Chapter 7: Unaware of Her Own Self-Deception

Huff… so tired…

From the soreness at the start to the jelly-like weakness now, every step felt like someone was piling more and more weights on her. 

Her body was growing heavier by the second. 

A dull ache throbbed beneath her ribs, and the lower left side of her abdomen had a strange tightness that made her uncomfortable.

The dry air rushed into her mouth, but even the PE teacher’s shouts had faded. 

All she could hear was a low ringing in her ears, like ambient white noise mechanically propelling her body forward. 

The figures of other students who had passed her one by one now blurred into nothingness.

The only thing in her sight was the finish line of the third lap.

Just a little more.

That was all Su Yao could think. 

But then, her body suddenly gave out. 

She stumbled and fell hard onto the track. 

The first thing she did, almost by instinct, was reach up and touch her head.

Her wig was still on.

Relieved, she let herself lie there on the ground.

Her heart pounded wildly, oxygen-deprived dizziness fogging her brain. 

Her consciousness flickered in and out. 

She didn’t know who had come to help her up, but she heard herself mumble faintly:

“I’m fine…”

The words came out too soft, barely audible. 

But everyone’s attention was on her injuries, not what she said.

Once she had caught her breath, Su Yao tried to stand, only to realize her left foot gave out the moment she put weight on it. 

A stabbing pain jolted through her ankle.

“A sprain?”

“Is it serious?”

“She should go to the infirmary. Let the doctor check it out.”

“All right, the rest of you—gossiping and not watching where you’re going—two more laps!” the PE teacher barked, waving away the troublemakers.

Wang Jing silently helped Su Yao over to a shaded bench. 

She crouched in front of her, gently lifting the hem of Su Yao’s gym pants and removing her shoe.

Her ankle was red and slightly swollen, but it didn’t look too bad. 

Wang Jing wasn’t a medical student, though, so she couldn’t be sure. 

After inspecting it briefly, she carefully put the shoe back on, then turned around and knelt with her back facing Su Yao.

“Climb on. I’ll carry you,” she said firmly.

“Wha—?!”

Su Yao froze. Then she panicked, waving her hands frantically.

“No, no! You don’t have to carry me! I can walk—really! Just help me a little, that’s enough…”

To the world, she was still seen as male. 

Getting piggybacked by a girl? That would stir up all kinds of unwanted gossip. 

She’d already drawn too much attention today—she didn’t even know how to salvage things anymore.

Wang Jing frowned slightly at her flustered rejection. 

She felt a bit wronged. I’m just trying to help, and this is how you react? Still, she didn’t press it. Instead, she offered Su Yao her arm and helped her limp forward step by step.

As the adrenaline wore off, the pain came crashing back in waves. 

Her palm stung like it had been scorched, her ankle throbbed with sharp, biting pain, and even her limbs felt sore and heavy with fatigue.

For a moment, Su Yao genuinely thought death would be easier.

Not far away, the girl with the braided pigtails watched them walk off. 

She glanced down at her phone, where she had just sent several photos—shots of Wang Jing helping Su Yao put on her shoe, holding her, supporting her.

On the other end of the chat, a message appeared: “Nice work.”

A twisted smile bloomed on the girl’s face, barely visible beneath her long bangs and thick-rimmed glasses.

「I’ll work even harder.」

***

The doctor said it was a mild sprain. 

Rest and avoid putting pressure on the ankle, and she’d recover in a little over a week. He prescribed some external ointments and two boxes of medication. 

Altogether, it came to a little over a hundred yuan. 

After taking the painkillers, Su Yao felt slightly better—at least the discomfort had dulled.

Wang Jing had paid for everything upfront. 

Su Yao’s phone had not only cracked during the fall, but now wouldn’t even turn on. 

When Wang Jing returned from the front desk with the receipt, Su Yao lowered her head and muttered softly:

“I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

“……”

Wang Jing sat across from her, staring at this frail, delicate boy who seemed so intent on keeping her at a distance. 

She couldn’t understand—why push me away when I’m only trying to help you?

Su Yao grew uncomfortable under her gaze and quickly spoke up.

“Senpai… I think I should head back now.”

She moved to stand up, but the moment she lifted herself, Wang Jing’s hands pressed firmly onto her shoulders, pushing her back into the seat. This time, her tone was noticeably firmer.

“Sit. Rest properly. I’ll take you home when you’re ready.”

“I…”

Su Yao opened her mouth to object again, but Wang Jing shot her a look that made her fall silent. 

She dropped her head and gave a subdued nod, agreeing reluctantly to the suggestion.

After that, the atmosphere between them grew quiet and still.

Suddenly, Wang Jing stood up. She turned to Su Yao and said, “I’m going to grab something to eat. Wait here for me, okay?”

Su Yao gave a small nod. Only then did Wang Jing head toward the infirmary door. But after taking just two steps, she turned around and looked back at Su Yao, who was sitting stiffly and awkwardly.

“If I come back and you’re gone, I’ll be mad. Really mad,” she warned, emphasizing every word.

Watching her walk away, Su Yao felt an odd chill down her spine at the sheer persistence. 

If it were anyone else, they would’ve already gotten annoyed or left by now—maybe even cursed at her and snapped, “Ungrateful brat,” before washing their hands of her entirely.

So strange… really strange…

She didn’t think she had anything worth clinging to. 

At most, she looked delicate and a bit feminine—traits that most girls wouldn’t be fond of in a guy.

Her gaze fell to the scrapes on her hand. 

The scabs were beginning to dry, giving off that itchy feeling of skin healing. 

She curled her fingers into a fist, then winced.

“Ow…”

By the time Wang Jing returned with bread and bottled water, the infirmary was eerily quiet. The seat where the boy had been resting was now empty.

Again…

Su Yao had run off once more. 

But this time, Wang Jing wasn’t surprised. 

She’d seen it coming. She let out a long sigh and, for the first time in a while, felt lost.

Always so full of energy, even Wang Jing now had a stifled, heavy feeling in her chest.

What’s wrong with me…?

***

Su Yao limped along the road home. 

Her left foot couldn’t bear weight, but it was fine—she used her bicycle like a makeshift crutch, slowly pushing it along.

Partway through, a shiver ran through her body, and she instinctively shrank into herself.

The sky’s turning dark…

Just like the saying goes—misfortunes never come singly, the rope always snaps at its weakest point. 

Before long, the heavens opened up, and the rain began pouring down in noisy sheets. 

Su Yao had no choice but to duck into a nearby alley for shelter. 

But she couldn’t move quickly, and by the time she found cover, she was already soaked.

“How am I supposed to get home like this…”

She glanced up at the overcast sky and pouted.

What a crap day.

As she quietly waited in the alley for the rain to stop, Su Yao heard a strange noise behind her. 

She turned and noticed a sound coming from deeper inside. 

As she hobbled over, supporting herself against the wall, she heard something rustle and dart away.

Turning the corner, she spotted a tiny kitten huddled in the rain…

Take it home?

But she could barely take care of herself—how could she manage a cat?

Still… it looked like the mother cat had run off after getting startled by her. 

Which meant the kitten was only alone because of her. 

And Su Yao wasn’t made of stone. 

Her heart ached at the sight of the tiny, rain-soaked thing.

Just as she was about to approach it, a large tabby lunged out and hissed at her.

Startled, Su Yao stepped back. 

The mother cat snatched the kitten in her mouth and dashed away.

Guess I was being sentimental for nothing.

The kitten had its mom. 

I’m the one no one wants. Boo hoo.

Eventually, the rain let up, and Su Yao continued walking.

She finally got home, dripping wet. 

Grabbing a plastic stool, she hopped on one leg into the bathroom and washed the sweat and rain off with a hot shower.

Later, sitting on her bed, she picked up a lock of her hair and tilted her head slightly.

Should I cut it?

Her hair had grown past her shoulders in just a few days—way too fast. 

If this kept up, it’d be dragging down her back soon. 

Washing it took forever, and wearing that tight wig on top of it every day was absolute torture.

And her chest… her breasts were growing bigger.

The constant friction of her clothes against her nipples was becoming unbearable.

Ugh. One problem after another.

The one bit of good news? 

Her phone still worked. 

It was badly cracked, but at least it turned on. 

She didn’t have the money for a new one anyway.

She messaged her online protégé.

[Su Yao]: I checked out the story you sent. It’s not bad—keep it up!

[Protégé]: It’s nothing compared to yours, Teacher Mantou! Oh right—do you have any more chapters ready?

[Su Yao]: Barring any emergencies, I post updates daily. Consistency is key when writing—gotta feed the piggies regularly so they develop good reading habits! Only then can we all enjoy a prosperous New Year~

[Protégé]: Such wisdom! You truly are a master of the writing arts! So wise, so high-level!

Hehehe~

Su Yao couldn’t help but laugh. 

But as she kicked her legs up, a wave of pain shot through her ankle, and she hissed, quickly lowering her foot again.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the network, Mu Nanqiu was rolling around on her bed, completely forgetting her “goddess” persona. 

She was multitasking—chatting with Su Yao while eavesdropping on her friends’ group chat, a trio including Wang Jing and Hua Mingye.

Wang Jing: So annoying!

Hua Mingye: What’s wrong? Don’t tell me it’s “that time of the month”?

Wang Jing: Zhang Li asked me to look after a freshman, right? But he keeps avoiding me! I try to help, and the moment I look away, he runs off!

Hua Mingye: (panda shrug emoji)

Mu Nanqiu: (dying of laughter emoji)

Ha! That’s our Jingjing, alright. So useless. If it were me, just one little move and I’d have that kid in the palm of my hand.

Still chuckling, she typed her response:

Mu: You like him?

Wang: What? No way. I just want to help.

Mu: Help? Help how? You don’t like him but you keep flirting?

Wang: Nanqiu, are you looking for a fight?!

Mu: I’m just being honest. If you don’t like him, don’t mess with him. What, you want him to play along with your drama too? Sounds exhausting.

Wang: …

What Mu Nanqiu meant by like was the romantic kind. 

But Wang Jing had never really fallen in love before. 

In middle school, she was tricked by a boy once. 

The very next day, when she realized what happened, she beat the crap out of him…

So why am I being so stubborn about this guy?

Hua Mingye: Why not just date him and see? 

Toying with underclassmen’s hearts is kind of fun, don’t you think? (panda evil grin emoji)

Suddenly, the group chat went dead silent.