Chapter 24: How exciting!

It was a little after 7:00 PM.

Normally, this was the liveliest time for students to finish their classes, but now, even Student Street was so quiet that only the colorful glow of neon signs remained.

In a dark corner where the light couldn’t reach, a slender figure peeked out furtively.

From a distance, only a few food stalls on Student Street seemed to have any business.

They had set up a few round tables outside, and about ten or so people were eating, drinking, and making a ruckus.

Qiu Ye, who was attending a club gathering, might even be one of them…

However, since there was a security guard at the front gate, Bai Yao really didn’t want to face anyone’s gaze.

‘It really is empty.’

Compared to the dorm building, it might be safer outside the school, and the probability of being discovered would be lower.

Bai Yao lowered his head to straighten his skirt, tugged at his mask, and messed with his hair.

Taking a deep breath, he dropped his guilty act, straightened his back, and lifted his head.

No! He couldn’t lift his head…

With his head hanging low, he hurried out of the corner and crossed the road to the opposite side of Student Street.

‘Does this count as being off-campus?’

Bai Yao looked around blankly, not knowing where to go.

Since the start of the semester, he truly hadn’t left the school grounds, just as the system had said.

No, the farthest he had ever gone was Student Street, mostly to pick up packages.

As a result, he knew nothing about the streets surrounding the school.

Since he was dressed as a girl, he obviously couldn’t head toward crowded areas.

Bai Yao turned his head toward a silent, deserted alleyway by the street and ducked inside.

This was an Urban Village.

He had heard that many seniors came here to rent rooms, and most of the hotels near the school were concentrated here as well.

The alley was fairly wide, enough for a car to pass through.

As soon as he entered, Bai Yao saw the sign for a small inn, and next to it was an unmanned adult store.

He suppressed his curiosity and continued deeper into the Urban Village.

“There’s not a single person around…”

This allowed Bai Yao to relax quite a bit, and he began to navigate the alleys as if he were on an adventure.

The lights in the alley were dim, and the corners were pitch black.

The draft whistled as it blew against Bai Yao’s bare thighs, and only a few lights were on in the surrounding residential buildings.

Bai Yao loved this kind of environment!

He had grown up in an Urban Village, so he loved walking through the streets alone late at night.

It allowed him to shed all the disguises he wore when interacting with people during the day and enjoy the silence and peace.

It felt as if he were the only one left in the city — as if it all belonged to him.

Even if the cold draft on his thighs was a bit unsettling.

‘A convenience store? Looks like someone’s there, better keep my distance…’

‘Is this an Ancestral Hall?’

‘There’s even a pond with a bunch of turtles.’

As Bai Yao wandered around the Urban Village, he gradually let go of the shame and panic of being dressed as a girl.

Relaxing his control over his posture, he skipped through the alleys on his tiptoes like a lighthearted young girl, moving like an elf.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps nearby.

His body stiffened instantly.

He began walking with stiff, restricted steps, lowering his head and pretending to be busy with his phone while peeking ahead from the corner of his eye.

A passerby appeared in his field of vision.

Bai Yao couldn’t help but get nervous.

He lowered his head even more, until his chin almost poked his chest.

‘Is my hair too short? Will they tell I’m a man at a glance? Is my leg hair visible? Even if it’s sparse, what if I’m discovered? Isn’t my frame a bit too large for a girl?’

‘Speaking of which, isn’t it a bit dangerous for a girl in a short skirt to be in a deserted alley like this?’

‘What if someone tries something? What if I cry for help and no one listens? What if the other person is a pervert and gets even more excited when they find out I’m a crossdresser?’

Wild thoughts began to run through Bai Yao’s mind.

Goosebumps broke out on his exposed thighs, making him feel even more uneasy.

He instinctively hugged his stomach with his forearms and pressed his knees together, facing the passerby in a tense, defensive posture.

Fortunately, the person only looked at him a couple of times.

The man’s gaze seemed to linger on his legs for a few seconds before quickly scanning his entire body, then he turned a corner and disappeared into the alley.

‘How thrilling!’

Bai Yao placed a hand over his chest, feeling his heart pounding wildly.

His cheeks were flushed, and a thin layer of sweat had broken out on his forehead.

“Dammit, this is getting ridiculous.”

“Why isn’t the Task done yet?”

He muttered softly under his breath.

After walking a few more steps, he crossed through the entire Urban Village.

Peeking out, he found a bustling district ahead.

He froze in place, unsure whether to head back the way he came or keep going.

This street was brightly lit; it was likely a Pedestrian Commercial Street.

He could see a towering shopping mall not far away, with colorful neon lights and a massive screen playing advertisements.

Bai Yao lost his nerve.

He took a step back, wanting to slip away.

‘I should just go back…’

He wasn’t prepared to appear openly on the street in women’s clothing and endure the scrutiny of all the passersby.

Perhaps because he had lingered in place for too long, his cowering and cautious appearance caught someone’s attention.

“Miss? Is something wrong?”

Bai Yao flinched and quickly turned his head.

He saw a male clerk from a nearby milk tea shop taking a breather at the entrance.

The man was looking at him with curiosity and kindness.

Bai Yao was so flustered he didn’t know what to do with his hands or feet.

He opened his mouth but didn’t dare to speak, shaking his head vigorously instead.

‘God, “miss”?! Even if people throw that word around, it shouldn’t apply to me, right?’

Yet, being called “miss” the first time he dressed as a girl gave him an inexplicable sense of achievement…

“Waiting for someone?”

‘Right! Waiting for someone!’

Bai Yao hurriedly nodded, his eyes darting around.

He stared down at his toes as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

‘This is unbearable! I need to go back!’

“Hey, wait!”

Just as Bai Yao was about to return to the Urban Village and head back to school, the clerk called out to him with a kind smile.

“Would you like some milk tea? My treat?”

‘No way!’

Bai Yao’s face turned beet red.

He shook his head so hard it almost became a blur, then he fled.

Why had no one ever offered him free milk tea before?

He didn’t know if it was because the outfit looked good or because of his Charm…

There was no way he looked good in these clothes!

It was clearly his feminine Charm that had attracted the guy and made him so kind.

[Task Complete!]

[Reward: 500 yuan!]

‘Great! Even though I was on edge the whole time, at least the 500 yuan is in the bag!’

On the way back, Bai Yao bounced on his toes, so happy he was practically jumping.

[You have overachieved in your Task! After being away for so long, you are still insecure. You didn’t dare make eye contact or speak, and you even refused the kindness of others. However, you actually attracted the attention of several men and were secretly pleased!]

“Who was secretly pleased?! damn it! don’t talk nonsense!”

[As the saying goes, a confident woman is more beautiful… You have become even prettier!]

“???”