Chen Xuanqiu saw her sister distracted, and she seized the chance to push away the other’s soft, delicate body. She then fled to a corner, like a fugitive, stubbornly arguing, “This is a women’s tank top, a new style of women’s tank top.”
“Is that so? Then take it off and let me see?”
Chen Xuanzhu calmly got out of bed. She slowly advanced towards her “brother.”
Chen Xuanqiu was speechless. She could only huddle in the corner, covering her chest, trembling, utterly vulnerable and helpless.
Chen Xuanzhu showed no mercy. She pounced again, embracing her “brother’s” equally soft body. She stretched out a small hand, desperately trying to lift the clothes, determined to uncover what lay beneath.
Chen Xuanqiu, naturally, refused to passively await her fate. She pushed at her sister’s chest while desperately holding down the hem of her own clothes.
The “siblings” remained locked in this stalemate. Their struggle created a considerable commotion.
As time elapsed, Chen Xuanqiu began to tire. Her resistance gradually weakened, and her sister lifted her clothes inch by inch. Her delicate navel, smooth abdomen, and slender waist were revealed, her skin so fair it seemed to glow.
Seeing victory within grasp, Chen Xuanzhu gathered her strength. She relentlessly tugged at her “brother’s” clothes, pulling them upward. Her expression was like that of a woman consumed by desire.
‘I’m such a failure, I can’t even get the better of my own sister.’
Chen Xuanqiu was consumed by both anxiety and anger. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks, smearing her makeup into a mess.
“What are you two doing?”
Just then, Melissa burst into the room from outside. She forcefully pulled her daughter away.
Chen Xuanqiu was overcome with a mix of surprise and relief. She quickly pulled her clothes back down to her waist.
“My God, are you fighting? Huh?”
Melissa asked, utterly incredulous.
Chen Xuanzhu did not reply. She merely stared at her “brother” with an unwilling expression. ‘Why did this happen? Just one more inch! One inch! I was just one inch away from getting what I wanted.’
“Zhu, how could you bully your brother? ‘He’ is a patient right now.”
Melissa had no intention of letting the matter rest. She questioned her daughter.
“You don’t know, ‘he’ has something wrapped around his chest.”
Considering her ‘brother’s’ health, Chen Xuanzhu decided not to conceal it any longer.
“What thing?”
Melissa asked, a hint of bewilderment in her voice.
Chen Xuanqiu’s body stiffened. She looked at her sister with pleading eyes, hoping she wouldn’t expose her secret.
“I don’t know, ‘he’ said it was some new women’s tank top. That’s why ‘he’ didn’t dare to get a full body check-up at the hospital today.”
Chen Xuanzhu acted as if she hadn’t heard her sister’s plea. She directly exposed her ‘brother’.
“Please, don’t say any more.”
Chen Xuanqiu, mortified and enraged, lunged forward to cover her sister’s mouth.
“A women’s tank top? Why would ‘he’, a boy, wear a women’s tank top?”
Melissa’s mind struggled to process the information. She instinctively reached out to stop her “son.”
“Because ‘he’ has a cross-dressing fetish.”
Chen Xuanzhu revealed her “brother’s” peculiar habit without hesitation.
“What? Cross-dressing?”
Melissa looked as if she had been struck by lightning. Her eyes widened, her mouth hung open, and her expression froze.
Chen Xuanqiu was so mortified she wished for death. She crouched on the ground, a wretched huddle, her hands clamped tightly over her burning cheeks.
“What exactly is going on here? Both of you, come to the living room and explain yourselves.”
Melissa’s gaze was incredibly complex. She reached out and took her “son’s” hand.
Chen Xuanqiu was pulled to her feet by her mother. She followed mechanically, utterly devoid of energy to resist, feeling as though she might die from shame.
Thus, the mother and her two daughters arrived in the living room.
“Zhu, what exactly is going on? Explain it clearly to your father.”
Melissa said to her daughter.
Chen Xuanqiu sat numbly on the sofa. Like a convicted criminal, all she could do was await her judgment.
“What’s wrong?”
Chen Degao asked, perplexed.
“It’s like this.”
Chen Xuanzhu then fully disclosed her discovery of her brother’s cross-dressing habit.
Chen Xuanqiu listened as if to a recitation of her own crimes. With every word her sister uttered, another layer of humiliation settled upon her, making her wish the earth would swallow her whole.
“I heard what happened at the hospital when I came back today. I suspected ‘he’ must have been wearing women’s underwear, which is why ‘he’ didn’t dare to get a full body check-up. So I went to confirm, and it turns out I was right.”
Chen Xuanzhu added a final point. To bolster her argument, she told her mother, “Mom, if you don’t believe me, feel ‘his’ back.”
Melissa hesitated for a moment. Ultimately, she reached out and felt her “son’s” back, discovering that through the clothes, there were indeed straps like those of a women’s tank top.
“No… when did ‘he’ develop such a strange habit? Why didn’t I know about it before?”
Chen Degao was utterly stunned. He rubbed his forehead in deep irritation.
“It probably started after ‘he’ came back from Dengtai City. I never noticed this habit of his before either.”
“Xiao Qiu, tell me, what is going on? Why would you, a grown man, like to wear women’s clothes?”
Chen Degao could no longer contain himself. He sternly interrogated his ‘son’.
Chen Xuanqiu hesitated, words catching in her throat. ‘How am I supposed to answer that, old man? Should I tell you I’m a pervert?’
‘The secret is out anyway, and my identity can no longer be hidden. What’s the point of explaining anything?’
With that thought, Chen Xuanqiu chose to remain silent. She was like a stubborn prisoner, impervious to persuasion.
“Forget it, let’s put the cross-dressing aside for now. Getting a check-up for your condition is more important.”
Chen Degao shook his head resignedly.
“Yes, while cross-dressing isn’t ideal, it’s not an illness after all.”
Melissa chimed in, agreeing.
“You’re thinking too simply.”
Chen Xuanzhu, however, shook her head. “If you don’t take away ‘his’ women’s underwear, even if ‘he’ goes to the hospital, would you dare let ‘him’ undress in front of so many doctors?”
Chen Degao and his wife exchanged glances. The expressions on their faces gradually changed; prompted by their daughter, they began to grasp the gravity of the situation.
‘It’s enough for our own family to know about our son’s cross-dressing. Outsiders must never find out.’
The couple thought simultaneously.
“Xiao Qiu, take off that… women’s tank top for me. Are there any others? If so, hand them all over.”
Chen Degao took a deep breath. He then gravely extended his hand, demanding the items.
“No…”
Chen Xuanqiu firmly shook her head. As the saying went, even an ant clings to life; every extra second was a second gained.
“You won’t hand them over, will you? Then I’ll do it myself.”
Chen Degao lost his patience. He rose, preparing to use force.
Chen Xuanqiu was startled. She quickly scrambled away from the sofa.
“Stop! Listen to me.”
Seeing the situation escalating out of control, Melissa quickly grabbed her husband’s hand. “Darling, let me have a proper talk with ‘him’.”
Chen Degao, still breathing heavily, looked at his “son.” Such was a parent’s heart; ultimately, he abandoned his intention to use force.
Chen Xuanqiu hadn’t expected her family to be so tolerant. A strange sense of emotion swelled within her. ‘If only they were truly my parents,’ she mused.
The farce temporarily concluded. Chen Xuanqiu was called into a room by her mother.
“Qiu, you are a boy. You know that, right?”
Melissa reminded her with earnest solemnity.
“Yes.”
Chen Xuanqiu nodded without hesitation. Even though her body had become that of a girl, she had never resigned herself to that fate in her heart.
“Do you know what it means to be a boy?”
Melissa asked patiently.
“To be a pillar of strength.”
Chen Xuanqiu answered without a moment’s thought.
“Yes, a pillar of strength, because the future of our family rests on your shoulders. No matter how outstanding your sister is, she is still a girl, and she will marry into another family someday.”
Melissa laid out the reality of their situation.
Chen Xuanqiu remained silent this time. While the logic was sound, her secret was now exposed, and whether she even had a future was uncertain.
“How can a man be a pillar of strength? First, he must have strong muscles. Second, he must have a healthy mind and body. Not dress in women’s clothes and make himself neither male nor female. You should understand this principle.”
Melissa described her ideal image of a man.
“Strong muscles?”
Chen Xuanqiu subconsciously appraised herself. She realized that only her chest currently met that requirement, a thought that filled her with bitter irony.