“I know there are many advantages to being a girl in this world, but you must also understand that an outstanding man can earn respect just the same, like your father. Do you understand?”
Melissa’s words were earnest and heartfelt.
‘So, she thinks I *want* to be a girl, and that’s why I’m wearing women’s clothes.’ Chen Xuanqiu finally grasped her mother’s meaning, a wave of helplessness washing over her. If she had a choice, why would she willingly bind her chest every day?
“All I’m trying to say is that being a woman is good, and being a man is equally good. You mustn’t have prejudice against your own gender, do you understand? God made you a man, and you can only be a man in this life. That’s a fact no one can change. So, why not become a man more popular than any girl? Your mother will be proud of you then.”
Melissa encouraged her.
‘Indeed, it’s a pity even God was defeated by Dr. Wei and his grandson,’ Chen Xuanqiu thought with a bitter smile.
“I’ve said enough. Think it over carefully, and when you’ve come to terms with it, hand over all those women’s clothes to me.” Melissa didn’t want to pressure ‘her son’ too much, so she stopped there.
After Melissa left, Chen Xuanqiu fell into a deep silence. She knew that once her parents lost their patience, her true identity would be exposed.
‘From now on, no matter what strange things I see, I can’t panic anymore. Otherwise, it will immediately alarm my family,’ Chen Xuanqiu resolved silently. Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed.
****
Late at night, as Chen Xuanqiu was drifting off to sleep, the surge of heat within her body suddenly reappeared.
Chen Xuanqiu’s eyes snapped open, all sleepiness vanished. She felt this current of heat was unusually active, crashing wildly inside her, as if eager to burst forth from her very being.
Chen Xuanqiu dared not even breathe, hoping desperately that this thing would settle down quickly. Yet, the heat flow disregarded her will, continuously swirling and moving, until it finally erupted from the Baihui acupoint at the crown of her head.
Chen Xuanqiu felt a sudden blur before her eyes, and a dark figure materialized by her bed.
Her eyes widened in terror. The room was too dark to discern the figure’s features clearly, but its curves suggested a young maiden, seemingly draped in a sheer gauze dress.
Chen Xuanqiu’s gaze stiffly shifted downwards, where a sliver of moonlight happened to illuminate the figure’s feet. A blood-red pleated skirt hem appeared strikingly alluring.
“Ah!”
Chen Xuanqiu could bear it no longer and screamed aloud.
Her cry was exceptionally clear and piercing. The dark figure seemed startled, vanishing in the blink of an eye, transforming back into a current of heat that returned to her body.
“Hoo, hoo, hoo!”
Chen Xuanqiu panted violently, her clothes instantly soaked with sweat. She had never imagined that the heat flow within her body was actually a ‘girl’ wearing a red dress.
“Xiaoqiu! Xiaoqiu! What’s wrong?”
Just then, Chen Degao’s anxious shouts came from outside the door.
‘This is bad.’ Chen Xuanqiu knew her scream had alarmed her father, so she forced herself to answer calmly, “N-nothing… I’m fine!”
Chen Degao remained silent outside the door. After a long moment, his footsteps finally receded.
‘It’s truly a case of ‘what you fear most comes to pass’,’ Chen Xuanqiu thought, wishing she could slap herself hard, furious at her own failure to maintain composure.
****
The next morning, before Chen Xuanqiu had even risen, a knock sounded at her door.
“Xiaoqiu, come out, I have something to tell you.” Father Chen Degao’s voice resonated.
Chen Xuanqiu didn’t know what her father intended to say, but she knew she couldn’t hide. So, after binding her chest securely and dressing, she opened the door.
“Xiaoqiu, what have you decided about what I told you yesterday?” Melissa entered first, asking directly.
“I haven’t thought it through yet,” Chen Xuanqiu could only equivocate.
“Forget it, I don’t have time to mess around with you.” Chen Degao grew impatient. He then called out to his daughter standing nearby, “Xiaozhu, I’ll hold ‘him’ down, and you check if ‘he’ is wearing women’s clothes underneath.”
“Leave it to me!” Chen Xuanzhu enthusiastically rolled up the sleeves of her school uniform shirt.
‘Oh no!’ Chen Xuanqiu hadn’t expected her father to lose patience so quickly, leaving her completely unprepared. All she could do now was run.
Chen Degao was not a small girl like Chen Xuanzhu. He ran over in a few strides, seizing ‘his son’s’ slender waist, then held Chen Xuanqiu tightly in his embrace.
“Wuwuwu! Let me go!” Chen Xuanqiu struggled weakly, but she couldn’t budge her father’s strong arms, and tears streamed down her face like broken pearls in her panic.
Chen Degao easily restrained ‘his son,’ yet felt little sense of accomplishment. He detected a faint, sweet scent of a woman’s body through his nostrils, and the sensation of holding ‘him’ was like embracing a soft, boneless woman.
‘Alas! A boy growing up like this, what will become of our Chen family?’ Chen Degao thought with a pang of sadness.
Seeing ‘her brother’ subdued, Chen Xuanzhu smirked triumphantly. Her nimble hands deftly lifted ‘her brother’s’ two layers of clothing, immediately revealing the layers of binding cloth fashioned from curtains wrapped around his chest.
The binding cloth was wound so tightly that its edges revealed a distinct curve, clearly indicating the presence of a woman’s breasts to anyone who saw it.
“This… what… what’s going on?” Chen Xuanzhu’s smile froze, replaced by terror and bewilderment.
Melissa, of course, saw it just as clearly. Her eyes widened, staring at ‘her son’ as if she had seen a ghost.
“What’s wrong?” Chen Degao, behind them, had seen nothing, and could only ask foolishly.
Chen Xuanqiu seized the opportunity to break free from her father, then swiftly pulled her clothes back down.
“My… my ‘brother’ has grown breasts.” Chen Xuanzhu didn’t know how else to explain, responding stiffly.
“What breasts?” Chen Degao asked, puzzled.
“A woman’s breasts,” Chen Xuanzhu replied mechanically.
“How is that possible?” Chen Degao scrutinized ‘his son,’ who was wiping away tears beside him.
“It’s true, I saw it too. Those were indeed a woman’s breasts,” Melissa finally reacted.
“That’s impossible. How could a boy grow a woman’s breasts?” Chen Degao still couldn’t believe it. He took two steps closer to ‘his son,’ seemingly wanting to verify it himself.
Chen Xuanqiu was utterly terrified, cowering miserably in the corner, trembling.
“What are you doing?” Melissa quickly pulled her husband back.
“I want to see if what you’re saying is true or false,” Chen Degao instinctively replied.
“Those are a girl’s breasts. Are you sure you want to look?” Melissa’s delicate brows furrowed slightly.
Chen Degao then realized his actions were inappropriate and awkwardly retreated two steps.
“No need to look, Dad! I can guarantee it’s real,” Chen Xuanzhu reiterated.
“But Xiaoqiu is my son. How could ‘he’ grow a woman’s breasts?” Chen Degao clutched at his hair in anguish.
“Exactly. That’s why her identity is questionable,” Chen Xuanzhu analyzed, crossing her arms.
“You mean… she’s not your brother?” Chen Degao asked unconsciously.
“It’s also possible your brother suddenly turned into a girl,” Melissa said, unwilling to accept the cruel reality.
“Melissa, don’t be foolish. How can anyone turn a man directly into a woman in this world? If it were possible, the gender ratio wouldn’t be so imbalanced now,” Chen Degao firmly countered.
“Yes, and think about it. Haven’t her behavior and mannerisms been completely different from my brother’s recently? Take that day we ate at the Fu family’s house; she actually ate lamb, which my brother detests,” Chen Xuanzhu recalled and analyzed.
“Are you really not Xiaoqiu?” Melissa crouched down, asking with a hint of desperate hope.
“I’m sorry, Mom, I am Xiaoqiu, I just… turned into a girl.” Chen Xuanqiu, of course, dared not admit her true identity, intending to resist to the very end.