Chapter 15: Unexpected Wall Slam and an Ominous Premonition

A wall slam at the slightest disagreement—I gasped!

‘I didn’t think I’d done anything wrong, or at least, I wasn’t entirely sure, but before we discuss that, could you perhaps release me?’ An older sister wall-slamming her own younger brother—’what kind of decorum is this?’

“Um, Sis, could you perhaps let go of me first, and then we can settle whatever accounts you have?”

“Oh?!”

“Very well, I’ll release you for now. But as for you, Luo Ye, remaining holed up in your room playing games while your sister shivered in the biting wind for half an hour—how do we account for that?”

‘Wait, hold on a moment. How could you have been knocking on the door in a *cold wind* for half an hour? This is summer, isn’t it? Are you mistaken? The temperature isn’t low at all; where would any cold wind come from?’ Yet, now that she mentioned knocking… ‘I vaguely recalled hearing a persistent series of knocks.’

‘Alright, I suppose this one truly is on me.’

“Ah, well, alright. This time, I was indeed in the wrong.”

Luo Ye lowered his head, clutching the small skirt he wore, presenting a truly pathetic sight. Seeing him like this, Mu Rong Xin Xue was suddenly overwhelmed by his cuteness, making it rather difficult to scold him further. After all, cuteness was justice itself. Since her younger brother had actively chosen to be adorable, it seemed only right to forgive him.

Though that particular matter was temporarily resolved, the thought of Huang Beifeng’s presence immediately caused Mu Rong Xin Xue to feel a surge of panic. Unaware that Luo Ye and Huang Beifeng had already met, Mu Rong Xin Xue could only imagine the repercussions of her cross-dressing brother appearing before his childhood friend. Not only would Huang Beifeng be utterly unable to accept such a sight, but Luo Ye himself would undoubtedly be mortified.

Yet now, Luo Ye’s hair had grown long once more, and she herself had discarded all his former male attire. With no men’s clothing to be found, he had no choice but to appear in his current guise. Could she possibly introduce him to Huang Beifeng as her distant female cousin, claiming that the *real* Luo Ye was away studying in another city and wouldn’t be returning? While it seemed a rather outlandish idea, she resolved to discuss it with Luo Ye. If there truly was no other recourse, then this would be their only option.

“Luo Ye, um, Beifeng… Beifeng, she’s here.”

‘Wait, I distinctly heard a name from her lips: Beifeng. Beifeng. That could only mean one person.’

“Wait, why is she here?”

Despite my own surprise, when Mu Rong Xin Xue glanced at me, a flicker of astonishment unexpectedly crossed her face.

“Luo Ye, you… why aren’t you flustered in the slightest? Are you truly unafraid to appear before Huang Beifeng like this? How do you think she’ll perceive you?”

With a resigned sigh, I could only rub my forehead in exasperation.

“Honestly, do you truly believe this was my wish? Before you and Auntie made those arrangements, why didn’t you thoroughly consider why you’d place her and me in the same class? I was recognized the moment I stepped into the classroom.”

“Wait, you two… you’ve met?”

I shot her a helpless glare. “Of course we’ve met; it’s practically a given.”

“That’s good, then.”

‘Wait, what’s with that sudden sigh of relief? Why do I suddenly have such an ominous premonition?’

I gasped!

Just as I anticipated, that ominous feeling had already materialized.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Mu Rong Xin Xue seized my hand and dragged me downstairs.

‘Wait, hold on a moment! I’m only wearing a nightgown! If Huang Beifeng sees me dressed like this at home, what kind of look will she give me?’ But alas, despite being a boy, my strength was embarrassingly inferior to my ‘perverted’ older sister’s. After several failed attempts to resist, I could only resign myself to being dragged by Mu Rong Xin Xue into the living room.

Meanwhile, Huang Beifeng, who had been calmly sipping tea on the living room sofa, nearly choked and spat out her drink upon seeing us appear before her in such a peculiar fashion.

“What in the world is this strange pose you two are in?”

Wiping a stray drop from the corner of her mouth, Huang Beifeng couldn’t help but offer a helpless, teasing remark.

“Hi…”

At this point, all I could manage was a feeble greeting.

And then, I had no choice but to endure her scrutinizing gaze. For some reason, under her gaze, I couldn’t shake the premonition that I was a specimen on display, being scrutinized from every angle.

‘Uh-heh-heh…’

‘When in doubt, feigning ignorance and playing cute was always the best strategy.’

“You… why are you still wearing women’s clothing, even at home?”

‘Hmph, do you think I *want* to? All my men’s clothes were thrown out, weren’t they? If I don’t wear women’s clothing, do you expect me to walk around naked?’

“Isn’t it because *someone* threw out all my men’s clothes?”

Speaking of ‘someone,’ that very ‘someone’ was currently stifling giggles. She had adopted an attitude of innocent obliviousness, as if this had nothing to do with her. ‘If it weren’t for you, would I be in this predicament?’

“So that means… your wardrobe contains only women’s clothing?”

‘Hey, this is already a dark chapter in my life! A boy with only women’s clothing in his wardrobe. And now you’ve unearthed it—this is practically rubbing salt in the wound!’

“This is simply…”

Just as I expected her to launch into a tirade against Mu Rong Xin Xue, her words, unexpectedly, were…

“This… this is absolutely brilliant! I just adore seeing that mortified expression on your face. Quick, let me snap a photo to commemorate this moment!”

‘Wait, what exactly do you mean by that?! This reversal is a little too sudden!’

‘At this point, I had no choice but to employ another of my specialized techniques: a swift change of topic.’

“Um, Beifeng, what brings you here so late in the evening?”

“It’s quite simple, actually. Starting today, I’ll be temporarily residing here.” Her words were delivered without a hint of hesitation, straightforward and piercingly direct.

‘Wait, you’re going to temporarily *reside* here?’

‘What?! I didn’t mishear that, did I?’