“Sister, did I hear you right… I think I heard you say to let me, this… Isn’t this a bit…”
Rip.
Accompanied by the sound of the band-aid being torn, Meng Yiqiao looked at Li Xingya and said coldly:
“Don’t make me say it a second time.”
“I could actually do this myself…”
“Hurry up.”
“Mmph.”
Li Xingya kept her head lowered, silent.
Her brain was racing at an unprecedented speed.
‘Why?’
‘Why is she doing this?’
‘I didn’t do anything wrong, did I… I just didn’t want to trouble Sister too much.’
‘Next time we live together, I’ll just bring an extra set of clothes.’
Li Xingya cautiously lifted her head and stole a glance at the other girl.
‘She really looks down on me, even though she’s only one year older.’
‘And yet—I got scolded by a brat.’
A certain adult pride from her previous life quickly invaded Li Xingya’s heart.
“Hurry up.”
“Okay.”
Hearing Meng Yiqiao’s cold urging, Li Xingya finally pulled up her top.
‘My self-respect vanished without a trace.’
Meng Yiqiao looked at Li Xingya’s healthy, flat stomach.
Her gaze lingered only a moment.
Besides that, unlike most people, Li Xingya’s ribs stuck out slightly.
It was a clear sign she hadn’t been eating well.
‘She’s a bit too skinny.’
Meng Yiqiao thought.
‘If she gets any thinner, she might become malnourished.’
‘From now on, I’ll have to make sure Xiao Ya eats more during lunch.’
Seeing Li Xingya pause in her movements, she urged again:
“Xiao Ya, don’t waste time.”
Meng Yiqiao’s expression was unreadable, her eyes calm.
“If we don’t get back before class ends, explaining will be a hassle.”
Li Xingya nodded, her entire face so red it looked like it could drip blood.
“…Mm.”
She responded at a loss.
‘Shame.’
The shame washing over her like a tsunami now threatened to drown Li Xingya.
‘This is too weird.’
Back when she first transmigrated into the rented room and bathed herself for the first time, she hadn’t even blushed.
She could even stare at herself in the mirror and calmly make a “mature” assessment.
“She’s just okay.”
“Her face is decent-looking.”
“But her body’s completely unappealing—a brat is still a brat.”
Now, she could almost hear her own words echoing in her ears.
‘Why?’
Why did she feel nothing when looking at herself, but when facing another girl… she couldn’t even speak.
‘I don’t get it.’
‘My face is so hot.’
‘I kind of want to die.’
Li Xingya struggled to pull up the rest of her clothes.
She didn’t say a word, just tried to hide her face under the collar, turning her gaze away to stare intently at the corner of the infirmary, trying to distract herself.
Meng Yiqiao watched Li Xingya like this.
She unconsciously swallowed.
‘So tempting.’
At this moment, she finally realized the strange atmosphere between them.
Li Xingya’s current appearance—shy, as if refusing—but in truth, it was like a silent invitation.
Every move she made, every blink, every second of breathing, seemed deliberately seductive.
‘She’s like a succubus.’
Meng Yiqiao took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
‘Alright, let’s begin.’
Meng Yiqiao thought, reaching out her hand.
Just then, Li Xingya’s body visibly trembled.
“What’s wrong?”
Meng Yiqiao asked.
She even had to forcibly steady her voice to keep it from shaking as she spoke.
“It’s nothing… Sister.”
Li Xingya looked up, feeling as if the hairs on her arms were standing on end.
“It was just a bit sudden, so I got startled.”
“I’m fine now.”
Li Xingya let out a deep breath.
“Then I’ll… continue.”
“Okay.”
At this point, Li Xingya’s view was completely blocked by her own clothes.
She couldn’t see that Meng Yiqiao’s face was actually almost as red as hers.
A moment passed.
“There.”
Meng Yiqiao spoke.
At the same time, both Li Xingya and Meng Yiqiao let out a sigh of relief.
‘It’s finally over.’
They both thought in unison.
“Sister.”
“What is it?”
“I’m sorry.”
Li Xingya lowered her head.
Meng Yiqiao looked at Li Xingya sitting on the bed.
She reached out with both hands and cupped Li Xingya’s face.
She saw tears in Li Xingya’s eyes.
‘Was I too harsh just now?’
“The one who should apologize is me.”
Meng Yiqiao said softly.
“I should have thought earlier that you… couldn’t wear my underwear.”
As she spoke, Meng Yiqiao suddenly laughed.
“Xiao Ya, you’re really flat.”
“Sister!”
This remark made Li Xingya react like a cat whose fur had been ruffled.
‘No.’
Then, Li Xingya immediately caught herself.
‘Why do I care about being flat or not?’
In the past, Li Xingya only cared about whether she could grow taller.
When she used to see her own body, she’d just laugh and call it “a little kid.”
At this instant, Li Xingya suddenly realized that her mindset seemed to have undergone some shift.
Was she leaning more toward “Li Xingya”?
No, that wasn’t it.
‘I’m still me.’
That much Li Xingya could affirm.
If she had to explain it, it might be that her thoughts had become more “feminine”?
‘Is that a good thing?’
‘Since I’m going to be an idol in the future, acting more feminine might make me more popular.’
‘Anyway, whether male or female, as long as I’m still me, that’s fine.’
Li Xingya thought for a moment.
If she could freely choose her future right now, what would she most want to do?
‘Go to work.’
‘Work quietly in a corner without being disturbed.’
‘Yeah.’
‘I’m still me!’
Li Xingya relaxed.
She pulled away Meng Yiqiao’s hands and stood up.
“Let’s go, Sister. Let’s head back to class.”
***
Five in the afternoon, after school.
Li Xingya walked along Stargazing Avenue.
She took out her phone and sent a message to Jiang Chiyue.
[Sister, are you home?]
[I’m home.]
Jiang Chiyue replied quickly.
Seeing that Jiang Chiyue was home, Li Xingya had no worries.
If Jiang Chiyue hadn’t been there, she would have had to bother Meng Yiqiao for another night.
At the same time.
Li Xingya suddenly noticed that there was a friend request at the bottom of her phone.
[AAA—Genius Idol Lin Jin’an has requested to add you as a friend]
‘Ah.’
‘It’s Lin Jin’an.’
‘The most annoying person has appeared.’
Li Xingya’s good mood, about to welcome the weekend, instantly soured.
‘She actually added me on her own.’
‘How did this girl get my social media account?’
‘No.’
‘Given Lin Jin’an’s status, it might actually be very easy for her to find my account?’
‘So, should I accept?’
Li Xingya looked at the “Accept” option on her phone.
No hesitation.
She decisively pressed “Decline.”
‘I don’t want an annoying person as my friend!’
***
At the same time.
Lin Jin’an, resting at home, saw the notification that the friend request had failed.
“Oh?”
A glint of curiosity flashed in Lin Jin’an’s eyes.
This was the first time she had ever been rejected.
“If it doesn’t work online,
Xiao Ya,
does that mean Sister has to come find you in person… to make it work?”