A Flustered Encounter at the Dorm Door

Standing outside the door, unsure how to respond, I distinctly heard Yang Laoer’s voice change when he uttered the words ‘little sister.’ Following that, a commotion erupted from within the room.

The dormitory door, which had only been half-open, was suddenly pulled wide open. However, standing in the doorway was not the almost-frenzied Yang Laoer I had just heard, but the usually reserved Linghu Ruoxu!

It made sense, actually. Not only had Yang Laoer been severely injured earlier that day in a close-quarters skirmish with Senior Sister Kang Qiao, but there was also a matter of their beds’ locations. Linghu Ruoxu and Guo Hao’s bunks were situated closer to the door, making them the de facto ‘masters’ of that side of the dorm.

As the saying goes, ‘the early bird catches the worm,’ or ‘the tower nearest the water gets the moon first.’ While Linghu Ruoxu’s Qinggong might have been slightly inferior to Yang Laoer’s, this positional advantage allowed him to reach the door before that horny devil.

Yet, the moment the door swung open, Linghu Ruoxu hadn’t even fully steadied himself. His peach blossom eyes flickered, and he evidently recognized me—the ‘little sister’ who had, just that morning, dragged him by the hand to pretend to be my boyfriend.

This young man, usually so shy and reserved in front of strangers, immediately flushed crimson. He parted his lips slightly, but no words escaped him. Then, gritting his teeth, he spun around and dashed back, scrambling onto his bunk with a startling and almost infuriating decisiveness.

An awkward silence fell, leaving me outside, Guo Hao inside, and Yang Laoer, who had just rushed over to ogle the ‘little sister,’ all staring at each other in bewildered silence.

“Third Brother, what’s wrong with you today? Why are you acting like someone stepped on your tail?” Guo Hao stared blankly for a moment before finally reacting. He called out in surprise to Linghu Ruoxu, who lay sullenly on his bunk, facing the wall as if in deep reflection. Linghu Ruoxu remained silent, his face still turned away.

I could somewhat guess and sympathize with Linghu Ruoxu’s feelings at that moment, so I could only offer a helpless smile. However, a mischievous thought crossed my mind: ‘If this fellow were to learn my true identity, what would he think, what would his reaction be?’

My pleasant mood, however, didn’t last long. Yang Laoer, who had rushed to the door in such a hurry, immediately began questioning me directly: “Little sister, how old are you, and are you married?”

I was utterly dumbfounded by such a question, unsure how to answer. Fortunately, Guo Hao, who had been fiddling with his phone, preparing to call the ‘girl’ I had become, seemed unable to stomach Yang Laoer’s antics. He put down his phone, turned around, and admonished him.

“Second Brother, rein it in! How old do you think she is? Besides, she’s here to see Fourth Brother; she might be a relative or something. A rabbit doesn’t eat the grass by its own burrow, so behave yourself!”

“Damn it, what do you know? Look how lovely and pure this little sister is, clearly a beauty in the making! You have to start dating young! Love is something you cultivate from childhood, right? Hey, little sister, you…” Yang Laoer pouted, shamelessly using this twisted logic to silence Guo Hao, who was never particularly eloquent. He then turned back to me, about to continue his nonsense.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he said with a flash of realization, “You… you’re here to see our Fourth Brother? Are you a relative of his, his younger sister?”

This question actually gave me an idea. Pretending to be my own sister seemed like a good option. However, before I could answer, Yang Laoer answered his own question.

“No, that’s not right. The government’s two-child policy has only been open for a few years, right? Even if Fourth Brother’s parents were fast, it wouldn’t be this outrageous! Could it be that his uncle and aunt had such progressive ideas? Or did they once belong to the ‘excess birth guerrilla squad’ back in the day…?”

Before he could finish, Guo Hao landed a chestnut on his head.

“Second Brother, can you stop spouting nonsense! No one will mistake you for a mute if you just keep quiet! You’re going to scare the poor girl! We’ve talked about Fourth Brother’s family before; he doesn’t have a sister, has he? Even if he did, she’d probably be a cousin or something!” Guo Hao angrily lectured Yang Laoer for a few moments, then turned to me, smiling gently. “Little sister, please don’t take offense. This is our Second Brother. I don’t know if Fourth Brother mentioned him, but he tends to be a bit glib in front of girls, always running his mouth. Just ignore him… Uh, are you really Fourth Brother’s relative?”

Yang Laoer’s earlier reaction suddenly made me realize a crucial fact. Given the situation, if I were to claim I was a relative of my own, he would likely immediately use that distant connection to try and pursue me. A shiver of disgust ran down my spine, so I vigorously shook my head.

This answer seemed to surprise both Guo Hao and Yang Laoer. They exchanged glances for a while, seemingly unsure how to proceed with their questions. On the bunk, Linghu Ruoxu, who had been diligently facing the wall, waiting for spring to arrive, now perked up an ear, intently listening to the commotion.

“Well, uh, little sister, what exactly is your business with our Fourth Brother? What… what is your relationship with him?” Guo Hao asked me softly, his brow furrowed.

My heart was a tangled mess of emotions, and I couldn’t decide whether to reveal my true identity to them. Yet, imagining myself seriously confessing to these brothers in the dorm: “Hello, brothers, I’m actually Liu Fang, and because I was taught the Sunflower Manual, I’ve now become a girl…”

I couldn’t even dare to imagine their reactions afterward! These three rascals would probably roll on the floor laughing!

Thinking this, my face involuntarily flushed, and I unconsciously bit my lip, my fingers twisting the hem of my clothes even tighter.

I later learned from Guo Hao that my flustered and embarrassed appearance had, in their eyes, seemed like I was hesitant to speak, perhaps too shy to voice something. This led the two brothers to jump to the wrong conclusion.

“Um, you, you wouldn’t happen to be with Fourth Brother… could you be Fourth Brother’s… um… are you?” After a moment, Guo Hao asked, his voice hesitant and stammering.

Initially, I was somewhat bewildered by this and simply pursed my lips, saying nothing. However, Yang Laoer’s subsequent words instantly made the situation clear.

“Damn it, Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother, how could you do this? We agreed to be single bachelors together, but you went and got a girlfriend! How can you face us brothers?”