The girl on stage had her hair tied in a simple ponytail, her exposed skin fair and delicate, her eyes pure and bright. She looked only about twenty, yet claimed she already had a daughter.
“My Miss, ah~ I’ve been dumped.”
“Who did it? Tell us who!”
“So it’s you and your sister raising a child? Is the child’s father already in jail?”
The audience below was about to pound their heads into the ground.
It was only thanks to the Host’s superb professionalism that she managed to control her voice and say, “I didn’t expect our little sister to have a child at such a young age.”
“Mm, she’s very cute.” A gentle smile spread across Lin Yiren’s face.
This look of happiness and the glow of motherhood caused another wave of chest-thumping and sighing from the audience.
As the interactive segment neared its end, Lin Yiren gave a thumbs-up to the Champion Team she supported, a gesture of encouragement in person. Then she bowed, said her goodbyes, and slipped out of the venue.
A chorus of reluctant voices trailed behind her, but no one truly followed to disturb her life.
When the door closed, the warm sunshine and open space outside made everything feel as if from another world.
Chen Zhaoyue and Lin Xingyao were already waiting by the car.
***
“Mommy!” The little dumpling couldn’t wait and rushed over to hug her.
Lin Yiren crouched down and opened her arms to catch Xingyao. The little one in her arms puffed up her chubby cheeks and called her “Mommy,” melting her heart into a puddle.
Ever since this daughter fell from the sky into her life, Lin Yiren had, with each passing day, truly felt her presence. Their bond began with the blood evidence on a test report, but took shape in the everyday moments they shared.
When she said on stage, “I came with my daughter,” and thought of Xingyao’s adorable face, a surge of pride rose within her. Was this what it felt like to be a parent?
Lin Yiren felt her eyes sting a little. Why was she so sentimental today?
“Anyone who didn’t know would think you two are reuniting after years apart,” came Chen Zhaoyue’s voice from above.
So the Miss still had a hidden penchant for teasing. Lin Yiren picked up Xingyao and got in the car with Chen Zhaoyue.
Xingyao clambered from the front seat into Chen Zhaoyue’s arms.
Suddenly, Lin Yiren felt a little uneasy, her gaze unfocused as she stared at the steering wheel. “Chen Zhaoyue, you don’t mind that I called you ‘big sister’ just now, do you?”
Would it feel strange, being called “big sister” by someone who was, in fact, a peer or even a guy in the past?
The Miss knew what she used to be like.
Lin Yiren grew more and more anxious.
“Pfft, hahaha!” To her surprise, the Miss burst out laughing, shaking with mirth.
She said with a smile, “Of course you can call me that. My friends even call me ‘little sister.'”
Friends—so she had already been categorized as a friend?
Lin Yiren couldn’t help the upward curve at the corner of her lips.
Although she still couldn’t accept all aspects of her new life, she’d encountered quite a few good things since becoming a girl.
“You can call me ‘big sister’ anytime you want,” Chen Zhaoyue whispered devilishly.
“N-no thanks,” Lin Yiren shook her head. It just felt too odd to sweetly call someone who knew her past “big sister.”
“Then just call me Zhaoyue. Using my full name feels too distant.”
Zhao…yue?!
Lin Yiren felt the heat rush to her head, her blush spreading from her cheeks to behind her ears. Did it really have to be such an intimate form of address?
Back when she was a boy, she rarely called her friends by name, preferring to use nicknames.
“Alright, then… Zhaoyue.”
“Then I’ll call you Yiren.”
“..Okay.” It was the Miss who gave her the name Yiren, after all.
Xingyao looked on in confusion, not understanding why her two moms were so shy about calling each other’s names.
Clearly, Jiang Xue had said her moms always hugged each other at the drop of a hat.
Lin Yiren forced herself to say, “Let’s go.”
She stepped on the accelerator and started the car.
“Heh~” Chen Zhaoyue chuckled softly at the sight of her rosy ears peeking through her hair.
She really wanted to hear Lin Yiren call her “big sister” forever.
***
They reached the hotel and settled in to rest.
Chen Zhaoyue had booked the top-floor suite—a three-bedroom with a living room, elegant and comfortable.
They stayed in the hotel until the sun began to sink.
Lin Yiren lay on the bed, scrolling through her phone for information about today’s fireworks exhibition.
The Qingling River Fireworks Exhibition was a publicity event organized by the New District to support the fireworks industry. It was also their last destination for this trip.
Something to look forward to, Lin Yiren thought, putting down her phone to tease Xingyao beside her.
The door to the adjoining room opened and Chen Zhaoyue walked out.
The Miss had changed into a pale short skirt, a matching camisole on top, and a sheer blue jacket over her shoulders.
Red lips and bright teeth, radiant and lovely.
Lin Yiren quietly turned her head, pretending to play with her fingers.
Just then, a few pieces of clothing fluttered down in front of her.
With a glance, Lin Yiren’s cheeks turned pink. Among them, she recognized yesterday’s skirt.
She was slowly getting used to wearing girls’ clothes, but only the easier pieces. As for this short skirt that barely reached mid-thigh—she still felt uneasy.
She wanted to pretend she hadn’t seen it, but then felt the bed sink slightly beside her, and a fresh citrus scent wafted over—Miss Chen had sat down beside her.
Did Chen Zhaoyue use perfume? The scent… was different.
“Yiren, go change,” Chen Zhaoyue said considerately.
“I’m fine with what I’m wearing now.”
“You have to dress up to watch fireworks. Are you going to leave me all dressed up by myself?” There was a hint of coquettishness in Chen Zhaoyue’s voice, which made it all the more lethal.
Already dizzy from the scent, Lin Yiren could barely handle the girl’s soft, spoiled tone.
“Are you still not used to it? This body is really beautiful…” Chen Zhaoyue’s fingers gently stroked Lin Yiren’s shoulder, deliberately brushing twice.
Lin Yiren’s defenses crumbled in an instant. She grabbed the clothes and, steaming, rushed into the bathroom.
With a “click,” she locked the door and looked at the red-faced girl in the mirror, gently touching her own shoulder.
She’d seen and touched this body for dozens of days and nights now. She didn’t get so shy she couldn’t look anymore—after all, every time she showered, she… made sure to clean thoroughly.
Being able to accept a new style of dress was just another necessary step in adapting to this life, Lin Yiren told herself.
She took off her clothes, put on safety shorts like the Miss did yesterday, slipped on the skirt, and zipped it up.
After putting on the matching shirt, she saw two pairs of black long socks lying there quietly.
……
She only hoped her tolerance for all this wouldn’t keep getting higher. With a sigh, Lin Yiren rolled up the black stockings and pulled them up her legs.
With a “snap,” the stockings snapped against her smooth, fair thighs, creating an absolute zone between her skirt and socks.
The girl in the mirror looked calm but blushing, pulling at her skirt hem before stepping out the door.
When Chen Zhaoyue saw her, she couldn’t help showing a hint of amazement, saying with a smile, “Very cute.”
“Thank you,” Lin Yiren commented seriously, “The skirt isn’t very practical—hard to move, and can’t carry much.”
She calmly walked over to take Xingyao’s hand, ready to leave.
At that moment, a hand swiftly brushed her thigh. The Miss’s teasing voice followed: “Aren’t the stockings I picked really comfy?”
Lin Yiren was caught off guard, her legs instantly going weak as her face burst into pink blossoms.
She glared at the culprit.
But Chen Zhaoyue was already a few steps ahead, turning back to smile at her, all traces of earlier coquettishness gone.
At the door, she called back to the still-startled girl, “I even got you little leather shoes to go with it.”