Chapter 51: A Roommate’s Advice and Hidden Fears

When Lin Duo returned to her dorm room late that night, her roommate, Shen Jing’an, was still awake, sprawled on her bed watching a movie. Her thin, revealing pajamas, coupled with the playful wiggling of her feet, caused her backside to be teasingly visible.

Lin Duo couldn’t help but offer a gentle reminder. “Can’t you wear pajama pants, or at least a longer nightgown? You’re exposing yourself too easily!”

Shen Jing’an rolled over and sat up, completely unfazed by the second accidental flash during the movement. “Oh, come on, we’re all girls here, what does it matter? I know you’re the conservative, shy type, never changing in front of others. I have a good friend just like you, but you can’t expect me to be the same, can you?”

“Whatever you say…”

Truthfully, Lin Duo had almost come to see herself as a girl, and therefore felt little interest in her roommate’s accidental exposure.

After all, she had been living in Nan’an City as a girl for over a year, and had grown accustomed to her new identity.

If not for the three daily doses of medication and the sight of her little appendage every time she showered, Lin Duo might have completely forgotten she was originally a boy.

When Lin Duo emerged from the shower in her pajamas, Shen Jing’an had finished her movie and was now engrossed in online shopping. She called Lin Duo over. “What do you think of this face mask? A friend highly recommended it.”

Lin Duo first glanced at the price and gasped. “Isn’t that a bit expensive?”

“It’s fine! My parents will buy it for me anyway!”

Shen Jing’an’s parents had always doted on their precious daughter, willing to fulfill her every request.

Lin Duo, always a little melancholic, immediately thought of her own birth parents and couldn’t help but sigh softly. “If only my parents could treat me like that…”

“Your family runs a fruit stall, right? Since they’re business owners, their income shouldn’t be too bad, should it?”

Though Shen Jing’an clearly misunderstood Lin Duo’s meaning, Lin Duo didn’t bother to correct her. “Business is okay, but the shop’s rent is too high, and I heard it’s going up again next year. And this line of work is truly exhausting. They all hope I’ll get an office job in the future.”

“An office job? Why bother! You’re so pretty, why not just marry a rich man? Your daily task would be to shop for luxury goods!” Shen Jing’an was the living embodiment of the phrase ‘eat well and be lazy’. “What’s the point of a good job for a girl? It’s just a tiring nine-to-five grind for a paltry salary. Isn’t marrying easier?”

Lin Duo could only offer a bitter smile. “Is that your life’s ambition? Isn’t that a bit shallow? Besides, rich men have many choices; are you sure one would choose you?”

“Oh, rich men have all sorts of peculiar tastes! Maybe someone out there would like a cute, slightly plump girl like me!” Shen Jing’an was remarkably optimistic about her future.

“Well, you can take your time finding a rich man. I need to do my homework…”

School regulations stipulated that only students and teachers were permitted on campus, meaning even takeaway orders had to be collected at the school gate. Thoughtfully, however, a large parcel collection point was conveniently located just a short walk to the left of the main gate, making online shopping pickups incredibly easy.

Of course, Lin Duo’s ordered medication would also be delivered there. To avoid suspicion, she typically bought some stationery and skincare products at the same time, collecting them all together to bring back to the dorm.

Three days later, during the noon break, Shen Jing’an’s ordered face masks arrived. As soon as she returned to the dorm, she eagerly applied one, chanting under her breath, “Make me fair, make me fair, I want to be fair… Marry marry hum… Buddha, grant my wish…”

In truth, Shen Jing’an’s skin wasn’t bad at all. While not exceptionally fair, it possessed the rosy glow and youthful vitality characteristic of young girls.

Conversely, though Lin Duo’s skin was always very fair, it carried a hint of sickly pallor. Coupled with her barely forty-kilogram weight and slender frame so delicate it seemed a gust of wind could carry her away.

Thankfully, a certain amount of fat on her face maintained the shape of a delicate, oval face. Her pelvis, due to the medication she had taken since childhood, was shaped like that of girls her age, capable of slightly supporting an S-shaped curve at her waist and hips.

So, at least from her overall appearance, Lin Duo still conformed to mainstream aesthetic standards. Her flat chest, however, was an undeniable exception.

Having timed it perfectly, Shen Jing’an removed the mask and eagerly leaned towards Lin Duo. “How is it? How is it? Does it look much better?”

To be fair, the mask’s effects were indeed remarkable; Shen Jing’an’s small face seemed to possess a natural soft-focus glow. There was a drawback, of course: a noticeable color difference between her face and neck.

However, Lin Duo wasn’t always strictly truthful. “It’s fantastic! Your skin looks just like a baby’s now!”

Shen Jing’an glanced in the mirror, equally delighted. “Indeed, you get what you pay for! I’ll definitely buy this one again!”

With some time remaining in the lunch break, Shen Jing’an began browsing the campus network on her computer. Suddenly, she discovered something novel. “Look, look! ‘Full Video of XX Grade Freshmen Military Training Performance’! Isn’t this our year? Someone actually recorded it!”

And so, two small faces huddled together in front of the screen, reliving the moment. Shen Jing’an’s primary interest was her violin solo, but after watching it, she frowned.

“The audio quality of this video is terrible! My violin, worth over ten thousand yuan, sounds like a thousand-yuan street vendor’s instrument.”

“It’s fine, it still sounded great. Quick, quick, let’s watch our play!”

Shen Jing’an dragged the video’s progress bar, and they watched their entire performance from start to finish again. When they saw Lin Duo’s spectacular face-plant at the beginning, Shen Jing’an let out an impolite giggle.

Lin Duo could only glare at her in mock indignation.

As the play concluded, Shen Jing’an suddenly felt a touch of sadness. “I still remember those days of rehearsal. Though we were tired, all eight of us had so much fun.”

Then, she pointed a finger at a slightly plump boy of average build on the screen. “By the way, he hasn’t bothered you these past few days, has he?”

Since that noon, Wang Linshu had indeed not sought out Lin Duo, nor had he sent any calls or messages. Furthermore, Class 5’s classroom was at the end of the third floor, while Class 6’s was at the beginning of the fourth, making the probability of them running into each other during breaks or after school quite low.

Upon hearing Lin Duo’s response, Shen Jing’an’s face instead filled with worry. “Lin Duo, you absolutely must be careful these next few days. Look at this news story: a high school boy disfigured his ex-girlfriend with sulfuric acid for revenge. Sulfuric acid! It’s truly terrifying!”

Lin Duo gasped in fright and quickly leaned closer to the screen to read the news. She, too, felt a lingering unease. “Such a lovely girl, disfigured like that. What will she do with her life now?”

“That’s exactly why you need to avoid him!” Shen Jing’an earnestly warned. “He hasn’t made a move these past few days, most likely he’s holding back a powerful ultimate move, one with a long wind-up time. Once he unleashes it, it’ll probably be a ‘penta-kill’. You’re a girl, after all; you can’t face him head-on. You can only dodge and weave.”

Seeing Lin Duo’s frightened expression, Shen Jing’an decided not to scare her diligent, model roommate any further, so she changed the subject. “By the way, tomorrow marks the ‘October First’ long holiday. Do you have any plans?”

“I’ll go home to help with the business, I suppose? There are always more customers during holidays. And it’s a good chance to review my textbooks; the pace of classes this past month has been quite fast.” Lin Duo tried hard to suppress her inner fear. “What about you? Do you have any plans?”

“My parents are taking me to Tianjing City for a trip! You know, the capital!” Shen Jing’an’s large eyes sparkled with anticipation.

‘Above is Tianjing, below is Huxing’ – Lin Duo had heard this saying back in her northern hometown. Tianjing, the political capital located in the north, boasted countless ancient relics. Huxing, in the south, was a scenic tourist destination, elegant in its beauty, drawing a continuous stream of visitors throughout the four seasons.

Lin Duo was only fifteen this year. What child of that age didn’t love to travel? Yet, her foster parents were busy with their business year-round; how could they possibly spare the time? Traveling alone was even more impossible; without an ID card, buying tickets or booking lodging would be a constant hassle. So, her dreams of travel could only remain within her heart.