Chapter 6: The Unexpected Transformation

My fists clenched, hard!

Never in her wildest dreams had Zhou Ruoyu imagined she would one day crave to utterly obliterate that damned ‘little she-devil’…

Damn it all, it was this cursed hint system that hadn’t explained itself properly! The text was inherently vague; how was she supposed to know that after making a suggestion, she’d actually have to *complete* the accursed task?

It was like an unreasonable, obnoxious brat, leveraging its innocent appearance to dance provocatively before her, threatening to pull a schoolbag alarm. It made her want to spank it right then and there!

But the problem was, this ‘little she-devil’ didn’t even have a physical form! Damn it!

Ugh…

Helpless, the long-haired loli slumped entirely. After a long, long while, Zhou Ruoyu finally managed to calm her turbulent emotions. Yet, the young girl’s heart remained in utter turmoil, incessantly grappling with a single question.

‘Should I… really go find Gu Jiachen?’

‘Approach… my enemy?’

****

Zhou Ruoyu fretfully ran her fingers through her smooth, long hair, then collapsed weakly onto her bed. As she pondered, her thoughts grew increasingly agitated. It seemed Gu Jiachen was not her only source of distress; even more critically…

‘She had actually transformed into a beautiful girl, utterly unrelated to her former self!’

A sharp intake of breath.

True, the body of this long-haired loli was undeniably so adorable it stirred Zhou Ruoyu’s heart; she even felt she might faint from cuteness simply by looking in a mirror. Yet, for the first two decades of her life, she had lived as a grown man.

Zhou Ruoyu was virtually clueless about all the basic daily knowledge a typical girl possessed. At best, she might glean a few limited insights from Gu Xue. After all, if she were to genuinely ask Gu Xue certain questions, she would likely only be met with impatience and disdain.

So… what was she to do next? Having taken on this appearance, she was essentially a ghost, unrecognized by relatives and friends alike. Moreover, under Gu Xue’s strict supervision, she had no social connections to speak of. How, then, was she… how was she to survive?

It was a truly profound and daunting question. Upon reflection, she realized even finding a job would be difficult. This petite, delicate body seemed utterly incapable of any strenuous physical labor. As for working in the service industry, that would be… that would be the death of her, a social recluse.

Ah, ah, ah…

After a long moment, the long-haired loli, still sprawled on the bed, stretched out her legs. Then, with a despondent flick of her head, she felt she was on the verge of giving up the struggle entirely. It wasn’t until a while later, prompted by the urgency in her bladder, that Zhou Ruoyu finally rose from the bed, slipped into the bathroom, pulled down her panties, and… stood before the toilet, about to relieve…

‘Wait a minute—!’

Zhou Ruoyu suddenly snapped to attention. ‘No, no, no, that’s not right! How do girls pee again? Is it… is it sitting or squatting? Wait—’

Ugh…

‘It’s too late.’

The long-haired loli, on the verge of tears, cast a glance at her slender, pale legs, then silently turned around, turned on the showerhead, and promptly shifted her objective…

A shower!

Then… the young girl encountered another new problem!

‘How do girls wash their hair? Especially hair this long, reaching down to their waist? And what about… that new part that just appeared on my body, how do I deal with that, ugh—’

Ah, ah, ah, ah—!

****

After two hours of relentless effort, Zhou Ruoyu held the hairdryer, helplessly blowing at her stubbornly damp mass of long hair, gradually sinking into a state of profound self-isolation.

Her phone’s search history, displayed on the table, included queries like ‘how girls use the toilet,’ ‘how girls wash long hair,’ and ‘when girls get their period,’ among a myriad of other questions. After half a day of meticulous research, Zhou Ruoyu promptly flopped onto the sofa, sinking into an even deeper state of self-isolation.

‘It’s utterly, utterly impossible… I simply can’t adapt to this body…’

“Ugh, Little Hint-chan, I beg you, please change me back, I’m begging you… If I stay like this any longer, I’ll truly go crazy. Please, I’m begging you…”

The long-haired loli, her face streaked with tears, hugged her flushed knees, speaking in a pitiful tone. A moment later, the slightly apologetic voice of the ‘little she-devil’ hint system resounded in the air.

[Oh… I-I’m sorry, you lowly host-chan, I truly didn’t expect you’d be so unadaptable, cough, cough… However, don’t lose heart! There *is* a way to change back! Please, lowly host-chan, mentally chant ‘Open Shop’!]

“Hmm?”

Upon hearing there was a way to change back, Zhou Ruoyu instantly sat up, electrified. Not only did she revive to full health in a second, but she even had the leisure to grumble and retort:

“Nonsense! Who, after living for over twenty years, could suddenly switch genders and adapt to it?! Honestly…”

Following this, the young girl, remarkably obedient, mentally chanted, ‘[Open Shop!]’ instantly. A colossal holographic screen suddenly materialized in the air before her, emblazoned with four large characters as its title.

[Hint Shop]

Zhou Ruoyu promptly gazed downwards. The layout of this ‘thing’ resembled a shop from an online game, featuring some fixed slots and others that seemed to refresh daily. Each slot displayed an item, beneath which was also marked… a price?

As Zhou Ruoyu felt her eyes glaze over slightly, the ‘little she-devil’ hint system spoke again, introducing it to the young girl:

“The items offered here are incredibly powerful and diverse! For instance, lowly host-chan, look at the third item in the fixed slots—that’s the gender-reversal potion you want. Just drink it, and you can change back into a boy! It only costs one hundred thousand ‘Success Points’ to redeem!”

Zhou Ruoyu immediately gasped, then tilted her head, inquiring, “How do I get these ‘Success Points’? By watching ads?”

“N-No, no! While this hint system’s icon might be a bit rustic, it’s genuinely not some shoddy mini-program! Cough, cough. As long as you, lowly host, frequently seek help from this hint system and complete tasks according to its suggestions, you’ll earn ‘Success Points’ as rewards. For example, your first task’s reward, the Newbie Gift Pack, contains ten thousand ‘Success Points’! And the total rewards don’t even stop there! So, what do you think? Lowly host, do you feel the power of this hint system now?”

“Uh… I-I feel it… I guess?”

‘The long-haired loli actually wanted to retort, ‘Can’t you just change me back directly?’

However, she supposed such a supernatural entity wouldn’t simply grant her wishes without effort. Zhou Ruoyu could only carefully read the item description for the gender-reversal potion in the shop, then pinched her chin, silently beginning her calculations.

‘Hmm, if following one suggestion grants ten thousand ‘Success Points,’ then I’d probably need to complete about ten tasks to change back, right?’

‘That doesn’t seem difficult at all! Because the long-haired loli could tap that lightbulb to trigger suggestions at any time, meaning she had complete control over when tasks appeared. Efficiency wouldn’t be an issue at all!’

‘Well… there’s just one problem, it seems, and that is…’

‘The suggestions this hint system gives seem a bit… unorthodox. And if I don’t complete them, there’ll be a penalty…’