To be honest, An Han thought An Kexin and Su Peng were actually quite a good match.
Although there was a noticeable gap in their looks, An Kexin's personality was indeed as gentle, shy, and introverted as Su Peng had described—undeniably cute.
"Why are you in this aisle?"
An Kexin glanced around and realized they were surrounded by feminine hygiene products.
An Han guiltily turned his head away. "Nah, the dorm had a blackout, so I just wandered around randomly."
He wasn't even sure how he'd ended up in the feminine products aisle. Maybe, deep down, he'd already sensed that one day he might become a woman—and wanted to get used to it in advance.
But the thing was… he still wanted to resist it a little longer.
Once I have enough money, I'll start taking anti-estrogen meds!
He turned to look at An Kexin. Though she wasn't particularly pretty—maybe even a bit chubby—there was something endearing about her flushed cheeks that easily stirred protective instincts in guys.
He wondered if Su Peng saw him the same way.
Even if most of his blushing stemmed not from shyness but from sheer embarrassment or awkwardness, to outsiders it probably looked the same.
"Where's Su Peng? I haven't seen him all afternoon," An Han changed the subject, unwilling to keep talking about his "girly" presence here.
An Kexin shook her head. "I don't know. He stood me up this morning, and I haven't contacted him since."
"You're not mad, are you?"
"Of course not!" She shook her head rapidly. "It's totally normal that he loves gaming! It's just… I can't play with him."
"So you really do like him, huh?" An Han's mind started scheming again.
If Su Peng refused to let him be a wingman, maybe he could become An Kexin's instead?
Wasn't that basically the same goal—getting them together as a couple?
Su Peng would surely be grateful!
"Nah~" An Kexin blushed furiously and denied it. "We're just… best friends. Yeah, just best friends."
"Best friends?" An Han gave her a weird look.
"Guy best friend" wasn't exactly a flattering term.
"Yeah! What's wrong with being best friends?" An Kexin shot back, glaring at him defensively. "It just means we're really close!"
Judging by her reaction, An Han figured she probably did have a crush on Su Peng but was too shy to admit it—so she covered it up by calling him a "best friend."
"What a shame," he murmured.
"Why's it a shame? Since when did you become Cupid?"
An Han couldn't exactly explain his reasons, so he just chuckled awkwardly.
Glancing at the shelves filled with sanitary pads around them, he felt increasingly uncomfortable and slowly started stepping toward the exit.
"Did Su Peng say anything else about me?"
He wanted to know how Su Peng described him to others.
Even though he no longer cared much about completing that "mission," if his past behavior had made Su Peng uncomfortable, he could still try to fix things—better late than never, so they wouldn't lose their friendship entirely.
An Kexin cautiously studied An Han's expression. "Should I really tell you?"
"Go ahead."
"You won't get mad, right?"
An Han shrugged. "When have you ever seen me get mad?"
"He said… you might want to be a girl."
"You what, Su Peng?!" An Han exploded. "I took him out for barbecue, played games with him—and this is what he tells you?!"
"I told you not to get mad! Su Peng was just joking..."
That comment hit a raw nerve, but seeing how startled An Kexin looked, An Han quickly calmed himself down.
It wasn't the first time someone had said something like that about him.
"Anything else?"
"He also said… he suspects you like him."
"There's no way I'd ever like him, okay?"
An Kexin had believed that too—until recently noticing how An Han's features seemed to be getting prettier, and how his mannerisms were growing more and more feminine…
"Not entirely impossible, though…" she muttered under her breath.
After all, if An Han put on a wig, he'd probably look better than her—a real girl.
An Han didn't catch her quiet mumble and just scowled darkly. "And then? What else did he say about me?"
"He… said you'd look really good in girls' clothes."
*Well, duh. Su Peng's already seen me in girls' clothes before.*
As An Kexin spoke, her gaze lingered on An Han, eventually settling on the slight rise of his chest beneath his clothes.
"Aren't you hot wearing a jacket outside?"
"I've got a bit of a cold," An Han replied coolly.
He'd used that excuse countless times—it always worked.
"Hmm…" An Kexin frowned thoughtfully, then suddenly reached out and lightly poked his chest.
It felt like an electric shock jolted through him. An Han leapt back half a step, instinctively covering his chest with both hands, staring at An Kexin in wide-eyed panic as his face flushed crimson.
Her action startled her too. "W-What's wrong with you…?" she stammered.
"I—" An Han stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
She found out! She found out?!
His mind snapped taut like a frayed wire, every muscle in his body trembling.
There's no way she didn't notice!
What do I do now?!
He stared at her in terror—then, after a few seconds, forced himself to relax his arms, turned his head away, and tried to sound calm.
"You just… startled me. Don't go poking people like that."
"I was just curious if you were hiding something under your shirt," An Kexin said, looking down at her finger. The texture had felt soft—strangely familiar.
And An Han's reaction had been just like a girl being groped.
"I keep my wallet in my jacket pocket," An Han quickly offered an excuse.
But his guilty, flustered tone only deepened An Kexin's confusion. She watched his eyes, which refused to meet hers, and her curiosity grew.
"The dorm probably has power again…"
[Option 1: Confess everything honestly. Reward: Girlfriend
Option 2: Walk away immediately and never mention it. Reward: Custom binder
Option 3: Dodge the question and give a plausible explanation. Reward: +1 attribute point]
Why's the system popping up now?!
No way am I confessing! Do I look insane to you…?
…Though that reward sounds kinda tempting.
An Han froze, glancing at An Kexin, briefly wondering if the "girlfriend" the system promised was standing right in front of him.
But this was clearly the hardest route. Who knew what would happen after a confession? Plus, An Kexin wasn't even that pretty, and her chest was too small…
If this reward had been tied to Option 3, he'd have spilled everything without a second thought.
"An Han?" An Kexin looked puzzled. "What's wrong? You spaced out again."
"Just haven't been sleeping well," An Han shook his head.
He'd better just leave. A custom binder would actually be useful.
Anything was better than randomly gaining some weird "attracts men" attribute.
"I'm heading back to the dorm to enjoy the AC." With that, An Han turned and walked straight out.