Standing in the spacious, brightly lit bathroom, she slowly took off her bulky clothes and placed them in the empty laundry basket nearby.
She looked at her own body and found that being female no longer felt difficult to accept. At times, she even felt, in a daze, as if she had always been this way.
Compared to her somewhat slender female figure, what drew her attention more were the wounds scattered over her body.
On her legs, her waist, her arms. Her fair skin was covered with bluish-purple bruises, glaringly conspicuous.
She remembered there used to be a belt mark left on her abdomen by her foster father, but now it had faded away. Glancing again, she only saw her thin little belly.
Her gaze grew a little obscure. She leaned against the wall and sat on the small stool. Occasionally, her muscles would tug at her wounds, sending jolts of pain, but the girl had long grown accustomed to it. So, she showed no reaction.
She turned on the shower. Cold water gushed out, but after a while, it turned warm, pouring down over the girl’s body, soaking her long hair. The water, hot and cold, traced her curves, gathering together before trickling down from her round toes.
Steamy mist gradually filled the room, shrouding everything in a hazy blur.
Warm water slid over her cheeks as the girl gently closed her eyes.
At that moment, footsteps could faintly be heard outside.
“Um, Ye, I’ve found your clothes. Do you want me to bring them in?”
Fatigue flooded her mind, making her thoughts a little blurry. The girl opened her eyes.
“Okay.”
Neither of them noticed anything amiss, so when Liu Yinuo entered with the clothes after hearing her reply, it was already too late.
“Alright, I’ll just put your clothes here, and after you’re done with your showe—ah!”
Hearing the sound, the girl looked up and saw… a surprised Liu Yinuo?
Noticing the girl’s gaze, Liu Yinuo immediately covered her own eyes.
“Why… why didn’t you close the door?!”
Close the door? Didn’t I already close it? The girl looked around in confusion, finally realizing there was a frosted glass door separating the shower from the outside. She hadn’t noticed it, so she hadn’t closed it. Which meant… Liu Yinuo had seen everything?
Though she realized this, it didn’t feel all that real to her. Lowering her head, she fell silent for a moment, then quietly covered her chest.
Anyway, she wasn’t a man anymore. Even if someone saw, it shouldn’t matter, right?
“Sorry,” the girl said softly. Since it was her fault, she might as well apologize.
“Aiya, what are you apologizing for? Hurry up and close the door!”
She stretched out her left hand, still seated on the stool, and tried to close the door, but couldn’t quite reach.
With no other choice, she forced herself up from the stool despite the pain, finally closing the door.
By then, Liu Yinuo had already shut the outer door and fled.
The bathroom fell silent again, with only the sound of running water echoing in her ears, splashing over her body. The girl zoned out for a while, then started washing herself and her hair. She randomly chose one of the many shampoos on the shelf—brands she’d never heard of but assumed were expensive—squeezed out a little, lathered up some bubbles, turned off the water, and carefully massaged it into her long hair.
Long hair was troublesome to wash, but the girl was patient, cleaning every bit with care. Although her hair had grown inexplicably long after that night’s change, she never thought of cutting it off.
The reason was simple: it was warm and gave her a sense of security.
As for appearance, she never felt she was someone who needed to care about things like that.
After finishing her shower, surrounded by an indescribable fragrance from the shampoo and body wash, the girl opened the door, dried herself off, and, leaning against the wall, slowly made her way to where Liu Yinuo had set out fresh clothes.
Though she no longer felt awkward about her body, knowing these clothes had been worn by the class president made her feel a bit embarrassed. Especially when…
She picked out a garment meant only for women.
Even this had been prepared for her? Her gaze grew complicated, but since it had been provided, she had no reason to refuse.
The style was simple—white, with no fancy decorations. It was her first time wearing such a thing, so her movements were clumsy, especially trying not to touch the bruised areas. After much struggle, she finally managed to hook the strap from behind, putting the little undergarment on.
It felt…strange. How to describe it? Being wrapped up felt nice; nothing bounced or rubbed around, which gave her a sense of safety. But there was one small flaw—
It felt like back when she wrapped her chest too tightly, almost suffocating herself.
So stifling, so tight…
“Ugh…”
After hesitating for a bit, she went on to put on the rest of her clothes. Out of concern for her and to help keep her secret, Liu Yinuo had chosen mostly unisex outfits for her: long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and at the very bottom, an obviously expensive down jacket.
Once she was dressed, the girl quietly opened the bathroom door.
Her hair was still damp—she had only towel-dried it—and hung down, slightly obscuring her vision. As soon as she stepped out, she saw Liu Yinuo’s back as she sat on the sofa.
She hesitated, then approached.
“Um… I’m done.”
Unable to think of any conversation starter, the girl seemed nervous, twisting her fingers in her hair.
“Hm? All finished? Are you feeling any better?”
The class president turned around with sparkling eyes, making the girl look away in embarrassment.
“Yeah, much better.” After taking the medicine, her fever had gone down a lot. She was no longer so muddleheaded, though still very tired.
“And the clothes? Are they comfortable?”
“Um…”
It was hard to say this to anyone else, but after some hesitation, the girl told the truth.
“My chest feels a little… tight. President, are your clothes a bit small…?”
“Huh? That shouldn’t be. You’re so skinny…”
Liu Yinuo suspiciously moved closer, helped her sit on the sofa, and suddenly seemed to realize something, her gaze sharp.
“Don’t move! I need to check!”
“Eh? What’s wrong?”
The girl was still a bit dazed, but what happened next was beyond her wildest expectations. Liu Yinuo suddenly leapt forward and pinned her down. Then, those hands went straight to her chest.
“Ah! President, what are you doing?!”
Having her sensitive spot grabbed, the girl panicked, flailing her arms in a frenzy to drive off those mischievous hands. She didn’t notice, though, that Liu Yinuo’s expression was becoming more and more unsettled.
By the time she finally pushed Liu Yinuo off, the girl was nearly in tears.
Liu Yinuo’s hands still retained their grasping shape, but when she put them on her own chest, there was no fullness, only emptiness.
“How… how could this be…”
Liu Yinuo looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief and grievance.