Click.
Not long after chatting, the door beside Su Yun opened, and a young man over 1.7 meters tall stepped out. He’d been sleeping but was woken by Grandpa’s voice. Knowing distant relatives were visiting today, he decided not to go back to bed and got up to join them for breakfast. But as he stepped out, intending to head to the bathroom, he spotted a white-haired girl.
“…”
The sight jolted the groggy boy awake. The girl was wearing a skirt and was quite pretty, catching him off guard. Which relative’s daughter was this? Why hadn’t he seen her before?
“Hm?” Su Yun, noticing the man standing still, looked up curiously.
Their eyes met for a brief moment before the boy quickly scurried away without a word.
Su Yun found the moment oddly familiar. It felt like the first time she’d met Qin Xue.
The boy was her cousin, the son of her eldest uncle. When they were kids, they used to wrestle and fight, their relationship sour. But as they grew older and matured, the fights stopped. When he visited Xiang’an City, where Su Yun’s parents worked, they even played online games together, mending their bond somewhat.
Seeing her cousin didn’t recognize her and didn’t speak, Su Yun understood. She didn’t want to say anything either—it’d be too awkward.
…
Ten minutes later, Wang Wenbing brought the father of the police chief to the house. Nine people, all Su Yun’s relatives, gathered around the table, creating a lively scene. Su Yun, dressed in white, hid beside her mother, hoping to avoid attention.
But her hopes were in vain. The main reason for this gathering was her, and the conversation—beyond talk of jobs in the city and village matters—centered on her. The word “transition” carried a negative stigma for most. Several people scolded her at once, some harshly.
If this were middle-school Su Yun, she’d likely have flipped the table in anger and stormed off, dismissing them as old-fashioned relics who had no right to judge her. But now, she knew these people were here to help, invited by her parents at great effort. She couldn’t say a word—if they left, it’d all fall apart.
Not everyone disapproved, though. Her cousin, for one, supported her. His gaze was fixed on Su Yun. Pretty girls always sparked a protective instinct, especially someone like Su Yun, who seemed like a timid younger sister.
“Dad, Grandpa, you’re all old fossils! Su Yun looks so pretty after transitioning. What’s wrong with that? If a rich guy falls for her, she’ll live better than any of you,” her cousin declared loudly, drawing every eye in the room.
Living in the village, he knew everyone—some he got along with, others not—but he spoke bluntly to all.
“Who told you to speak?”
His words successfully shifted the heat onto himself, and the elders turned their criticism toward him.
“Why can’t I speak? You’ve never left this village. Your narrow minds are why you’re hung up on this,” he shot back, unfazed.
“You!”
After a while, the room quieted down, and everyone began eating. Perhaps her cousin’s words had swayed them, or maybe they were just tired of arguing.
…
After breakfast, no one continued scolding Su Yun. Instead, they hurriedly piled into vehicles to head out. Wang Haibin drove steadily, with Su Yun and two elders in his car, while the others rode in her eldest uncle’s tricycle.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the small local police station. Su Yun’s parents rushed inside, heading straight for the chief’s office—an unusual move.
“Get out! What are you doing here?” the chief barked, not recognizing Su Fulin. His face darkened as he shouted.
But upon seeing the familiar figure, his anger vanished.
Su Fulin knew the chief but he wasn’t here to pull strings for anything illegal—just to ask for advice, speed things up, or maybe get some leniency. His explanation for Su Yun was that she’d transitioned, but the medical report was lost, and the hospital had since closed. Once her ID was updated, her gender would be female, and her name would be Su Xiaoyun.
…
…
By noon, Liu Fei, fresh off his last pre-exam class, took a bus to the hospital where Zhang Deyi was staying. He hadn’t visited earlier due to time constraints, but with classes done, he made the trip.
“Deyi, have you taken off the bandages? Can you move?”
At the hospital, Liu Fei was shocked to see Zhang Deyi nearly bandage-free, looking almost back to normal.
“Of course! I’m getting discharged next week. If my mom didn’t stop me, I’d be back at school now,” Zhang Deyi said, his spirits high. He was eager to return to campus life. Lying in bed playing on his phone for weeks was beyond boring.
“The exam materials are on WeChat Work. Make sure you check them,” Liu Fei said, briefing Zhang Deyi on exam dates and online submission platforms. He also shared recent events, including how Su Yun had helped him find a girlfriend.
“Damn, nice! I’m stuck in a hospital, and you’re out getting a girlfriend,” Zhang Deyi teased. “Was I holding you back or what?”
“Pfft.”
“You and Su Yun are tight, right? Why don’t you ask her to hook you up? Didn’t you say at the start of the semester you were dying to date?” Liu Fei prodded, shifting to Zhang Deyi’s love life.
Their friendship was solid.
“Study hard. Who’s got time for dating?”
Zhang Deyi’s eyes were resolute, his conviction as strong as if he were pledging to a cause, his heart full of nothing but duty.
“…”
Seeing such determination, Liu Fei didn’t push. Maybe a girl like Chen Tingting had turned Zhang Deyi completely indifferent to romance.
But he had another reason for visiting—an important question for Zhang Deyi.
“By the way, have you ever noticed Su Yun getting… more feminine?”
“At the school sports meet sign-in, I had this weird feeling, like she was becoming girlier. Even her body seemed smaller. Do you ever get that vibe?” Liu Fei asked, voicing his unease.
Su Yun’s petite frame had started to feel oddly feminine to him.
“Hm? Why’re you asking that?”
Zhang Deyi frowned at Liu Fei’s sudden question.
“She does seem shorter…”
He thought back, realizing it started around a certain time.
“Oh, when she wore that hat!”
Zhang Deyi clapped his hands, feeling like he’d cracked it, but then shrugged it off as unimportant.
“What’s the matter? Yun Bro already snagged a rich, beautiful girl and became a success. Who cares about height?”
“Sure, but… Deyi, check this out.”
Liu Fei mysteriously fished something from his pocket. Soon, a few long, white strands of hair emerged—too long to belong to a guy.
“?!”
The familiar hair made Zhang Deyi’s eyes widen. He’d recognize it anywhere—it was identical to his goddess’s.
“Where’d you get this?”
Zhang Deyi grew anxious, lightly shaking Liu Fei’s shoulders. It couldn’t have been picked up in the boys’ dorm, could it? Did his goddess have a boyfriend?
“Uh, found it on Su Yun’s bed. During this week’s big dorm cleanup, I checked her spot,” Liu Fei said, handing the hair to Zhang Deyi. He knew it resembled that girl’s hair.
“What, Yun Bro?”
In that moment, holding the hair, Zhang Deyi’s mind raced. A wild, improbable idea formed.
Su Yun—not just with the campus beauty but also his perfect, untouchable Snow White?
Two-timing?!
(End of Chapter)