The Feigned Illness

“No, don’t scare me like that. Lin Yan, where do you feel unwell?”

Witnessing my pained expression as I squeezed my eyes shut, Chen Si Yi, who stood beside me, was visibly flustered.

First, she reached out, her fingers brushing against my forehead. Once assured I wasn’t feverish, she knelt, her eyes wide with concern as they fixated on my lower abdomen.

“C-Could it be something wrong with the food I cooked?”

“No, it’s not that,” I managed to reply, my voice barely a whisper. “It’s the after-effects of the transformation. My head… it’s throbbing again…”

“Should we go to the hospital then?” Chen Si Yi asked, her hand clasping mine. “I can take you right away.”

“N-No, there’s no need.”

I waved a hand, gesturing for Chen Si Yi to compose herself.

“Aside from a dizzy head, weak limbs, and a cold sweat on my stomach, I’m mostly fine.”

“What do you mean ‘fine’? Your entire body is clearly out of sorts!”

Observing Chen Si Yi’s frantic state, I had to clap a hand over my mouth, stifling the laughter that threatened to burst forth.

‘Haha, Chen Si Yi, even with Serena, that sycophant, assisting you, my Oscar-worthy performance has clearly snared you, hasn’t it?’

My plan was simple:

With everything currently normal and no actual ill effects, I could feign illness, blaming it on the lingering drowsiness from the transformation.

While it felt a tad shameless, I was certain my sickly facade would lower Chen Si Yi’s guard. Then, catching her unawares, I might just seize the opportunity to reclaim my confiscated phone and laptop, thereby reaching out for external assistance.

Moreover, even if the escape plan faltered, by leveraging this ‘drowsiness’ symptom, I was confident Chen Si Yi wouldn’t dare lay a hand on me as she had yesterday. This would secure both my physical safety and my chastity. Thus, regardless of the outcome, feigning illness offered nothing but advantages for me right now.

With that thought,

I slowly opened my eyes, turning my head to meet Chen Si Yi’s concerned gaze once more.

I gave Chen Si Yi a reassuring blink, trying to convey that all was well and she needn’t worry. This feigned indifference, just as I’d predicted, only served to heighten the already distracted Chen Si Yi’s anxiety.

“Lin Yan, please don’t push yourself,” Chen Si Yi urged, her slender fingers, which now clasped my hand, seemed to tremble faintly. “Your face is flushed crimson; you really should get it checked at the hospital.”

‘Huh? My face is actually flushed? I hadn’t even noticed until Chen Si Yi pointed it out.’

‘It must have been my wicked scheme, for I couldn’t help but beam with delight, my excitement betraying itself on my face. Still, for Chen Si Yi to mistake it for a physical ailment was a fortunate coincidence.’

Of course, I couldn’t possibly agree to go to the hospital. For one, I feared exposing my deception; for another, it was simply too much hassle. A trip to the hospital, including travel and examination, would easily consume three hours. And besides, I certainly didn’t want to endure the peculiar stares of passersby again—those leering lolicons casting their perverted gazes my way could all just disappear! (Naturally, I was an exception.)

I stiffly shook my head, my hand clutching my stomach as I feebly replied, “No, there’s no need. A hospital visit would be pointless; this is a side effect of the transformation. Even doctors wouldn’t be able to cure it.”

“What are we going to do then?” Chen Si Yi asked, her voice tinged with unease. “We can’t just leave things like this, can we?”

“Cough, cough… It’s nothing,” I managed, a slight frown creasing my brow after a few light coughs. “It’s not unbearable yet; I can still hold on. I can only hope that Serena manages to find a solution soon, otherwise… I suppose I’ll just have to change back, cough, cough, cough, cough…”

Having said that, I feigned a few more coughs, then narrowed my eyes to a slit, keenly observing Chen Si Yi’s reaction.

“Heh…”

From behind me, Chen Si Yi let out a cold laugh, releasing my hand. A frosty expression once again settled upon her face.

“So, after all that talk, Lin Yan, you still want your male body back, don’t you?”

‘What do you mean “want my male body back”? I *am* a man, for crying out loud!’

“It seems I worried for nothing, then?”

Chen Si Yi leaned in, her fingers pinching my chin, her beautiful face hovering almost impossibly close to mine.

“You were just faking illness, weren’t you, Lin Yan? Am I right?”

A chilling glint sparked in Chen Si Yi’s eyes, and her powerful, queen-like aura nearly stole my breath away.

‘Damn it, do girls’ intuitions have to be this sharp?! What I’d said might have been slightly off, but my acting was absolutely flawless, without a single crack!’

“Who, who’s pretending to be sick?!”

I took a deep, steadying breath, just barely managing to compose myself.

“I *am* genuinely uncomfortable, alright?”

“And, cough, cough, cough… stop pinching my chin! I can’t breathe!”

In stark contrast to my usual timid reactions, I deliberately laced my voice with a hint of anger. As I spoke, I slapped Chen Si Yi’s hand, forcefully freeing my chin from her grasp.

“You…”

Witnessing my tightly furrowed brows, my flushed face, and her hand still suspended in the air, Chen Si Yi froze for a moment, clearly taken aback by my uncharacteristic and vehement reaction.

She blinked her lovely eyes, her soft, pink lips parting as if to speak, yet no sound escaped.

Finally, after nearly half a minute of hesitation, she gently patted her modest chest, took a deep breath, and a benevolent smile once again graced her features.

“Uh… yes, I’m… I’m sorry,” Chen Si Yi mumbled, bowing her head and clasping her hands together in apology. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have doubted you, Lin Yan.”

‘Aha, it seems I was right! Although Chen Si Yi, as my sister, knows me intimately, if I deliberately act contrary to my usual self, it’s bound to make her question her own assumptions.’

‘Hehe, my little sister is surprisingly easy to trick after all.’

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

I waved a dismissive hand at Chen Si Yi, though my heart was secretly blossoming with delight.

“Your big brother here is magnanimous, so I won’t hold it against you, little sister.”

“But don’t do it again next time. Honestly, being accused of being a liar for no reason, even a soft-hearted guy like your big brother, gets quite hurt, you know~”

I shook my head, sighing dramatically, and put on a deeply wounded expression.

Chen Si Yi, witnessing my performance, twitched the corner of her mouth, then offered an awkward, sheepish laugh. “O-Okay, okay. N-Next time, I’ll definitely be more careful.”