Chen Xuanqiu stealthily knocked on her sister’s door, clutching a bag, terrified that someone might discover the strange item within.
“Is something wrong?”
Chen Xuanzhu quickly opened the door. She had already reverted to her usual feminine attire, wearing only a thin pink nightgown, her beautiful hair disheveled as if she had just woken from a nap.
“Here, your things.”
Chen Xuanqiu handed the bag to her ‘younger sister’, her nostrils filling with the sweet fragrance wafting from inside the room.
Chen Xuanzhu took the bag and reached in with her fair, jade-like hand.
Fearing her ‘younger sister’ might notice something amiss, Chen Xuanqiu turned to flee.
“Wait!”
Chen Xuanzhu called out, without even raising her head.
“Wh-what is it?”
Chen Xuanqiu’s body stiffened, and she turned back, stammering her question.
“Give me back the wig too.”
Chen Xuanzhu lifted her beautiful head, demanding it.
“The wig was lost ages ago.”
Chen Xuanqiu replied awkwardly.
“Then make some time to get your hair cut. What boy keeps such long, shoulder-length hair?”
As she spoke, Chen Xuanzhu examined the prosthetic breasts in her hand. After learning that her ‘brother’ might be suffering from a mental illness, she became even more determined to nip any uncertain factors in the bud.
“I… I needed it to hide my face.”
Chen Xuanqiu struggled to find an excuse, hoping to keep her long hair for any unforeseen circumstances.
“I know, aren’t you afraid of being mistaken for a girl? But your hair is far too long now. It’s counterproductive; you look effeminate.”
Chen Xuanzhu explained sternly.
‘It seems my sister doesn’t want to give me any more chances to impersonate her,’ Chen Xuanqiu mused. She secretly speculated, realizing she now knew the location of the wig and prosthetic breast shop.
There was truly no need to keep her long hair. Cutting it back to her previous medium-length, choppy style would be ideal, as it would both conceal her features and prevent her from appearing too feminine.
Otherwise, as her sister had pointed out, she would constantly be mistaken for a girl, making travel and other activities inconvenient.
“I understand.”
Once Chen Xuanqiu understood, she readily agreed, secretly planning to buy a wig from that shop whenever she needed one in the future.
“You’ve worn these for two months, yet they still look brand new?”
Chen Xuanzhu asked her ‘brother’ with a puzzled expression, examining the prosthetic breasts.
“Since you gave them to me, of course, I’d cherish them.”
Chen Xuanqiu could only offer a perfunctory reply.
“Heh heh!”
Chen Xuanzhu’s beautiful, glass-like eyes scrutinized her ‘brother’ from head to toe. With a raised eyebrow, she said, “You’re not an imposter, are you? You’re actually sweet-talking me now?”
“Uh…”
Chen Xuanqiu’s heart went numb; she nearly fainted from fright.
“Tell me, did you just buy these?”
Chen Xuanzhu’s delicate eyebrows furrowed into a frown.
“N-no, absolutely not! I don’t even know where to buy them.”
Chen Xuanqiu shook her head frantically, on the verge of tears.
Chen Xuanzhu didn’t believe her so easily. She picked up the prosthetic breasts and sniffed them a few times.
Her slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, as they carried the scent of her ‘brother’s’ cologne, confirming he had indeed worn them.
“Alright, I’ll reiterate: no more impersonating me in the future, understood? You can go now.”
Chen Xuanzhu waved her small hand, her pink nails tracing an alluring path through the air.
Chen Xuanqiu fled as if escaping, secretly relieved that the prosthetic breasts her sister had given her were brand new, probably unfamiliar even to Chen Xuanzhu herself.
Otherwise, it would have been incredibly difficult to explain.
****
Chen Xuanqiu returned to her bedroom, her heart pounding fiercely. With her chest tightly bound, breathing had become quite difficult.
Unable to bear it, Chen Xuanqiu locked the door from the inside, then untied her chest binder to catch her breath.
As Chen Xuanqiu unfastened the binder, she saw her two prominent, pale breasts, bruised purple and green in places—a truly ghastly sight.
‘I wonder when this will ever end,’ she sighed. Lying on the bed, Chen Xuanqiu yearned to rush out and tell her family her true gender, but reason urged her against it.
From soul to body, she was no longer the real Chen Xuanqiu; she had no way to prove she was Chen Degao’s ‘son.’
‘I remember Grandpa Wei saying I was the only gender-changer in this world,’ she thought. ‘If my family doesn’t believe me, they’ll surely suspect my true identity.’
A shiver ran down Chen Xuanqiu’s spine at the thought. Even her s*x chromosomes had changed; who knew what else in her DNA might have shifted?
At that point, not even a paternity test might prove she carried the Chen family’s bloodline.
The more Chen Xuanqiu pondered, the more terrified she became, ultimately abandoning the idea.
*Knock, knock, knock!*
The knock suddenly sounded.
Chen Xuanqiu jumped in fright, instinctively pulling the covers over her chest, like a startled bird.
“Qiu, dinner’s ready.”
Her ‘mother’s’ voice drifted from outside.
“Okay.”
Chen Xuanqiu, frustrated and embarrassed, threw off the covers. ‘I’m so useless,’ she thought, ‘the door’s locked, what am I even afraid of?’
Chen Xuanqiu rebound her chest, then went downstairs to the kitchen, where her three family members were already seated.
Chen Xuanqiu looked around, finally choosing a relatively empty spot to sit.
“Qiu, why are you sitting so far away?”
Melissa asked, a hint of surprise in her voice, while the other two family members subtly glanced over.
“Oh… it’s too hot.”
Chen Xuanqiu’s heart sank, but she quickly came up with a witty excuse.
Hearing this, her three family members believed her and averted their gazes.
Chen Xuanqiu breathed a sigh of relief, wishing she could slap herself. ‘Didn’t I resolve to be a good “Chen Xuanqiu”?’ she mused. ‘How could I forget that again? My subconscious is truly detrimental.’
“Xiao Qiu, your grandparents know you’re back, so they’re making a special trip from the countryside to see you tomorrow.”
Chen Degao suddenly spoke.
“Oh!”
Chen Xuanqiu responded distractedly. Her greatest fear now was interacting with the Chen family’s relatives, as it would heighten the risk of exposure.
“Get to bed early tonight. Tomorrow morning, we’ll take you to the hospital for a check-up.”
Chen Degao changed the subject.
“No need, I’m almost fully recovered.”
Chen Xuanqiu quickly refused, knowing that a hospital visit would very likely expose her gender.
“Qiu, it’s better to get checked, otherwise, we’ll worry.”
Melissa gently explained from beside her.
“Alright, but tomorrow’s the weekend. Will we even be able to get a check-up?”
Chen Xuanqiu struggled weakly.
“It’s fine. Your father knows an expert at Central Hospital, and an appointment has already been made.”
Melissa explained.
“It’s just a physical, isn’t it? Why make such a grand affair of it? Even booking an expert.”
Chen Xuanqiu complained resignedly, secretly hoping they wouldn’t perform a full-body CT scan or anything similar tomorrow, as that would surely expose her.
“I’ll go too, since tomorrow’s Sunday anyway.”
Chen Xuanzhu interjected, as she was worried about her ‘brother’.
The matter was thus ‘happily’ decided, and Chen Xuanqiu prepared to spend her first night in the villa.
****
Chen Xuanqiu first found the bathroom at the end of the hallway to shower, then returned to her bedroom.
She then took out her makeup and practiced her mother’s techniques for two hours before finally going to bed.
The large bed beneath her was incredibly soft, yet Chen Xuanqiu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She picked up her new phone and aimlessly scrolled through it.
Chen Xuanqiu browsed for a long time, finding the internet landscape of this world utterly foreign. She didn’t recognize a single application.
Ultimately, she resorted to opening a web page to learn some basic social norms, as a lack of such knowledge could also arouse her family’s suspicion.
Just as Chen Xuanqiu opened the web page, a news article caught her attention, for the subject of the report was none other than herself.
“Hello everyone, I’m Huang Ling, a reporter for Donghui TV. Some time ago, a kidnapping occurred in our city. The missing person was a girl named Chen Xuanzhu from Class 2, Grade 1 of High School No. 1. Her father is also the CEO of a private enterprise in our city…”
In the news video, a young, beautiful female reporter first outlined Chen Xuanqiu’s disappearance. She then continued, “According to the latest information we’ve gathered from the police department, the girl has been found and returned home safely this afternoon.”