Liu Li covered her mouth, stifling a scream.
After a long moment, she emerged from the restroom, profoundly disheartened and somewhat lost.
Regarding the matter of her “little brother” having run away from home…
Naturally, she felt a pang of sorrow, especially since it had never been properly utilized.
However, upon careful reflection, Liu Li realized she likely wouldn’t have had any use for it in her entire life anyway.
This thought brought her considerable relief.
Returning to Zhou Huanan’s sister’s room, Liu Li had initially intended to transform into Magical Girl Grey Moon and sleep on her bed.
Yet, now that she herself was a girl, such a transformation felt unnecessary.
Casting aside all other concerns, Liu Li collapsed onto the bed in a melancholy heap.
What was she to do…?
Her gender on her ID card would no longer match.
While she could perhaps pass off an unflattering ID photo, becoming a girl surely necessitated a medical examination.
But the money…
Squeezing back tears, Liu Li clutched the cat-themed duvet, rolling back and forth across the bed.
She was consumed by worries about her future, but as she continued to roll, her objective subtly shifted, and a silly giggle escaped her lips.
“Hoo… hoo-hee-hee~~
This bed is so soft~~
Are all girls’ beds this plush and yielding?”
With remarkable simplicity, a blissful smile blossomed on Liu Li’s face.
She promptly cast all her worries aside and slept soundly for ten glorious hours, only to be roused by Zhou Huanan at noon the following day.
“Liu Li, Liu Li!!”
“Hm… hm??”
Still groggy from sleep, a trace of drool lingered at the corner of Liu Li’s mouth.
It was only upon hearing her name called that she slowly fluttered her eyes open.
Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes.
The men’s pajamas Zhou Huanan had lent her were now a tad too small.
Moreover, the unfastened buttons across her chest caused one side of the collar to slip provocatively off her shoulder, revealing an expanse of fair, smooth skin and a tantalizing collarbone.
Meeting Zhou Huanan’s gaze, Liu Li instinctively shrank back into the disheveled covers.
She stretched out an arm, revealing her armpit, and casually pulled the fallen collar back into place, a languid, soft voice escaping her lips.
“Alright…”
“…”
Zhou Huanan remained silent, his eyes fixed on Liu Li with a look of utter disbelief.
Internally, he chastised himself for the inexplicable flutter in his chest caused by the sight.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that his “bro” was becoming increasingly feminine.
“Bro, bro, it’s urgent.
Could you turn around for a moment?”
“Huh?”
Though Liu Li was sitting up, her mind hadn’t fully booted, and her eyes held a profound, yet seemingly naive, wisdom.
“Never mind,” Zhou Huanan said, a knowing smile gracing his lips as he looked at Liu Li.
He mused that his momentary flutter had merely been a misconception.
Before turning to leave the room, he added,
“Lunch is ready.
If you don’t come eat, it’ll go to waste.”
“Oh…”
Liu Li watched Zhou Huanan somewhat hastily close the door, feeling a touch of bewilderment.
Couldn’t the leftover lunch simply be reheated for dinner?
Oh well.
She didn’t dwell on such a trivial matter.
Liu Li shed her pajamas and began to change into her everyday clothes.
As she pulled down her pants, her hand instinctively reached out to touch.
As expected, she found nothing.
So, it truly wasn’t a misconception after all?
Liu Li felt an overwhelming urge to sigh, yet perhaps due to the sheer number of recent shocks, she found that her transformation into a girl wasn’t particularly difficult to accept in comparison.
“What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger, huh?”
Liu Li muttered a jibe, then proceeded to unbutton her top.
She noticed that either she hadn’t buttoned it properly the previous day, or her restless sleep had caused it, but regardless, a button on her chest had come undone, exposing a patch of skin.
Wait, had Zhou Huanan just seen that!?
Liu Li’s eyes widened in a daze, her cheeks slowly flushing crimson.
She hastily fastened the button, only to immediately realize she was supposed to be changing, and frantically unfastened it once more.
Honestly.
Having finally managed to change into her ordinary clothes, Liu Li slipped on her slippers, her gaze flickering with embarrassment as she thought,
‘So this is what a girl’s body feels like…’
Having finished her ablutions, Liu Li descended the stairs.
In the spacious living room, the coffee table, draped with a yellow checkered tablecloth, was laden with an array of appetizing homemade dishes, each bursting with color, aroma, and flavor.
Zhou Huanan sat on the sofa, engrossed in a game, controller in hand.
Catching sight of Liu Li descending, her hand against the wall, he smiled nostalgically and waved his controller at her.
“Game after you eat?”
“Sure, what are we playing?”
“Anything works.
I’m flexible.
How about co-op?
My idiotic sister can’t play this to save her life; playing anything with her is pure torture, bro.”
“I-I guess so… but I haven’t played games in a year or two…”
Liu Li worried she might be a burden, perhaps even worse than his sister at gaming.
No sooner had she spoken than Zhou Huanan’s expression suddenly froze, and he turned his face away.
What was suddenly wrong?
‘Playing aloof, huh…’
She failed to notice Zhou Huanan’s pained expression as he discreetly rubbed his nose.
Instead, she approached the sofa, her face beaming with delight.
Upon closer inspection, she saw that every dish was one of her favorites, and there were even two large chicken drumsticks!
Moreover, Zhou Huanan had already prepared the rice bowls and everything else.
Liu Li simply needed to sit down and begin eating.
She first placed a chicken drumstick in her bowl, took a bite, and savored the bursting flavor of the rich sauce in her mouth.
“Hehe~”
“What’s up?”
“Nothing, just thinking that your home-cooked meals are truly the best.”
Zhou Huanan’s shoulders gave a slight tremor.
He turned to see Liu Li’s blissful smile, and hearing her utterly genuine praise, he chuckled.
A surge of satisfaction and accomplishment, akin to rescuing a helpless kitten, welled up within him.
His eyes crinkled with amusement as he propped his chin on a fisted hand, his head tilted slightly while he watched Liu Li.
His sunny, handsome face unconsciously exuded a charm that could easily captivate young girls.
Whatever he was saying, Liu Li didn’t quite catch it.
Simply seeing him like this, a thought inexplicably formed in Liu Li’s mind:
‘When Zhou Huanan was serious, he truly was a campus heartthrob.’
Suppressing what felt like a pang of envy, she masked her self-consciousness with an enthusiastic display.
Liu Li transformed into a glutton, devouring the dishes on the coffee table with a whirlwind of activity.
Throughout the meal, Liu Li intermittently praised the deliciousness of the food or complimented Zhou Huanan on his improving culinary skills.
By the time she finished eating, Zhou Huanan had been lauded by Liu Li to the extent of being considered a truly benevolent person.
Zhou Huanan chuckled, shaking his head.
He pulled out his controller and asked Liu Li if she wanted to play a game, but Liu Li, mirroring his gesture, also shook her head.
“You’ve already cooked, so I’ll help with the dishes.”
Volunteering with a theatrical pat to her still-meager chest, Liu Li didn’t wait for Zhou Huanan to object.
She immediately began clearing the coffee table, sealing the unfinished dishes with cling film before placing them in the refrigerator, bustling about in the kitchen.
Seeing this, Zhou Huanan was glad to be spared the trouble and enjoyed the reprieve.
Besides, he was genuinely tired from cooking, so he simply sprawled on the sofa to play his game.
No sooner had he pressed the pause button than the sound of a key turning in the front door reached his ears.
Zhou Huanan looked up, observing a short-haired girl, about fourteen or fifteen, entering the entryway.
She began exchanging her shiny black loafers for blue cat-themed slippers.
Despite her youth, her face was etched with irritation and displeasure, and upon meeting his gaze, she immediately shouted imperiously.
“Bro!
I’m starving, is there any food left?”
“There’s still some lunch in the fridge that I just put away.
Take it out and ask Liu Li to heat it up for you.”
“Liu Li?
He’s here?”
“Mm-hmm…” Zhou Huanan nodded, his eyes fixed on the TV and his game.
Watching his bare-legged sister walk past the television, he didn’t have time to lecture her about her excessively short skirt.
Instead, he called out a reminder:
“Mu Xi, don’t cause a ruckus like you did last time, okay?”
“I know, I know, it’s so annoying!”
Muttering “so annoying” under her breath, Mu Xi entered the kitchen.
Upon seeing the figure within, she froze, her slightly hunched back straightening instantly, and her expression dissolving into utter stupefaction.
“Eh?”
Before her eyes was a beautiful girl with long, black, straight hair, wearing an apron and standing blissfully at the sink, washing dishes.
Just glimpsing her serene, exquisite profile—her delicate nose, her pure, unadorned face that possessed breathtaking beauty even without a trace of lipstick—Mu Xi felt an immense sense of crisis.
As if sensing someone’s presence, the serene girl gently set down the plate she was holding and turned to face her.
Yet, after only a brief exchange of glances, she softly lowered her head, like some adorable small animal.
Nevertheless, she bravely gathered her courage, offering a faint, sweet smile as she met Mu Xi’s gaze once more.
“W-welcome back?”
Even her voice was lovely!?
Mu Xi’s mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg, as she stared dumbfounded at the beautiful girl before her.
Though not much older than herself, the girl inexplicably exuded an aura of wifely grace—gentle, serene, and utterly qualified to be her brother’s wife.
Before long, two streams of clear tears uncontrollably welled in Mu Xi’s eyes and began to fall.
“Don’t…” Mu Xi began to sob, tears streaming down her face as she looked at the beautiful, black-haired girl who was now starting to look flustered.
“Don’t steal my brother away from me!!
Waaahhh!!!”