Chapter 141: Miss Yu’s Disguise
Home visits were a nightmare. She had barely managed to get through the last one; another one would be the death of her.
“Have your mother come back. This is an important home visit.”
“She can’t come back anytime soon…”
“Then give me her phone number. I’ll talk to her myself.”
“…”
Yu Linna couldn’t possibly give her Ye Zhiyun’s number; that would be even worse. Why was her homeroom teacher so obsessed with home visits?
And her current living situation was different from before. A home visit now would be problematic. Her neighbor was Zhao Yuyan! What if they found out? She would be accused of neglecting her studies.
“Alright, that’s settled. You can go now.”
Not settled at all. Yu Linna felt anything but settled.
Dejected, she left the office with Huo Ningning, feeling utterly hopeless. She had thought she had escaped, but her homeroom teacher was relentless. She was doomed.
“Linna… don’t be so pessimistic. Maybe she’s just saying that…” Huo Ningning tried to comfort her, unable to bear seeing her so distraught.
“You don’t understand. If my homeroom teacher finds out about my situation… it won’t be good…”
She hated home visits. Having never had a parent attend a single parent-teacher meeting, the thought of two home visits in her senior year was unbearable.
She was going to die.
“If all else fails, just find someone to pretend to be your parent…”
“I already tried that. It won’t work again.”
“Why not? Just commit to the act.”
Yu Linna sighed, giving her a deadpan look. Huo Ningning, uncomfortable under her gaze, averted her eyes.
“What?”
“How did you know I had someone impersonate my parent? Did Jiangning tell you?”
“Ah? That… um… yes, she told me.”
Huo Ningning’s gaze darted around, avoiding eye contact. Though they were standing close, she deliberately maintained a distance, unusual for her, considering her usual eagerness to be near Yu Linna.
Yu Linna found her behavior odd. This introverted girl with glasses… something felt off, like she was hiding something. And for some reason, Yu Linna felt a sense of unease around her.
“Come on, let’s go. Class is about to start.”
Huo Ningning quickened her pace, walking ahead, her slender figure almost disappearing in the crowd.
(“Come on, let’s go. Class is about to start.”)
A memory flashed through Yu Linna’s mind, a girl’s voice, clear and cheerful, yet with a hint of fragility, as if deliberately using a tone she wasn’t accustomed to.
Whose voice was that?
Looking at the receding figure, Yu Linna felt a strange sense of familiarity, a feeling she couldn’t quite place.
“Must be my imagination…”
She shrugged it off, quickly forgetting about it.
Putting the home visit issue aside for now, Yu Linna still hadn’t resolved the illustration problem. Due to her insistence on a different style, the matter remained at a standstill. Her career, barely starting, faced a potential delay, a significant setback.
The weekend arrived, and the illustration problem remained unresolved, much to Yu Linna’s frustration. But getting anxious wouldn’t help; Zhiqiu, seemingly sulking, hadn’t contacted her. As a renowned illustrator, being challenged by a newcomer was a blow to his ego.
Yu Linna, needing a break from her worries, decided to go out. She opened her wardrobe, rummaging through her clothes. At home, she usually wore a red tracksuit, an old and unfashionable outfit. If she weren’t so attractive, she would be labeled a country bumpkin.
Now that she had money, she should dress better.
Everyone thought so.
However, Yu Linna hadn’t changed her style at all. She hadn’t bought herself any new clothes, despite receiving her prize money. She had bought clothes, but not pretty dresses. She had bought a men’s outfit.
…
Many would be puzzled by her choice. It was simply a whim. Having lived in this world for eighteen years, her time as a girl now exceeded her time as a boy. She had experienced everything a girl should experience, including the initial shock and horror of her first period, crying for hours until someone bought her sanitary pads.
But despite her years of experience as a girl, she sometimes missed being a boy. To recapture that feeling, she had bought a men’s outfit.
It was a decent brand, a black pair of pants and a red and gray hoodie, almost like children’s clothing, fitting her petite frame. She excitedly changed into the outfit, examining herself in the mirror.
The girl in the mirror, dressed in a stylish men’s outfit, looked different, but her delicate features still gave her a feminine appearance, not quite achieving the “cool boy” look she had envisioned. She thought for a moment, then tied her hair up, putting on the hoodie, checking the mirror again. The feminine aura was somewhat subdued, but she still looked like a cute boy.
And she was so short, like an elementary school student…
Though often mistaken for a middle schooler, in this outfit, she looked even younger. Her height was a serious problem.
She patted her chest, the soft feeling beneath her hand barely noticeable under the loose hoodie. From the outside, it was difficult to tell she had breasts (partly due to their small size). She could pass for a boy.
She had always wanted to try this, and now she finally had the chance. Yu Linna excitedly opened the door and ran out. Zhao Yuyan, brushing her teeth on her balcony, saw a small figure in men’s clothing running out of Yu Linna’s apartment and spat out her mouthwash.
“What the…?!”
Wow, Linna has interesting taste. Even elementary school boys aren’t safe. That boy hasn’t even hit puberty!
Clearly, Zhao Yuyan had misunderstood.
Out of the apartment, Yu Linna felt like a wild horse set free, taking the subway, riding the bus, enjoying the scenery. She felt a sense of exhilaration. Now, she looked like a cute, perhaps even handsome, boy. No one would mistake her for a girl. With the hoodie covering her hair, only her face was visible, and it was indeed a beautiful face, with bright blue eyes, fair skin, a delicate nose, and rosy lips. She was undeniably attractive.
Even in men’s clothing, her beauty couldn’t be concealed.
If she had a more developed figure, she would be a stunning beauty, captivating countless men.
She regretted not buying colored contact lenses; her bright blue eyes were too distinctive, a clear sign of her mixed heritage.
But since she was already out, she would embrace her temporary male persona.
She recalled her memories of the orphanage in her previous life. Having died at ten, before developing a clear sense of gender identity, all her knowledge about gender and biology had been acquired in this life, as a girl. She didn’t know much about being a boy, so she wanted to experience it, to see if she could recapture that feeling.
“Hello, handsome young man, would you like a candied haw?”
“Yes.”
Wow, being called “handsome young man” while buying candied haw was a novel experience. She was usually called “pretty girl.” This newfound novelty thrilled her, even making her less stingy with her spending.
Dressed like this, she felt like she had returned to her past life. It felt… good.
Biting into the candied haw, she smiled. The sweetness was delightful. Though she had lived longer as a girl, she sometimes missed being a boy, curious about what it felt like. It wasn’t bad.
Walking down the street, she was no longer subjected to leering men or overly affectionate women. Instead, elementary school girls giggled and whispered as she passed, her androgynous appearance appealing even to young girls. Some even tried to approach her, all of them elementary school students.
She felt a sense of satisfaction, strolling down the street with her candied haw, her confidence soaring. Suddenly, she bumped into someone, the candied haw leaving a sticky mark on their clothes.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry, miss!”
Realizing her mistake, Yu Linna quickly apologized. She had been too caught up in her own world, not paying attention. And the girl’s clothes… they looked expensive. Had she ruined them? Would she be subjected to the kind of drama she often saw on television?
The girl turned, wiping her clothes with a tissue. The stain was already set; she would have to wash it later.
“It’s okay. I can wash it later. Are you alright?”
The girl’s voice was gentle and melodious, like a warm spring breeze…
Wait, that voice sounded familiar.
Yu Linna looked up, her gaze focusing on the girl’s face, her glasses… and then she froze.
“What’s wrong, little boy?” Huo Ningning tilted her head, puzzled.
Yu Linna was speechless, staring at the girl, feeling the world’s malice.
Leave a Reply