The bedroom windows were tightly shut behind heavy curtains. Though it was already past mid-morning outside, the room remained as dark as night.
Jiang Zixuan closed the bedroom door behind him and slowly walked toward the large bed.
Even as he reached the bedside, the lump under the covers didn't stir—just as if the person beneath had no idea he'd arrived at all.
Jiang Zixuan suddenly felt like laughing.
Back in middle school, their school had been a boarding institution. However, since the dorms were far from comfortable, most students preferred renting apartments nearby or even staying at teachers' homes—arrangements that conveniently lined teachers' pockets with extra cash. During middle school, the two of them had stayed in the school dorms, but by high school, they could no longer tolerate the poor conditions or the stuffy atmosphere of teachers' houses. They'd quickly agreed to rent a modest two-bedroom apartment across the street from school, convincing their parents with little difficulty. For two full years—throughout grades ten and eleven—they'd lived together, which not only fostered their independence but also made life surprisingly enjoyable.
Every morning back then had played out just like this: Jiang Zixuan would rise early, finish washing up, while his friend stubbornly clung to those last few minutes of sleep.
As his buddy's de facto morning alarm, Jiang Zixuan's usual tactic was simple: grab the edge of the blanket, yank it off in one swift motion, and shout, "Wake up, you lazy pig!"
But this time, he never got to finish that sentence.
Because the moment he pulled the blanket away, he froze in shock.
Curled up in the bed wasn't his best friend—but a young girl.
Deprived of her blanket, the girl blinked in confusion for a couple of seconds, then grumbled sleepily, lifting her head: "Just call me when it's time to get up! Why do you have to yank my—" Her words trailed off mid-sentence.
Their eyes met.
Shu Yuxin fell into stunned silence.
This was a historic encounter.
Jiang Zixuan stood there clutching the blanket to his chest, utterly bewildered by the girl before him. He didn't know whether to keep holding onto the blanket or give it back. His awkward expression mirrored that of a maiden torn between resisting or surrendering to advances.
In the end, he chose the latter—no, wait—he handed the blanket back. Once the girl had wrapped herself securely again, Jiang Zixuan took two steps backward and forced a dry chuckle. "Sorry, sorry! I was looking for Shu Yumo… Is he home?"
He still couldn't wrap his head around why his best friend—who'd never even held a girl's hand—had a stunning girl sleeping in his bed.
Could she be some sort of childhood fiancée?
Shu Yuxin hadn't finished processing her own shock either.
She hadn't left the house since her transformation—not just because she hadn't adjusted to her new identity, but more so because she hadn't figured out how to face her past life yet. Truthfully, she was the type who went with the flow. Even something as drastic as suddenly becoming a girl hadn't driven her to tears, tantrums, or despair. She'd merely been stunned. And considering she'd been given a second chance at life, this price didn't seem too steep. Her easygoing nature meant she adapted quickly. For instance, on the first day after her successful surgery, she'd wondered how she'd survive as a girl; by the second day, she was already brainstorming ways to maximize the cuteness potential of her new body… though whether she'd actually go through with any of it remained to be seen.
Now, faced with the immediate dilemma—how to act toward her old best friend after becoming a girl—she still hadn't reached a decision. Two conflicting ideas warred inside her head: one urged her to cut ties with her past, learn how to be a proper young lady, and then go flirt with boys; the other suggested pretending nothing had changed—hanging out with her buddy just like before, arm-in-arm as always, and then go flirt with boys…
Whichever path she chose, she couldn't help feeling both options sounded kind of shameless.
Luckily—or perhaps unluckily—her dilemma was cut short when Jiang Zixuan showed up before she'd made up her mind, forcing her to pick a side immediately.
After a brief moment of thought, Shu Yuxin kicked off the blanket and gave him a smile so strained it looked more like a grimace: "Hey, Zixuan… What if I told you I'm Shu Yumo? Would you believe me?"
Jiang Zixuan: "???"
Lunch didn't take long to prepare. Shu's parents had kindly set out an extra bowl and chopsticks for Jiang Zixuan. Once all the dishes were on the table, Shu's dad called toward the bedroom: "Come eat!"
Only Jiang Zixuan emerged from the room—Shu Yuxin had dashed off to freshen up first, asking him to tidy the bed. Yet even as he sat down at the table, Jiang Zixuan still looked dazed, as if his soul had temporarily left his body.
Noticing this, Shu's dad chuckled. "Zixuan, Yuxin gave you quite a shock, huh?"
"Huh? Oh—yeah…" Jiang Zixuan snapped back to reality, nodding absentmindedly before glancing toward the hallway with lingering disbelief. "Uncle, Yumo—wait, Yuxin… what happened to her?"
How could a perfectly ordinary guy just… turn into a girl?
(Though admittedly, she was quite beautiful.)
"Ah, that's a long story," Shu's dad laughed, setting down his chopsticks. Too intrigued to eat just yet, he began to explain. "It went like this…"
Just as he finished the tale, Shu Yuxin stepped out of the bathroom. The three seated at the table turned to look at her, each wearing a different expression.
Shu Yuxin gave a feeble smile and walked over.
This was the first time she'd worn anything other than sleepwear since her transition. Once Jiang Zixuan had accepted that she truly was Shu Yumo, she'd kicked him out of the bedroom and rummaged through the wardrobe for something presentable. Finding an outfit among all those frilly dresses that didn't make her cringe had taken some effort. Now she wore a loose black tracksuit that concealed her figure entirely—standing straight with hands along her trouser seams, she practically resembled a rectangle.
Her parents thought she was wasting a perfectly good set of features, but Shu Yuxin herself felt perfectly content.
Perhaps because she'd only recently become a girl and hadn't yet gotten into grooming habits, her long hair was simply brushed through and left to hang loosely—complete with a stubborn cowlick sticking straight up, which she hadn't even noticed.
Seeing this, Shu's mom frowned slightly. "You're a young lady now—can't you at least tidy yourself up a bit?"
"I've only been a girl for a few days! You can't expect me to master makeup already…" Shu Yuxin muttered, plunking herself down beside Jiang Zixuan and yawning widely.
Her mom pointed at her head. "I'm not asking for makeup—look at your hair! That tuft's still sticking up."
Shu Yuxin patted her head. "How about now?"
The rebellious strand immediately sprang back up.
Just as her mom looked ready to scold her, Shu's dad quickly stepped in as peacemaker: "Alright, alright—let's eat before the food gets cold."
Shu's mom sighed and said no more.