Today was the first official day of classes, and as luck would have it, it started with an 8:00 AM session.
Consequently, the three girls in the dorm were up nearly an hour early; after all, it would be embarrassing to be late on the very first day.
Lin Xinyuan was still a bit dazed when she first woke up, taking a moment to fully process reality.
Although she hated getting up early, she had no choice—now that she was a girl, her morning routine took significantly longer than it did when she was a boy.
Back then, she’d just wash up, use the restroom, throw on clothes, and change shoes. At most, it took five minutes; if she was feeling particularly lazy, she could compress it into under two. But as a girl, that was impossible. Aside from the basics, there was hair to comb and makeup to apply—it simply required more time.
Of course… she told herself she was doing this purely for her own pleasure, definitely not for a certain guy…
I don’t even know what happened to me last night… Lin Xinyuan thought helplessly as she sat at her desk, staring at her messy dark hair in the mirror.
She picked up her brush and began to carefully untangle the strands. Ever since Qin Nanfeng stopped sharing a bed with her, her sleeping posture had reverted to its chaotic state. Tossing and turning resulted in hair that was much harder to manage in the morning.
Fortunately, her hair quality was excellent. It didn’t take long to smooth it out and tie it into a high ponytail, followed by a light application of makeup. Once finished, she instinctively shook her head at the mirror; the sleek, dark ponytail swayed behind her, tracing a soft, graceful arc.
In the mirror, she looked clear and elegant. Her naturally pink lips now had a dewy sheen, making her look even more endearing. Even without powder, her skin was so fair it almost seemed to glow—to an almost sickly degree. Satisfied, she nodded at her reflection, packed her skincare products, and stood up.
Li Tang was still busy. Catching Xinyuan’s movement out of the corner of her eye, she sighed in envy. “Sigh… I’m so jealous of A-Yuan’s skin. It’s so white, she barely has to spend any time on it…”
Li Tang was genuinely envious. Xinyuan’s skin was miraculously flawless. Unlike her own, which, while good, still required concealer for occasional blemishes, Xinyuan could go out virtually bare-faced with nothing but lip balm and a touch of blush.
Liu Qingyan, hearing this, nodded in agreement. It was hard to imagine that this girl had lived as a boy for eighteen years; her “natural gifts” were simply unreasonable.
“Uh…” Lin Xinyuan didn’t know how to respond to the praise, finally stammering, “Your skin is really good too…”
“Oh? Is A-Yuan showing off?” “I’m not, don’t talk nonsense…” “Pfft~”
Amidst the playful banter, the three girls finished getting ready and headed out. They stopped for breakfast at the small canteen before parting ways toward their respective academic buildings. Since the first classes of the semester were major requirements, they were held in their specific colleges. Being from different departments, the three had to split up.
When Lin Xinyuan arrived at the classroom door, she spotted a tall, beautiful figure standing there, seemingly waiting for someone. Xinyuan trotted over and called out shyly, “Teacher Qi… g-good morning!”
Her voice was soft and waxy, possessing a timid cuteness. Qi Yan snapped out of her phone and turned around. She froze for a moment. The short-haired “tomboy” she remembered from last semester was gone; standing before her was a stylish, slender young woman whose grace couldn’t be hidden even by a face mask.
“It’s been almost half a year, and Xiao Yuan has become so beautiful?” Qi Yan teased with a smile. She could see the girl had been doing well; her complexion was much better, a massive transformation from before. Satisfied, Qi Yan nodded inwardly.
Xinyuan, who was terrible at taking compliments, felt her ears burning. “Um… I have to thank you, Teacher Qi…” She trailed off, looking at Qi Yan with wide, uncertain eyes.
“Pfft…” Qi Yan couldn’t help but laugh at the cute display. Her heart softened. Although they were less than ten years apart in age, Xinyuan often reminded her of her own daughter; she tended to view the innocent girl as a younger sister or a protégé. Over the last six months, Qi Yan had kept in touch with her to check on her progress. It was funny—she was so lively and talkative online, yet so adorably shy in person.
“Teacher Qi?” Xinyuan was confused by the sudden laughter. Looking at that dazed, silly expression, Qi Yan began to wonder: Who is the lucky person who will end up with such a simple, sweet girl? She shook the thought away, feeling a bit silly for such random musings.
With less than five minutes until class, the hallway suddenly became crowded with students arriving at the last second. Xinyuan’s gaze shifted as she sensed a familiar presence nearby. A group of guys was strolling toward her… her former roommates from Dorm 308.
They must have woken up late; otherwise, knowing their habits, they would have been there early to snag the back row. As they walked by, the boys noticed her too. Aside from Chen Ze and Qin Nanfeng, the other three—including Xiong Wei—stared curiously, unable to recognize her at first. They wondered which department this “goddess” belonged to and why she was at their “monk temple” (an all-male or male-dominated major).
It wasn’t until Chen Ze whispered an explanation that their expressions shifted drastically. Feeling their varied gazes, Xinyuan stiffened. she gave a shy, awkward nod before her eyes darted toward the one person she truly cared about.
Qin Nanfeng raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes full of deep amusement. He glanced down toward his own feet as if trying to signal something. Xinyuan blinked, then followed his gaze down. She saw his large hand—the one that usually loved to hold hers—making a subtle gesture.
I love you… (Using sign language or a specific hand signal).
What the hell! Xinyuan’s face flushed red. She hurriedly looked away, trying to maintain her composure and pretending not to notice that “disgusting, cheesy scumbag.”
Meanwhile, Qi Yan checked the time on her phone. Seeing it was almost time for class, she looked up and noticed Xinyuan’s gaze. She turned around and saw the five boys. Though they were masked, they looked familiar… especially the tall, upright one. Isn’t that the famous Qin Nanfeng? She realized these must be the girl’s former roommates.
“Walk faster, class is starting,” Qi Yan urged them.
Chen Ze, the resident mood-maker, stepped forward, snapped to attention, and gave a crooked military salute. “Yes, Sir!” Qi Yan was caught between laughter and tears as she waved them into the room.
Once they were inside, she turned back to the bowing head of Lin Xinyuan. “Xiao Yuan, are you ready?”
“Mhm… yeah…”
Xinyuan knew what Teacher Qi meant. It was about the plan they discussed last night: she was to go up and introduce herself to the class with her new identity. This was to coincide with Qi Yan’s class speech to help her integrate better and avoid suspicious looks.
She was terrified, her heart beginning to sink with nerves.
“Teacher Qi, everyone should be here. Let’s begin?” A steady, serious female voice reached Xinyuan’s ears. She looked up to see an ordinary-looking middle-aged woman coming out of the classroom.
I didn’t expect… the first class of the semester to be Professor Lu’s… Xinyuan complained silently, though she kept her face neutral.
“Alright. Thank you, Dean Lu,” Qi Yan said respectfully.
“It’s fine.” Beneath her mask, Professor Lu—usually a stern figure in the classroom—actually showed a rare, soft smile as she looked at Xinyuan. “Let’s go. Don’t be afraid.”
Since learning about Xinyuan’s situation, Professor Lu had felt a sense of self-reproach. As a teacher, she felt bad for not noticing the girl’s distress sooner and for causing her embarrassment in the past.
“Xiao Yuan?” Qi Yan gently took Xinyuan’s hand, causing the girl’s body to tremble slightly.
She was paralyzed with fear, her words caught in her throat. But looking at the two kind teachers before her, she ultimately said nothing and simply followed.
“Mhm…”