A Peculiar Transformation

Despite the apparent normalcy of the situation, Zhou Yi’s steps grew progressively slower.

His own reflection had, admittedly, grown more agreeable of late; he often found himself stealing extra glances in the mirror. Yet, how many times had this *happened* today?

From Chen Hao’s sleepy shout of “Beauty” to the “brown sugar ginger tea” offered by the nurse, and then the doctor’s casual remark about “young girls nowadays”—slowly, these disparate fragments began to coalesce into a coherent, unsettling picture in his mind.

One after another, they were perceiving him as female. Even he, despite his usual obliviousness, could no longer dismiss this as mere coincidence.

The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt.

He had certainly done nothing out of the ordinary recently. No cosmetic surgery, no elaborate skincare routines, no whitening treatments, and definitely no ‘heaven-defying’ aesthetic procedures.

So why had his skin quality suddenly improved?

With all other possibilities eliminated, the truth… could only be one!

The culprit was…

‘Xiao Cai!’ Zhou Yi bellowed mentally.

[……]

“Playing dead, are we?”

[Ding dong~ Your dearest is here~ Just a tiny signal delay~ What can this player do for you~]

“Stop trying to be cute. I’m asking you, what’s going on with my body?”

[Xiao Cai cluck-clucks, I have no idea~]

“You ‘cluck-cluck, I have no idea’?” Zhou Yi was almost laughing from sheer exasperation.

[Dearest, the system is only responsible for mission-related anomalies~ We speculate the player’s current state is due to adolescent hormonal fluctuations.]

“My adolescence ended years ago!”

[It could be… evolution?]

“Evolution, my ass! Do you think I’m a Pokémon?”

[……]

“Playing dead again?”

[Ding dong~ The system’s current network environment is unstable. Please try again later, dearest~]

“Weren’t you ‘cluck-clucking’ quite cheerfully just a moment ago?”

[The language module is locally cached and unaffected by the current network.]

“So what is this now? Selective disconnection?”

[Dearest, you’ve misunderstood~ It’s just that for physical conditions outside the scope of missions, the system truly doesn’t know~]

“Why aren’t you being cute anymore?”

[Friendly reminder: The system is about to enter maintenance mode. Players are advised to rest, maintain emotional stability, and ensure physical and mental well-being~]

“Maintenance at this hour? Who are you trying to fool?”

[……Under maintenance……]

“Fine.”

“Just great.”

Zhou Yi instantly regretted opening his mouth.

Engaging in a verbal spar with an AI that spoke in officialese and was adept at shirking responsibility was, he realized, a complete waste of time.

To rely on this unreliable system, full of empty promises, felt less trustworthy than simply believing in science.

He resolved to find time soon, no matter what, to make an appointment at the hospital and get a thorough check-up, truly understanding what exactly was happening.

However, just as he made up his mind, a wave of dizziness assailed him without warning.

“Tsk.”

He had no choice but to halt all his thoughts, leaning against the nearest wall, waiting for the spell of vertigo to pass.

This sudden physiological reaction truly took a toll on him. Only after he had recovered his bearings did he slowly make his way back to the classroom.

Jiang Chen had just tossed his empty milk tea cup into the bin when he turned to see Zhou Yi swaying unsteadily back to his seat.

“How was it? What did the doctor say?”

Zhou Yi had just mustered his spirits to reply when he remembered the absurd conversation about menstrual precautions. His face darkened instantly.

He scratched his cheek evasively, his gaze flickering. “They just prescribed some medicine. I’ll be fine after a couple of days.”

Hearing the guilt in his tone, Jiang Chen’s brows furrowed even deeper. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely! Perfectly fine, I tell you!”

“Holy crap!” Chen Hao, seeing Zhou Yi’s unnaturally pale face, made a dramatic show of almost crying. “Brother Yi, don’t tell me… are you actually on your period?”

Zhou Yi snatched up his textbook, ready to hurl it.

“My ass!”

“Brother Yi, aren’t I just concerned about you?” Chen Hao yelled back, dodging. “You’re just sitting there, pale as a ghost… looking like, well, you’re deficient in qi and blood!”

“Say that I’m weak again, I dare you!”

“Students in the back row,” the teacher tapped the podium, “do you need a separate discussion room?”

Chen Hao quickly shrank back into his seat, but not before audaciously adding a quiet, final jab. “Brother Yi, if you really are on your period, I promise to make you brown sugar water every day.”

“Is your KPI today to seek death?” Zhou Yi was thoroughly provoked. The old score from losing so many games last night hadn’t even been settled, and this guy dared to walk right into the line of fire.

Fine. He had originally intended to let Chen Hao off the hook out of brotherly affection. But since he was so eager to suffer…

He pulled out his phone from his pocket, his expression blank, and directly opened a popular orange-themed shopping app.

His fingers flew across the screen, selecting, ordering, and paying for all the items in his shopping cart that he had been reluctant to inflict on his ‘little brother’ Chen Hao, all in one fluid motion.

Having completed his task, he put down his phone and turned to Chen Hao, revealing an unusually warm smile.

Chen Hao shuddered violently. “Brother Yi, your sudden benevolent smile frightens me…”

“It’s nothing,” Zhou Yi said brightly, tucking his phone back into his pocket. “I just suddenly feel refreshed, and the world is truly beautiful.”

“I heard mood swings are common during periods…” Chen Hao mumbled softly.

Zhou Yi, far from being angered, chuckled at this. He pulled out his phone again, pressing the screen directly in front of Chen Hao’s eyes.

“Since you’re so concerned about my physiological health,” Zhou Yi said, gently draping an arm over Chen Hao’s stiff shoulder and lowering his voice, “these thoughtful little gifts will arrive tomorrow. Remember to wear them to class.”

Chen Hao stared at the maid outfit, complete with lace trim and cat ear headband, and immediately pressed his hands together in supplication. “Dad, I was wrong…”

“Only now do you recognize your dad?” Zhou Yi said, affectionately adjusting Chen Hao’s collar. “The sports meet on Friday needs a cheerleader, and I think your temperament is quite suitable.”

“Brother Yi… this will ruin my tough guy image…”

“How so?” Zhou Yi said, helpfully zooming in on the product details page. “Just look how those ruffles complement your skin tone, and the skirt hem will perfectly showcase the results of your diligent squats.”

The two teachers at the back, who had paused their board writing, slowly turned around. “Given your engrossed discussion,” one remarked, “I presume you have innovative insights into the oligopoly model? Perhaps you’d like to stand up and share them with the class?”

A wave of suppressed laughter rippled through the entire class.

Zhou Yi.

Chen Hao.

Jiang Chen shook his head helplessly, looking at the two childish fools beside him who had perfectly stepped on a landmine.

Chen Hao, singled out by the teacher, immediately ducked his head, feigning compliance. Yet, he couldn’t resist stealing another glance at Zhou Yi, and the more he observed, the deeper his astonishment grew.

Most striking was Zhou Yi’s overall skin condition. While never dark, his skin now possessed a translucent, delicate quality, his very profile emanating a soft halo in the window light.

Furthermore, during their playful banter earlier that morning, he had distinctly sensed an anomaly. Brother Yi’s voice, it seemed, had been subtly re-tuned. It had shed some of its usual deep hoarseness, gaining instead a clearer, more luminous quality. If he had to describe it, it carried a certain softness.

Androgynous? Or perhaps… a sophisticated woman?

The more he pondered, the colder the sensation grew on the back of his neck.

But these changes were so glaringly obvious—why were others so utterly oblivious?

Weren’t the girls in class the most observant of such things? Was he the only one who had noticed?

And Jiang Chen, that guy, ate, lived, and slept in the same room as Brother Yi every single day. Could he truly not have found anything strange?

He swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat. If his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, then… the Brother Yi before him wasn’t the original Brother Yi at all.