Chapter 6: Criticism of McDonald’s

The morning sunlight streamed through the gap in the Dormitory curtain, casting a long, narrow band of light on the floor.

Yu Qing opened his eyes in a daze, taking a full three seconds to regain his senses.

The good news was, as expected, the roommates hadn’t returned all night.

He remained in Fu Yi’s form, occupied the Dormitory alone, and slept soundly through the night—if “soundly” meant a heart pounding wildly, a mind racing with thoughts, and only barely drifting off in the second half of the night.

The bad news was, he hardly slept well at all. Sleeping with that face, constantly on guard in case the damn roommates suddenly returned, felt like hugging a bomb that could explode at any moment—exhilarating and terrifying.

Yu Qing rubbed his now messy long hair, sitting up blankly.

The oversized men’s T-shirt hung on his body, the collar askew, exposing a smooth shoulder, with a hint of spring leaking out—a swath of white skin.

Yu Qing glanced down, his face heating up again. He quickly scrambled off the bed.

Ever since transforming into Fu Yi, even ordinary routines like washing up became shameful yet novel experiences.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar pretty face in the mirror, beads of water dripping down, Yu Qing brushed his teeth with utmost care, afraid to hurt those well-maintained pearl-like teeth.

As for going to the bathroom, it was an intense psychological battle. He blushed so hard he could bleed.

This life… was too thrilling…

As for why not transform back before doing these things—don’t ask.

Once everything was tidied up, Yu Qing confirmed no one was in the hallway, then quickly took the Black Pearl from the metal box, placed it on the balcony, and walked exactly ten meters to the Dormitory door.

A cold, stimulating sensation swept through his body, his vision wavered, and his familiar body returned.

Yu Qing let out a long, solid breath, a grounded sense of relief washing over him.

Back at the balcony, he carefully placed the Black Pearl back into the metal box through his gloves, tucked it deep into the Camera Bag, zipped it up, and slung the Camera Bag over his shoulder with utmost solemnity, as if hiding a great secret.

Before leaving, he glanced at his phone.

Last night, Yu Qing had mentioned the Camera to Mom. Her reply lingered in his mind:

[Mom]: Camera? What Camera? The family didn’t send anything. Did you spend money again, son? How many times have I told you…

Yu Qing frowned.

It wasn’t sent from home?

Then where did the Camera come from?

An anonymous package? A prank?

Or… some supernatural delivery?

Arriving at the classroom, he saw his three so-called “all-nighter war god” roommates sprawled on their desks, meeting Zuoguan in their dreams.

A few textbooks were piled haphazardly on the empty seat beside them, apparently saving it for him.

Yu Qing walked over, unceremoniously shoved their books aside, and plopped down.

The three guys slept like dead pigs, showing no reaction.

He idly scrolled through his phone, mind still on the Camera and Black Pearl.

Five Films had been delivered in total.

After producing a Black Pearl, the original Film disappeared.

So, it could be inferred that one Film generated one Black Pearl, meaning, including Mei Xue, he could transform into five different people.

Five Films, each producing one Black Pearl.

One Black Pearl equaled one Transformation.

Collect five Dragon Balls—no, five Black Pearls—would that summon Shenlong to grant a wish?

Yu Qing secretly joked, but would this power come free?

What was the cost? Just consuming the Film?

Did using Transformation deplete physical or mental energy?

Or was there a more hidden, undetected price?

Like… being unable to revert?

Or would overuse affect the original host?

Yu Qing was so deep in thought, he didn’t even notice the teacher entering and starting class.

Only when the roll call echoed from the podium did one of the drooling roommates jolt awake and reflexively shout “Here!” at the top of his lungs, drawing laughter across the classroom.

The Dormitory leader, actually just the occupant of bed number one, though no one really assigned the roles, was Zhang Li—a Northeastern guy, big and burly, but with an unexpectedly good temper.

Zhang Li rubbed his eyes drowsily, looked around sneakily, and his gaze paused on Yu Qing.

He squinted, leaned closer, and stared at Yu Qing’s face as if examining a rare specimen.

“Mm… Lao Yu…” he mumbled, voice heavy with sleep, “Where’d you go for advanced training? You look…handsomer? Your skin’s paler? Even your acne’s gone?”

Yu Qing’s heart skipped, but his face stayed calm.

He shoved away Zhang Li’s head, now dangerously close.

“Get lost! You must be half-asleep and seeing things. Just answer your name!”

“Really…?”

Zhang Li scratched his head, but the next roll call distracted him.

On the surface, Yu Qing sighed in relief, but inside, he was unsettled.

Could the effects of Transformation linger?

Or… was the cold energy from the Black Pearl subtly altering his own body?

Would he eventually turn into Mei Xue completely?

No, that’s not goo—cough, too scary. It can even influence my thoughts.

Yu Qing thought with a hint of “after-fear.”

The morning passed in this jumble of wild thoughts and his roommates’ intermittent bouts of dying and reviving.

When the end-of-class bell rang, students flooded out. Yu Qing was still lost in thought until a thunderous snore beside him snapped him back.

“Hey! Wake up! Time to eat!”

He grumpily kicked the three slumbering idiots awake.

“Mm… Class is over?”

“Eat…what?”

“Bring me something back to the Dormitory… I’ll sleep more…”

“Bring your ass! Get up! To the cafeteria!”

Yu Qing cursed, dragging them to their feet.

Three of them hooked arms, Yu Qing tied one with the Camera strap, and led the swaying crew out.

However, as soon as they left the classroom, a bright figure jumped before them, smiling dazzlingly.

“Yu Qing-senpai! I finally found you!”

Fu Yi stood there prettily, gaze fixed directly on Yu Qing.

The three roommates, moments ago groggy and hunched, snapped upright as if injected with adrenaline, eyes wide, all traces of sleepiness vanishing, replaced by inexplicable “vigor.”

“Ahem! Well, Lao Yu, since someone’s here for you, we’ll go first!”

“Yeah, yeah, we won’t interrupt!”

“Senpai—cough, Mei Xue, you two talk! Take your time!”

The three spoke at lightning speed, exchanging glances, and retreated with military precision.

Even after running over ten meters, they kept looking back at Yu Qing, waggling their eyebrows with “good luck” and “seize the chance” faces.

Yu Qing: “……”

These traitorous bastards!

Fu Yi was amused by the scene and burst into a laugh.

Then, naturally, she stepped forward and grabbed Yu Qing’s wrist.

“Let’s go, Senior. Your friends handed you over to me, so you can’t escape now!”

“Ah? Wait… Don’t say things with ambiguous meanings—No, where are we going? Did I commit some crime? Can I negotiate?”

Yu Qing hadn’t recovered before Fu Yi dragged him off, straight to the school’s McDonald’s.

Fu Yi smoothly pressed him into a seat, then went to order a mountain of food—two meal sets and a pile of sides, overflowing a tray.

“Mei…Mei Xue, isn’t this too much?”

Yu Qing stared at the mountain of burgers, fries, and wings.

Is she trying to kill me with happiness (crossed out) and torture?

“When thanking someone, there’s no such thing as ‘too much’!”

Fu Yi sat across from him, cheeks propped in her hands, eyes smiling.

“This is just part of the thank-you gift! Of course, the main part is what I’m about to say!”

She cleared her throat and put on a serious face, though her eyes couldn’t hide a smile.

“Yu Qing-senpai! I am now issuing you a formal criticism!”

Yu Qing sat upright in mock solemnity.

“…Please proceed with organizational criticism.”

“First!”

She raised a slender finger.

“You helped us immensely, yet tried to hide your achievements. That’s extremely… irresponsible! How could our group shamelessly freeload on your hard work?”

“Second!”

She leaned forward, voice lowered but still clear.

“You didn’t reply to my messages afterward! Though you did reply ‘mm,’ which is kinda cool… But at least wait until I finish expressing my thanks!”

“Third!”

Fu Yi sat back, arms folded.

“You keep calling me Mei Xue. We’re group members now, can’t you at least say Fu Yi Mei Xue? I like your politeness, Senior, but I dislike your evasiveness.”

Fu Yi spoke with clarity and vivid expressions.

Even though it was “criticism,” it didn’t stir a trace of annoyance.

Yu Qing accepted the “criticism” with a wry smile.

“Yes, yes, my bad. I just thought…it was nothing special, no need to be so formal…”

“It’s very necessary!”

Fu Yi interrupted firmly.

“What’s owed belongs to whom it’s owed! I’m not the type to take advantage and play dumb!”

As she spoke, her gaze grew especially serious, with a hint of sharpness.

Maybe it was experiencing her most genuine side (not), or perhaps the familiar feeling eased his nerves, but Yu Qing found himself less tongue-tied around the beautiful Mei Xue before him.

He picked up a fry, dipped it in ketchup, and tried to reply more lightly.

“Alright, alright. Fu Yi comrade, I accept your rebuke. Next time, I won’t hide things from the organization. I’ll report my thoughts immediately and seek instructions.”

Fu Yi burst out laughing at his sudden nonsense, giggling non-stop.

“That’s more like it!”

The mood lightened.

They chatted while eating junk food, the topic drifting from the project to their majors, to strange teachers, to recent films.

Yu Qing occasionally slipped in a joke, making Fu Yi laugh over and over.

They weren’t particularly clever jokes, but always landed perfectly, making her double over, drawing glances from nearby tables.

Yu Qing watched Fu Yi laugh, radiant, dazzling, flawless.

But perhaps it was just his imagination—beneath that bright smile, he felt there was a barrier.

Her laughter was loud, her eyes adorably curved, but the warmth of happiness seemed to linger only on the surface, never truly sinking into the depths of her bright gaze.

It was as if… she precisely controlled the “smile” program, with the volume, expression, and curve all perfect—but the core “emotion generation” module was never fully activated.

“Senior, what are you spacing out for?”

Fu Yi waved her hand in front of his face.

“Ah? Nothing,”

Yu Qing snapped back, taking a bite of his burger.

“I was just thinking… Next time I help, I’d better negotiate the reward in advance.”

Fu Yi immediately put her hands on her hips, feigning anger.

“Hey! Senior! You’ve turned bad!”

Sunlight streamed through the McDonald’s windows, falling on the young man and woman, with the scent of fries and cola floating in the air.

Everything seemed beautiful, full of youthful energy.

But Yu Qing knew it was all just an illusion.

After the group project, their interactions would dwindle, eventually splitting into two worlds.

Still, Fu Yi was a white swan, and Yu Qing was not a toad. He understood the gap between them, so for the girl before him, aside from envy and admiration, he felt nothing more.

He rubbed the Camera Bag at his side, watching Fu Yi’s face, now smeared with a bit of cream from her burger, his gaze complicated.

Unknowingly, he picked up a burger and took a small bite.