Chapter 3: The Price of Transformation

Ye Qing held the camera, pressing the shutter button on the familiar reflection staring back from the mirror.

The image froze. Perhaps due to the low resolution, many of the blemishes on the young man’s face were obscured, leaving him looking rather handsome and refined.

His reclusive lifestyle had left Ye Qing’s skin a touch pale. However, he maintained a healthy sleep schedule, preventing him from appearing sickly, and his complexion was far from poor.

With a little effort, he might even salvage his terrible luck with women.

Yet, he merely mocked himself, harboring no genuine interest in romance. His interactions with the opposite s*x were strictly platonic, largely because he was ill-suited for social engagements.

“First record.”

Ye Qing saved the photo, then contemplatively eyed the camera’s video function. After a moment, he shook his head, dismissing the peculiar idea that had crossed his mind.

“On second thought, never mind.”

Ye Qing carefully locked the door and extinguished the lights. Like a spy on a covert mission, he slipped into his room with his secret documents and gear, then drew the curtains tight.

Moments later, a small blanket tent was propped up.

Tonight, he would camp!

***

Ye Qing had been in a deep, hazy slumber until noon the next day, finally opening his eyes when a dry scratchiness in his throat roused him.

Unusually, he hadn’t dreamed at all, sleeping with an exceptional tranquility, though his legs felt strangely weak.

Enveloped by a bittersweet sense of loss, Ye Qing struggled to rise. He rubbed his sleepy eyes as he shuffled towards the washstand.

Loose strands of hair tickled his ear, and the slap-slap of his oversized slippers against his heels annoyed him.

“These shoes are too big. I need new slippers…”

Huh?

Staring at his reflection, Ye Qing’s raised hand froze mid-air.

‘Is this… me?’

The unfamiliar youth in the mirror lowered a slender arm, revealing a serene, gentle face. His amber eyes, still beautiful, seemed somehow more striking than before.

Ye Qing scrambled back to the bedroom, not even bothering with the slipper he’d accidentally kicked off. Barefoot, he retrieved the camera.

Compared to the Ye Qing in the photograph, the gentle, jade-like youth in the mirror had visibly shrunk. He now had to stand on tiptoes just to reach his former height.

His shoulders and waist were noticeably narrower, forming a graceful hourglass figure.

Such a delicate physique would be perfectly normal on a young girl, yet he, Ye Qing, was unequivocally male.

‘Come to think of it, these clothes feel unusually uncomfortable today. My chest aches from the rubbing…’

Ye Qing abruptly lowered his gaze, peering through the open collar of his pajamas, his eyes wide and vacant.

Where there should have been a flat expanse, a pair of alluring ‘little steamed buns’ had now inexplicably blossomed, barely filling out his loose pajamas.

Ye Qing finally understood the ‘price’ An Yueying had spoken of.

“You wretched woman, you absolute bastard!”

“You said it could be stopped at any time! How am I supposed to accept this?!”

Ye Qing slumped onto the sofa, lying limply like a fallen girl, violated and dazed.

‘One misstep, a thousand regrets…’

Ye Qing tenderly rubbed his pitiful, nascent ‘steamed buns,’ then pinched his soft, delicate cheeks, on the verge of tears.

‘At this point, there’s only one path forward—to see it through to the end!’

‘Becoming a girl is still better than being a nan niang.’ [TL Note: Nan niang refers to a male who has developed breasts but is not fully female.]

Though some with peculiar tastes might claim a nan niang was like unpolished jade, becoming more valuable the more they resembled glass, Ye Qing found this ambiguous, in-between state utterly unacceptable.

Before all that, however, he had to confront a certain woman.

Ye Qing bit his lip, then returned to the bedroom to compose himself.

‘An Yueying, you just wait!’

***

A short while later, Ye Qing, now dressed in a gender-neutral style, arrived at the spot where he had encountered the black stitched bear yesterday.

Sure enough, the purple-haired woman was already waiting in a nearby café, a teasing glint in her eyes. She curved her cherry lips into a knowing, half-smile as she watched Ye Qing through the glass.

She wasn’t in her mascot costume, but rather meticulously dressed. Her exquisite makeup was flawless, and she wore a black trench coat of a similar neutral style. Beneath it, a white shirt snugly embraced her full, alluring bust, unmistakably showcasing her feminine charm.

Ye Qing clenched his fists, yet still entered, settling into the seat opposite An Yueying. With undisguised displeasure, he uttered a three-word expletive involving her mother.

“Oh really? I somehow doubt Miss Ye Qing possesses that capability now, do you?”

A faint dimple graced the corner of An Yueying’s lips, making her appear even more elegant and captivating.

“Thanks to you, I haven’t quite fallen to the point of being addressed as ‘Miss’.”

Ye Qing indignantly snatched the coffee from in front of An Yueying, pretending he was the one who had ordered it. He checked the rim for any trace of her lipstick.

‘Untouched. Now it’s mine.’

“Is that so? But I imagine it won’t be long before young Master Ye Qing simply vanishes from the face of the earth, won’t he?”

An Yueying spoke with utter certainty. Ye Qing’s transformation was already undeniable; the changes to his physique were stark, and the difference in his appearance was simply too pronounced to ignore.

Though his new features bore some resemblance to his original eyes and brows, the alteration in the size and contour of his face made him look like an entirely different person—remarkably similar, in fact, to his younger sister who was still in high school.

“So, as the instigator of all this, do you have absolutely nothing to say?”

“Of course. I was just thinking that the newly ‘born’ Miss Ye Qing would probably need a new identity, wouldn’t she?”

As she spoke, An Yueying retrieved something from the inner pocket of her coat and slapped it onto the table. It was a complete set of female identification documents for Ye Qing, making his eyelids twitch.

“Hey, my original ID hasn’t been revoked, has it? And how did you even get these without my presence…”

“Such matters are none of your concern. Incidentally, your ID expired a year ago.”

Ye Qing twitched his lips, picked up the documents, and his expression hardened as he gazed at the familiar black-haired girl on the ID card.

“It’s your sister’s photo. I must say, you two truly look like you were carved from the same mold.”

An Yueying ordered another Americano, unsweetened. It was steaming hot, yet she sipped it without a change in expression, as if completely oblivious to the bitter taste and scalding temperature of the dark liquid.

“You’d best not lay a hand on her.”

Ye Qing spoke abruptly, his face impassive, yet his tone grew heavy, carrying a subtle hint of menace.

“Or what? You’ll call the police?”

“Yes.”

After meeting Ye Qing’s blazing amber gaze for a moment, An Yueying smiled faintly.

“Rest assured, I have no interest in little girls, nor would I stoop to threatening you in such a manner. However, I am quite curious: how do you intend to explain all this to her later?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

Ye Qing put away the ID card. Mimicking An Yueying’s pretentious sip, he took a small taste of the coffee, only to immediately stick out his pink tongue in disgust from the bitterness, hastily tearing open a packet of white sugar.

“So, what do you plan to do next? I don’t have a place for you just yet, but you’re still in school, aren’t you?”

An Yueying intertwined her fingers, resting her chin on them, and watched with a cheerful smile as Ye Qing, his face still a little stiff, adorably licked the white sugar.

“I don’t know, which is why I came to you.”

“Is that so? I could arrange for you to continue schooling under your original identity, but… have you considered a change of environment? For instance, attending your childhood friend’s school?”

Ye Qing licked a sugar grain from the corner of his mouth, then fell silent for a long moment.

“I suppose you’ve already made up your mind for me.”

Upon hearing this, An Yueying’s purple eyes narrowed slightly, then a subtle flicker of admiration crossed her features.

“Then prepare to embark.”