Chapter 3: It’s Not What You Think

“Why are you dawdling in there, silly girl?”

Her mother, Xu Wei’s voice floated in from outside the room, snapping Lin Xiyue out of her wandering thoughts.
She shivered.

“Ah? I… I’m just picking out clothes, Mom.”

As she spoke, Lin Xiyue opened her wardrobe.
The sight of the countless rows of women’s clothing inside made her head spin.
When it came to matching outfits, she was completely clueless.

Helpless, she turned toward the mirror set into the wardrobe door, hoping to get some inspiration from what she was currently wearing.

But the moment she looked, her gaze was completely captured.

In the mirror stood a gentle, breathtakingly beautiful girl.
Her long, dark hair cascaded down to her waist, with a few loose strands falling over her shoulders.
The rush earlier had left her cheeks faintly flushed, lending her a delicate, heart-stirring allure—one that made people want to hold her close, yet afraid that doing so might bruise her fragile grace.

Although her family ran an entertainment company, the girl’s outfit was strikingly simple: a plain white blouse, a dark blue pleated skirt, and a pair of small brown leather shoes.

Yet somehow, even such an ordinary ensemble couldn’t hide her youthful charm.
That tender shyness of a bud about to bloom—it was almost painfully beautiful.

Only now did Lin Xiyue realize that when Xia Jinnian had called her “the campus goddess Lin,” he hadn’t been teasing.
He had been completely serious.

The Lin family’s entertainment company, though only ranked B-tier these days, had once been filled with artists of all sorts—many of them the so-called “vases,” who relied more on looks than talent to make their mark.

But even among those women, all famous for their beauty, not a single one could compare to the girl in the mirror.
To even place them side by side would be an insult to the latter.

This—this was what it meant to be naturally beautiful as opposed to artificially adorned.

“Still… not bad, but not as pretty as Jinnian. Ehehe—”

Lin Xiyue blinked reflexively.
Whether it was true that beauty lay in the eye of the beholder or not, in her mind, there simply wasn’t a single girl in the world who could rival Xia Jinnian.

Although she had been forced to accept—at least on the surface—that she had turned into a girl, she still couldn’t get used to all those frilly, pastel clothes.
So, she picked out something more neutral—a T-shirt and a pair of denim shorts.
At least that was within her comfort zone.

She took the clothes into the bathroom, turned on the water with practiced ease, and was just about to undress when she froze.
Her hand stopped mid-motion.

She looked seriously at her reflection in the mirror.
Her shirt was already halfway lifted, revealing a smooth, flat stomach.
If she went just a bit higher…

The thought sent a chill through her.
Even though she knew perfectly well this was now her own body and there was nothing to be embarrassed about, something deep inside her shouted for her to stop.

Stop, you shameless fool!

In her past life, Young Master Lin might have been born into a wealthy family, but when it came to matters between men and women, he had always been rather reserved.
In more than twenty years, he’d only ever had one girlfriend—Xia Jinnian—and even until the moment they were forever separated, the most intimate they’d ever been was holding hands and sharing a few kisses.

So this sight… was more than a little overwhelming for her.

“Are you going to shower or not? I’ve finished cooking, and the food’s getting cold, you silly girl—”

Her mother’s voice came again, exasperated.
Left with no choice, Lin Xiyue gritted her teeth, covered her eyes with one hand, and awkwardly began tugging off her clothes with the other.

The rustling of fabric, the warmth of steam, the feeling of water droplets against her skin—she was acutely aware of being completely bare.

If she just opened her eyes right now, the mirror would surely reveal a flawless, unguarded scene.

That thought alone made her face burn and her whole body heat up.
It was absurd—even she couldn’t explain it.

She wasn’t supposed to be this shy, right?
Could it be that turning into a girl was actually changing her temperament too?

Still half-thinking about it, she fumbled toward the bathtub with one hand over her eyes.
Then, her foot slipped.
With a splash, she fell straight into the tub, choking on water and coughing violently.

And just as she managed to open her eyes, she saw everything reflected in the mirror—her flawless, exposed body.
At that same moment, she realized her hand, which had been thumping her chest in panic, was pressing against something soft and yielding—

“Ah—!”

Lin Xiyue yelped, her face blazing crimson as she curled up in the bathtub like a startled kitten.

Her feelings were a chaotic tangle—half like she had accidentally seen someone else naked, half like someone had accidentally seen her naked.

To see herself like this…
That kind of shame shouldn’t even exist, and yet she’d somehow managed to double it.

“What happened?!”

Hearing the commotion, Xu Wei rushed in and froze on the spot.

Her daughter was lying in the tub, cheeks flushed, skin glistening with moisture, curled up and breathing a little too quickly.

“This…?”

Xu Wei blinked, processing the scene with forty-plus years of worldly experience.
And then, as understanding dawned, her expression shifted into one of awkward realization.

“Oh, um… sorry, Xiaoyue. Mom didn’t mean to interrupt you.
Just try to keep it down next time, okay?
Thank goodness we live in a detached house—otherwise the neighbors would’ve heard everything—”

With a mortified smile, Xu Wei hurriedly shut the door and left.

Lin Xiyue sat frozen in the tub, dazed.
She frowned, half-understanding, half-baffled.
She didn’t quite get what her mother was implying, but her instincts told her it definitely wasn’t anything good.

“Mom! Listen to me—it’s not what you think!”

“It’s fine, silly girl. You’re at that age now—practically a college student!
It’s completely normal.
Just, you know… try not to make too much noise next time.”

Her mother’s voice came from outside, followed by fading footsteps.

Lin Xiyue stared blankly into space.
“Wait, I… Mom… you… that’s—”

By the time she gathered her thoughts again, who knew how much time had passed.

Maybe she figured—she’d already seen herself, right?
It was her own body after all; she couldn’t very well keep bathing with her eyes closed forever.

And after her mother’s… misunderstanding, she gave up resisting altogether.
With a resigned sigh, she washed herself thoroughly, dried off, got dressed, and stepped out of the bathroom.

Whether it was from the lingering heat of the bath or lingering embarrassment, the rosy flush on her cheeks still hadn’t faded…