Chapter 83: The Lingering Aftermath and a Brother’s Plea

Su Mian returned to her small rented apartment. She locked the door behind her and leaned back against the cold panel, finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

Kicking off her shoes, she padded barefoot across the cool floor, her first instinct to head straight for the bathroom.

Hot water gushed from the tap, quickly filling the room with a hazy steam.

Su Mian stood before the mirror, gazing at her reflection. Her cheeks still bore a faint flush, and her eyes held an inexplicable flutter.

She took a deep breath before reaching to unfasten the binder that had constrained her all day. As the tight fabric peeled away, an indescribable sense of liberation, mixed with a subtle sting, washed over her.

She couldn’t help but hiss softly, looking down to see several distinct red marks imprinted on her pale skin, a truly startling sight.

She sighed helplessly. The binder had been far too tight and uncomfortable throughout the day.

The warm stream of water cascaded over her body, momentarily washing away some of her fatigue and tension. Su Mian closed her eyes, letting the water glide across her skin.

Yet, her mind involuntarily began replaying the day’s events. She recalled how, while drunk, she had leaned against Xiao Moyuan without a care, sleeping soundly.

Then, in the extreme terror of the haunted house, she had clutched onto Xiao Moyuan, crying. Finally, he had carried her out in that utterly mortifying position, escorting her through the darkness.

Scene after scene flashed through her mind. Especially when she thought of herself crying and embracing him, and the steady sensation of being held securely in his arms, Su Mian’s cheeks began to flush again, unconsciously.

Even her body, being rinsed by the hot water, seemed to soften further, as a strange, tingling warmth subtly spread through her limbs.

She shook her head, attempting to dispel these unsettling images. Yet, she couldn’t help but recall Lu Yang’s favorable assessment of Xiao Moyuan.

Upon closer reflection, Xiao Moyuan… didn’t seem as detestable as she had initially imagined.

She remembered when she first enrolled, fueled by her obsession with Shen Zhixia and her admiration for the ‘campus heartthrob.’ She had deemed Xiao Moyuan an arrogant braggart, relying solely on his family background and good looks.

Back then, he hadn’t even bothered to give her a proper glance, his eyes always holding a distant, faint coldness.

But now? He would calmly converse with her. He tolerated her leaning on him when she was drunk. He appeared immediately when she was in danger.

He offered clumsy but effective comfort when she cried out in fear. Even after her almost ‘threatening’ nonsense, he hadn’t truly held it against her, instead showing a silence that bordered on indulgence.

This change was subtle, yet undeniably palpable. When had it begun?

‘Perhaps… I knew too little about him before, and my prejudice was too deep?’ she murmured to herself, water droplets tracing paths down her damp hair.

‘Once all this is over… if I turn back into a boy, could I try to be normal friends with him, just as Lu Yang suggested?’

No sooner had the thought surfaced than she dismissed it herself. Setting aside whether Xiao Moyuan would be furious upon learning the truth, her own shame and guilt from all her ‘messy business’ would be enough to make her want to crawl into a hole every time she saw him.

Moreover, she possessed that damnable constitution, where one drink could potentially expose everything to Xiao Moyuan. Most importantly, could she truly face Xiao Moyuan as ‘Su Mian’ without any reservations?

Su Mian suddenly realized that, at some unknown point, the Xiao Moyuan in her heart was no longer the worthless, ‘show-off’ scoundrel Lu Yang described, nor the aloof, unapproachable, cold figure she had initially imagined.

The intense desire to thoroughly retaliate against Xiao Moyuan, to make him suffer unbearable pain, to experience unrequited love and profound agony, had unconsciously faded a great deal.

In fact… she found herself somewhat unwilling to see Xiao Moyuan fall deeply in love.

Because the more Xiao Moyuan came to like ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow,’ the greater the guilt she, as ‘Su Mian,’ would feel when standing before him in the future, stemming from her deception.

‘What am I even thinking!’

Su Mian sharply slapped her own cheek, trying to use the slight pain to shock herself back to reason.

‘Shen Zhixia hasn’t changed her mind yet! My plan isn’t complete!’

Right! The plan!

The original plan was to make Shen Zhixia see Xiao Moyuan’s ‘true colors,’ let him taste the bitterness of unrequited love, thereby win back Shen Zhixia’s heart, and then turn back into a boy herself, wasn’t it?

After all, it was a fact that Xiao Moyuan was currently in an online relationship with ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow,’ yet he maintained a close proximity to Shen Zhixia.

‘As a friend, Xiao Moyuan is acceptable, but as a romantic partner, he’s a bit of a scoundrel.’

She just needed to stick to the original plan. Once she successfully transformed back into a boy, she could then find a way to slowly compensate Xiao Moyuan for her transgressions.

Though, she herself didn’t even know how to make amends.

Carrying this complex, inexpressible mood, Su Mian hastily finished her shower. She dried herself, changed into comfortable loungewear, and settled into bed.

Yet, as if resigned to her fate, she picked up her phone and skillfully switched to the ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow’ WeChat account. Her fingertips hovered over the screen for a moment before she began composing a message.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Big Brother~ It’s another day I can’t sleep because I’m thinking of you! (Little cat rolling.jpg)]

After sending the message, she waited with a touch of nervousness. She barely had to wait long before her phone vibrated.

[Yuan: Why are you contacting me so late today?]

Su Mian pursed her lips, her fingers dancing across the keys.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Oh dear, I was a little busy today~ (Aggrieved face.jpg)]

She secretly grumbled to herself: ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow’ didn’t accompany you, but ‘Su Mian’ was truly with you for most of the day.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Big Brother, where did you go during the National Day holiday? Did you miss me?]

She deliberately guided the conversation.

[Yuan: Hmm, I went to KTV with friends, and a haunted house.]

The reply was concise and to the point.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Hmph! Friends? There must have been many pretty girls! (Hands on hips angry.jpg)]

[Yuan: There were quite a few people, and indeed, there were girls present.]

Su Mian looked at this message, almost able to imagine Xiao Moyuan’s indifferent expression at that moment. She continued to play the role of the jealous girlfriend.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: A place like a haunted house… Big Brother must have protected many scared girls, showing off your skills, right?]

On the other end, Xiao Moyuan chuckled as he read the message. ‘This little fox really knows how to ask the obvious.’

[Yuan: I didn’t interact much with them. But I did witness a boy who was scared to tears, which was quite interesting.]

Su Mian: “…”

An intense surge of curiosity rose within her, uncontrollable—how exactly did Xiao Moyuan view ‘Su Mian’?

She hesitated again, then, with a self-destructive mindset, carefully typed out a message, attempting to belittle ‘Su Mian’ to probe his true thoughts.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Ah? A boy actually cried from being scared? How lame, Big Brother. Do you think such boys are useless, or even a little… disgusting?]

After sending the message, her heart began to pound uncontrollably, and her fingertips grew slightly cold. It was a fear she didn’t even want to delve into or admit—the fear of hearing Xiao Moyuan express disgust for ‘Su Mian.’

[Yuan: He is pretty lame.]

Those four short words made Su Mian’s heart plummet, and a clear flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes, uncontrollable.

‘See? I knew it…’

However, the very next message popped up immediately.

[Yuan: But I don’t find him disgusting. Although he’s sometimes a bit slow-witted, impulsive, and clumsy, his nature is quite frank and not annoying. Relatively speaking, at least he’s not tiring.]

Her plummeting spirits instantly soared from rock bottom. An indescribable lightness and a tiny thrill spread through her heart. She even unconsciously pouted, softly retorting to the phone screen: “Hmph! You’re the clumsy one! You’re the slow-witted one! You haven’t even discovered my identity, and you have the nerve to call me dumb…”

[Yuan: However, I did discover something interesting.]

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: What’s interesting, Big Brother? (Curious)]

[Yuan: The necklace that boy who cried from fear was wearing around his neck, it’s identical to the one I gave you.]

Her recently relaxed nerves instantly tightened again.

!!!

Su Mian felt her heart skip a beat at that moment, then accelerate wildly, her entire body filled with unease and tension. She forced herself to resist the urge to immediately turn off her phone, her fingers trembling as she typed a reply.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: R-really? What a coincidence… (Sweating)]

No, she couldn’t continue this topic!

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Ah, Big Brother, I suddenly feel so sleepy. I’m a bit tired today and want to go to bed! Goodnight, mwah!]

Xiao Moyuan smiled.

Even through the screen, he could distinctly sense the little fox’s guilt and nervousness. She was probably tossing and turning in bed, clutching her phone, her face pale with fright.

He calmly continued to send messages.

[Yuan: You just said you couldn’t sleep because you were thinking of me, and now you’re in a hurry to go to bed?]

[Yuan: There are still a few days left in the National Day holiday. Since neither of us has anything planned, how about we meet up tomorrow?]

Su Mian rejected him immediately without thinking.

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: No, Big Brother! I won’t be going on a date with you this National Day. I plan to go home for a visit! (Dutiful)]

[Sweetheart Marshmallow: Anyway, our schools are so close. Once the holiday ends, we can meet anytime on the weekends~ (Pouting)]

She had to refuse. If they went on a date during the National Day holiday, Xiao Moyuan would surely notice she wasn’t wearing the necklace, and she would have no way to explain if he questioned her.

More importantly, after today’s emotional turmoil, she found herself somewhat resistant to further ‘dates’ and emotional advancement with Xiao Moyuan as ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow.’

Judging by Xiao Moyuan and Shen Zhixia’s interactions today, there didn’t seem to be the intense feelings she had imagined between them.

This made her vaguely feel that her initial plan—to make Xiao Moyuan fall madly in love with Sweetheart Marshmallow, thereby sabotaging his relationship with Shen Zhixia—

The plan to turn back into a boy seemed to be just a hair’s breadth away from final success. And this also meant… that her identity as ‘Sweetheart Marshmallow’ might soon be coming to an end.

The thought of completely bidding farewell to this identity suddenly left Su Mian feeling a little choked up.

***

Two days later, N University’s campus festival began. The entire campus was immersed in a festive and lively atmosphere.

Various club stalls began their small operations. Joyful music, enticing food aromas, and bustling chatter intertwined, brimming with youthful vitality.

Su Mian had a somewhat introverted personality and hadn’t joined any clubs after enrolling. Therefore, she didn’t have to arrive early like other club members to busy herself with preparations.

It wasn’t until the afternoon that she slowly ambled to school, intending to simply soak in the atmosphere. Near the basketball court, she encountered Lu Yang, who had just finished a game.

Lu Yang, being a sports specialist, was naturally a key member of the sports club. At this moment, he was drenched in sweat, his jersey soaked through, leaning on his knees and panting heavily.

Catching sight of Su Mian, his eyes lit up, and he weakly waved a hand. “Mianzi! You’re finally here! Your Brother Lu is about to collapse from exhaustion!”

Su Mian walked over and handed him an unopened bottle of water: “I didn’t ask you to join the club. Why come so early? Here’s some water.”

Lu Yang took the water, guzzled half the bottle, then let out a long sigh. “You’re the best!”

Su Mian asked, “Where are Xia and Qin Xuan?”

“Xia seems to have taken a leave today and didn’t come. As for that bookworm, Old Qin, he’s definitely holed up in the library again.”

Su Mian nodded, acknowledging his words. Lu Yang fanned himself with his hand, then leaned closer to Su Mian, his face suddenly adopting an extremely serious expression. “Mianzi, I have a question for you, bro.”

Su Mian: “Boss Lu, why are you suddenly so serious? Between us brothers, just say what’s on your mind.”

“Alright then!”

Lu Yang slapped his thigh, his gaze intently fixed on her. “Do you think our bond is strong or not?”

Su Mian answered without hesitation: “It absolutely is! Solid as iron!”

“Good!”

Lu Yang seemed to have made a huge decision. He rubbed his hands together, a rare look of awkwardness and embarrassment surfacing on his face. “Then… this brother has a very important matter now, and I want to ask for your help. Can… can you promise me?”

Seeing his demeanor, Su Mian put away her playful thoughts and seriously said: “Boss Lu, just say it. As long as it’s within my capabilities, I’ll definitely help you!”

Lu Yang’s eyes instantly lit up. “Really? You promise?”

Su Mian: “First tell me what it is!”

Lu Yang chuckled, a hint of flattery and difficulty in his voice, and whispered: “It’s just… uh… I have another crucial match later, one that concerns our club’s honor and my personal dignity! So… so…”

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and quickly blurted out: “So, could you wear a female disguise to cheer me on?”

Su Mian: “???”