“Little sis! Want some milk tea? It’s hot!”
“Then I’ll have the cocoa milk tea.”
She wasn’t sure if it was just a slip of the tongue or if Bai Xinyi had already figured it out, since she never asked for Bai Yao’s name. Of course, even if she had, Bai Yao had already prepared an answer.
Dressed in a simple white hoodie and jeans, Bai Yao sat inside the milk tea shop, holding the cup in both hands and taking a sip of the hot cocoa. Sunlight streamed through the glass, warming her and making her squint with contentment. She covered her mouth and yawned.
‘Sunbathing really helps—the stomach pain has eased up a lot.’
Bai Xinyi brought her milk tea and sat down beside Bai Yao.
“What’s the WiFi password? Can you check for me?”
“It’s on the wall over here. You can scan the QR code to connect.”
Bai Yao leaned back in her chair, moving aside to reveal the WiFi QR code she had been blocking.
She was in a good mood, her eyes sparkling with amusement, making her lower eyelids subtly prominent. She really did enjoy hanging out with Bai Xinyi. That girl was lively and always managed to make boring old her have fun.
It was a shame that after middle school, when she became aware of gender differences, combined with the neighbors teasing them about being a couple, she gradually stopped keeping in touch with girls.
“Speaking of which, are you in a relationship?”
Thinking of this, Bai Yao asked curiously.
Bai Xinyi looked a little guilty, her big eyes darting to the side. “I am. Don’t tell Uncle.”
“You’re in college now, so dating is normal, right?”
“The thing is… I like girls.”
Bai Yao didn’t quite understand. After all, under the influence of hormones, her sexual orientation had shifted within just a month—she had lost interest in girls and become extremely interested in men…
‘It can’t be that hormones are just an excuse for her!’
She lowered her head and took another sip of cocoa.
But then she heard Bai Xinyi gossipily ask, “So, are you in a relationship?”
“Me…”
She wanted to lie, but since Bai Xinyi had been so honest, Bai Yao admitted, “Yeah.”
“You’re only fourteen!”
‘Crap! I forgot about that setting!’
Bai Yao sat blankly for a long moment before making an excuse: “There are plenty of people chasing me!”
Caught in her lie, Bai Yao’s face turned red with embarrassment as she stammered, “A lot of people in my class are in relationships…”
“You didn’t do anything, did you?”
“Just holding hands or something?”
Bai Xinyi looked at Bai Yao with great concern. This girl seemed a bit naive, but she was pretty, and she might have been someone’s target without even realizing it.
“What does he look like?”
“Uh…”
Bai Yao forced herself to keep making excuses.
“I don’t have a photo of him. I rarely take pictures.”
‘I really don’t take many, but I do have one or two.’
But the problem was, Qiu Ye was handsome, but he didn’t look like a good person. Even her mother had only gradually accepted him after he helped take care of her in the hospital for a long time. Even so, her mother still suspected Qiu Ye had violent tendencies.
Bai Xinyi looked at her doubtfully.
“You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not…”
“You and your brother lie exactly the same way!”
‘Duh, we’re literally the same person.’
Bai Yao quickly averted her wandering gaze and sat stiffly with a blank expression.
“See, the moment I call you out, you tense up and put on a straight face!” Bai Xinyi was even more amazed. “I’m starting to wonder if you’re a gender-swapped version of him!”
Bai Yao had nothing to say and gave in.
“Well, let me look for one?”
She muttered, “I really don’t have many photos of him.”
Bai Xinyi leaned in curiously, but Bai Yao quickly turned her phone screen toward the wall, afraid that she might see the unspeakable things in her album.
There were way too many things that couldn’t be seen.
Her own suggestive leg shots, various 2D lewd images, and the doujinshi and anime stored on her phone…
She never lent her phone to anyone, so she wasn’t in the habit of hiding her privacy.
“You won’t even let me look.”
Bai Xinyi sat up straight, resting her cheek on one hand. “So where do you live? If you’re free during winter vacation, feel free to come hang out anytime. I’m usually pretty bored at home too.”
“Sunshine No. 1. It’s about twenty or thirty yuan by taxi? Pretty close.”
“Oh.”
Bai Yao searched for a while. There were plenty of ugly photos of Qiu Ye, but she finally managed to find one decent picture.
“Here, a group photo.”
She moved her phone over to Bai Xinyi’s table.
“He’s pretty handsome~” Bai Xinyi’s eyes lit up. “A sunny, macho hottie!”
“Right!”
Hearing someone praise her boyfriend, Bai Yao felt proud, as if her tail was about to stick up—exactly the same expression her mother had when the neighbors complimented her daughter’s looks.
“But he’s at least twenty, right?” Bai Xinyi frowned immediately. “How old are you? Don’t get scammed. How did you meet? He doesn’t look like a good person either—looks mean.”
“He’s only eighteen, not that much older than me.” Bai Yao muttered. “My mom knows him, and Auntie knows him too, so don’t worry. Just remember not to tell my dad.”
Bai Yao was afraid her father couldn’t handle it.
During this time at home, although she didn’t talk much with her father, she could feel that he still saw her as a son.
‘Even if in his eyes, I might be a cross-dressing pervert son.’
‘But now that I even have dysmenorrhea, Dad should realize that his son is now a full-fledged daughter who can even bear children normally, right?’
‘Just thinking about it is so embarrassing.’
Bai Xinyi suddenly received a call.
She glanced at the caller ID, a bit annoyed, and picked up the phone. “It’s my mom.”
“Mm.”
She answered right in front of Bai Yao.
“Hey, Mom. I’m playing with Bai Yao’s little sister. Yeah, her brother didn’t come home for winter break. She’s really bored alone at home, so Uncle called me over.”
“What did you say?”
Hearing Bai Xinyi’s voice raise an octave, Bai Yao, who was sipping through the straw and tilting her milk tea cup to get the last drops, looked over curiously.
Bai Xinyi was also looking at her with a shocked expression.
A bad feeling suddenly surged up, causing Bai Yao’s heart to skip a beat.
She forced a questioning smile.
“Really…?”
Bai Xinyi put down her phone, her expression complex and confused, not knowing how to ask.
“What’s wrong?”
“Did you… I heard you got into a traffic accident and turned into a girl?” Bai Xinyi asked cautiously.
Bai Yao’s vision went black. She felt like the sky was falling.
She stood frozen.
‘Up until now, Mom has kept it pretty secret, right? She told the neighbors that I was a visiting niece, and to old friends from over a decade ago, she said I was a younger daughter… She never said I was Bai Yao.’
‘Then it must have been Dad who told.’
‘We had agreed not to tell outsiders.’
‘How will the relatives see me now?’
Bai Yao suddenly realized why that Chinyu of the future only chose to come home after being cheated on and having nowhere else to go.
‘So it was social death—she couldn’t stand staying in that small county, right?’
‘In a small county or rural hometown, word spreads like wildfire. Before long, the whole county will know.’
Bai Xinyi awkwardly comforted her, “It’s okay. Accidents like car crashes can happen to anyone! You don’t have to pretend to be a little sister…”
“I wasn’t.”
Bai Yao didn’t know if she was angry or upset. She sniffled, her expression dark as she lowered her head, picking at her nails.
“You’re really pretty! I’m a little jealous of you! So cute~”