A Strategic Disguise

Jiang Chen turned his head at the opportune moment, his gaze calmly settling on her eyes, which were filled with questions. He began to analyze the situation methodically.

“Think about it,” he reasoned. “Normal people visit a café either for a quick business meeting or to work in solitude, enjoying a peaceful moment. But for those like us, seeking an ‘immersive experience,’ staying for hours without any legitimate purpose…”

He narrowed his brows slightly, his expression exceedingly serious as he continued, “It’s likely to draw undue attention from the owner, and even… it could distort our observation of the environment.”

Zhou Yi’s thoughts were effortlessly swayed by his words.

‘It… it does seem to make some sense,’ she mused. Two grown men sitting idle, sipping coffee and glancing around, would indeed be quite conspicuous.

What she failed to realize was the sheer magnitude of the flaw within that very assumption of being “conspicuous.”

“So, what… what should we do?” Her train of thought had been thoroughly led astray by Jiang Chen.

This was precisely the question Jiang Chen had been anticipating.

He halted, then turned, facing Zhou Yi directly.

The sunlight streamed from behind him, casting a faint golden halo around his silhouette. Yet, the backlight softened his features, leaving only his eyes remarkably clear, shining with a bright, undeniable certainty.

He leaned in slightly, drawing nearer. His voice, lowered, held a subtle, almost seductive magnetism.

“Simple,” he stated.

“We’ll pretend to be a couple.”

Zhou Yi’s eyes instantly widened, and she froze in place, utterly forgetting to breathe.

“Cou- couple?!”

Her face felt flushed with heat. She couldn’t help but wonder if Jiang Chen knew something, something about her.

Jiang Chen, however, had already straightened up, resuming his calm and dependable demeanor. He even nodded gravely, bolstering his proposal with further arguments.

“This is the most logical approach,” he explained. “A weekend date, observing in a quiet café, whether it’s the ambiance or the service, won’t arouse suspicion. It also effectively creates a private space, fostering…”

He looked at Zhou Yi, his gaze clear and open, as if he were genuinely discussing a project. “It’s merely role-playing, to ensure the mission proceeds smoothly. Consider, if we were two men, how could we naturally discuss details like ‘is the atmosphere romantic enough?’ or ‘these seats aren’t suitable for whispers’?”

His logic was meticulous and utterly unassailable.

It was, in fact, the optimal solution, approached entirely from a project research perspective.

Yet, Zhou Yi’s mind was simply buzzing. Role-playing? Pretending to be a couple with Jiang Chen?!

A profound sense of absurdity and panic washed over her. She instinctively took a step back, her fingers unconsciously tightening their grip on the hem of her jacket, her voice trembling.

“No, no way… That’s too, too much… We could just say we’re classmates working on a group assignment…”

“Working on an assignment, but instead of the library or a study room, we specifically chose this café?” Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, effortlessly puncturing the weakness of her excuse. “That sounds more like fabricating a story.”

He took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

Zhou Yi could detect the clean, minty scent emanating from him. A silent, oppressive presence seemed to envelop her.

“But… I’m a guy!”

Zhou Yi, growing desperate, ripped off her hat to emphasize her point. She haphazardly ran her hands through her short hair, which, though not excessively long, undeniably looked like a man’s. “How, how could I possibly pretend with this?”

Jiang Chen watched her, amused by her eagerness to assert her “masculinity.” He didn’t take her bait, but instead, slowly brought up another matter.

“What is there to be afraid of?” he asked, a hint of playfulness entering his voice. “You didn’t seem to hesitate when you wore women’s clothes recently, did you?”

Zhou Yi was momentarily speechless, completely cornered. “That… that’s different…”

“How is it different?” Jiang Chen leaned in a fraction closer, near enough to clearly see the panicked tremor of her eyelashes.

“Or I could go buy you a dress right now,”

“Brother!” Zhou Yi shrieked, her soul nearly fleeing her body. She instinctively grabbed Jiang Chen’s arm, only to release it just as quickly as if burned. “You, you’re not serious, are you?!”

Her heart pounded erratically, her mind racing with frantic speculation. Did he truly believe this plan was flawless, or was he… deliberately testing her? Could he already know her secret?

Jiang Chen finally let out a low chuckle, prompted by her exaggerated reaction. Seeing Zhou Yi on the verge of losing her composure, he mercifully took a step back.

“Alright, I was just teasing you,” he said, reining in his smile. Yet, a glint of mischief still lingered in his eyes.

He reached out with such speed that Zhou Yi had no time to react.

His fingertips hooked the strap at the edge of her mask, pulling it gently downwards. A rush of cool air instantly met her cheek, and even more distinctly, she felt the warm, slightly rough brush of his thumb against the skin of her chin.

Zhou Yi froze completely, forgetting even to breathe. She simply stared blankly at Jiang Chen’s face, now mere inches away.

With the mask lowered, her entire face was exposed to the clear, crisp light of the winter morning.

Her cheeks, slightly pale after her illness, were delicate as porcelain. Her eyes, wide with shock, shimmered with moisture, and her tightly pursed lips showed a faint hint of pink.

Without the concealment of the mask, her soft, elegant features were laid bare before Jiang Chen’s eyes.

Jiang Chen’s movements, too, paused for a barely perceptible instant.

His gaze lingered on her face for a fraction of a second longer than he had intended.

His eyes deepened subtly, but he swiftly reverted to his usual nonchalant demeanor.

“Much better this way,” he remarked casually, as if the boundary-crossing touch and the prolonged gaze had never occurred. “Hiding your face like a bank robber would be far more conspicuous.”

“Alright,” he paused, then added the most crucial instruction. “Walk beside me, and don’t call me ‘Brother.’ Just act natural.”

Jiang Chen had uttered these words with a casual air, yet to Zhou Yi, they sounded more daunting than being told to immediately don women’s clothing.

Walk beside him? Like *that*?

“Wait a minute…” she suddenly realized. “I’m a guy. How can I play your girlfriend?”

Jiang Chen appeared to have anticipated her question.

“Who said you had to pretend to be female?” he countered.

Zhou Yi was taken aback. “But, aren’t we supposed to pretend to be a couple? A couple is a man and a woman! Where’s the logic in that?!”

Jiang Chen tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe with a rhythm that was both utterly natural and subtly scrutinizing.

He observed her tightly wrapped knit hat, the thick scarf bundled up to her neck, and her oversized hooded sweatshirt and cargo pants, baggy enough to fit another person inside.

“You’re so bundled up like this,” he said, an undisguised hint of mischief in his tone as he gestured vaguely in front of her. “Could anyone even tell if you’re a man or a woman?”

“…”

A gust of cold wind swept through, rustling the fallen leaves on the ground and chilling her mind, which had gone utterly blank in an instant.

‘Oh, right.’

She glanced down at her attire, bundled up like a zongzi. Even she could barely recognize the person staring back from a mirror.

From an outsider’s perspective, this moving, indistinct bundle of clothing could indeed suggest any gender.

“Besides, plenty of girls have short hair these days,” Jiang Chen added leisurely.

“Yes, yes, that’s true… But, but is there… no other way?” she asked, clinging to a final sliver of hope.