Chapter 33: The Crucial Period of Choice

Inside the room, Lin Xiangwan guided Su Mian to sit on the edge of the bed, the warm lamplight softly bathing the mother and son.

Her voice was remarkably gentle, slow and deliberate. “Come, Mianmian, don’t be shy. Tell Mama precisely what feels most amiss with your body right now. Mama has been through this before; I have experience.”

Though it was his own mother before him, Su Mian still found it incredibly difficult to articulate.

His cheeks flushed, but recalling the even more thorough examinations he had endured at the hospital, and knowing his mother had indeed ‘been through this,’ he bravely gathered his courage.

Haltingly, he described where his body ached and how sensitive it had become.

Lin Xiangwan listened with utmost seriousness, her brows furrowing and relaxing in turn.

She gestured for Su Mian to lift his shirt slightly.

A subtle, imperceptible spiritual light gathered at her fingertips, and she gently pressed it against the area over his heart, carefully sensing the flow of vital energy within and the dormant, yet restless, unfamiliar power sealed there.

The process concluded swiftly.

A nuanced expression, a blend of surprise and understanding, appropriately surfaced on her face. Her tone was exaggerated, yet not abrupt.

“Wow… the momentum of this development… it seems even more potent than your mother’s back in the day.”

Su Mian felt a pang of confusion, sensing something peculiar about his mother.

It was as if she were putting on a performance. He frowned, puzzled. “Mom, didn’t you say you’ve experienced this too? Why are you still… making such a fuss?”

“Cough, cough…” Lin Xiangwan paused, caught off guard by his question.

She quickly disguised her momentary fluster with a light cough, then swiftly adjusted her expression, donning a smile of profound satisfaction, as if her daughter had just come of age.

She reached out and pinched Su Mian’s delightfully soft cheek.

“Mama isn’t making a fuss, I’m feeling gratified! This shows that our Mianmian has a good foundation and extraordinary talent! If you choose to be a girl in the future, tsk tsk, this ‘capital’… it would surely charm people to death without recompense!”

Su Mian remained speechless.

He wordlessly removed his mother’s hand, his earlobes flaming red. “I absolutely do not want this kind of ‘capital’!”

Seeing her chance, Lin Xiangwan quickly shed her playful demeanor, her tone growing serious.

“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Mianmian, Mama must remind you solemnly once more: you are currently in the most crucial ‘period of choice.'”

“During this stage, the tendency of your mind and body will directly determine your final gender orientation.

If you date girls, and your mind and body both lean towards being male, then these female characteristics will slowly fade as your will becomes steadfast, and you will completely stabilize as a handsome young man.”

Her tone shifted, her gaze locking onto Su Mian’s slightly evasive eyes. She articulated each word carefully.

“But—if, during this process, you unknowingly fall for a boy, and your mind and body accept a female identity and emotional patterns, then this process will become irreversible.

You will completely and utterly transform into a girl. Do you… truly understand what Mama means? This concerns your identity for life.”

Su Mian’s face instantly flushed so red it almost seemed to bleed. A tumultuous mix of shame, panic, and a certain secret stirring left him almost unable to think.

He reflexively raised his voice in protest, attempting to conceal his guilt with volume. “I, how could I possibly like boys! Mom, don’t talk nonsense!”

However, the moment the words left his lips, Xiao Moyuan’s chiseled, perpetually aloof and scrutinizing face, his deep, sensual voice carried through the receiver, those ambiguous words filled with teasing and a desire for control from the internet… they surged through his mind like an uncontrollable tide, forcefully breaching the defenses he tried to erect.

He violently shook his head, as if he could banish that dangerous figure and voice from his mind, his fingertips paling slightly from the force with which he clenched his fists.

“Alright, alright, Mama understands. You don’t like them. Our Mianmian only likes sweet, soft girls.”

Lin Xiangwan took in her son’s intense reaction. Her worry deepened, but she betrayed not a hint of it on her face. Instead, she thoughtfully stood up and straightened his slightly disheveled collar.

“You must be exhausted today, traveling and unpacking. Get some rest early; Mama won’t disturb you any longer.”

She exited Su Mian’s room, gently closing the door behind her.

The moment the soft ‘click’ of the lock sounded, all her forced ease and smiles vanished without a trace, like a receding tide. In their place emerged a deep, almost palpable worry and solemnity.

Su Shan, who had been waiting outside the door, immediately stepped forward, lowering his voice, his tone urgent. “What’s the situation now?”

Lin Xiangwan wearily rubbed her brow, sighing. “I just thoroughly investigated. The sealing barrier is still active, but the core runes’ light has grown very dim, and its power is accelerating its decline.”

“The fox demon bloodline within her, belonging to… ‘that side,’ is growing increasingly active. This power is spontaneously transforming her body.

During this time, Mianmian must have developed feelings for a boy, which triggered such obvious external physical changes. I fear… Mianmian’s true identity, we won’t be able to conceal it for much longer.”

She looked up, her eyes filled with a mother’s resolve.

“Once the demonic power within her fully manifests, it will undoubtedly attract covetous gazes and trouble from all sides. Those lurking in the shadows, and some radical factions within the Demon Extermination Academy, will not let her go…”

Su Shan naturally understood this. He remained silent for a moment, then gently placed his large hand on his wife’s shoulder, sighing as well.

“From the moment we decided to bring her back from ‘that place’ all those years ago, we knew this problem would eventually have to be faced. We just didn’t expect it to be so soon.”

“Let me be clear first,” Lin Xiangwan stated, her voice resolute, imbued with an undeniable protective instinct for her child. “No matter what, I will never abandon Mianmian. She is my child, and I will protect her with my life.”

Su Shan nodded, his gaze equally firm.

“For all these years, I’ve long considered her our own flesh and blood. Don’t worry, even if the sky falls, the two of us old folks will bear the brunt. For now… we can only take things one step at a time.”

Su Mian was unaware of the conversation outside the door.

He was currently lying on his bed, restlessly tossing and turned.

‘What should I do, what should I do? Must I really cross-dress to meet that guy?’

Although he had prepared himself mentally before, the thought of meeting Xiao Moyuan in feminine attire made Su Mian incredibly nervous.

However, his mother Lin Xiangwan’s words had also stirred a hint of confusion in his heart.

‘Surely, I couldn’t actually fall for that kind of guy…’

Su Mian reached out and patted his cheeks. He was just worrying needlessly; how could something so absurd possibly happen?

After using the ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow’ identity to take down Xiao Moyuan and get his revenge, he would delete his WeChat account, completely erasing any trace of ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow’s’ existence.

He would never have any further interaction with Xiao Moyuan.

He would happily revert to being a true boy and enjoy a sweet romance with Shen Zhixia.

This was what Su Mian told himself.

Yet, the changes in his body represented a true reflection of his inner self.