Chapter 2: Then Go Romance Your Good Bro

He—no, she—had changed.

Zhu Niao stared at the girl in the mirror.

Her eyes were blank, the expression of utter disbelief mirroring his own perfectly.

Upon closer inspection, the doll-like face actually bore some resemblance to his original features, especially the small teardrop mole under her right eye.

Except now, what used to be a gender-neutral appearance had been morphed into something… alluring.

“Little Bird… So you’ve finally taken this step, huh?”

Gou Yu, toothbrush still in mouth, looked solemn as he gave the bathroom wall a brooding punch—like he was mourning his best buddy’s tragic fall from grace.

“Shut your mouth. Also, it’s Big Bird.”

The moment Zhu Niao spoke, she frowned.

If her voice used to sit in that androgynous grey zone, now it had clearly taken a delicate, unmistakably feminine turn.

She looked back at the mirror again.

It wasn’t just her refined facial features or the silky black hair—the bone structure itself had shrunk noticeably.

She’d probably need shoes just to barely reach 160 cm.

The T-shirt hanging off her frame looked several sizes too big, and her boxers clung precariously to her now-slender waist.

Zhu Niao turned toward the old dog.

After a brief moment of eye contact, Gou Yu very tactfully turned his back around.

Zhu Niao did the same—then lifted her shirt.

Yep.

Gone.

Not that she really needed it anyway.

“Old dog, we’ve got a major problem.”

The soft, clear voice delivered a line only shared between lifelong bros.

“Yeah. I can tell.”

Still not turning around, Gou Yu quietly began to piece things together.

Just one night away, and now his best friend had turned into this?

“I think… I’ve lost lift-off capability.”

“You seriously worried about that right now?!”

He still didn’t turn.

Toothbrush in mouth, he was trying to stay calm.

Because judging by Zhu Niao’s panicked reaction, this wasn’t something she’d done voluntarily.

Zhu Niao might have started the morning confused, but now things were getting really out of hand.

Zhu Niao would’ve genuinely doubted whether this beautiful girl who barged into the bathroom was some kind of seduction tactic deployed by his family—if not for two things.

First, she’d immediately called him by a nickname only they used.

Second, she was still wearing his clothes.

So yeah, no sexy assassin.

Just his best bro in the body of a girl.

Which meant it was time to stop gawking and actually help.

“You need to chill,” Gou Yu said, trying to keep things logical.

“Think—what exactly happened before you ended up like this?”

“Lemme think…” Zhu Niao’s voice trailed off, her brow furrowing as if trying to pull thoughts from the fog of sleep.

Then—

“Wait, what the hell—why am I flat-chested?!”

“Can we focus on the main issue here?!”

A brief silence settled over the bathroom.

Then came the bombshell:

“Old dog… I think I got hit by a truck last night.”

Finally, something that explained everything and nothing at once.

Zhu Niao was slowly piecing together the blurry chaos of last night.

“It was after I loaded the drunk bros into the car. That weird driver… she just straight-up drove us into a semi. Next thing I know—I’m here.”

Gou Yu recalled that Zhu Niao hadn’t come home the night before, so the timeline at least checked out.

But as much as he wanted to believe this version of events, it honestly sounded more like Zhu Niao had been abducted by some evil roadside scientist and genetically re-engineered overnight.

“Okay… but what about your roommates?” he asked, trying to test the story for cracks.

“Let me grab my phone.”

He heard her footsteps pad away.

Only then did Gou Yu finally spit out the mouthful of toothpaste foam he’d been holding this entire time and glance around.

Was it just him, or did the bathroom now smell faintly of lavender?

He sniffed the air, frowning.

Then—

“Hey, whose pink-ass phone is this? It’s on my bed.”

Zhu Niao reappeared at the door, holding up a phone with a tiny dice keychain dangling off it.

Then her thumb brushed the screen—and the fingerprint lock immediately unlocked.

“F**k.”

Zhu Niao muttered under her breath.

Nothing on the phone had changed—same background, same apps, same group chat labeled ‘Room 404 Dumbasses’.

She averted her gaze as if embarrassed, then quickly tapped into the group and started a call without hesitation.

Gou Yu, meanwhile, had set down whatever he was holding and now sat on the closed toilet lid, resting his chin on his hand like he was bracing for divine judgment.

Two rings in, someone finally picked up.

The first to join was their dorm leader.

Compared to Zhu Niao’s current voice, hers was even softer and more syrupy—like one of those influencer girls doing a fake cutesy voice on short videos.

Except this was how she actually talked.

“Hello? Xiao Niao?”

Before Zhu Niao could respond, their dorm leader suddenly let out a high-pitched screech.

“WHAT THE HELL—Old Two brought a girl back to the dorm!”

“…Wait. No. That’s not right…”

Inside the bathroom, both Zhu Niao and Gou Yu stared at the phone in stunned silence.

“What the hell are you screaming about? Who brought a girl home? I don’t do that sh*t!”

That was Old Two joining the call.

Except her voice now carried a sultry, low-register magnetism—like some sultry big-sister type from a truck simulator game.

Definitely not how she used to sound.

Then:

“WHAT THE F**K—WHO’S THAT GIRL?!”

Both Old Two and the dorm leader screamed at the same time, their voices rising into a chorus of horror.

Zhu Niao could also hear a third voice in the background—soft, gentle, almost sticky sweet, like a marshmallow that cried easily.

That had to be Old Three, the studious one of the bunch.

“…Why are you all yelling so early in the—wait. No. Something’s wrong.”

And then it happened: three simultaneous shrieks of terror.

Mixed in between was Old Two, wailing:

“MY BOOBS ARE BIGGER THAN ALL OF YOURS!”

She wasn’t sure if she’d completely lost her mind.

Zhu Niao glanced at Gou Yu, then calmly hung up the call.

“Well?” she asked.

“Do you believe me now?”

Gou Yu nodded solemnly.

“I believe you like I believe gravity.”

Zhu Niao let out a long breath.

“So what now? How do I change back?”

Gou Yu shrugged.

“Maybe try finding that driver who introduced you to Mr. Truck. Maybe they’ll give you another round trip.”

Here came the kicker—Zhu Niao had never actually checked the license plate last night.

She’d just assumed she got in the wrong car.

Opening her ride-hailing app, she checked the completed order.

She froze.

She hadn’t gotten into the wrong car.

No mistake.

That was her ride.

She immediately tried to call the driver back.

“Wait a sec.” Gou Yu pointed at her pale, slender, and very exposed legs.

“Put on some clothes first. You’ll catch a cold.”

He avoided her eyes.

Honestly, he was just afraid he’d overheat.

He wasn’t made of stone—being that close to a completely defenseless, angelic-looking girl in only a loose T-shirt and underwear wasn’t great for his blood pressure.

Back in her bedroom, Zhu Niao called the driver.

Her clothing situation could wait—her gender crisis took priority.

“Hello, hello~ This is your friendly neighborhood trainee goddess!”

Zhu Niao didn’t even have the energy to comment anymore.

Her only goal now was survival.

“Turn me back.”

The voice on the other end responded in a casual, almost teasing tone:

“Ohhh, it’s you, little bro. Do you really want to go back?”

“Of course I do! I can’t even go outside like this!” Zhu Niao practically growled.

But the voice remained breezy.

“Then go romance your best bro.”

“…What?”

At the doorway, Gou Yu stood frozen, holding the clothes he’d meant to give her, his back pressed to the wall.

He didn’t dare make a sound.

His pupils dilated in shock.

He had just heard what he thought he’d heard… hadn’t he?