Chen Xuanqiu yearned to escape, and so he made every effort to understand the basement’s layout. Just as Wei Shoutai had described, security here was incredibly tight, with guards practically at every turn. Moreover, two or three heavy doors separated the basement from the ground floor, making any escape seem an impossible feat.
“Am I truly doomed to simply wait for death?”
Chen Xuanqiu’s heart was consumed by an overwhelming anxiety, as time relentlessly slipped away, second by agonizing second.
Three days blurred into one, yet the pain in Chen Xuanqiu’s chest and abdomen persisted, radiating outwards. His once flat chest now showed faint protrusions, while, in stark contrast, his male characteristics below began to shrink.
Chen Xuanqiu knew the super estrogen was taking effect. He understood that the moment he fully transformed into a woman would be the moment the fat man came to “devour” him. His time was rapidly running out.
Chen Xuanqiu secretly prayed for the changes to slow, but to no avail. A week later, his “brother” below could no longer display its might, and his chest had visibly swelled into distinct, ‘fried egg’ like mounds.
Desperate to preserve his last shred of male dignity, Chen Xuanqiu gradually began to resist the grandfather and grandson duo from examining his body.
The grandfather and grandson, wishing to grant Chen Xuanqiu some semblance of privacy, refrained from touching or scrutinizing his body after that.
“Once you become a girl, what do you plan to do?”
That day, after lunch, Wei Shoutai couldn’t help but ask. He was genuinely curious about the future of someone undergoing such a transformation. Would they marry? Stay single? Surely, they wouldn’t continue seeking women for marriage?
“The future? I can’t even control my present circumstances, let alone what lies ahead.”
Chen Xuanqiu chuckled self-deprecatingly. His most pressing desire was to escape; everything else could wait.
Only then did Wei Shoutai realize his blunder, and he promptly fell silent.
“Why don’t you tell me about yourselves? What exactly happened? Why did you willingly become CEO Hai’s puppets, hiding in this basement conducting experiments?”
Chen Xuanqiu probed cautiously. After a month of living with them, he had discerned that the grandfather and grandson were genuinely not bad people.
“Grandpa, can we tell him?”
Wei Shoutai, unwilling to refuse Chen Xuanqiu, sought Dr. Wei’s permission.
“Go ahead, there’s nothing left to hide.”
Dr. Wei pondered for a moment before giving his assent.
“The reason is simple: I killed someone.”
Wei Shoutai explained with a disconcerting calmness.
“Killed someone?”
Chen Xuanqiu was aghast. He never imagined such an honest-looking man capable of such an act. It truly proved that appearances could be deceiving.
“Don’t be afraid. I don’t just kill anyone. I killed my mother’s lover.”
Wei Shoutai quickly reassured him.
“Your mother’s lover?”
Chen Xuanqiu’s mouth gaped slightly, his psychological defenses once again shattered.
“Yes, about two years ago, my father discovered my mother’s affair with her lover. He tried to force her to confess, but she adamantly refused. In a fit of rage, my father accidentally killed my mother and was subsequently taken away by the police.”
Wei Shoutai recounted the tragic events succinctly.
“Your mother was killed by your father?”
Chen Xuanqiu’s mouth widened further in disbelief.
“Yes. Because of that scoundrel, my family was utterly ruined. So I relentlessly pursued him until I finally found him. Then, I went to his home and butchered that ‘sword tomb’ of his.”
Wei Shoutai’s expression revealed a flicker of pride, bordering on madness.
‘To think such an honest-looking person would kill. He must have been truly enraged.’
Chen Xuanqiu mused, feeling a grudging admiration for Wei Shoutai’s audacity.
“My grandfather, in an effort to protect me, took his experimental results to CEO Hai, hoping he would provide a sanctuary. That’s the whole story. So, strictly speaking, my grandfather was implicated because of me.”
Wei Shoutai concluded his tale.
“What’s this talk of implication? Without you, what good would this experiment be to me?”
Dr. Wei clarified from the side.
Chen Xuanqiu glanced at the old man, whose already tall frame seemed to grow even more imposing.
“Now that you know everything, you won’t report us once you get out, will you?”
Wei Shoutai probed tentatively.
“What are you thinking? Adulterers deserve death, and besides, you are my saviors. How could I repay kindness with enmity?”
Chen Xuanqiu quickly declared his stance.
“You agree, then? It seems I haven’t misjudged you.”
Wei Shoutai was genuinely pleased. It seemed his joy wasn’t merely from Chen Xuanqiu not calling the police, but from Chen Xuanqiu’s understanding and approval.
Knowing the grandfather and grandson’s past didn’t stir much emotion in Chen Xuanqiu, as it did nothing to change his current predicament.
Time continued its slow march. Chen Xuanqiu meticulously observed his body’s changes almost daily, secretly praying for the feminization process to slow. Alas, what was destined to happen would happen. Another half-month passed, and his male characteristics below had almost entirely vanished. His chest, meanwhile, had grown to an A-cup size.
Chen Xuanqiu understood this meant he was at the critical juncture between male and female. Once the female anatomy fully formed below, he would completely bid farewell to his male identity. That moment would also be CEO Hai’s time to “inspect the goods.”
That evening, Chen Xuanqiu had just finished showering and was preparing for bed when a knock sounded at his door. Opening it, he found Wei Shoutai standing there.
“This is something Grandpa asked me to give you.”
Wei Shoutai, his expression somewhat awkward, handed a bag to Chen Xuanqiu.
“What is it?”
Chen Xuanqiu asked, puzzled.
Wei Shoutai offered no reply, instead bolting away as if fleeing.
Chen Xuanqiu’s confusion deepened. He closed the door, then turned and pulled the contents from the bag. What he saw made his own face flush crimson: a set of pure white women’s underwear.
‘They clearly know my situation, so why would they send me this? Are they deliberately adding fuel to the fire?’
Chen Xuanqiu, in a fit of pique, tossed the bag onto the bed.
‘They want me to fully accept my identity as a woman? Impossible!’
Chen Xuanqiu shook his head resolutely. Though he was unwillingly transforming into a woman, it didn’t mean he desired to be one.
Chen Xuanqiu stared at the women’s underwear in silence for a long time. Then, he cast his gaze down at his own chest, noticing the subtle, mysterious protrusions beneath his thin patient gown.
Chen Xuanqiu finally understood. They weren’t trying to provoke him, but rather to make him feel “shame.”
‘It seems I’ve misjudged them.’
Chen Xuanqiu was not someone devoid of modesty. He obediently took the underwear from its packaging and attempted to put it on. Naturally, he had never touched such an item before, but this wasn’t rocket science. With such a small, thin piece of fabric, where it should go and where it should fasten would become clear with a bit of trial and error.
After some effort, Chen Xuanqiu finally managed to put on the underwear. His cheeks were burning hot, overwhelmed by an intense sense of shame.
Shameful as it was, Chen Xuanqiu had to admit the garment’s benefits. At the very least, it offered him a significant sense of security.
With the bra on, Chen Xuanqiu glanced down at the small, lace-trimmed triangular fabric. This time, he simply couldn’t overcome his psychological barrier and set it aside.
****
For the Chen family in Donghui City, the past month and a half had been an agonizing ordeal. The couple ran to the police station almost every day in search of their son. Chen Xuanzhu, consumed by guilt, remained distracted constantly, and laughter had long since vanished from their home.
That evening, Chen Degao and his wife made another fruitless trip to the police station.
“Melissa, don’t worry. Our son will be fine.”
Inside the sleek Mercedes-like sedan, Chen Degao tried his best to comfort his silent wife.
“Darling, it’s been over a month. Do you truly think our son will ever come back?”
A hint of confusion flickered in Melissa’s emerald green eyes.
“He will. He definitely will.”
Chen Degao replied without hesitation, though his words lacked conviction. In truth, he knew it was merely a desperate hope.
“Don’t try to comfort me. I may not be brilliant, but I’m not stupid. If those people knew he was a boy, they certainly wouldn’t show any mercy.”
Melissa’s voice broke, and she began to sob again.
“Melissa, don’t be so disheartened. At least the police haven’t found his… body yet, right?”
Chen Degao was at a loss for words, only able to continue his painful attempts at reassurance.
“Actually, my biggest worry is our daughter. Her tutor tells me she’s distracted all day, unable to learn anything. What will happen if this continues? Shouldn’t we accept reality? Otherwise, our daughter will also have to live in the shadows forever.”
Melissa whimpered.
Ever since their son’s disappearance, the couple had kept their daughter home, disguised as their son, fearing she would be recognized at school. While this offered a measure of safety, it posed a significant problem: their daughter’s studies were suffering.
With no other choice, the couple hired several private tutors. However, their daughter remained constantly preoccupied, a concern the teachers had raised numerous times.
“Indeed, we can’t keep having her pretend to be Chen Xuanqiu indefinitely, can we?”
Chen Degao murmured to himself.
“But what are we to do now? If we reveal the truth, it would be deceiving the Fu family, and we’d likely lose that contract. This was something Chen Xuanqiu exchanged his life for.”
Melissa retorted, her voice edged with despair.
“So now, we can only hope for a miracle. If Chen Xuanqiu can just come back, everything will fall into place.”
Chen Degao whispered, his voice barely audible.