“Class is in session, be quiet!”
While the students below were still buzzing with chatter, Professor Lu stood at the lectern and opened the microphone to issue a stern reminder.
A typical lecturer might not have had such an immediate effect, but the “illustrious and fearsome” Vice Dean Lu was a different story.
The classroom fell silent almost instantly.
Everyone looked up and froze. Aside from Professor Lu, there were two others on the stage.
Their counselor (Qi Yan) needed no introduction, but the strange girl beside her was a face they had never seen.
The girl wore ordinary blue jeans, a white inner shirt, and a hooded cardigan.
Her figure was slender—fit but not bony—as if every inch of her was perfectly proportioned.
Though her face was hidden behind a mask, her grace alone was enough to set imaginations racing. Humans are visual creatures, and this scene naturally commanded the attention of the entire class.
Both the students who had seen her at the door and those who arrived early stared at Lin Xinyuan with curiosity.
Whispers began to ripple through the room again, though they were hushed out of respect for Professor Lu.
The boys, in particular, were in a heated discussion, excitedly guessing what was going on. In this “monk temple” of a major, girls were a rare treasure; any girl even remotely attractive was usually already taken.
Could this be a new classmate? Is she a legendary beauty?
The students whispered, and the group in the front row—Xiong Wei and the others—were no exception.
“Holy crap… Old Third! I finally get why you made your move so early! Damn it…” Xu Wentao still hadn’t recovered from the shock of seeing the girl at the door. His mind was filled with the image of those misty, autumn-water eyes. He had thought it was the start of a soulful encounter, only to realize he had lost his heart before he even started.
He looked at Qin Nanfeng with eyes full of envy and jealousy, then glanced back at the slender, timid girl on stage, sighing repeatedly. Xiong Wei and Wen Yuanshan were equally stunned. This was their first time seeing her in women’s clothing. While marvelling at her transformation, they couldn’t help but compare her to the “tomboy” of last semester.
Is this the legendary ‘Male version of 18 changes’? (A play on a Chinese idiom about girls becoming beautiful).
As for Chen Ze, since he had seen her before, he remained relatively calm, though he was still full of emotion. He never thought his “good brother” would one day become his other “good brother’s” wife…
The world is too mysterious! I can’t tell… I really can’t tell anymore!
Qin Nanfeng took in their reactions and remained noncommittal toward Xu Wentao’s jealousy. Instead, he maintained a fake serious expression and glanced at the fuming guy. “What? You jealous?”
Xu Wentao’s eyes seemed to emit golden rays of longing. He nodded vigorously. “Jealous! Beyond jealous! Hehe~” He thought maybe Qin Nanfeng was going to introduce him to a pretty girl.
But Qin Nanfeng just shrugged and smiled. “Then go find one yourself. Why are you looking at me?”
The other three in the dorm burst out laughing, joining in to tease Xu Wentao. “Hey, there’s only one person in our dorm without a girlfriend. Who could it be? So hard to guess!” Chen Ze whistled, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Even the steady Xiong Wei couldn’t help but pat Xu Wentao’s shoulder. “Old Second, I believe in you…”
“How pitiful,” Wen Yuanshan muttered expressionlessly before lowering his head to resume reading his postgraduate entrance exam materials.
Fine! Dammit! Even Old Fourth—that ‘stinky 2D otaku’—is mocking me now?! Xu Wentao felt a wave of tragic indignation. His desire for love was reaching its breaking point. No… I MUST find a girlfriend!
While Chen Ze was still relentlessly teasing Xu Wentao, Professor Lu noticed the noise. Her sharp gaze swept over, scaring Chen Ze into immediate silence. Satisfied, she looked back at the class.
“Alright. Before class starts, I will hand the time over to your counselor. Please listen quietly!” She handed the microphone to Qi Yan.
Qi Yan scanned the room with a serious gaze. “Students, it’s rare for us to have a meeting like this, so I’ll keep it short. Last semester, a student in our class suffered an ‘accident’ that forced them to leave school temporarily.”
Some students were still confused, but the quicker ones began to realize something, their eyes widening as they looked at the girl on stage. Qi Yan continued with her prepared speech.
“Pseudohermaphroditism. It is a rare medical condition, and that student was born with it.”
She proceeded to explain the girl’s situation as concisely as possible, emphasizing the terms “Pseudohermaphroditism” and “Biological Female.” As she delved deeper, the students finally understood the girl’s identity and the truth of what had happened.
Especially those who had used the girl as gossip material—no matter how thick-skinned they were, they began to feel embarrassed. The looks directed at Xinyuan shifted to amazement and apology. Some even lowered their heads in shame. After all, most of them had treated the incident as a spectacle, never imagining the painful reality behind it.
“That is all I wanted to say,” Qi Yan concluded, sighing as she glanced at the nervous girl beside her. “Finally, I sincerely hope everyone will not discriminate against any student with a medical condition. Perhaps every ‘mindless joke’ you make could be the last straw that breaks someone.”
The classroom fell silent. Lin Xinyuan had been paralyzed by fear since she stepped inside. Feeling dozens of pairs of eyes on her made her head spin. Even though the malice was gone, she couldn’t stop her body from trembling.
She looked toward the front row and saw Qin Nanfeng’s smiling eyes—and the four other encouraging gazes from her former roommates. Her painful emotions finally came under a semblance of control, though her heart was still racing.
Suddenly, a sound broke the silence.
Clap… clap-clap!
Qin Nanfeng, sitting in the front row, began to clap on his own, his gaze fixed tenderly on the girl to give her courage. Professor Lu, Xiong Wei, and the others followed suit. Soon, the applause filled the entire room. Chen Ze, the ultimate extrovert, started hooting: “Wooo~ Great! Well said, Sister Yan!”
The atmosphere swelled with warmth. Finally, Qi Yan signaled for silence.
“Xiao Yuan, come here,” Qi Yan called softly. Xinyuan moved closer. “Can you take off your mask so everyone can get to know the real you?”
Xinyuan froze. She hadn’t expected this. Fear, shame, and helplessness flooded her mind. But then, she looked at her kind teachers and the group of boys nearby—especially that “stinking guy” who only ever teased her…
A small smile touched her lips. Though her body still shook, her fear began to dissipate.
“Okay…”
Her soft, waxy, and sweet voice traveled through the microphone and echoed across the classroom. The students felt as though they had never heard anything so refreshing—a voice with a hint of sweetness that wasn’t cloying.
Under their curious and expectant gazes, the girl slowly reached up and removed her mask.
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