Chapter 10: Haha, You Got Tricked

Ever since that day in the infirmary, something had been tied up in Wang Jing’s heart—a knot that refused to loosen.

She tried not to think about it. Really, she did.

But every so often, her mind would replay the image of Su Yao’s silhouette beneath the tree…

And that glimpse of a delicate, charming girl—

Somehow, the two images began to overlap.

But Su Yao wasn’t a girl, right?

Her school records clearly listed her gender as male.

Wang Jing had not only checked the student info form in the class group chat, she’d even confirmed with their class advisor Zhang Li that the ID listed “male.”

And yet—

To Wang Jing’s eyes, Su Yao looked nothing like a boy.

Her frame was slender and petite, skin fair and soft.

Even the more androgynous boys Wang Jing knew still had unmistakable masculine bone structures.

Men with the same height usually had noticeably larger hands.

But Su Yao’s hands—and feet—were delicate, almost dainty.

Boy or girl?

Wang Jing pulled out her phone and searched it online.

She quickly stumbled on the term “trap”—a guy who looks like a girl.

It was a new concept to her, and she dove deeper, fascinated.

She thought she had opened the door to a new world.

Instead—

She had opened Pandora’s Box.

Accidentally, she fell into a dark rabbit hole filled with bizarre, fringe concepts.

***

One term stuck out—

“Drug-assisted feminization”, or “yao.niang” —people who took hormones to become more feminine.

Wang Jing had never heard of this.

And after reading up on it, her heart pounded with unease.

As a cis woman, she truly could not understand.

But… you can’t blame her.

After all, humans are naturally incapable of understanding one another.

***

After reading a few twisted stories, she was dizzy and overwhelmed.

And then, her overactive brain cooked up a terrifying theory…

Maybe Su Yao actually wants to be a girl…?

But because she has that… ahem… thing boys have…

She can’t fully become one.

So now she’s stuck—neither here nor there—feeling self-conscious and withdrawn.

Scared that others will discover her secret and look at her differently…

Yes! That must be it!

Wang Jing’s eyes lit up.

She’d finally cracked the mystery!

But now…

How could she help her?

Just as she solved one puzzle, another one appeared.

How was she supposed to help?

Before she realized it, she was already sitting across from Su Yao, looking her in the eye, speaking with sincerity:

“Su Yao, let’s date.”

She was serious.

Wang Jing had thought this through for a long time.

Her actions today were not impulsive—they were calculated.

She watched as Su Yao froze, mouth slightly open, lips soft and glistening pink, dumbstruck.

And then—

Silence.

Even Wang Jing herself felt her heart pounding harder than usual.

Blood pumped wildly through her body.

A sensation she’d never felt before poured into her mind, making her feel like she was floating in the clouds.

So this is love?

I’m in love. I’m so in love.

Wang Jing’s breathing grew shallow and shaky.

Her body felt flushed, ignited by a single spark.

Warmth.

Tingling.

An unbearable itch under her skin.

***

“Do you mean like… just as friends?” Su Yao asked.

“No, as lovers.”

“L-lovers who… kiss?”

“Yes. Who can kiss.”

Wang Jing’s eyes locked on Su Yao’s plush pink lips.

What would kissing her feel like?

***

Su Yao’s brain crashed.

This situation was completely beyond anything she could’ve predicted.

Wang Jing—of all people—doing this?

She couldn’t compute it.

Her mental processors went into overdrive trying to generate the optimal response.

But even when she turned off all other sensory functions to focus entirely on thinking, no perfect answer would come.

There was only one option left.

Her teacher once said, “If you don’t know the answer, skip to the next question.”

“Ah…”

Su Yao buried her head in her bowl of rice, shoveling in spoonfuls as if nothing had happened.

The air turned cold.

“I’m serious,” Wang Jing said again, firmer this time.

Su Yao’s hand paused.

She looked at the still-full plate, hurriedly crammed in two more bites, then slowly put down her chopsticks—like they were glass and might shatter with the tension.

No time to wipe her mouth.

Cheeks bulging like a hamster, she nibbled her lower lip nervously.

Then—

As if gathering all her courage—

Su Yao suddenly stood up.

Wang Jing stood too, not taking her eyes off the flustered girl in front of her.

Su Yao reached up with both hands and removed her hat.

Messy long hair spilled out.

She glanced at Wang Jing—

Then looked away immediately.

Then, in a voice far more feminine and delicate than before, she said:

“Um, senpai… actually… I-I’m not Su Yao! I’m… I’m Yao Su! Haha, you’ve got the wrong person!”

And with that—

She ran.

Or at least, she tried to.

Barely a few steps in, at the corner by the cafeteria door, her left foot gave out, nearly causing her to faceplant.

Luckily, someone happened to walk in at that exact moment.

She crashed right into them.

Blushing furiously, Su Yao didn’t even look at who it was.

She started apologizing with every phrase she knew:

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to! Please forgive me! My fault! Sorry! I didn’t see you! I’m really sorry!”

She was one step away from yelling “Gomen nasai!” and bowing a full 90 degrees.

If she stayed even a second longer—she was done.

Didn’t matter if Wang Jing wasn’t chasing her anymore—

Su Yao dashed out of the cafeteria, limping.

***

Wang Jing could only stare, wide-eyed, watching her vanish around the corner.

And then—

Thud!

She slumped down on the bench.

What the hell just happened?!

Someone spoke to her.

She looked up.

Mu Nanqiu was staring at her, confused.

Wang Jing bit her lip and asked:

“Ah Qiu… am I that unattractive?”

Mu Nanqiu blinked.

“Uh… well, you’re… unique, I guess?”

Wang Jing wasn’t ugly, far from it.

She was arguably one of the most beautiful girls in the entire university.

So why…

Why did she run away like that?

Wang Jing covered her face with both hands and sighed.

***

Mu Nanqiu had known Wang Jing for years.

The only times she’d ever seen her depressed were when she had her period.

Otherwise, the girl was like a live wire—full of radioactive energy.

“What happened?” she asked.

“I… she… she said she’s a girl…”

“Who said?”

“Yao Su…”

Wang Jing pouted angrily.

Mu Nanqiu’s brows furrowed.

“Yao Su… why does that name sound familiar?”

She was tempted to think more about it, but comforting her bestie came first.

Mu Nanqiu sat down next to her and patted her on the back.

“There, there. Don’t be mad. It’s just a— Wait. Did you say… girl?”

Wang Jing didn’t reply.

She just slammed her forehead down onto the aluminum cafeteria table with a loud thunk.

She always thought she was smart.

But now…

Her brain was complete mush.