An Unforeseen Turn of Events

The sun was steadily brightening, and though it was barely April, summer seemed intent on making an early appearance.

Inside the small rental room, nestled in the outer suburban ring of the provincial capital, a noticeable warmth had already settled. Bai Jin gazed at the schedule on his desk, a dull ache throbbing in his head.

[Money to be earned during this period:

1. Six months’ worth of debt repayment

2. A better computer and graphics tablet

3. Tuition fees for the Provincial Art University

4. If successfully admitted, at least six months’ living expenses and other costs in the provincial capital’s city center.]

“This is too difficult,” the young man sighed softly. “Where am I supposed to find so much money?”

He was only nineteen this year, and by all rights, he shouldn’t be shouldering such a heavy burden. Yet, life was unpredictable. A few years prior, a series of misfortunes had struck his family, and his parents had fallen gravely ill. The entire family had sold off their assets, leaving their small city to seek medical treatment in the provincial capital.

At that time, Bai Jin had just started high school, an art student dedicated to painting, and he had taken a prolonged leave of absence. However, his parents’ condition had later taken a sharp turn for the worse, leaving Bai Jin with no choice but to withdraw from school entirely. He devoted himself to their care at the hospital, utilizing his sparse free moments to practice drawing in a quiet corner of the hospital.

Despite his strenuous efforts, last winter, his gravely ill parents had passed away, leaving Bai Jin utterly alone and burdened with a portion of their debts.

The debts, in themselves, weren’t the primary concern. Bai Jin had honed his artistic skills quite well, allowing him to accept commissions online for custom illustrations. The income was sufficient to sustain his solitary life and to make timely payments on a portion of the debt, none of which presented significant pressure.

The main issue, however, was…

“There are still about three or four months until August,” he mused, “and I’m not sure if I need to start earlier.”

Bai Jin gazed through the window, his eyes fixed in the direction of the provincial capital’s city center, though he could see nothing but the distant haze.

The rental room in the outer suburbs was far from ideal, and the rent wasn’t particularly cheap either. The reason Bai Jin still ‘clung’ to this city was because it housed the finest art university, a place he had always dreamed of attending.

However, having dropped out shortly after starting high school, and thus not having gone through the Gaokao (TL Note: China’s national college entrance examination) process, gaining admission to the Provincial Art University would require a considerable sum of money.

‘What was he to do?’

Just then, his phone’s QQ app displayed a highlighted message. In the “Lily Garden” QQ group, an administrator had posted an @all message.

‘Lily Garden, huh…’

As the name suggested, this was a small group for Yuri (TL Note: A Japanese genre of media focusing on romantic relationships between female characters) enthusiasts. Bai Jin’s presence in the group, beyond a slight personal interest, was primarily because members often sought his services, commissioning custom Yuri illustrations or webtoons.

He had heard of the administrator who posted the @all message. She was a well-known ‘Bai Fumei’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term referring to a wealthy, fair-skinned, and beautiful woman) young lady, famous both within the group and the wider circle. Her nickname was “Eylla.”

[Eylla: @everyone, ladies in the group, anyone interested in a short-term gig to earn some extra cash?]

With the young lady’s name attached, her casual remarks in the group usually garnered immediate responses. This time was no exception.

[What, what’s going on?]

[Sis La, what kind of extra cash?]

[Waiting for details.]

[Eylla: Nothing major. Thanks to my recommendation, a friend of mine wants to experience what it’s like to be in a Yuri relationship. Any ladies interested in being her temporary girlfriend for a few days? I should warn you, you’ll need to act like a real girlfriend.]

[Ah, this.]

[That exciting, huh?]

Among the multitude of members simply watching the spectacle, someone swiftly grasped the crucial detail—

[Sis La, is your friend in real life from *your* circle?]

The young lady understood her meaning and replied directly: [Yes, exactly as you’re thinking, a rich madam. And don’t worry, she’s exceptionally beautiful.]

The ladies in the group instantly perked up, their minds buzzing with possibility.

[That good? I can try.]

[Money isn’t important, mainly I just want to let the young lady experience true beauty.]

However, a few shrewd individuals among the members typed out their questions: [Does that young lady have any requirements?]

[Eylla: Yes, and they’re very strict. She needs to be very beautiful herself – to put it simply, good looks, fair skin, large chest, long legs, slender waist… In any case, any ladies who are interested and confident, send me a message for an interview.]

The requirements were indeed high, and many in the group recoiled. Yet, a few, driven by a ‘what if’ attitude, opened private chats, causing the group to instantly become much quieter.

Bai Jin quietly closed his phone and let out a sigh.

‘Earning extra cash, how wonderful.’

‘Too bad it has nothing to do with me,’ he thought. ‘I’m just an ordinary otaku.’

‘I should just go to bed early,’ he decided. ‘Wake up early tomorrow and figure out how to make some money.’

After washing up, he lay down. As his eyes closed, a hazy thought drifted through Bai Jin’s mind—

‘Why am I not a beautiful girl with good looks, fair skin, a large chest, long legs, and a slender waist?’

Zzz

After the young man drifted into slumber, a shooting star seemed to streak across the night sky. Unfortunately, thick, hazy clouds obscured most of its light, leaving it unnoticed by anyone.

Some incredible changes were quietly unfolding.

The figure covered by the bedsheets slowly shrank, gradually becoming delicate and petite, outlining a graceful curve.

Documents kept in the desk drawer had their signatures altered by a few strokes. Even the ID card had several numbers changed, along with the original name.

“Bai Jin” had vanished. The new name on the ID card was “Bai Jingjing.”

The small rental room remained quiet and serene; only the sound of breathing had grown shallower, and the air seemed to carry a faint, pleasant fragrance.

The night quietly passed.

In the provincial capital, April’s sun had risen by seven o’clock. Its rays pierced through the rental room’s curtains, casting light upon the floor.

The air in the room had grown somewhat stifling, and Bai Jingjing found it a little difficult to breathe.

Her chest felt incredibly heavy, as if something was pressing down on it, making it hard to draw a full breath.

Still groggy and without opening her eyes, she instinctively reached a small hand into the blanket to feel around.

Something was indeed pressing down on her chest—a large, soft mass.

‘Hmm, it’s a bit soft,’ she thought. ‘But it’s making it hard to breathe. I need to push it away quickly and catch some more sleep.’

She pushed, but it wouldn’t budge.

She applied a little more force, felt a slight ache, and quickly released her hand. ‘Hey, guess what?’ she thought, ‘It sprang right back!’

This sensation was as if it were a part of her own body.

‘Wait, part of my body?’

Bai Jingjing finally realized something was terribly wrong. She abruptly opened her eyes, threw off the blanket, and with a surge of effort, sat upright.

‘This isn’t right,’ she thought. ‘My strength has diminished. Even sitting up is incredibly difficult. My body feels so heavy… Or, to be more precise, my chest feels incredibly heavy.’

A young girl with beautiful cherry-blossom white hair sat on the small bed, her adorable face filled with utter bewilderment.

Her wine-red eyes blinked, a thoughtful expression on her face, before she slowly lowered her gaze.

“W-wait—!”

She was so stunned by her own appearance that she felt a little dizzy, swaying precariously before collapsing back onto the bed.

‘Calm down, just calm down for a moment,’ she told herself. ‘Don’t panic. This problem is too big. The more I panic, the more useless I’ll be.’

****