No. 84 Happiness Etched in Time
June 7th, 2016, the first day of the National College Entrance Examination.
Thanks to this momentous occasion, we had been granted a two-day reprieve from school.
However, it wasn’t an ideal day for outings. Traffic regulations were in full force, prioritizing the smooth flow of students to their designated exam centers. Many taxi drivers had adorned their vehicles with yellow ribbons, offering free rides to examinees. Even some shops and amusement parks were closed, making it inconvenient to venture out.
Despite the sweltering heat, I was awakened early that morning by the girl beside me.
We had a spare bed at home, but Xiaodie insisted on sharing mine, making bedtime a constant source of awkwardness.
She slept without a bra, and as the night deepened, perhaps seeking comfort, she would often snuggle close, her small body seeking warmth in my embrace.
“You know, your wardrobe is quite pathetic,” she commented after breakfast, as I browsed the Tianhuo forum on our computer while she rummaged through my closet.
“My dad said middle schoolers don’t need a lot of clothes. One uniform is enough. Anything more is a waste.”
I posted a comment on a heated thread discussing a vulnerability in Windows 10, then checked my email.
An invitation to join a tech company as a senior engineer. A discussion on the security implications of Microsoft’s new operating system. A proposal for mitigating gang violence in Upper Capital City. What was all this?
One email caught my eye—an invitation from a hacker alliance.
They were planning a large-scale cyberattack against a certain country that was encroaching on our territory in the South China Sea. If the situation escalated, they intended to deface the country’s official websites, replacing their flags with ours, as a show of patriotism.
“What do you mean, ‘a waste’? You can never have too many clothes,” Xiaodie declared, closing my closet door and folding her arms. “Listen, Yi Yao, you need to learn how to dress. Wearing the same uniform every day gets boring.”
“It’s not like I only have my uniform,” I said, pointing out the obvious.
I had plenty of jeans and other casual clothes, more than enough for everyday wear.
“You mean those?” she scoffed, gesturing towards my pathetic collection of plain, functional clothing. “Honestly, Yi Yao, I’m starting to believe you were a boy in your past life.”
She retrieved her backpack from the bedside table, rummaged through it, and pulled out a cute denim sundress. “Come here, Yi Yao.”
“W-what are you doing?”
Her tone made me nervous, but I reluctantly obeyed, closing my laptop and approaching her.
“Your revenge plan starts now. Under my guidance.”
She grabbed a comb and sat behind me.
“Listen, besides clothes, the most important thing for a girl is her hairstyle. I’m not expecting you to wear makeup, but you need to learn how to style your hair. You can’t keep this short hair forever.”
“What’s wrong with short hair?”
“It’s not about right or wrong. It’s about strategy. Most geeks are siscons.”
“And what about the rest?”
“They’re either lolicons, shotacons, or gay.”
“What does that have to do with my hair?”
“Everything! Right now, you can barely pass for an older sister. But what if your stepbrother is a lolicon? And very few anime little sisters have short hair.”
“You think I look like a loli?”
“Not yet.”
She picked up the comb and two cherry-shaped hair ties from the bedside table. “But you will soon. Remember, most geeks prefer long, straight black hair. But for a little sister character, pigtails are more fitting.”
“Seriously…”
“Don’t move. This will only take a moment.”
Her voice was firm, her touch gentle as she began to work her magic.
“Your hair has grown a bit since we first met. This will be easy.”
I couldn’t see what she was doing, but I felt her deftly braiding my hair, securing the pigtails with the adorable hair ties. She dabbed my face with makeup brushes and various products, her movements precise and practiced. Finally, she let out a gasp of satisfaction and hopped off the bed, stepping back to admire her handiwork. “Perfect.”
“What have you done…?”
I turned to the small mirror hanging on the wall.
My reflection stared back at me—pale skin, large, innocent eyes accentuated by expertly applied mascara, and two adorable pigtails framing my face. The remaining strands of my hair cascaded down my back, softening my features. If you only looked at my face, you would never guess I was about to graduate from middle school.
“Well? Does it match your mental image of a loli?” Xiaodie asked playfully.
She effortlessly removed my casual clothes and replaced them with a cute pink and white cotton shirt adorned with cartoon characters and a denim sundress that reached mid-thigh. “This was my dress when I was little. I was going to wash it today anyway. Perfect timing.”
She stepped back to admire her handiwork. “Now no one will doubt that you’re my little sister.”
“You… this…”
As she had predicted, the transformation was complete. My usual cool, androgynous look had vanished, replaced by a childish cuteness. It was like witnessing a powerful CEO suddenly embracing the “crouch defense” meme. I had to hand it to her, Xiaodie was a makeup genius.
This wasn’t just “close.” This was a complete makeover!
“Don’t look at me like that. You’ve always been the cute type, Yi Yao. Your voice is soft, your features delicate. But your strong personality and your tomboyish style created a different image.”
“And let me tell you a secret. When we first met, during that kidnapping, I couldn’t take you seriously because of your voice. I bet a lot of those guys you fought felt the same way. They probably thought, ‘She’s just a kitten. No threat.’”
I laughed. “So you’re saying I won all those fights because they were holding back?”
She giggled. “I never said that.”
I fell silent, her words giving me pause.
She leaned closer, her voice soft. “Are you mad?”
“No.” I hesitated. “I’m just wondering… isn’t this a bit cruel to your stepbrother?”
“Not at all.” She patted my head in a mock-adult gesture. “Think about it. This will help you develop your feminine side, and it’ll facilitate a smoother transition into your new family. If you’re not opposed to changing your image, this new you will bring happiness to your father, your stepmother, and your stepbrother. And as for whether it’s cruel or not, that depends entirely on your stepmother. If she does something to hurt your family, it’s her son who will suffer, and they’ll be the ones to blame.”
She had a point.
“I can’t resist anymore.”
Before I could even process her words, she pulled me into a tight embrace. “I guess all that talk about not being jealous was a lie. I’d rather practice with you than let some random guy have all the fun!”
“P-practice?”
“How to be the perfect little sister for a geek.”
“Why does that even exist?”
“Come on, just humor me. Pretend I’m your stepbrother. Call me ‘onii-chan.’”
“Onii-chan?”
“Wrong tone. Softer, cuter. Again. Onii-chan.”
“Onii-chan…”
“What’s with that blank expression? Be more cheerful! Again.”
“Onii-chan.”
“Still not right. You’ve seen those anime, right? Let’s try ‘onii-sama’ first. Get the tone right, then we’ll switch to Chinese. Come on, onii-sama!”
“…”
I spent the next hour enduring Xiaodie’s relentless “training.”
It was strange. Those mannerisms, that voice, that persona—they weren’t me. And yet, as I played along, I felt a sense of liberation, a lightness I hadn’t experienced before.
Like a heart accustomed to darkness, suddenly exposed to a glimmer of light.
“Ugh… Something’s still not right, but the tone is better,” she said, collapsing onto my bed, her phone clutched in her hand.
But her lips were curved in a subtle smile, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
She was enjoying this.
Well, if this brought her happiness, if it helped my family, then changing myself wasn’t such a big deal…
“Yi Yao, our classmates are planning a barbecue. Are we going?”
I had been using Xiaodie’s phone since losing mine, so Pai Ge, Tan Lijiang, even the homeroom teacher, contacted me through her.
“Today? A barbecue?”
I peered over her shoulder. “Is anyone paying?”
I had no recollection of a class barbecue in my memories.
“Tan Lijiang and Li Ziqiao are treating everyone. They’re celebrating the truce between the Tan faction and the Li faction.”
A truce? Had they finally buried the hatchet? They had been at odds until graduation in my previous life.
“Where are they having it?”
“Lion Mountain Park. It’s not far from here.”
“Sure, why not? Free food is always a good thing.”
I walked towards my closet, but Xiaodie stopped me.
“No way. You’re staying in character today. No changing clothes or hairstyles.”
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