Chapter 67: The Burden of a New Body

Dinner concluded in an atmosphere that was both subtle and charged with unspoken intimacy.

Xiao Moyuan elegantly dabbed his lips, his gaze settling on Su Mian, who was daintily sipping her post-meal fruit tea across from him. A faint, enigmatic smile played on his lips. “Are you planning to stay at my place tonight as well?”

His voice was deep, carrying a subtle hint of teasing, as if he had already seen through her inner turmoil.

Su Mian’s hand, holding the cup, tightened almost imperceptibly.

She had an early class tomorrow, so staying overnight was naturally out of the question. More importantly, she now harbored an indescribable ‘shadow’ about being in the same room as Xiao Moyuan.

Sleepwalking… In her eighteen years of life, she had never heard of herself having such a condition. Yet, every time she encountered Xiao Moyuan, it was as if she were possessed, always meticulously climbing into his bed.

Crucially, things were different now.

She lowered her gaze, her eyes quickly scanning her chest. Even while sitting, the full curve was impossible to ignore, and her cheeks flushed faintly.

Before, in her male body, a blurry embrace was nothing significant; they were both guys, after all. It was no big deal.

But now… this body of hers was undeniably, truly a girl’s!

What if—no, she wouldn’t even *say* ‘what if’—but what if during one of these ‘sleepwalking’ incidents, things went too far, and something irreversible happened?

Wouldn’t she then truly have to be a girl for the rest of her life?

The thought sent shivers down her spine.

“Tomorrow… I still have class tomorrow,” Su Mian raised her eyes, trying to make her voice sound natural, innocent, and tinged with just the right amount of regret. “So I won’t be staying at Brother’s place tonight…”

Xiao Moyuan nodded agreeably, as if he had merely asked out of casual curiosity.

“Then I’ll take you back to school?”

He paused, as if suddenly remembering something, then added, “It’ll be perfect to take back all the clothes and shoes I bought for you at the same time.”

“No!” Su Mian blurted out almost instantly, her voice rising slightly in urgency.

Xiao Moyuan arched a brow, feigning a peculiar expression as he looked at her. “I’m worried you won’t be able to carry so many things by yourself. Why are you so nervous?”

Su Mian groaned inwardly.

Go back to school? Back to N University?

Carrying a huge pile of luxury shopping bags, clearly filled with women’s clothing, and walking into the dorm under Lu Yang’s and Qin Xuan’s scrutinizing gazes?

The scene was too vivid; she couldn’t even imagine it!

How would she explain it then? Would she say she was a cross-dressing enthusiast, or just directly reveal her identity?

She rubbed her slightly sweaty hands, a troubled and shy expression on her face, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. “Um… bringing so many things back, I’m afraid my roommates might get the wrong idea… they might think… they might think I’m being kept or something…”

The words were half-true, half-false. Her worry about her roommates’ opinions was genuine, but her deeper fear was the exposure of her identity.

Upon hearing this, a flicker of understanding crossed Xiao Moyuan’s eyes, and he nodded agreeably.

“Mm, I didn’t think that through.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Mian herself was suddenly stunned.

Earlier… she had sworn she would keep her distance from Xiao Moyuan, hadn’t she?

Yet, recalling these past few ‘dates,’ from top-tier restaurants to luxury shopping sprees, she hadn’t spent a single cent. She had even received an additional card from him, with an unknown credit limit…

Her excuse about ‘being kept’—wasn’t that exactly what was happening?

Wasn’t she, in a roundabout way, being ‘kept’ by Xiao Moyuan?

This realization left Su Mian speechless, her small face flushed crimson, even the tips of her ears turning scarlet.

Yet, she couldn’t find any words to refute it.

Seeing her adorable, bashful, and speechless expression, Xiao Moyuan chuckled softly. He reached out and gently flicked her upturned nose, the gesture intimate and natural. “Silly girl, don’t overthink it. My kindness to you is a mutual desire; you don’t need to feel burdened.”

His fingertip carried a slightly cool temperature, a touch that was fleeting, leaving behind a subtle tickle.

Then, he changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness, yet also a most direct temptation. “If you’re really concerned, then from now on, just come ‘sleep’ at my place more often.”

Su Mian: “…”

She felt her previously cooled cheeks flush hot once more.

Indeed! When a man spends money on a woman, unless they’re relatives, the ultimate goal always points to sleeping with them!

Xiao Moyuan’s kindness to her was merely to get her body…

She grumbled indignantly in her heart.

But strangely, with Xiao Moyuan so openly laying the ‘transaction’ on the table, the immense pressure she felt from ‘receiving benefits without merit’ actually dissipated considerably.

‘Yes, unsolicited kindness is the most unsettling. This kind of giving, with a clear ‘purpose,’ while embarrassing, somehow brought her a sense of relief.’

“So,”

Xiao Moyuan watched her changing expressions with a composed air, throwing the question back at her. “Where do you plan to put those clothes and shoes in my car? If it’s inconvenient to take them back to school, I can help send them back to your own home.”

“Then, then just leave them at Brother’s place!” Su Mian made her choice almost immediately, her voice still tinged with unvanquished shyness. “Next time I go to Brother’s place, I won’t have to worry about not having a change of clothes…”

Xiao Moyuan nodded, saying nothing more.

They eventually parted ways at the restaurant entrance.

Su Mian, in her carefully chosen feminine attire, naturally couldn’t return directly to school.

Her change of clothes and suitcase were still at the hotel she had previously checked into.

Taking a taxi back to the familiar hotel room, Su Mian finally let out a long sigh after closing the door.

She rushed into the bathroom immediately, eager to wash away the scent that didn’t belong to ‘Su Mian’ and change back into the comfortable, loose-fitting men’s T-shirt and trousers that made her feel safe.

However, as she took off the expensive dress and looked at the distinctly curved, snow-white body in the mirror, her movements suddenly froze.

Her gaze, incredulous, fell upon her chest. The fullness, gently rising and falling with each breath, had already formed an undeniable, graceful curve, even without any bra support.

She looked at the obviously swollen, utterly un-masculine outline beneath her chest in the mirror, feeling as though she’d been struck by lightning, instantly plunged into deep despair.

“How… how am I going to go back to school like this!”

She wailed, burying her head in her hands and squatting down.

‘Before, she could still fool them by saying she was “a little chubby.” But at this size, unless Lu Yang and Qin Xuan were blind, how could they not be suspicious?’

In her desperation, she clutched at a straw, grabbing her phone. Her fingers trembled as she typed into the search bar: “What to do if my chest is too big, how to make my chest look less obvious, flat like a boy’s.”

The search engine quickly provided answers, with the top result being: “One, I assume you’re looking for a binder.”

Su Mian almost instinctively clicked on it.

Seeing those two words, Su Mian had no hesitation. She immediately found the nearest store on a delivery app and ordered a binder.

***

Every minute and second of waiting for the delivery felt like an eternity.

When the seemingly ordinary white binder finally arrived, Su Mian was drenched in sweat, struggling in the bathroom.

This binder was incredibly difficult to flatten!

Finally, with the help of the instructions and a fierce determination, she forcefully bound and flattened the overly ‘prominent’ parts.

When she put on the loose men’s T-shirt again and stood before the mirror, the outline of her chest had finally blurred. Although a close look still revealed a slight, unnatural stiffness, it was at least not so conspicuous.

However, the cost was immense.

The first sensation was—pain!

A suffocating tightness emanated from her chest, making every breath somewhat labored. Her soft skin chafed against the rough fabric, causing waves of discomfort.

The thought that she might have to endure this torture every day to school until she successfully ‘conquered’ Xiao Moyuan and reversed her body’s transformation made Su Mian feel dizzy and on the verge of tears.

Yet, on second thought, these days of ‘sacrifice’ were not entirely without effect.

At least, her relationship with Xiao Moyuan had indeed grown closer at an astonishing speed, just as she had initially planned.

Though the process… was far from the kind of calculated ‘revenge’ she had envisioned, where she would manipulate him into the palm of her hand…

Recalling the embarrassing ‘massage’ misunderstanding in Xiao Moyuan’s apartment last night, Su Mian’s cheeks, which had just slightly cooled down from the binder, involuntarily flushed hot again.

Truly… utterly mortifying!

***

The next afternoon, Su Mian returned to her school dorm, dragging a slightly heavy suitcase.

“Yo! Mianzi! You’re finally back!”

Lu Yang, who was lifting a pink dumbbell utterly unsuited to his tough-guy image, practicing his biceps, immediately put it down upon seeing Su Mian.

He flashed a brilliant smile. “You haven’t stayed in the dorm for so many days. Without you, this fragrant fellow, our dorm just hasn’t smelled as good!”

Qin Xuan, who was quietly reading nearby, didn’t even lift his head. He pushed up his glasses and retorted precisely, “Ninety percent of the dorm’s odor comes from your sweat after exercising.”

As he spoke, his gaze shifted from his book, casually sweeping over Su Mian, who had just entered.

The time his eyes lingered on her seemed a fraction of a second longer than usual; a tiny, almost imperceptible flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes behind his glasses, so quick it could have been a trick of the light.

Then, he nonchalantly lowered his head, immersing himself back in his own world.

Lu Yang, caught out, blushed and argued, sticking out his neck, “This is vibrant, youthful sweat! It’s manliness!”

Su Mian said somewhat guiltily, “Then am I ‘womanliness’?”

Lu Yang chuckled, “Your Brother Lu never said that, just that you seemed to have lost your delicate touch.”

Su Mian leaned her suitcase against the wall, her gaze sweeping around the dorm. “Xia isn’t here?”

“Hey, don’t even mention it!”

Lu Yang picked up his towel to wipe off sweat.

“Speaking of which, these past few days, Xia, just like you, hasn’t really responded. It’s just me and Old Qin, two lonely old men, it’s quite cold. It feels like the first day Xia arrived was the last time our dorm was truly complete.”

Su Mian paused slightly. Xia wasn’t staying in the dorm either?

However, on second thought, given Xia’s displayed economic conditions and his refined demeanor, it was perfectly normal for him not to be accustomed to communal school dorms.

The subtle guilt she felt for her prolonged absence from the dorm was somewhat alleviated by this.

“But Mianzi, something rather eerie happened at our school these past few days while you were gone,” Lu Yang suddenly lowered his voice, his face sporting a mysterious expression mixed with gossip and ‘you know what I mean.’

“What happened?” Su Mian asked casually, while tidying her desk.

“Well, our old teaching building has always been quite peaceful, hasn’t it? These past few nights, people have been hearing girls’ voices inside…”

Lu Yang spoke with significant meaning.

Su Mian’s movements halted, her face feeling warm. She probably guessed what Lu Yang was referring to. She forced a calm tone, “Tsk, young people these days… so full of energy, running to the teaching building in the middle of the night for thrills?”

“Wrong!” Lu Yang wagged his index finger, his expression even more ‘lewd.’ “The key is, according to the gossip, the voices heard these past few nights weren’t from the same girl! They weren’t a fixed couple!”

He leaned closer to Su Mian, speaking in a tone like he was analyzing a major case. “So, bro, I deduce that there’s probably a Casanova at our school, carousing every night, bringing different girls to the teaching building to discuss the philosophy of life…”

“Just don’t know who this dashing young master is.”

“But to be able to hook up with different girls every day, his external conditions must be pretty good, right?”

Su Mian poured herself a glass of water and gulped it down, trying to suppress the heat on her face. “That… that’s indeed quite promiscuous.”

Setting the glass down, she took a deep breath, remembering her main purpose for returning.

She turned to face her two roommates, her face showing clear hesitation and apology.

“Um… Brother Xuan, Boss Lu, there’s something I want to tell you…”

Almost simultaneously, both Lu Yang and Qin Xuan cast questioning glances at her.

Lu Yang put down his towel, asking with concern, “What is it, Mianzi? Why so serious? Did you run into some trouble? Do you need money? Tell your Brother Lu, although it’s not much, I’ll definitely help if I can!”

Feeling her roommates’ undisguised concern, Su Mian felt even worse.

The words “I’m moving out” hovered on her lips for several turns, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them.

Her dorm life during this period, though occasionally anxiety-inducing, had brought her a rare warmth from Lu Yang’s enthusiasm and Qin Xuan’s silent care.

But… she lowered her head. The constant tightness from the binder reminded her of the harsh reality.

Considering her increasingly difficult-to-hide physical condition, staying in the dorm was simply too risky.

She took a deep breath, as if expending all her strength, and finally spoke, her voice trembling imperceptibly. “It’s just that for a while… I might… I might have to temporarily move out…”

‘Judging by the current progress of ‘conquering’ Xiao Moyuan, the process of him completely turning back into a boy… shouldn’t take too long… right?’