Chapter 13: The Restroom Fiasco and Lingering Doubts

Oh, dear, this is terrible. Huang Beifeng must have let something slip to Tang Xiao Rou. Surely, she wouldn’t have blurted out that I’m actually a boy, would she? ‘No, no, that can’t be it,’ I thought, a shiver running down my spine. ‘Calm down. Huang Beifeng wouldn’t do something like that. It’s best not to jump to conclusions.’

My face was burning, my mind a chaotic mess. Without thinking, I ducked my head and sprinted into the nearest restroom, making a beeline for the sink. Frantically, I turned on the faucet and splashed several handfuls of icy water onto my flushed cheeks until the heat began to recede.

My face had indeed cooled, but a sudden realization struck me. When I’d rushed in, head bowed, I hadn’t noticed any signage on the door. Had I, then, simply followed my subconscious into this restroom? ‘Oh, this is bad, this is really bad,’ I thought, a fresh wave of panic washing over me. ‘Which restroom did I actually enter?’ One thing was certain: it wasn’t the one my aunt had specifically pointed out.

Given the circumstances, entering either the men’s or women’s restroom would be problematic. If this were the men’s room, my current attire would undoubtedly lead people to believe I was a girl who had stumbled into the wrong place. Should that rumor spread, my reputation would be irrevocably tarnished. ‘How truly pathetic,’ I mused, ‘to be a boy using the men’s restroom, yet still be accused of being in the wrong one.’ Conversely, if this was the women’s restroom, it would appear perfectly normal to any onlooker. However, I am, in reality, a boy! How could I possibly enter a women’s restroom? I’d surely be branded a pervert!

‘This is it, I’m done for!’ I thought, my mind racing. ‘Regardless of anything else, my priority is to escape!’ Throwing all caution to the wind, I clapped my hands over my face and prepared to bolt. Yet, the instant I pushed open the door, I collided with something. It was surprisingly soft and yielding, with a distinct elasticity.

“Oh, r-right, I’m so sorry,” I stammered, barely a whisper, as I tightened my grip over my face and scurried away. ‘At least they couldn’t have seen my face clearly, so they won’t know who I am,’ I reasoned, hoping for the best.

Despite that minor mishap, it had, ironically, clarified which restroom I’d blundered into. ‘Agh!’ I groaned inwardly. ‘Has wearing women’s clothing for so long actually altered my thought process? Am I subconsciously identifying as a girl now?’ I hoped the person I’d just crashed into hadn’t gotten a good look at my face. ‘Surely, it’ll be fine, right? It must be.’

Even so, I couldn’t shake the nagging psychological burden of feeling like a pervert.

****

Watching the petite, silver-clad figure scramble away in disarray, the owner of that figure allowed a faint, fleeting smile to grace her lips. But just as quickly, the smile vanished, replaced by an expression of cool indifference.

“Next time,” she murmured, “you won’t escape.”

****

The combined events of the restroom debacle and Huang Beifeng’s actions had left my mind in a complete muddle. Consequently, I found myself in a poor state throughout the afternoon’s classes, my thoughts incessantly replaying everything that had transpired. The true culprit, I decided, was none other than Huang Beifeng. Had she not divulged something to Tang Xiao Rou, none of these subsequent troubles would have arisen. Tang Xiao Rou’s gaze, too, had shifted subtly, reinforcing my suspicion that Huang Beifeng might indeed have revealed my secret. Yet, despite this strong hunch, I couldn’t simply confront her. What if she hadn’t said anything? A direct inquiry would only serve as a self-incriminating confession, exposing my true identity without need. Alas, an entire afternoon spent fretting had yielded nothing but a growing sense of irritation.

When the afternoon dismissal bell finally rang, I found myself, as anticipated, once again encountering the Iceberg Senior Sister. Just as she had at noon, she boarded the bus and immediately immersed herself in her phone, head bowed.

With school out, I had no desire to further obsess over Huang Beifeng’s antics. It was time for some much-needed relaxation; an entire afternoon spent stewing over her had left me thoroughly drained. ‘But how to unwind?’ I pondered. A thought suddenly sparked: ‘Ah, yes, I’ll visit the sect’s online group! Today, I feel a renewed urge to torment my Seventeenth Senior Brother.’ A mischievous grin touched my lips. ‘Perfect, Nineteenth Junior Sister is also online. I’ll summon her and Twenty, and together, we shall ‘persecute’ Seventeen!’

Pulling out my phone, I logged into Penguin Messenger and navigated directly to the chat group my Master had established. Clicking it open, I saw that Seventeen was, conveniently, online.

[Disciple Number Eighteen: Seventeen, still idling in the chat?]

[Disciple Number Nineteen: Update, update! Old Bai, hurry up and update!]

[Number Twenty: [Image: Uhh.jpg]]

[Number Twenty: Wait, I’m joining in! Old Bai, update quickly, or I’ll barbecue pigeons, braise them, steam them, oil-braise them, boil them, white-cut them, make pigeon soup, cold-dress them, and I wouldn’t even mind eating them raw!]

[Number Seventeen: [Image: I choose death.jpg]]

[Number Seventeen: You lot, I’m just going to ‘flake out’! What are you going to do about it?]

[Number Eighteen: Twenty, go! You have many accounts, start bombing the comment section.]

After a lively, albeit brief, session of teasing my fellow disciples, my spirits had noticeably lifted. It was true, I mused; whenever my mood soured, a visit to the group chat always proved effective. Having idled in the chat for a while, my eyes began to feel strained, prompting me to put the phone down and rest. It was then that I truly grasped the inconvenience of wearing a skirt. Unlike trousers, skirts offer no pockets, leaving no place to stash a phone. Without my schoolbag, I’d be forced to carry it constantly, and with modern phones often being quite weighty, holding one for extended periods could quickly become tiresome.

I cast a glance at the Iceberg Senior Sister seated beside me, and for some inexplicable reason, a persistent urge to strike up a conversation flickered within me. However, observing her perpetually engrossed in her phone, head bowed, I ultimately decided against it. ‘After all,’ I reasoned, ‘she is the Iceberg Senior Sister, a person so utterly cold. It’s probably best not to approach her unprompted.’ I certainly had no desire to relive the chilling dread of being overwhelmed by her frosty aura, as I had that very morning.

As the public bus finally pulled to a stop before the familiar station, signaling my time to alight, I briefly considered bidding the Senior Sister farewell. Yet, a moment’s thought dissuaded me. Getting home was paramount. By this hour, my ‘perverted’ elder sister should also have returned home. Lacking knowledge of her university schedule, I could only make a rough estimation.

Stepping off the platform, a sudden thought struck me. I unzipped my schoolbag and quickly rummaged inside. Sure enough, the steamed buns I’d saved from the morning were still nestled within. ‘Well, ‘Perverted’ Elder Sister,’ I thought with a smirk, ‘don’t even dream of me cooking for you tonight. You can just gnaw on these buns. And if you refuse, then you’re welcome to starve!’