Chapter 23: The Dress

Lin Ci had been lying on her bed watching a game stream when she heard Gu Mianmian’s question. She rubbed her sore neck, tossed her phone aside, and stuck her head down over the edge.

Her gaze swept over the long spaghetti-strap dress in Gu Mianmian’s hands.

“This dress…”

Lin Ci clicked her tongue. Her straight-guy logic started running.

“Isn’t there a bit too little fabric? It doesn’t even have sleeves. The auditorium air conditioning will be on tomorrow. Aren’t you going to be cold in this?”

Gu Mianmian lowered her head, fingers twisting the hem nervously.

“The counselor said we need to dress formally for the stage performance. This one is more suitable.”

Lin Ci rolled her eyes and slowly climbed down the ladder.

“Fine. School leaders love this kind of pointless formality.”

She walked over to Gu Mianmian and patted her shoulder.

“What’s the point of just looking? Put it on and try it. If it doesn’t fit, change it fast.”

Gu Mianmian didn’t move. A flush swept across her cheeks.

“Change… here?”

“Why not?”

Lin Ci looked at her, amused.

“It’s just us two in this dorm. Were you planning to change in the hallway for everyone else?”

“Hurry up. I still want to sleep. Stop dawdling.”

Gu Mianmian bit her lower lip, hugged the dress, and went behind the wardrobe. She pulled the simple cloth curtain shut.

Lin Ci sat back in her chair, crossed her legs, and picked up her phone to keep scrolling.

Soon, rustling sounds came from behind the curtain.

The noise of fabric rubbing was especially clear in the quiet dorm.

Lin Ci hadn’t thought anything of it at first, but as she listened, her head started to heat up for no reason.

Her body was female now, but her soul was still that of a twenty-two-year-old man.

Listening to a girl change clothes right next to her felt awkward beyond words.

Lin Ci tugged irritably at her pajama collar.

“So troublesome. Why are there so many rules to being a woman?”

She muttered and took a big gulp from the cup on the desk.

“Senior…”

Gu Mianmian’s muffled voice came from behind the curtain, a little helpless.

“What now?”

Lin Ci put down the cup and turned toward the curtain.

“The zipper in the back… I can’t reach it.”

Lin Ci sighed and stood up.

“I swear, your clothes are designed with zero consideration for humans.”

“Even a zipper needs help. If you stayed single forever, would you just never wear clothes?”

She complained as she reached out and pulled the curtain open.

Gu Mianmian stood there with her back to her.

The dress was on, but the back zipper was only half up.

A large stretch of unprotected white rushed into view.

Lin Ci’s mind went blank with a buzz. She cursed inwardly and froze completely.

The girl’s skin was blindingly white.

The curve of her back traced along her spine, and her shoulder blades trembled slightly.

Her cool, pale skin, rarely touched by sunlight, gleamed under the dim yellow light. Faint blue veins were even visible beneath it.

Lin Ci swallowed. Her throat felt dry enough to smoke.

The twenty-two-year-old man’s soul inside her had never seen anything like this. She instinctively wanted to close her eyes, but her gaze stuck fast and wouldn’t move.

She coughed to cover it up and forced herself forward.

“Hold still. I’ll zip you up.”

She reached out, and her fingertips unavoidably brushed Gu Mianmian’s smooth back.

Gu Mianmian’s thin body went rigid. Red spread from her neck to her ears, and even her breathing lost its rhythm.

The slick touch made Lin Ci’s hand jerk. Heat rushed straight to her head.

“Senior, your hands are so cold.”

Gu Mianmian said softly, her voice trembling.

“If you don’t like it, zip it yourself. I’m not exactly eager to serve you.”

Lin Ci replied irritably, but her hands softened anyway.

She pinched the metal zipper pull and drew it up little by little.

The dress was tailored to fit perfectly. As the zipper closed, Gu Mianmian’s slender waist was fully cinched in.

Lin Ci muttered inwardly. The girl usually looked frail, but her waist was so thin.

She could probably span it easily with both hands.

“There.”

The zipper reached the top. Lin Ci quickly withdrew her hands and stepped back.

Gu Mianmian slowly turned around.

Lin Ci looked up and felt her heart skip a beat.

The spaghetti-strap dress made Gu Mianmian look unbelievably clean.

She brushed her thick bangs away from her eyes, revealing her whole delicate face.

She wore no makeup, and her face looked a little pale from poor nutrition.

But her eyes were startlingly bright, and her features were flawless.

Her collarbones were deep, her shoulders round. Standing there, she gave off a cool, aloof beauty.

Lin Ci scratched her hair and complained inwardly.

Was this really that poor girl who hadn’t dared to make a sound when she was bullied at the barbecue shop?

This was clearly a wealthy family’s pampered young mistress.

“Senior…”

Gu Mianmian clutched the hem uneasily, curling her toes inside her slippers.

“Does it look bad?”

Lin Ci snapped out of it and pursed her lips.

“It’s not bad. You’re just too thin.”

She crossed her arms and adopted a commanding pose.

“You don’t have an ounce of meat on you. Tomorrow on stage, if the wind blows, I’m afraid you’ll float away.”

“Eat more. Seeing you eat steamed buns every day gives me a headache.”

When Gu Mianmian heard that, her tense body relaxed.

She looked at Lin Ci, eyes sparkling.

“Does Senior think it looks good?”

Lin Ci blinked.

“What does it matter if I like it? I’m not the one wearing it.”

“I only wanted Senior to see.”

Gu Mianmian took a step closer, almost pressing against Lin Ci.

A faint strawberry candy sweetness mixed with her cool fragrance hit Lin Ci in the face.

Lin Ci stepped back uncomfortably, her back hitting the edge of the desk.

“Fine, fine. It looks good. It looks stupidly good, okay?”

She waved her hand and quickly looked away.

“Hurry up and take it off before you dirty it. You still have to go on stage tomorrow.”

But Gu Mianmian stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself.

“Senior, will you watch me the whole time tomorrow?”

“Obviously. I’m your backdrop on stage. If I’m not staring at you, who else would I stare at?”

Lin Ci sat on the edge of the bed, annoyed, rubbing her sore ankle.

Gu Mianmian looked at Lin Ci standing behind her in the mirror.

In the mirror, Lin Ci wore old pajamas, her hair a little messy, but her face was still striking.

Standing together, they looked so right.

A small smile curved Gu Mianmian’s lips.

“Mm. Senior can only look at me.”

She murmured softly.

Lin Ci didn’t catch what she was mumbling and yawned.

“All right, stop admiring yourself. Change and go to sleep. We still have a performance tomorrow. So annoying.”

Gu Mianmian answered obediently and went back behind the wardrobe.

This time, she pulled the zipper down herself and changed back into the loose old hoodie.

By the time she came out, Lin Ci was already lying in bed.

Gu Mianmian carefully hung up the dress and turned off the dorm’s main light.

In the dark, she climbed onto her bed.

But she didn’t lie down right away. She looked toward the upper bunk.

Even through the bed board, she could hear Lin Ci’s steady breathing.

The air still carried that soothing milky scent from Lin Ci.

Gu Mianmian reached under her pillow and found Lin Ci’s old T-shirt.

She hugged it to her chest and buried her face in the fabric.

Tomorrow, everyone would see her standing with Senior.

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