addicts?’
As if sensing Lin Shen’s doubtful gaze, Xia Nuonuo explained softly.
"Ever since I saw my dad cheating on my mom with my aunt, I’ve had this... condition. I have a physiological repulsion to anything between men and women."
"My doctor said it’s a form of psychological trauma. It’s because my mom and dad always created this image of a perfectly happy and harmonious family for me."
"I was always living in that beautiful illusion, so I couldn’t accept the reality that their relationship had long since fallen apart. The divorce happened so suddenly, without any warning, and it gave me an immense psychological shock."
"That’s why whenever I think about that sort of thing, I..."
Xia Nuonuo seemed to recall what had happened at home with Lin Shen and her mother the night before last. She clutched her throat and started to retch.
Seeing this, Lin Shen quickly rubbed her back gently and asked with concern.
"Are you okay?"
"I’m fine. I’m used to it."
Xia Nuonuo quickly drank more than half of her drink, then let out a long breath, seeming to recover.
"Whenever I think about things between men and women, I get nauseous. I retch and feel like throwing up."
"No wonder you’re with a girl, then."
Now Lin Shen understood Xia Nuonuo a little better. He even felt sympathy for what she’d been through.
’Sigh...’
’The parents make a mistake, but the child is the one who pays the price.’
’How tragic.’
"Does Aunt Shen know?"
"No."
"Then why aren’t you willing to tell her?"
Lin Shen was a little confused.
"Since you have psychological trauma, Aunt Shen should be able to understand."
"She wouldn’t."
Xia Nuonuo gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"Do you think a normal person would understand something like this? They might say they respect and understand, but deep down, they’re full of contempt."
"The thought of my mom secretly hating me... I just..."
"How could a mother possibly hate her own daughter?"
Lin Shen smiled, poking fun at himself.
"Well, if that’s what you think, then I guess I’m not a normal person either, huh?"
?
Xia Nuonuo’s expression faltered. She turned to look at Lin Shen’s gentle smile, and her desolate heart suddenly stirred.
"You can understand me?"
"What’s not to understand?"
Lin Shen took a small sip of his drink and said casually.
"A person’s life is only about thirty thousand days long. If you think of it like a video game, our only main quests are figuring out how to get two thousand calories of food each day and finding a safe place to rest. Everything else is just a side quest for you to explore the world."
"..."
It was the first time Xia Nuonuo had ever heard someone describe life that way. In an instant, she felt as if she’d reached a new level of clarity, and the dullness in her eyes was replaced by a vibrant light.
’That’s right!’
’Why should I let other people’s attitudes define my life?’
’As long as I’m not breaking the law, disturbing social order, or interfering with other people’s lives, how I choose to live is my own business!’
"Thank you."
Xia Nuonuo thanked him in a low voice, her opinion of Lin Shen beginning to change.
Before, she hadn’t approved of Lin Shen being with her mother.
First, because their age gap was too large, which would easily lead to gossip.
Second, Xia Nuonuo felt that Lin Shen wasn’t sincerely with her mother.
Given his status and family background, there was no shortage of women around him, she figured.
’For example, his motive for coming to a quiet bar like this is definitely not pure!’
The mere thought of it made Xia Nuonuo feel sick. She felt Lin Shen was just like her father—a philandering playboy.
But Lin Shen’s gentle guidance made it impossible for her to feel annoyed with him at that moment. She thought that, at the very least, he wasn’t a bad person at heart.
These two completely contradictory feelings intertwined, leaving Xia Nuonuo bewildered and unsure of how she should treat Lin Shen.
So she kept sipping her drink, and finally asked tentatively.
"Did you come to this bar by yourself?"
"No."
Seeing that Xia Nuonuo’s glass was nearly empty, Lin Shen ordered two more from the bartender, then said softly.