Chapter 21: A Misunderstanding and an Urgent Request

“Are your family not home?”

Su Lingxi stepped inside, entering the house.

“It seems not.”

‘At this hour, his sister should have long since finished work.’

‘What could that lazy dog be up to…?’

‘Surely she didn’t go on a date.’

‘Hmm… impossible. The probability of that happening is even lower than the Earth exploding tomorrow.’

‘Never mind, I won’t think about it.’

“Well then, let’s start with some cleaning,” Zhong Tian declared, switching on the lights. He set aside his and Su Lingxi’s luggage, adding, “The guest room is quite dirty; it would be best to give it a thorough clean.”

Su Lingxi nodded. “I’ll try my best to help.”

“…Alright.”

****

‘Phew…’

Zhong Tian sank onto the sofa, removed his hair tie, and let his long, restrained hair cascade freely, sprawling across the cushions.

‘So tired…’

‘That room was excessively dirty… and piled high with things (belonging to his sister, of course; he wouldn’t carelessly toss things around). He had initially intended to do a superficial clean, but before he knew it, he’d gotten carried away, scrubbing under the bed, the ceiling, and even the outside of the windows.’

Lacking any prior cleaning experience, Su Lingxi had nonetheless done her utmost to assist, diligently following Zhong Tian’s instructions to perform auxiliary tasks like washing rags and changing water.

However, with all the bustling about in the summer heat, both of them had broken into a sweat.

Zhong Tian, who had originally planned to play some games, instantly lost all enthusiasm. Now, his sole desire was to quickly shower and then lounge under the air conditioning until he felt chilled.

“Zhong Tian,” Su Lingxi asked softly, “where… is the bathroom?”

Completely drained, Zhong Tian pointed towards his own room. “There’s one in my room. Feel free to use it. Hot water is on the left, cold water on the right. Ha, I’m practically dead from exhaustion…”

Having spoken, Zhong Tian turned onto his side, sinking into the sofa’s softness and letting his body and mind relax.

After an indeterminate amount of time spent lying prone, Zhong Tian thought he heard a faint call.

He sat up, glancing around. ‘Did someone just call me?’ He shrugged, dismissing it as merely hearing things.

*Click.*

“Hm?”

Zhong Tian turned his head, discovering his room door slowly opening, revealing a petite figure behind it.

“Zhong Tian. I forgot… to bring clean clothes… into the shower,” the girl behind the door slowly articulated. “Please help me… take my pajamas… from my suitcase.”

Zhong Tian stared dumbfounded at the girl, who was peeking out from behind the door, only half her body visible. Her pretty face visibly flushed crimson.

Su Lingxi was clad only in a large towel…

The towel, quite large for her petite frame, enveloped her like an oversized white shirt. While her body’s curves weren’t accentuated, the subtle curve of her chest was still clearly discernible.

Her slightly damp, brown hair cascaded casually, her pretty face was faintly flushed, and her fair skin had taken on a cherry hue. Yet, her expression remained remarkably calm, a stark contrast to Zhong Tian’s.

Crimson-faced, Zhong Tian quickly spun around, stammering in a fluster, “Y-y-you… couldn’t you have just said something? Why did you have to come out like that?!”

In his panic, Zhong Tian nearly bit his own tongue.

“I called you… but you didn’t hear me… so I had no choice…”

“Alright, alright, alright! Just go back into the room, I-I’ll get your clothes…”

“Oh…”

Zhong Tian opened Su Lingxi’s suitcase and pulled out a set of white pajamas.

“Ah…” Su Lingxi, still standing behind the door, seemed to recall something suddenly. “Oh no…”

“What’s ‘oh no’?”

“…” The girl behind the door’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, a troubled expression on her face. “I… seem to have forgotten… to bring any underwear.”

“Huh?”

*Click.*

Before Zhong Tian could even recover from the shocking revelation, the sound of a door opening reached his ears.

‘Why does this plot feel so familiar…?’

‘Alright, cameraman, let’s do that again. Let’s observe the current scene.’

‘A girl wrapped only in a towel and a blushing cross-dresser sharing a room. Standing at the entrance, a girl with an indifferent expression and dead-fish eyes silently observed the two.’

Zhong Jing glanced at the towel-clad girl, then at Zhong Tian, who had turned utterly pale with shock. She turned to leave, dropping a single remark: “You two carry on; I’ll step out.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, sister! It’s a misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding! Come back, I’ll explain!” Zhong Tian quickly leaped up, shoved the pajamas into Su Lingxi’s arms, and then pushed her back into the room.

“Sis… please… hear me out,” Zhong Tian pleaded, leaning against his room door.

“I’m listening,” Zhong Jing replied, settling onto the sofa, crossing her long legs, and switching on the television.

“Ah… well, actually, she’s a novelist, and I’m like her hired artist. She’s staying with us, um, it might sound a bit unbelievable, but she’s here to oversee my manga drawing. That’s all.”

“How exactly does she ‘oversee’?” Zhong Jing tilted her head, a slight curve forming at the corner of her lips — her version of a smile. “Cross-dressing employee and loli boss.avi?”

Zhong Tian’s face flushed crimson. He closed his eyes and exclaimed, “Sis!! I’m not joking around!”

“But I am,” she retorted, tossing her long hair. Still eyeing Zhong Tian askance, she slowly continued, “Since you’ve brought your so-called patron home, I have no objections. However, you will be responsible for all her needs: food, clothing, and shelter.”

“…Understood…”

At that moment, the door behind Zhong Tian slowly opened, and the girl slowly stepped out.

“Zhong Tian…”

Feeling a tug at his shirt hem, he turned around.

“Let’s talk inside…” She pulled Zhong Tian into the room and closed the door.

“Is something the matter…?” Zhong Tian leaned against the wall, covering his face with one hand.

‘What just happened was far too terrifying; he needed a moment to compose himself.’

“Zhong Tian. Tomorrow, could you…” Su Lingxi’s delicate face was faintly flushed, though her expression remained relatively calm. Her rosy lips parted slightly. “Please help me buy… some underwear…”

“Huh…?” Zhong Tian froze. “W-what?”

“I said… I forgot to bring a change of clothes…”

‘Wait, hold on… if that’s the case, isn’t she… truly, completely bare underneath?’

“But why do *I* have to…”

“I can’t exactly… go out like this to buy them, can I…?”

She seemed somewhat anxious, interrupting Zhong Tian, yet she still struggled to articulate her words fluidly and quickly. The blush on her face grew increasingly pronounced; though her expression remained outwardly calm, it seemed she was on the verge of losing her composure.

“While that’s… understandable, I’m a boy, you know? How can I possibly buy them for you…?”

‘Although he had bought bras and such before… those were purchased online… he still didn’t have the courage to pretend to be a girl and pick them out in a lingerie store.’

‘It wasn’t that he was afraid of being exposed or anything; it was just a little bit awkward.’

“It’s fine. No one… will notice, given your appearance.”

“Don’t even…”

“You must.”