Since completely transforming into a girl, Chen Xuanqiu had never experienced stomach pain of this nature. It was an unfamiliar agony, unlike anything she had felt before.
“What’s happening?” she wondered. “Did I eat something spoiled?”
Chen Xuanqiu’s speculative thoughts were quickly overshadowed as the intense, throbbing ache in her abdomen grew increasingly unbearable. She had initially intended to seek medicine from her parents, but the sensitive nature of her current identity gave her pause, forcing her to abandon the idea.
As a result, Chen Xuanqiu spent a sleepless night, rising early the next morning to sit upright, restless.
****
Soon after, Chen Xuanzhu entered the room, a peculiar anticipation flickering in her eyes. She extended a few pills to her “older brother,” saying, “Take your medicine. Aren’t you having stomach pains?”
“How did you know my stomach was hurting?”
Chen Xuanqiu was utterly dumbfounded, a thought forming in her mind: ‘Could my sister be a divine being?’
A radiant smile abruptly blossomed on Chen Xuanzhu’s face, unfurling like a flower in an instant. Her large eyes blinked several times, uncomfortably, and then tears, thick as soybeans, began to stream down her fair, tender cheeks.
“What’s wrong?”
Chen Xuanqiu stared blankly at her sister, her mind utterly devoid of thought.
Chen Xuanzhu offered no reply, instead turning abruptly and hurrying out of the room.
Utterly bewildered by the turn of events, Chen Xuanqiu sat anxiously on the bed.
****
Moments later, three figures burst into the room in a rush.
“Thank the heavens! It’s you, Xiao Qiu! You truly are my Xiao Qiu!”
Melissa surged forward, embracing her “son” and weeping uncontrollably, as if she wished to meld that delicate body back into her own.
“It’s alright now! Everything’s alright!”
Chen Degao, too, was laughing like a five-year-old child, a sight rarely seen from a man in his forties.
Meanwhile, Chen Xuanzhu subtly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, fearing her family might witness her vulnerability.
Chen Xuanqiu remained unaware of how her family had confirmed her identity, yet felt it improper to ask. Only after Melissa’s emotions had somewhat settled did she finally grasp the situation.
As it transpired, Chen Xuanqiu and her sister had shared a subtle telepathic connection since childhood. The most direct manifestation of this bond was that whenever Chen Xuanzhu experienced her menstrual period, Chen Xuanqiu would also suffer from stomach pains.
Coincidentally, Chen Xuanzhu’s menstrual period had begun in the past few days. To definitively confirm her “older brother’s” identity, she had deliberately stopped taking her painkillers. It was this precise detail that allowed the family to confirm Chen Xuanqiu’s true identity.
Chen Xuanqiu was utterly overjoyed, exclaiming that the heavens had truly opened their eyes to her. Had it not been for this bizarre circumstance, she would undoubtedly have been subjected to a paternity test, the outcome of which would have been highly uncertain, given that her body no longer possessed the Y chromosome inherited from her father.
Chen Xuanqiu’s heart finally settled, yet amidst her joy, a new question surfaced: ‘Now that I’ve become a girl, will I also experience menstruation like other girls? If so, wouldn’t that mean dragging my sister along to feel a double dose of “happiness”?’
A shiver ran down Chen Xuanqiu’s spine at the thought. She could barely endure the pain indirectly; if she were to experience it herself, it would be truly insufferable.
****
“Look at my darling, you’ve turned into a little calico kitten,” Melissa cooed. “Mama will wipe your face for you.”
Melissa gazed at her daughter’s tear-streaked face, which resembled a smudged kitten, and felt a pang of tenderness. She left to fetch a basin of water.
Watching her mother bustling in and out, Chen Xuanqiu felt an unprecedented sense of peace. In that moment, she finally perceived a genuine warmth of home.
Melissa carefully wiped away the tear streaks and cosmetics from her daughter’s face with a towel, her voice laced with apology. “Can you forgive us, darling? We treated you so terribly before.”
Upon hearing this, both Father Chen and Chen Xuanzhu in the room flushed with embarrassment. They had, moments ago, actually laid hands on a family member, and the memory now filled them with shame.
“It’s alright,” Chen Xuanqiu said magnanimously. “I don’t blame you.”
For Chen Xuanqiu, simply achieving this outcome was cause for immense gratitude; she had no intention of dwelling on the difficult path that led them there.
“Thank you, Qiu!”
Melissa was deeply moved, feeling truly fortunate to have such an understanding child.
“Just look at her,” Melissa marveled, “my darling is so beautiful, even more stunning than the princess of our Ceylan Kingdom.”
She sighed, setting down the towel.
“Mama, please don’t compare me to girls,” Chen Xuanqiu said, a hint of awkwardness in her tone. “I’m a boy, you know that.”
A faint trace of disdain flickered across Chen Xuanzhu’s face as she heard this. She wished for her “older brother” to embrace being a girl wholeheartedly, knowing that then she could rightfully protect her.
Chen Xuanqiu felt a wave of embarrassment upon hearing her sister’s words. Reflecting on her previously ambiguous body, she found herself utterly unable to formulate a rebuttal.
“Qiu, are you certain you still wish to live as a boy?”
Melissa’s expression grew somewhat sterner.
Chen Xuanqiu looked at her mother with a puzzled expression, uncertain why she posed such a question.
“When you were a boy, you constantly complained to us about being bullied by your classmates,” Melissa reminded her. “Now that God has granted you the opportunity to be a girl, shouldn’t you cherish it? Or do you truly wish to spend every day hidden beneath layers of makeup?”
“I agree with Mama,” Chen Xuanzhu chimed in. “Besides, you’ve already become a girl; that’s an unchangeable fact.”
Chen Xuanqiu fell silent. While her mother’s words held considerable truth, she was still, at her core, a boy in her mind—a perspective difficult to alter in a short span of time. Furthermore, even if she genuinely wished to live as a pure girl, it wasn’t a realistic option, as the matter of her gender transformation could not be revealed to outsiders.
“I understand,” Chen Xuanqiu replied bitterly. “But reality simply won’t permit me to live authentically as a girl.”
“Why not?”
Melissa pressed, unwilling to let the matter drop.
“I’ve already told you,” Chen Xuanqiu reiterated. “Dr. Wei explicitly warned me not to reveal my gender transformation to anyone, or there would be significant trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
Melissa still hadn’t fully grasped the gravity of the situation.
“Dr. Wei is correct.”
Chen Degao interjected suddenly.
“Consider this,” Chen Degao began. “The gender ratio on Earth has been imbalanced for centuries, causing immense problems for every nation. Everyone is desperately trying to find a solution, yet to this day, no country has reported any substantial progress. If her gender transformation were to become public, she would instantly become an object of contention for all global powers. It’s not inconceivable that wars could erupt over her.”
Chen Degao elaborated on the implications, then added with a grave tone, “Of course, whether war breaks out is secondary. The most crucial point is that no matter whose hands she falls into, she would likely be condemned to spend her entire life confined within a laboratory.”
“My dear, then what are we to do?” Melissa finally grasped the severity of the situation. “If we don’t find a solution, won’t she be condemned to a life hidden from the light?”
“Humans are social creatures,” Chen Xuanzhu added, her voice laced with urgency. “Xiao Qiu can’t possibly hide away at home for her entire life, can she? She’ll need to go to school, work, marry, and have children.”
“This matter is incredibly tricky, truly! Give me some time to think.”
Chen Degao sank into deep contemplation. He understood that his eldest daughter’s entire future hinged on this decision, and thus, he could not afford to be careless.
****
Soon after, Chen Degao departed for work, but not before earnestly reminding his family never to breathe a word of this secret to anyone.
Chen Xuanzhu subsequently left for school as well, leaving only Melissa and her daughter alone in the room.
“Don’t worry,” Melissa reassured her eldest daughter. “I’m certain your father will come up with a solution.”
Having offered comfort to her eldest daughter, Melissa took her small hand and squeezed it. “I feel so incredibly blessed right now,” she confessed. “Other people struggle to have even one daughter, yet I’ve been given two!”
Chen Xuanqiu found her mother’s words almost dreamlike. On her original Earth, few people yearned for multiple daughters; most hoped for both sons and daughters, especially with the modern emphasis on gender equality.
“Qiu, you’re not wearing a bra, are you?”
Melissa suddenly fixed her gaze on her eldest daughter’s chest.
Chen Xuanqiu looked down, her face instantly flushing crimson. She had wanted to “relax,” so after removing her binding, she hadn’t put on a bra. Now, her thin male T-shirt did little to conceal the distinct shape of her breasts.
“As a girl, you must always be careful to protect yourself. Otherwise, you’ll regret it when it’s too late. I think you and your sister have similar figures, so I’ll go find a bra for you from Xiao Zhu’s room.”
Melissa prepared to give her recently transformed eldest daughter her first lesson.
“Can I not wear one for now? My chest hurts.”
Chen Xuanqiu pleaded weakly.
“What’s wrong with your chest?”
Melissa quickly inquired.
“I’ve been binding it every day recently, so my skin is a bit inflamed,” Chen Xuanqiu replied, trying to sound nonchalant.
“Take off your shirt; let me see.”
Melissa commanded with immediate authority.