Chapter 17: The Haircut Dilemma and a Wigged Solution

The trio left the school once more. This constant back-and-forth was quite a hassle.

Why did they have to keep running back and forth? Couldn’t they have just discussed it outside?

Or perhaps Senior Sister merely wanted to showcase her presentation? To think, she actually created a PowerPoint specifically for his ‘battle plan’…

Was it a testament to her dedication, or simply a severe case of OCD?

Hmm…

Upon reaching the hair salon, the manager greeted the three with effusive warmth. Their first question was, “Beautiful, are you here for a perm or a dye?”

No, no, no, it was just a simple haircut. He didn’t have that kind of money, and Senior Sister had explicitly stated she wouldn’t reimburse him for anything extravagant.

While Senior Sister handled the negotiations with the manager, Xiao Xi caught a glimpse of the manager’s momentary shock. Senior Sister must have informed him that Xiao Xi was, in fact, a boy, causing the manager’s gaze to shift subtly.

However, the explanation didn’t take long. After all, this was a service industry focused on hair care; the customers’ identities or personal dilemmas held little relevance to them, beyond a fleeting curiosity for gossip.

Thus, with no queue, Xiao Xi quickly settled into the chair, awaiting the stylist to shorten his hair.

Ugh—

The stylist stood behind Xiao Xi, testing the shears in the air. *Snip, snip*.

A shiver ran down his spine—

Xiao Xi’s hair stood on end, but remembering this was a ‘battle necessity,’ he gritted his teeth. ‘Battle necessity, battle necessity!’ he repeated internally. Ugh—

“Um… if we’re cutting it short, how short should we go exactly?” The stylist looked at the long-haired… boy before him, feeling a flicker of hesitation for the first time. Such beautiful, silky long hair—wouldn’t cutting it short be a waste?

“Cut it to a normal male length. Hmm… let me think…” Senior Sister pondered for a moment, then turned, uttering a terrifying suggestion: “How about a buzz cut?”

“Pfft—*cough, cough*…” Shi Meng, standing nearby, choked. Notably, she hadn’t even been drinking water; merely swallowing her saliva was enough to send her into a fit of shock. Xiao Xi, still in the chair, was equally terrified, his body trembling uncontrollably.

‘This wasn’t an electric chair, for goodness sake…’

The stylist looked utterly speechless. What was going on with these people?

“Absolutely not!” Xiao Xi wailed in indignant despair. A buzz cut? Utterly unacceptable!

“Exactly…” Shi Meng chimed in, trying to persuade them. “Brother Xi with a buzz cut is just… unimaginable. I’m worried I’d have nightmares if I saw it.”

“It can’t be that bad, can it?” Senior Sister completely ignored Xiao Xi, instead taking Shi Meng’s words seriously. If it truly was nightmare-inducing, then Gao Meiyou genuinely hesitated to let the stylist proceed. What if *she* had nightmares too?

“You haven’t seen him like that since childhood?” Senior Sister asked Shi Meng, a hint of confusion in her voice. Shi Meng knitted her brows, pondering.

Shi Meng stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. Einstein pondering relativity probably wasn’t much more intense than this.

“At first, I think he had short hair, but then he started growing it out and kept it long. Hasn’t Brother always had long hair since we were little? When we used to fight, I loved pulling his hair.”

“You fight unfairly!” Xiao Xi interjected with a scornful tone. Shi Meng rolled her eyes at him. “Hmph, Sister Yuan pulled it too. Why don’t you tell *her* that if you’re so brave?”

‘She… she just pulled it last night!’

“So how much should we cut then… *sigh*, forget it. Xiao Xi, you decide. I won’t interfere, alright? Don’t blame me later.” Senior Sister threw her hands up in defeat. Yet, she secretly believed Xiao Xi would know what to do; after all, he was so terrified of his sister, he’d surely make some effort to escape her clutches.

‘You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing a cub. As for how short, he could choose whatever he liked.’

With the decision handed back to Xiao Xi, he stared into the mirror, lost in thought.

Wuwu…

‘My long hair, which had been with me for so many years, was it really going to leave me like this?’

‘No, I can’t accept this. I’ve endured so many scornful looks over the years just to grow my hair long. If I cut it now, wouldn’t all that suffering be for nothing?’

‘No, absolutely not…’

But…

‘This was a battle plan, a specific strategy designed to cultivate his masculinity.’

‘Such a dilemma. What if, after cutting his hair short, his sister truly disliked him?’

‘Wait, wasn’t that exactly what he wanted?’

‘Why was he even agonizing over this?’

Xiao Xi gazed into the mirror, a troubled expression on his face. Behind him, the stylist was speechless. What was with this guy? Why was a simple haircut such a complicated affair?

“So, how long do you want it, beautiful… ah, no, handsome?”

“Three…”

Xiao Xi struggled to form a three-finger gesture, which the stylist didn’t quite grasp.

“Three fingers long?”

Three fingers? Senior Sister was a little displeased. That was still too long; it hardly met the standard for a boy’s haircut, did it?

“Three centimeters…”

…

Xiao Xi made a painful, monumental concession. Senior Sister couldn’t even manage a fake smile, her face twisting into a mask of anguish. Shi Meng looked utterly bewildered, and the stylist simply put down his scissors.

“My skill isn’t enough. I’ll go get my master, just a moment!” The stylist ran off.

After a while, an experienced master stylist arrived. Xiao Xi, feeling a bit embarrassed, made another concession: “Would five centimeters be alright?”

“Alright…” The master stylist had seen all sorts of situations. A young lady wanting to trim her ends? What was so difficult about that?

*Snip, snip—*

With a flurry of expert snips, it was done!

Xiao Xi happily admired himself in the mirror. Wow, his hair now had layers, and his back view looked even better!

Fantastic!

Five stars~

****

…

“Hey… isn’t that a bit much?” Senior Sister covered her face behind him, unable to bear looking at Xiao Xi’s self-satisfied preening. Shi Meng offered an awkward, placating smile nearby. Xiao Xi suddenly jolted awake. *Damn it*, wasn’t he supposed to get a *male* short haircut?

As it stood… it barely qualified as a female short haircut, let alone a male one. There seemed to be no discernible difference at all!

“Next time you come for a haircut, should we give you anesthetic, Young Master Shi Xi?”

“Ahahaha… Senior Sister… I’m so sorry, I was wrong!” Xiao Xi quickly bowed in apology. But would bowing really help? Was he trying to emulate a ‘bowing artisan’ spirit?

“*Sigh*—” Senior Sister let out a long sigh. What in the world was this mess?

Hmm…

‘Was there any way to salvage this? Her entire plan was interconnected! The plan was perfect, but how could it work if the very first step went wrong?’

‘She was worried sick…’

Senior Sister clutched her head in frustration, her eyes darting around, attempting to distract herself from her melancholic mood. But the moment her gaze landed on a wig shop, a sudden realization struck her!

That’s right!

Wigs!

Senior Sister hurried Xiao Xi and Shi Meng to the wig shop. After much effort, they finally found a suitable men’s wig. Xiao Xi’s long hair was tied into a ponytail, then coiled up, a hairnet was put on, and then, the wig!

Hmm…

Brilliant!

“Ta-da~” Senior Sister pushed Xiao Xi in front of the mirror. Xiao Xi gazed at his reflection: a fair-skinned, clean-cut individual who, even with a men’s wig, still looked like a tomboy. He sank into contemplation.

“Alright! This look… well, it’s decent, isn’t it, Xiao Xi? Do you feel confident?”

“Confident about what?” Xiao Xi asked, utterly bewildered. Was she asking if he looked decent? He supposed he did.

“Later, you’ll go home and let your sister see you like this!” Senior Sister declared with absolute certainty.

“Eh?” Xiao Xi froze. “What?!”