Chapter 5: The World Rewritten

Lin Ci stood at the bottom of the dormitory building, his phone hot in his palm. The government system’s review notification was bright at the top of the screen. He didn’t bother with Gu Mianmian behind him. He dashed up the stairs and reached the third floor in one go.

He pushed the dorm door open, locked it behind him, and sat at his desk. He opened the government app’s personal file. The page loaded. A high-definition ID photo popped up. The girl on the screen had long black hair, cold and beautiful features, and downturned eyes. It was unmistakably his current face.

Name: Lin Ci. Gender: Female. Ethnicity: Han. Birth date, home address, ID number. Every number matched.

Lin Ci’s fingertips trembled as he opened the cloud photo album. The album held thousands of photos from four years of university. In the freshman military training group photo, the buzz-cut guy standing in the middle of the back row was gone. In his place was a tall girl with a high ponytail, wearing the same camouflage uniform. In the sophomore basketball championship photo, he had become a long-legged female player in an oversized jersey. Even his high school graduation photo and his junior high black-and-white file photo with a red scarf had all been replaced with a girl’s appearance.

Lin Ci’s throat went dry.

He went back to WeChat and found the pinned profile of his brother. That was Zhang Yue, his closest friend in university. They were so close they could share a pair of pants. Lin Ci typed: [You there? Got a question.] Less than five seconds later, Zhang Yue replied with a voice message. Lin Ci tapped it. Zhang Yue’s voice came through the speaker.

“Sister Ci! The sun must be rising in the west. You actually messaged me first!” “Last time you saved me a seat in the elective, I still owe you a meal. Let’s hit the second cafeteria tonight?”

Sister Ci. The two words landed clearly in his ears. Lin Ci stared at the chat window, his head buzzing.

He clicked into the four-person dorm gaming group. The group name had somehow become [Foreign Languages Department Four-Person Chat Group]. The chat history was all about him and a few girls, begging for milk tea, borrowing lipstick, copying homework. No one remembered that a male science student named Lin Ci had ever existed.

Lin Ci opened his contacts. His finger hovered over the number labeled “Her Majesty Mother.” He paused, then pressed call. The line connected, and a familiar loud voice came through.

 Hello? Cicici? Why are you calling Mom at this hour?

The sound of cooking oil and vegetables frying came from the background.

 Mom.

Lin Ci’s voice shook a little.

 What is it? Are you short on living expenses? I’ll have your dad transfer you two thousand later.

Lin Ci gripped his phone, held his breath, and kept asking.

 Mom, let me ask you. Am I a boy or a girl?

The other end went silent for three seconds, then burst into laughter.

What nonsense are you saying in broad daylight? Are you still half asleep?

Of course you’re a girl! You’ve been Mom’s little padded jacket since you were small. What, you want to be a leather jacket now that you’ve grown up?

Lin Ci endured his racing heart and continued.

 Mom, did I ever have a buzz cut? Did I ever fight with Fat Xiao next door?

What buzz cut? You’ve loved long hair since you were little. If anyone tried to cut your hair, you’d fight them. All right, there’s fish stewing in the pot. I’m hanging up now!

Beep beep beep.

Lin Ci put the phone back on the desk. His back was soaked with cold sweat, and his palms were sticky. Crazy. This world had gone crazy. Every file, every record, every memory of his friends and family had been rewritten. The only person left in this world who remembered that a “male Lin Ci” had ever existed was himself.

Lin Ci leaned back in his chair and covered his face. ‘What a disaster!!!’

But from another angle, since he had become female in the government registry, the facial recognition registration would definitely pass. This deadly verification crisis had actually been resolved in such an absurd way. Could his twenty-two years of life as a full-blooded man really have been a ridiculous illusion?

Just then the door lock turned, and Gu Mianmian pushed the door open. She carried a thermos full of hot water and spotted Lin Ci sitting at the desk in a daze. Lin Ci’s long hair was a mess, and his eyes were red. Gu Mianmian stopped. She didn’t speak. She set down the thermos, poured more than half a cup of warm water, walked over, and placed it gently beside Lin Ci’s hand.

Lin Ci came back to himself and wiped the corner of his eye.

“For me?”

Gu Mianmian nodded slightly.

“Senior, drink some warm water.”

Her voice was very soft.

Lin Ci picked up the cup and took a sip. The warm water slid down his throat and drove away the chill in his body.

“Thanks.”

Hearing that word, Gu Mianmian’s tense shoulders finally relaxed. She stood beside Lin Ci, her nose twitching slightly, and her gaze fell on Lin Ci’s long, snow-white neck. Lin Ci’s collar was pulled open. His collarbones were clear, and that faint milky scent drifted over. Gu Mianmian’s fingers tightened inside her sleeve. She wanted to reach out and smooth Lin Ci’s long hair, but didn’t dare move.

“Senior, you… were you unhappy just now?” she asked quietly.

Lin Ci rubbed his temples and gave a bitter smile.

“Happy. I’m too happy. So happy I could fly.”

He turned around and looked at the thin junior girl in front of him, and that straight-man urge to complain rose again.

“Mianmian, let me ask you something. If one day you found out everyone around you was acting a part for you, even your own parents were lying to you, what would you do?”

Gu Mianmian lifted her head, those obsidian-like eyes fixed on Lin Ci. Without a half-second of hesitation, she said in a low voice, “Then I’d treat them all as dead.”

Lin Ci almost choked on the warm water he had just swallowed. He coughed several times. His eyes were red from the strain.

“Cough cough… You girl, why do you have to say such creepy things!”

Lin Ci patted his chest and shot her a glare. Gu Mianmian hurriedly handed him a tissue, flustered.

“Senior, don’t be angry. I was just talking nonsense.”

She lowered her head and nervously pinched the hem of her shirt.

“I’ve never had anyone treat me as well as you do, Senior. As long as you don’t lie to me, I don’t care what anyone else does.”

She said this very softly, the last half muffled in her throat. Lin Ci didn’t catch it. He took the tissue and wiped the corner of his mouth.

“Forget it. Pretend I didn’t ask. Go do your homework and stop overthinking.”

Gu Mianmian answered obediently and climbed onto the metal bunk with her textbook. She sat at the head of the bed flipping pages, but her gaze passed through the gap in the mosquito net and landed on Lin Ci below.

Lin Ci finished the water, and his mood settled. Since he couldn’t change this ridiculous reality, he could only grit his teeth and take it one step at a time. At least the household registration system matched. Friday’s hurdle was survivable. He was just about to stretch and go wash his face when his phone on the desk suddenly vibrated. The WeChat class group popped up with a pinned announcement from the counselor.

[Notice: According to the school security office and academic affairs office, this Friday at 3 p.m., class counselors and school leaders will uniformly inspect original ID cards and check the dorms. Temporary substitute certificates are strictly prohibited. Everyone must present their physical original ID card. Those who fail to appear will be punished as absenteeism and criticized publicly.]

Lin Ci stared at the bold text, his face wooden. Physical original ID card? His replacement ID was still in the mail. This Friday afternoon, what was he supposed to show the counselor, his head?!

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