The Foolproof Lie

I must thank the misunderstanding that arose among my three dorm brothers earlier; it sparked an idea. Initially, they had mistakenly believed that I, in my male form before I became a girl, was Liu Fang, the Fourth Brother’s, girlfriend. This incident proved to be a profound inspiration.

Considering that my male identity was destined to become a missing person sooner or later, using this past misunderstanding as a cover was utterly foolproof and seamless. After all, the ‘other party’ involved in this fabricated relationship was none other than myself!

Therefore, when Senior Sister Xiao Ru posed the question again, I feigned a moment of shyness. Then, with a blush, I confessed to her that I was indeed Liu Fang, the Fourth Brother’s girlfriend, which was how I became acquainted with them.

As for why they called me ‘Fourth Brother,’ it was merely a shortened form of address. The full title, I explained, was ‘Fourth Brother’s Wife.’

Senior Sister Xiao Ru, upon hearing this, was naturally a little skeptical. She pressed further, asking where my ‘boyfriend’—that is, my male self—had gone.

Most people would have been caught off guard by such a question, but I had anticipated Senior Sister Xiao Ru’s curiosity. I immediately put on a worried expression and informed her that my ‘boyfriend’ had to take a temporary leave of absence due to some private reasons just over a month into the new semester.

This also provided a perfect explanation for my frequent visits to Dorm 322: I was simply trying to inquire about my ‘boyfriend’s’ whereabouts!

When mentioning the ‘private reasons,’ I deliberately added a touch of mystery, hoping to deter Senior Sister Xiao Ru from probing too deeply and prevent any accidental slip-ups. Alas, Senior Sister Xiao Ru was the type to get to the bottom of everything.

Before long, she made her way to Dorm 322 to verify my story with the three brothers. I was present at the time, yet I remained surprisingly composed, for I had already briefed them beforehand to ensure our act was flawless.

What I hadn’t accounted for, in all my meticulous planning, was Yang Laoer—my old nemesis from the sock incident. I watched as Guo Hao and Linghu Ruoxu, as agreed, maintained an air of inscrutable silence, refusing to elaborate on the ‘mysterious private reasons.’

However, Yang Laoer’s eyes gleamed with mischief. He chuckled, then launched into a theatrical rendition:

“Senior Sister, you’re asking about our Fourth Brother? Ah, what a scoundrel at such a young age; he’s bound to be terrible when he grows up!”

He continued in a singing tone, “During the last short holiday, this lad lied to his family, claiming school matters kept him busy. In reality, he spent days carousing in pleasure quarters and brothels, indulging in lavish feasts and wanton debauchery. Eventually, his father caught him red-handed, subjected him to severe family discipline, and he’s now recuperating at home from his grave injuries!”

As the supposed male protagonist of this wildly fabricated tale, I could only stare, dumbfounded, as Yang Laoer spun his outrageous lies. Yet, constrained by my earlier pretense of mystery, I found myself unable to utter a single word of protest.

I stood there, my face burning crimson. In Senior Sister Xiao Ru’s eyes, I must have appeared embarrassed, but in truth, I was seething with anger.

I had secretly hoped that my other two brothers would step forward to clear my name. Instead, those two scoundrels stood by, gloating, allowing Yang Laoer to spread his absurd rumors and slander me!

Fortunately, Senior Sister Xiao Ru, despite being the one they were trying to fool, maintained a clear head. She eyed Yang Laoer suspiciously for several moments before asking thoughtfully, “Is this truly what happened? If so, how could our Dongfang possibly fall for someone like that? Wait a minute, Yang boy, why does this story sound less like Dongfang’s boyfriend and more like something *you* would do?”

“Senior Sister, you’re underestimating me, Yang Chun! Don’t you know my capabilities? Even if I’m currently still in the theoretical research phase concerning such matters, how could I ever get caught visiting a brothel? Even Senior Kang Qiao, the guardian of your girls’ dorm, can’t catch me. My own father? He’d have to see a ghost to catch me!” Yang Laoer retorted, unable to tolerate any doubt cast upon his abilities.

“You’re still in the research phase, and Fourth Brother has already gone out to practice? How can you be the second brother of this dorm? You set no example at all!” Linghu Ruoxu usually sided with me. Seeing an opportunity for some banter, he immediately began to mock Yang Laoer.

“Uh, I… I wasn’t…” Yang Laoer stammered, flustered, speechless for a long moment.

Guo Hao, likely seeing the conversation devolve into utter nonsense, couldn’t bear it any longer. He reluctantly stepped forward and interjected, “Alright, everyone, stop messing around and making Senior Sister Xiao Ru laugh! Hmm, about this matter…”

He paused slightly, glancing at me as if seeking confirmation. When I subtly nodded, then shook my head, he sighed and continued, “As for Fourth Brother’s situation, to be honest, none of us are entirely clear either. We only heard it was due to private reasons, involving certain secrets that shouldn’t be casually divulged to outsiders. That’s why Fourth Brother’s… wife, is so worried and keeps coming to our room every now and then to ask for updates…”

Seeing that the usually reliable Guo Hao’s account matched mine, Senior Sister Xiao Ru finally believed the story. She then shot a chiding glance at Yang Laoer, seething, “Fine, so Dongfang was telling me the truth after all, and you, Yang boy, were just spouting nonsense and stirring up trouble! You almost made me wrongly accuse Dongfang!”

This time, it was my turn to blush again, though this flush was genuinely born of guilt over Senior Sister’s trust…

****

Days floated by, time fleeting. While my new life wasn’t exactly boundless joy, thanks to Senior Sister Xiao Ru’s strict supervision, it was certainly fulfilling.

This evening, Senior Sister Xiao Ru was called away early for a student council meeting, and it looked like she wouldn’t be back until lights out. Seizing this rare window of freedom, we immediately decided to hold a long-overdue dorm activity, enjoying our pleasant four-person world.

“Same as always, I’m ADC, Yang Laoer is jungler! Linghu Ruoxu, watch out for feeding! Liu Fang, play support well! As for the outsider, let him do whatever he wants!” Guo Hao instructed, his fingers flying across the mouse and keyboard.

The three of us acknowledged his commands, and the dorm quickly filled with the clatter of keys and clicks.

Though it was October, Tianwu University, being in a peculiar middle-ground location, still suffered from a fierce ‘autumn tiger’ heat. The dorm was sweltering. Guo Hao and Linghu Ruoxu were bare-chested, and the always-uninhibited Yang Laoer had stripped down to just his underwear, completely oblivious to the fact that I, a girl, was in the room with them at that very moment.

Of course, to be honest, dressed in my usual dorm attire of a T-shirt and baggy shorts, looking rather disheveled, I probably wasn’t in much of a position to comment anyway…