Chapter 55: Dormitory Tales: Self-Love, Pickup Lines, and Dire Coincidences

When Qizai recounted the part where the male protagonist traveled back in time, transformed into a girl, and encountered his male self, Mu Wanqing gasped, covering her small mouth in astonishment:

“Could someone truly return to the past and even become a girl?”

“Could it be those Eternals (TL Note: Beings capable of controlling time magic, as mentioned by the Dean)?”

“And do they possess such a peculiar fetish, intentionally transfiguring themselves with unknown magic?”

Su Liyue felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down her forehead.

Strictly speaking, magic didn’t exist on Earth in that book; it was purely a matter of transmigration.

Moreover, judging from the preceding plot, the story had been quite heartwarming and wholesome.

It was only the pace of their relationship’s development that, to her, felt agonizingly slow.

If her former self, the one who devoured books, had been in this situation, she would have likely taken the initiative with the male protagonist long ago, never allowing the plot to drag on for so long.

Wait…

‘Now that I am Su Liyue, if I were to ‘take down’ Ye Xingchen, wouldn’t that achieve a similar, ironically fitting outcome?’

“Uh… Qingqing, perhaps the Eternals do have some unusual hobbies,” Su Liyue offered a dry chuckle, attempting to steer the conversation elsewhere.

“However, this story is primarily about falling in love with oneself.”

“A girl falling in love with her male self? This… is that truly possible?” Mu Wanqing tilted her head, her sky-blue hair cascading like a waterfall over her shoulders, her face etched with confusion.

“Li Ning (TL Note: A Chinese sportswear brand) once said, ‘Anything is possible,'” Su Liyue blurted out a popular meme from her Earth era.

In her mind, the catchy slogans her middle school classmates often chanted—’Anything is possible’ and ‘Xtep, never stop’—flashed before her eyes.

Ever since arriving in this world and possessing both male and female bodies, she had profoundly realized that sexual orientation, beyond being influenced by one’s soul consciousness, was also swayed by female and male hormones.

If the two bodies were to genuinely come into close contact, or even ‘do that kind of thing,’ those particular feelings would indeed arise.

What’s more, when it came to the sensitive areas of both bodies, she, as the owner, knew them all too well…

“Li Ning? Who’s that?” Mu Wanqing asked, blinking her curious, large eyes.

“Just a shoe brand~” Su Liyue explained from her bed, casually waving her magic wand to deactivate the dormitory’s magical illumination array.

It had to be said that the world of magic was indeed convenient.

Such illumination arrays not only provided soft, adjustable light but also completely negated any concerns about energy consumption or environmental impact.

Lying on Mu Wanqing’s bed, Qizai, like a wise older sister, gently stroked the girl’s beautiful hair while adding:

“Exactly, it’s a sports shoe brand, not that Imperial Uncle Liu (TL Note: Referring to Liu Bei, a prominent figure in Chinese history and literature, who was said to have started by selling straw sandals) who started out selling straw sandals~”

“Imperial Uncle Liu? Could he be royalty from the Aetherland Empire? And he started out selling straw sandals?”

Su Liyue listened, thinking, ‘This is too much of a coincidence, isn’t it?’

‘A royal family in another world also named Liu?’

‘Did the failed restoration of the Han Dynasty (TL Note: A historical period in China, referring to the Han imperial family) lead them to specifically come to another world to aid the Han Dynasty (TL Note: A historical period in China, referring to the Han imperial family)?’

‘Could there even be a Military Advisor Zhuge (TL Note: Referring to Zhuge Liang, a famous strategist from the Three Kingdoms period) in their court?’

“Qingqing, you’re overthinking it~ Imperial Uncle Liu is an important character from ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ (TL Note: A classical Chinese novel), and he has absolutely no connection to the Aetherland Empire.”

“Oh, I see~” Mu Wanqing nodded obediently, thoughtfully tucking in the corner of Qizai’s blanket before continuing to listen to her story.

Su Liyue couldn’t help but sigh in admiration: ‘As expected of a Sword Spirit, her memory is simply heaven-defying.’

‘She remembers every detail of the books she’s read, or is it simply because she loves them so much that they leave such a deep impression?’

At that moment, Qizai suddenly offered a mysterious smile.

“The next part of the story is quite interesting~ After the male protagonist discovered he had become a girl, the very first thing he did was actually…”

As Qizai vividly described the male protagonist’s curious exploration of his new body after transforming into a girl, Mu Wanqing’s cheeks immediately flushed crimson, her hands fidgeting, unsure where to rest them.

“Are… are all boys so… so perverted?”

“Shameless? Qingqing, just imagine: when a bachelor who has lived for over twenty years suddenly transforms into a beautiful, blossoming girl, such a reaction is perfectly normal.”

She winked, a mischievous grin playing on her lips as she looked at Mu Wanqing,

“It’s like if one day you suddenly became a handsome young man; would you really be able to resist studying your new form?”

As a genuine transmigrator, Su Liyue spoke with absolute confidence.

While years of adaptation had gradually familiarized her with every detail of her female body, the male consciousness deep within her soul would always remind her at opportune moments.

The soul residing within this exquisite form consistently remembered having once been a boy.

“Ugh…” Mu Wanqing instantly turned as red as a ripe apple, burying her burning face directly into Qizai’s soft chest, her voice muffled as it emerged,

“N-no way! I’m not some kind of pervert!”

Qizai’s shoulders trembled with suppressed laughter, yet she gently patted Mu Wanqing’s back, stroking her long hair as if comforting a child.

Only when the girl in her arms had calmed slightly did she clear her throat and resume narrating the bizarre yet heartwarming story in her soft, gentle voice.

***

While the girls’ dormitory was filled with warm and lively chatter, Ye Xingchen in the boys’ dormitory was having a rather miserable time.

No sooner had he finished his meditation and cultivation than Liu Yuxuan, that lively rascal, latched onto him, relentlessly pestering him for details about his romance with Su Liyue and shamelessly begging to learn some ‘ultimate pickup techniques.’

“You still want ultimate pickup techniques, kid?” Ye Xingchen rolled his eyes.

“How about I recommend you a copy of ‘The Eighteen Forms of Girl-Chasing’ (TL Note: A fictional manual on how to woo women) to study yourself?”

“The Eighteen Forms of Girl-Chasing?!” Liu Yuxuan instantly perked up, his eyes widening like those of Black Cat Detective (TL Note: A popular character from a classic Chinese animated series).

“I knew you weren’t simple, Brother Chen! You truly hide precious treasures at the bottom of your chest!”

He looked as if he were about to drool, resembling a Chinese Rural Dog (TL Note: A common, often loyal and unassuming breed of dog in China) wagging its tail, begging for scraps.

Ye Xingchen secretly groaned; where on earth would he have any pickup manuals?

Yet, seeing Liu Yuxuan’s persistent, shameless demeanor, he wondered… ‘Should I just make one up on the spot?’

“The first of the so-called Eighteen Forms of Girl-Chasing,” Ye Xingchen began, holding up a single finger with a pretense of profound wisdom,

“The most crucial aspect of pursuing a girl is sincerity. As long as you are genuinely sincere, the other person will undoubtedly feel it. If your heart isn’t true, all subsequent techniques will be useless.”

Liu Yuxuan immediately pulled out a small notebook and furiously jotted notes: “Brother Chen, slow down! I want to write down all eighteen forms! Once I learn them, maybe I can turn things around and ask out the campus belle senior, or someone similar…”

‘Campus belle senior?’ Ye Xingchen scoffed inwardly.

‘As long as he doesn’t provoke Su Liyue or Mu Wanqing, it’ll be fine; otherwise, he’ll be the one cleaning up the mess after they beat him.’

‘If Mu Wanqing ever found out that these ‘Eighteen Forms of Girl-Chasing’ originated from him… the consequences would be simply unimaginable.’

“As for the second form,” Ye Xingchen continued to fabricate, “it’s absolutely crucial not to be a scumbag, not to be fickle.”

“If you’re too much of a playboy, you’ll either end up as a ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ like Shido Itsuka (TL Note: A character from the anime ‘Date A Live,’ known for his kindness and often attracting multiple girls), or you’ll suffer the fate of Makoto (TL Note: Referring to Makoto Itou from the anime ‘School Days,’ a notoriously unfaithful character who meets a tragic end)—with the grass on your grave already three meters high (TL Note: A Chinese idiom implying someone has been dead for a very long time, or more colloquially, ‘you’re dead meat’).”

“Makoto?” Liu Yuxuan looked up while writing, his face a mask of confusion.

“Makoto is the classic negative example in the world of playboys,” Ye Xingchen explained.

“Because he slept with too many girls, he eventually ended up dismembered in a field.”

Recalling the iconic ending of ‘School Days’ (TL Note: A Japanese visual novel and anime series known for its dark and controversial ending), he couldn’t help but shiver.

While many complained that Shido Itsuka (TL Note: A character from the anime ‘Date A Live’) from ‘Date A Live’ (TL Note: A Japanese light novel and anime series) wasn’t ‘man enough,’ compared to Makoto’s fate, Shido’s choices were utterly brilliant.

“But… Brother Chen,” Liu Yuxuan suddenly interjected, “doesn’t your name also have the character ‘Chen’ in it?”

‘Holy crap!’ Ye Xingchen jolted, a shiver running through him.

‘What kind of coincidence is this?’

‘Could Heaven be hinting at something?’

Thinking of the Yaochi Saintess’s vital flying sword, he suddenly felt a chill run down his nether regions…