Chen Yuqing

Under a murky sky, heavy rain poured down, its muted tones as hazy as a distant memory.

Splash, splash.

A pair of tall boots hurried along a muddy country path. The woman wearing them was cloaked in a grey mantle, her face obscured by a veil.

In her arms, a baby wailed inconsolably.

Waaah, waaah.

Drip, drop.

The heavens seemed unkind; the raindrops intensified, and so did the baby’s cries.

The woman continued onward until the rain around her was finally blocked by thick leaves. A deep green awning appeared, sheltering a greyish-white dwelling, and only then could she catch her breath.

The pointed hood of her cloak, soaked by the rain, had become soft and drooped. She gazed at the baby’s face in her arms, her fingers gently caressing its skin.

“Forgive me, my child. Mama will be back very soon.”

The infant did not understand, only knowing that its mother was looking at it. It wailed, reaching out its tiny hands, eager to grasp its mother’s fingers for a moment.

“Mama will be back soon, very soon.”

The woman bent down and kissed the baby’s cheek, and the infant immediately smiled.

“I love you, my child.”

With a final kiss, the woman placed the baby under the deserted awning. She left her pointed hood on the baby’s swaddle, then turned and ran back the way she came.

In an instant, the baby’s cries merged once more, solitarily, with the sound of the rain. The most earnest calls for its mother finally vanished into the distant reaches of memory.

“Chen Zeyu, wake up.”

“Mmm… just a little longer.”

“Wake up quickly! We’re moving!”

“Moving… then let them move. I’ll just sleep.”

“Tsk, lazy cat awakening magic!”

“Ah!” Chen Zeyu instantly jolted awake, her arm having been viciously pinched.

“Finally awake, huh? Hurry up and get ready, we need to go.” Evetti casually tossed over a set of clothes: a light blue T-shirt and a white mini-skirt.

“Change clothes… where are we going?” Chen Zeyu squinted at Evetti, clearly still half-asleep.

“We’re moving. It’s a bit sudden, but you have to go.”

“Why?” Chen Zeyu glanced down at the clothes. She had never worn women’s clothing before.

“Tsk, don’t ask!” Seeing Chen Zeyu’s slow movements, Evetti simply dropped her own luggage and took matters into her own hands.

“Hey, hey, what are you doing unbuttoning my shirt!”

“Don’t move.”

“You’re taking this one off too! My pants, no!”

“Just wear this one, don’t talk back.”

Evetti braced one knee between Chen Zeyu’s legs, her nimble hands tidying Chen Zeyu’s collar meticulously.

After being forcibly dressed in women’s clothes, Chen Zeyu’s face flushed crimson. She looked at the scattered men’s clothes in the room, and a strange realization dawned on her.

All her belongings were gone! Even her cola bottles and instant noodles had vanished!

“Where’s my stuff?” Chen Zeyu, pressing down on the small white skirt, sat like a duck on the bed, looking around frantically.

“All the trash has been thrown out. Your backpack and useful things are in the car downstairs. Get in.” Evetti picked up her own luggage bag and turned to walk out the door.

In the car? Moving?

Confused, Chen Zeyu quickly slipped on her shoes and dashed downstairs.

Evetti waited at the stairwell, where a minivan was parked. Chen Zeyu arrived a moment later.

“Yo, we meet again.”

The car window slowly rolled down, revealing a familiar face to Chen Zeyu.

It was Tei Lai, wearing large sunglasses and even a blue flight attendant uniform.

“Why is it you?” Chen Zeyu was utterly bewildered.

“Get in and we’ll talk. I need to test out my ride anyway.” Tei Lai jabbed her thumb backward. Chen Zeyu had no choice but to enter through the minivan’s side door.

Once Chen Zeyu was seated, Tei Lai, in the front, tossed something over.

“Here, hold onto this.”

“ID card?”

Chen Zeyu looked at the ID card in her hand. The name ‘Chen Yuqing’ was clearly written, and the photo was of Evetti, with her eye color Photoshopped.

“I have one too, see?” Evetti raised her hand, holding an ID card with the name ‘Chen Yunyao’ on it.

“What is going on?” Chen Zeyu was completely lost now.

“We’re starting a new life, of course! Chen Yuqing, that’s your name now. And little Evetti—oh no, Chen Yunyao—will be your older sister!” Tei Lai, who was driving, added.

“Sister? I… I understand, but why are we moving?” Chen Zeyu still wanted to know more.

“It’s compensation for you, of course. Moving closer to your school will be more convenient. Don’t worry about money or identity; just be who you are now.”

“Oh.”

“Alright, all passengers, buckle up! We’re about to depart!”

Tei Lai lifted her sunglasses with one hand, gave a thumbs-up to the mirror, then floored the accelerator, rocketing out of the dilapidated urban village!

Thump! Screech!

The minivan sped along the narrow concrete road at an astonishing angle. The centrifugal force from the drifting turns made Chen Zeyu in the back seat hold her breath.

“Whoa!” The rapidly blurring scenery reflected in Chen Zeyu’s eyes.

“Chen Yuqing, you can trust Tei Lai’s driving. She can sense where people are with magic.” Evetti, however, remained calm, as if she experienced this regularly.

“Slower… slow down, please! I’m getting car sick, ugh!” Chen Zeyu covered her mouth, her eyes tightly shut.

“I didn’t waste a single one; I passed my driving test with a perfect score on the tenth try, so don’t worry,” Tei Lai declared brazenly, unaware that Chen Zeyu was even more terrified inside.

‘This has to be a speed-demon madwoman! A Bloody Rose! How did she even get a license?!’

Fortunately, Tei Lai eventually reached the main road, and the vehicle’s speed normalized slightly due to the surveillance cameras.

A new life was beckoning Chen Zeyu—no, Chen Yuqing.