Chapter 8: Someone Stole the Crystal

Su Yao opened her eyes and, out of habit, reached for her phone by the bedside. 

She glanced at the time.

It was already 11 a.m.

What?!

She jolted upright on reflex—only for pain to shoot through her left ankle so sharply that her teeth clenched involuntarily. 

It took several minutes before she could recover from the dizzying ache.

Gazing down at her injured foot, Su Yao let out a long sigh.

Then she remembered—it was Saturday today. No classes.

Nice.

She scratched her scalp and tried to finger-comb her hair, only to tug on a knot that made her wince. 

The soft strands that fell over her shoulder were a mess—more like a bird’s nest than anything else. 

Calling it weeds would be an insult to weeds.

And then there was her chest.

Those two steadily-growing hills looked even fuller today than yesterday.

Su Yao threw her arm over her eyes, trying to block out the sight—trying not to think at all.

Whatever. Let tomorrow’s problems wait until tomorrow.

She pulled open the curtains, flooding the room with light. 

Then she got her medicine, dabbed the bruise on her ankle with ointment, swallowed the prescribed pills, and finally began preparing lunch.

Originally, she had planned to go out and buy groceries, maybe cook something nice. 

But with her foot still unable to touch the floor, that plan was dead in the water. 

Takeout was too expensive—every order felt like burning money.

So today’s brunch would be… the ever-reliable, budget-friendly instant noodles!

After eating, she finally remembered to do something about her hair. She stood in front of the mirror, looking at the tangled chaos atop her head, and couldn’t help but grumble to herself.

What was I even doing in my sleep to mess it up this badly? 

How did I not wake up from the pain?

“Did it grow another centimeter overnight…?”

Her hair now clearly reached down past her collarbones. 

That kind of obvious change made her feel uneasy. 

If she’d known that running away would turn her lie into reality, she wouldn’t have run at all.

Su Yao feared change—whether it was the world around her or her own body.

Smack! Smack!

She gave her cheeks two sharp slaps, trying to stop her brain from spiraling. 

But she had hit too hard—two red handprints bloomed on her face, burning with pain.

Grabbing her barely-functioning phone, Su Yao opened her shopping app. 

Her homepage was now filled with women’s clothing. 

Last night, she’d gone on a weird spree—almost like she was possessed—and added several dresses to her cart. 

Some cost a few hundred yuan each. 

Just that one wave of impulse-buying had nearly wiped out two months’ worth of her living expenses.

She had snapped out of it at around 3 a.m. and hastily canceled the orders.

…Except that at 3:30 a.m., her left hand betrayed her and placed an order for a black nightdress worth 162 yuan.

Left Hand-san! You’re embezzling public funds! That’s a crime, do you understand?!

Now, staring at the already-shipped order, her finger hovered over the refund button. 

All it would take was one tap…

But she hesitated.

“Should I cancel it…?”

It was a black slip dress. 

The white lace along the bust made it look especially elegant, and the hemline dropped just past mid-thigh. 

On the model—some cold and glamorous looking woman—it looked dangerously seductive.

Too bad I can’t… you know, get hard anymore.

She still liked pretty girls, though. 

And in the back of her mind, an odd thought bubbled up:

I wonder what I’d look like wearing it…

No! Why would I even think that?! I’m a guy!

Just as she started the refund process, she hesitated again.

She remembered a line that often made the rounds online.

“Who says guys can’t wear skirts? That’s blatant discrimination! That’s oppression! When will our fellow brothers finally rise up?!”

Boys could wear skirts too! And anyway—it wasn’t about wanting to wear a skirt. 

Her foot was injured! 

Pants were hard to put on! 

A slip dress would be more convenient! It was purely for practical reasons, not because she wanted to wear girls’ clothes!

Yeah, yeah, definitely that…

Her face flushed bright red. 

Whether it was from those earlier slaps or sheer embarrassment, she couldn’t tell. 

In the end, Su Yao didn’t press the button. 

She exited the app and decided to just stop thinking about it.

Better to spend her energy on something productive—like grinding materials in-game. 

Her alt account needed a lot of work if she wanted it to catch up with the second-tier players. And so, her weekend became a full-blown gaming marathon.

As expected, time flew by when you were deep in a game. 

In the blink of an eye, the weekend was over.

On Monday morning, Su Yao woke up and found her hair nearly brushing past the small peaks of her chest. 

Staring at the reflection in the mirror, she could no longer see even a trace of her former male self.

This was bad. 

Really bad.

It was already December now.

The last trace of autumn warmth had completely disappeared.

The rain on Friday had marked the beginning of the temperature drop.

Su Yao had switched to wearing thicker clothes, but even under a heavy hoodie, the noticeable curves on her chest were still visible.

It was as if there were two honeydew melons pressing up against the fabric.

She pressed her paws against them and was shocked.

Judging by the size… probably a B or B+ cup?

She could clearly feel the weight dragging down the soft flesh due to gravity.

Su Yao did like big white mantous (steamed buns), sure.

But she absolutely didn’t want to be the one carrying around a pair like that in her daily life.

With both hands buried in her hair, she slumped forward, utterly defeated.

What now?

Her frame had gotten smaller, and her old clothes now fit loose.

She tried hunching her back and lowering her head to make her chest look flat—it kind of worked.

Hah… there’s always a solution to every problem, right?

Since her hair was too long, even pressing it down still left her head looking poofy. Wearing a wig on top made it all look unbalanced and weird.

So she simply gave up on the wig today.

Instead, she threw on a cap and just let her face show.

After confirming nothing looked too off, Su Yao limped her way out the door.

***

Once she entered the classroom—good, no one paid her any attention.

She picked a seat in the corner and quietly sat down.

Listening to the professor drone on like a monk chanting scriptures, Su Yao let the morning classes slip by in a daze.

At lunch, she waited until most students had finished eating and gone off for their naps before heading to the cafeteria herself.

She grabbed two leftover veggie dishes, nothing fancy.

She was quietly eating when—someone suddenly sat down across from her, making Su Yao jump in surprise.

She looked up—

It was Wang Jing.

That lovely face made her heart skip.

Su Yao immediately lowered her head.

Even wearing a plain sweatshirt with a hood, she had no idea how Wang Jing recognized her.

She remembered she’d promised the senior they’d talk…

But she ran off that day instead.

She must be mad, right?

Su Yao took one glance and clearly saw the words “serious business” written all over Wang Jing’s face.

She’s not gonna beat me up, is she…?

Wang Jing looked at Su Yao, who was nervously nibbling her food.

Taking a deep breath, she said firmly:

“Su Yao, let’s go out.”

“…?”

Wait—what?

Huh?

Huh???

Su Yao was stunned.

Her mouth parted slightly, glossy and pink, her entire expression frozen in shock.

What just happened?!

Wang Jing was way out of her league, right?

Swallowing a mouthful of cold rice, Su Yao cautiously asked:

“You mean… like friends?”

Wang Jing answered clearly:

“I mean dating.”

“Like… kissing kind of dating?”

“Yes. Kissing too.”

Wang Jing’s answer was sincere.

She’d spent two full days and nights thinking it through.

Straight ball. Ultimate straight ball.

Su Yao’s mind was spinning.

Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?!

***

Meanwhile, at the X University parking lot—

Mu Nanqiu had just parked her car and pulled out the keys.

She hadn’t even stepped out when her right eye started twitching.

She rubbed her temple and frowned.

“Did I stay up too late yesterday doing text flirt with Teacher Mantou…? Maybe I didn’t rest enough…”

That’s what she thought, but deep down she felt like something bad was happening.

She just didn’t know what it was.