Chapter 101: A Shared Secret and Lingering Worries

Having changed into his clothes and tidied his hair, Lin Duo made his way to the kitchen. There, the Shen family of three was already seated at the dining table, awaiting his arrival.

Shen mother, her face wreathed in smiles, waved him over. “Come, come, sit here! It’s been a year, hasn’t it? You look even prettier than the last time I saw you.”

Indeed, it had been over a year since Lin Duo had last met Shen mother, back when he first started high school. He offered a polite, slight bow and a morning greeting before taking his seat, delicately beginning to eat.

In stark contrast, Shen Jing’an ate with far less decorum. Having barely eaten for nearly two days, she was famished, devouring her food with such haste that she almost choked. Shen mother had to continuously urge her, “Xiaojing, eat slowly. You haven’t eaten in so long; you shouldn’t have too much at once. Oh, look at how gracefully your friend eats! You should learn from her!”

“Graceful? Pfft!” Shen Jing’an winked at Lin Duo, a playful smile gracing her lips, though she did slightly reduce her eating speed.

During the meal, Shen father did not forget to engage Lin Duo in conversation. “I recall Xiaojing mentioning that your parents run a fruit shop, right? Who’s the local ‘ground snake’ in your area?”

Though his adoptive parents rarely discussed such matters with him, Lin Duo had some vague knowledge. “I believe their surname is Chen. Others call him Second Master.”

“Hmph, nowadays, any petty scoundrel dares to call themselves ‘Master,'” Shen father remarked, clearly disdainful of such individuals. “I’ll have a word with him. From now on, your parents won’t need to pay protection fees anymore.”

“Thank you, Uncle!” Lin Duo exclaimed, his voice sweet with gratitude, surprised that a fixed household expense could be eliminated so easily.

Shen father observed Lin Duo with a smile. “If only Xiaojing could become a well-behaved and sensible girl like you someday.”

“Hmph!” There was no need to guess who had uttered that retort.

Despite the warm atmosphere, Lin Duo’s heart remained uneasy. After all, the seemingly kind middle-aged man across the table had personally buried someone alive just the day before, clearly holding human life in little regard. Student Lin’s primary thought was to leave this place as soon as possible and, ideally, never encounter Shen father again.

After breakfast, Lin Duo cautiously broached the subject. “Um, Uncle, Auntie, tomorrow is the day we register for school. Could I head back to school now?”

Shen Jing’an immediately raised her hand. “I want to go back too!”

“Alright, alright, I know you young people don’t like to spend time with us old folks,” Shen father said, understanding their sentiment. “How about this? You rest a bit longer, and I’ll drive you back to school at noon.”

Though it was called ‘rest,’ Lin Duo had no phone and nothing to do. Fortunately, Shen Jing’an hadn’t forgotten him. “Hey, come sit in my room for a bit!”

****

In a pink-themed bedroom, Lin Duo sat somewhat awkwardly on the bed, while Shen Jing’an circled him incessantly, much like an interrogator. Finally, Lin Duo could no longer bear it. “Um, Xiaojing, just say what you need to say! If you’ve decided to expose my identity, I won’t blame you.”

“If I were to do that, you might not blame me verbally, but you’d definitely resent me in your heart!” Shen Jing’an finally stopped pacing and sat beside Lin Duo, taking his soft, fair hand. “There, don’t worry. From now on, this will be our shared secret. I promise not to tell anyone, okay?”

“Really?” Lin Duo looked up, his face alight with surprise.

“Why would I lie to you!”

Lin Duo, overcome with emotion, embraced Shen Jing’an. However, he suddenly remembered that his male identity had been exposed, and such an action seemed inappropriate. He quickly released her, a touch of awkwardness coloring his expression.

Unexpectedly, Shen Jing’an proactively hugged Lin Duo again. “It’s alright. I know you’re actually a girl who was just born into the wrong body. I even looked up information online yesterday. What you have is called gender identity disorder, and it’s not an isolated case. You truly haven’t done anything wrong; it’s just that society doesn’t understand people like you.”

Lin Duo’s eyes began to well up. “Xiaojing, are you truly thinking that?”

Shen Jing’an nodded earnestly. “If even I, your roommate who’s lived with you day and night for a year, can’t understand you, then who else in this world will? But you can’t go on like this forever; you’ll still need surgery eventually, right?”

“Yes, but I want to wait until I’m an adult. Even if my adoptive parents disagree then, I can go abroad by myself to have it done…”

“I see… But the surgery isn’t cheap, is it?”

“No, I looked it up online; it said at least a hundred thousand. I’m slowly saving money now.”

“Xiaoduo, if you encounter any difficulties then, I’ll definitely help you achieve your dream!”

“Waaah…” Lin Duo could no longer control his emotions and began to weep, embracing Shen Jing’an. For the first time, he realized how incredibly happy it felt to be understood and supported by someone. Perhaps, as the ancients said: ‘Share sorrow with a friend, and sorrow becomes half.’

Around noon, Shen father drove the two back to school as promised. Returning to the dorm room, everything felt familiar, despite having only left two days prior. Yet, at this moment, there was a sense of surviving a catastrophe, as if a lifetime had passed.

Lin Duo hadn’t brought his phone when he left, and unexpectedly, it had run out of battery and shut down after two days on standby. He had to recharge it. Upon powering it on again, a string of unread messages appeared: one new semester blessing from Gu Xuexuan, one notice about registration from the class monitor Wen Jiagan, one greeting from his adoptive mother, and all the others from a certain male.

Lin Duo didn’t bother texting back; he called directly. Soon, Wang Linshu’s anxious voice came through the phone. “Xiaoduo, why couldn’t I reach you all day yesterday? I was so worried!”

“Worried about what? I’m not going to die! Besides, I’m not your personal maid; do I need to report my whereabouts to you constantly?” Lin Duo’s words were sharp, but his face was filled with a smile.

After a few seconds, Wang Linshu’s tone on the other end softened. “I was just worried about you!”

“Mm, message received. Anything else?”

“Uh… nothing really, I just wanted to go out for a meal with you.”

“It’s past lunchtime now, isn’t it? Let’s do it another time!”

After Lin Duo hung up, he noticed Shen Jing’an wearing a mischievous grin. “Heh heh, that little fatty still seems to like you quite a bit. Always wanting to ask you out.”

“I… I didn’t make any moves. He insisted on pursuing me; there’s nothing I can do!” With his true identity exposed, Lin Duo spoke with less conviction.

“Hmph, who told you to be so enchanting, always acting like a lady? It’s clearly just flirting!”

“Uh… none of your business!”

After their familiar banter, Lin Duo took his small pills. Due to being kidnapped, he had missed two days of medication, so he intentionally took a few extra this time.

Shen Jing’an had been watching him. “Those are hormone pills, right? I saw them online too.”

Lin Duo nodded gently. “I’ve been taking medication since I was very young, which is why my physique and appearance are almost indistinguishable from a girl’s.”

“No wonder… It seems you’ve wanted to become a girl for a very long time.” As she spoke, Shen Jing’an’s gaze fell upon the Shang Fang sword on the nightstand beside his bed. “No wonder you were so afraid of me approaching you while you slept, and even made up a story to scare me. Hmph!”

“My apologies!” Lin Duo playfully stuck out his tongue, a sheepish expression on his face.

“Hmph, still trying to be cute with me! But seriously, why do you, a boy, look even prettier than me?!”

“Don’t pinch my face! It’ll get bigger and it hurts, hurts, hurts!”

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