Ye Xingmian discovered something absolutely shocking the moment she woke up.
How shocking was it? Just look—this morning, when she reached into her pocket. Hey! The little bird was gone!
At first, she was confused, then turned over, wanting to get out of bed to see what had happened.
And then, she discovered the second shocking thing.
A sudden sharp pain on her scalp—hey! She’d crushed her hair!
She panicked even more, the drowsiness instantly dissipating by half. Now, the sky was just beginning to lighten; it was probably four or five in the morning. She hurriedly climbed out of the old bed in the Loft, wrapped herself tightly in her quilt, then quietly opened the door, tiptoed downstairs, and nervously passed by the doors of her foster parents and adopted sister’s rooms, heading straight into the bathroom.
Through the mirror, she could faintly make out her current appearance in the darkness.
Her pitch-black hair, for some reason, had suddenly grown a lot longer, now brushing her shoulders. The lines of her face were softer, her skin seemed a bit better, though it was still sickly pale from malnutrition. The girl in the mirror looked so pitiful—slim, with a pair of beautiful cherry-pink eyes that blinked expressively, exuding an innate, deep-seated weakness and timidity, a sense of resigned acceptance that aroused sympathy.
Ye Xingmian, however, could hardly appreciate it; all she felt was deep fear.
She touched her throat—her Adam’s apple, already not very prominent, had completely vanished. The soft swell of her chest had grown bigger. As for further down? She’d already checked when she woke up this morning. Gone. All gone…
All sleepiness vanished.
Though it had started a month ago, she’d never expected something like this would actually happen.
—She’d turned into a girl.
She pinched her own arm hard; the sharp pain made her realize this was no dream.
She stood dazed before the mirror, until she heard the faint sound of a door lock turning in the corridor, which snapped her back to her senses. She hurried out of the bathroom and rushed back to her cluttered Loft.
As soon as she got inside, she wrapped herself tightly in her quilt. Her body was warm now, but her mind was in a tangled mess. She simply couldn’t figure out how things had come to this.
To be precise, had it started a month, or even longer, ago? Her body had been getting stranger and stranger. At first it was frequent dizziness, body spasms, and occasional whole-body aches. She’d endured all that. Then, she’d become more and more feminine. Her voice grew sharper, her facial features softer, and even! Even!
She’d actually grown breasts!
For Ye Xingmian, who had always been certain she was a man, this was pure despair.
And now, today, she had actually become a girl?
Who would believe such a ridiculous thing if she told anyone? Yet it had indeed happened to her. She bit her lip hard and couldn’t fall asleep again. Now it was the last year of high school—after the New Year would be the Gaokao. What was she supposed to do?
She absolutely couldn’t let anyone find out, especially her Mother, who was working far away.
She made up her mind.
At seven in the morning, knocking sounded in the hallway.
Lin Ziyan, bleary-eyed and in loose pajamas, opened the door—only to see a “weirdo” completely covered up from head to toe.
She paused, then her expression turned cold. She frowned and said disdainfully, “Hey, you’re banging on my door so early, and wearing so many layers—are you sick or something?”
The person in front of her was, of course, Ye Xingmian. Ever since she’d returned to the Loft, she hadn’t been able to fall back asleep. Since she still had to go to School, she could only rummage through her clothes, trying her best to cover up her abnormality. Her hair had grown so much overnight, and even her brows and facial features had changed greatly. She’d had no choice but to hide as much as possible. Now, standing before Lin Ziyan, the girl kept her head down, hood up, with only an overwhelming air of weakness showing—no other features visible.
Ye Xingmian pressed her lips together, her tone meek.
“Sis… Sister… It’s time for class, I made you Breakfast, Uncle and Aunt aren’t home today…”
Lin Ziyan’s frown deepened. She yawned, unconcerned. “Don’t call me sister, you know you’re just a Rice Worm living in this house. We’re not related at all.”
“Mm…” Ye Xingmian didn’t retort, just looked a little disappointed. She’d long grown used to words like this, only turning silently away.
“Hurry up and wash up, the food’s getting cold.”
“If it’s cold, you can heat it up again.”
“Oh…”
After Ye Xingmian left, Lin Ziyan stretched. Just as she was about to head for the bathroom, she suddenly frowned and sniffed the air.
“That’s weird, why does it smell so nice?”
She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but the spot where Ye Xingmian had just been standing seemed to carry a faint fragrance. It soon dissipated, though, so she chalked it up to her own imagination and tightened her collar.
It really is getting colder these days.
Thinking that, she went into the bathroom.
After washing up, Lin Ziyan slung her backpack on and headed straight for the door.
“Let’s go, time for School.”
She glanced back at the girl still eating with her hood on, a flicker of puzzlement passing through her dark eyes, but it was quickly replaced by her usual look of annoyance.
“Eh? But… aren’t you going to eat?”
Ye Xingmian was a little stunned. She looked up at Lin Ziyan, only to see the other girl already dressed and clearly not joking.
“Tsk, what’s wrong with your voice?”
“Ah?” Ye Xingmian suddenly realized something and quickly closed her mouth. Her voice was now so soft and sweet, it sounded like a little girl—completely unlike a normal Senior Year boy. But since it had changed gradually, she hadn’t noticed just how off it sounded until now.
After a moment of silence, she could only put down her unfinished Breakfast. When she turned to grab her bag, she thought to herself that she’d probably get scolded again tonight.
When Ye Xingmian ran up beside her, Lin Ziyan was still staring, which made her even more nervous—afraid something would be noticed, she kept her head even lower.
But Lin Ziyan didn’t say anything in the end. She casually tossed her heavy backpack at the “boy” who seemed even smaller than herself.
Ye Xingmian didn’t complain; although it was heavy, carrying her “sister’s” backpack to School was already routine for her. As she struggled to adjust the backpack on her shoulders, Lin Ziyan had already walked far ahead, so she quickly hurried after.
“Zi… Ziyan… aren’t you going to eat?”
She looked at the girl worriedly—not just concerned about her being hungry, but also fearing that if Uncle and Aunt found out she hadn’t eaten Breakfast, they’d blame her for it and she’d definitely get scolded.
“No, I still have Meal Money left. I’m going to buy Egg Cake near School.”
“Oh…”
Egg Cake? That sort of luxury was utterly unimaginable for Ye Xingmian, who never had a cent left over after paying for food. She didn’t really feel envious—well, maybe just a little? But more than anything, she just quietly rubbed her own belly.
She’d been called away in such a hurry just now, she hadn’t even eaten her fill…
“Oh, right. The Teacher assigned Homework yesterday. I forgot to tell you, so make sure to catch up at School.”
Yesterday, Ye Xingmian had suddenly gotten sick and needed to ask for leave and rest at home. The Teacher had told Lin Ziyan, Ye Xingmian’s “sister” in name, to pass on the Homework assignment, but Lin Ziyan had completely forgotten until just now.
“Ah? But… you never told me…”
“That’s not my problem. If you don’t finish it, be ready for punishment.”
“……”
How could she possibly finish it all…