Chapter 184: A Night Talk with My Mother

Tomorrow is the start of school~

After showering, Bai Yao wrapped her head in a towel and walked out of the bathroom with steaming hot vapor.

‘Mom, you can go take a shower later.’

Unlike when Qiu Ye was around, she wasn’t so free-spirited.

She finished washing properly and put on neat pajamas, covering herself up tightly.

“Okay.”

Mother was sitting on the bed scrolling through short videos.

She looked up at her pretty daughter and waved.

“Come over and sit.”

“Mm.”

Bai Yao climbed onto the bed, pulled the blanket over her lap, and leaned against the headboard.

It had been too long since she slept with her mother, so she acted stiff and nervous, pretending to look down at her phone.

‘Actually, it’s not that bad, right? I’m already a girl now.’

She fiddled with her phone, checking the dorm group messages, peeking into her roommates’ lives.

“@Bai Yao, class starts tomorrow. You’re not coming back to the dorm tonight?”

Chen Zhilong sent a message asking.

“Staying in the dorm is the same.”

Wang Zuhao also chimed in: “I’m renting outside. The thing is, can’t you just wear men’s clothes?”

“Maybe she’s afraid of getting burned by us single dogs for dating Qiu Ye in the dorm?” Lin Mingxin teased.

That guy broke up last semester because he couldn’t stand his senior girlfriend’s squeezing, and became a single dog too.

‘Do my roommates still not know Bai Yao is a girl? Even if they do, it’s probably hard to take seriously.’

Mother leaned sideways and peeked at Bai Yao’s phone screen.

Bai Yao didn’t bother hiding it: “Chatting with roommates.”

“How are your roommates?”

“Mm… they’re all pretty good? Except one snores at night—super annoying.”

Bai Yao replied flatly.

“And?”

Bai Yao froze, looked up at her mother’s face.

When she was little, she also liked to chat with her mother about daily life at school, the little things that happened, but whatever she said would get scolded, making her gradually unwilling to talk to her mother.

But today, her mother took the initiative to ask.

Bai Yao thought for a moment and continued complaining about Wang Zuhao: “And that guy has a loud voice, a big personality—none of the roommates like him.”

She opened the floodgates, losing her usual reticence.

“There’s another roommate who’s pretty handsome, on par with Qiu Ye as class heartthrob? He found a girlfriend not long after school started. I heard she pays for every date.”

Mother caught the faint hint of envy in Bai Yao’s voice: “So who pays when you and Qiu Ye go out?”

“Uh… about half and half?”

“Mm, we don’t take advantage of others.”

“There’s also the dorm head, who’s also the class monitor. He talks a little less, but he’s reliable.”

Bai Yao paused, then added, a bit boastfully: “There was a girl in class who used to like me, I think. She even gave me a gift. She’s pretty, just a little chubby.”

‘Gu Wanwan has too big a chest. No matter her weight, she always looks plump.’

“Don’t go getting ideas about her now.”

“No way, I never liked her anyway.”

“What pajamas should I wear tonight?”

Mother figured the water heater had reheated the water and asked.

“Let me show you!”

Bai Yao got up and ran to open the closet.

Looking at the neatly folded clothes, she couldn’t find her pajamas for a moment.

‘It was easier when everything was piled up messily.’

Mother was only 5’3″, a bit shorter than her, so wearing her pajamas was no problem.

So she pulled out a fluffy cute animal onesie pajama set.

Mother didn’t look closely, took the pajamas, and went into the bathroom.

‘Mom seems much more easygoing than before. Is it because her son became her daughter?’

Bai Yao lay back down on the bed and continued scrolling through the dorm group.

She found Chen Zhilong had brought some local beef jerky.

“Save a little for me.”

“Already finished. I’ll bring you some later?”

Wang Zuhao immediately replied, as blunt as ever.

“Who told you not to come back to the dorm? Why would we share good stuff with you?”

Bai Yao rolled her eyes.

“I saved some for you. I’ll give it to you in class tomorrow.”

Qiu Ye also replied.

Bai Yao snorted contentedly.

‘Qiu Ye really treats me well. He always saves good food for me.’

“Bai Yao, give me your student ID tomorrow.”

Chen Zhilong @ed Bai Yao for registration.

“Okay.”

Soon, Mother came out wearing the fluffy onesie pajama.

Bai Yao looked up and saw her mother dressed so cutely.

She almost burst out laughing but held it in.

“This outfit… how do you use the bathroom?”

Mother felt awkward all over, tugging at the pajamas.

“There’s a zipper in the back.”

“No other pajamas?”

“It looks good~”

Mother rolled her eyes at Bai Yao, didn’t mind much, and turned off the light.

“Time to sleep. What time is your class tomorrow?”

“Eight, I guess? Need to get up at seven-thirty.”

Mother usually went to bed early.

“Then why aren’t you sleeping yet?”

A little past ten in the evening, her drowsiness hit.

She yawned and lay down next to Bai Yao.

In the pitch dark, Bai Yao put down her phone too.

‘Otherwise, I’ll get scolded.’

She listened to her mother’s even, light breathing but didn’t feel sleepy at all.

‘After all, during the holidays, she used to stay up with Qiu Ye until two or three in the morning.’

She turned over.

The cheap bed frame in the rented room let out a squeak, startling her into stillness for fear of waking her mother.

“Will Xiao Ye marry you in the future?”

Abruptly, Bai Yao heard her mother’s question.

She lifted her head, turned to face her mother, and by the faint light, could barely make out her silhouette.

“He will, right?”

In the cover of darkness, Bai Yao’s shyness faded a lot.

“Will he mind that you used to be a boy?”

“He won’t, right?”

In fact, when Bai Yao was still a boy, it seemed Qiu Ye already liked her.

Although she had no self-awareness back then and, due to inferiority, never thought anyone would like her.

“When did you two get together? He liked you before, right?”

“Yeah…”

“He doesn’t like guys, does he?”

Bai Yao complained with a headache: “How could that be…”

Before she showed feminine traits, Qiu Ye’s attitude toward her was quite normal, okay?

Liking a femboy and liking a man are two completely different concepts.

She also took advantage of the night to ask her mother the question weighing on her mind:

“Mom, do you think I’m embarrassing?”

Mother also turned over, facing Bai Yao sideways.

She looked at her daughter’s eyes shimmering faintly in the darkness, her tone gentler than usual.

“How could that be? Who could have predicted such an accident? Since it’s happened, just live the rest of your life well.”

“You should exercise a little every now and then, take care of your health, eat more fruits and vegetables. When I wasn’t working before, I went jogging every morning.”

“Now that you’re renting outside, you can cook with Qiu Ye and practice your cooking skills. Otherwise, once you two actually get married, are you going to eat fast food every meal?”

Strangely, Bai Yao didn’t find her mother’s nagging annoying.

She just replied softly.

“Mm.”

“Pay attention to hygiene. Gynecological diseases are a hassle, and make sure to stay safe before graduation…”

“Why did you suddenly bring that up?”

Bai Yao immediately turned over, back to her mother.

“I’m sleeping!”

“See, you don’t like hearing it.”

“I’m so tired~”