“Xiao Xiu, are you…?”
Hearing Huang Xiu’s words, Zhuang Wenli almost laughed, though the word ‘silly’ never quite left her lips. She reached out and gently stroked Huang Xiu’s small head. Her hair, fluffy yet smooth as silk, was so pleasant to touch that Zhuang Wenli found herself unable to let go. Perhaps the sight of this adorable, red-eyed girl before her stirred a long-held desire to raise a daughter. Her tone softened considerably.
“How could I not recognize you? I’ve raised you for over a decade! How could I possibly disown you? I’ll call your dad back in a moment; if he dares not acknowledge you, I’ll kick him out!” Zhuang Wenli huffed, then gently pushed Huang Xiu away. “Alright, you’re a grown person now; stop crying. Go to the bathroom, clean your face, and freshen up.”
This statement offered Huang Xiu a convenient escape from facing Professor Yuan and the others for the moment. She nodded quickly, then, without a backward glance, scurried into the bathroom. Hearing the bathroom door slam shut, Zhuang Wenli finally turned to face Yuan Fei and the others.
“Esteemed guests, could you please explain to me now? Why has my son turned into a daughter?”
Her tone was soft, yet Yuan Fei felt an inexplicable pressure.
“Ahem, it’s like this…”
****
‘Gulp.’
Inside the bathroom, Huang Xiu pressed her head hard into the sink, only lifting it after a long, long while.
Her bangs were soaked, and water droplets streamed down her face to her chin, finally falling with soft plinks. Looking up at the mirror, Huang Xiu pouted. The adorable, rabbit-eyed girl in the mirror also pouted.
‘This truly feels like a dream!’
‘Being accepted by Mom was unexpectedly simple… Dad probably won’t be an issue either. The biggest hurdle had been cleared in an instant. Before, I’d racked my brain, worrying myself into insomnia. Could it be that the most effective way to resolve a problem was truly to confront it head-on?’
Huang Xiu closed her eyes and dried her face with her old towel. She checked herself in the mirror again, only pushing open the bathroom door and stepping out once she was certain nothing seemed out of place, save for her slightly reddened eyes.
In the living room, Zhuang Wenli and Yue Zhengyang were chatting merrily. Their lively chatter was so loud even the bathroom door couldn’t muffle it. As for Professor Yuan, who had initially been explaining, he had long since been ‘usurped’ by Yue Zhengyang due to his terrible conversational skills. There was nothing to be done; this old fellow, as he spoke, would inevitably start boasting about his own prowess and how accurately he could judge people—he was simply too unreliable.
“Is that so?”
Zhuang Wenli’s eyes sparkled, and her voice trembled. “A magical girl? So Xiao Xiu is a magical girl?”
“Ahem, ahem.” Yue Zhengyang coughed awkwardly twice. “If you want to understand it that way, it’s not entirely wrong. However, this transformation is irreversible. From now on, student Huang will have to live as a female.”
As he spoke, Huang Xiu shuffled over to her mother’s side, settling herself snugly beside her.
“Is that how it is…” Zhuang Wenli took Huang Xiu’s soft, pale hand, saying with a hint of distress, “Then what about Xiao Xiu’s identity? We can’t just have our child pretending to be a boy for the rest of their life, like Mulan!”
“Regarding her identity…” Yue Zhengyang turned to glance at Professor Yuan, and seeing the latter nod, he continued, “You don’t need to worry about that. Our professor has already cleared it with government agencies. We can arrange a new identity for student Huang Xiu at any time. As for Huang Xiu’s original identity, it will be registered as deceased or missing.”
When he spoke of her original identity being registered as deceased or missing, Zhuang Wenli could distinctly feel her child’s grip tighten slightly. She sighed softly. “Alright, I understand.”
“…the same, which leads to misunderstandings,” Yue Zhengyang added.
“Change her name?”
Zhuang Wenli looked at Huang Xiu, who was sitting quietly beside her, uncharacteristically silent. “Xiao Xiu, what will you be called? You always used to be dissatisfied with your name, wanting to use a three-character name like your father! Now you have the chance, why don’t you think about it properly?” She tried to lighten Huang Xiu’s mood with a slightly teasing tone.
“I… I don’t want to change my name,” Huang Xiu said softly.
‘With her old identity cancelled, ‘Huang Xiu’ would be irrevocably relegated to the past. But at the very least, her name should be kept, right? Otherwise, how could she hold onto the memories of her time as a boy? Perhaps from now on, she would live her entire life as a girl. But even now, just four days ago, for seventeen years, she had been a boy. All her beautiful, sorrowful, joyful, and even angry memories, up to this point, were fundamentally rooted in her past life as a boy! She dared not forget these memories, for to do so would be to forget who she once was.’
“How about we just call you Xiao Xiu then, using your nickname?” Zhuang Wenli suggested a compromise.
Huang Xiu remained silent for a moment before finally nodding. Same pronunciation, different character, and it was her childhood nickname—there truly was no better solution.
“Xiao Xiu…”
The girl silently uttered the name, the name that would accompany her for the rest of her life. And the name ‘Huang Xiu’ would gradually fade from memory as her male identity was erased, save for those nights when she might suddenly recall it, perhaps stirred by a poignant scene.
Huang Xiu—no, from now on, the girl should be called Xiao Xiu—felt her emotions surge once more. She didn’t know why… perhaps it was merely a pretext to unleash her feelings. Huang Xiu had always felt that ever since her awakening and transformation, her emotional fluctuations had become far more pronounced than before. In the past, even when deeply saddened, she would never have openly embraced her mother and wept in public. Nor would she blush and feel shy at the slightest provocation.
“Good, Huang Xiu’s identity has been reported,” Yue Zhengyang said, flipping his phone over with a smile. “Within the next two days, a new ID card will be sent via express delivery.”
“Wait…” Huang Xiu suddenly thought of a question. She asked timidly, “Did you get authorization to tell my mom about our situation? It’s not illegal, is it?”
‘There was something called the Wall of Truth, which prevented ordinary people from learning about the Void Realm and Awakened individuals. She certainly didn’t want her mother to be arrested by the Jurisdiction Bureau immediately after hearing their secrets, only to be released after her memories were erased.’
“Ah, you can rest assured about that,” Professor Yuan finally found an opportunity to interject, clapping his hands and laughing loudly. “I applied for temporary authorization for your parents yesterday. Now they can understand, but not disclose, information about us Awakened individuals.”
“Professor Yuan, you’re truly thoughtful!”
Huang Xiu thanked him sincerely, but sharply noticed a fleeting flicker of amusement and helplessness in Yue Zhengyang’s eyes.
“Oh, that reminds me,” Zhuang Wenli suddenly asked, “The Awakened individuals you mentioned, can I also awaken? After all, you Awakened, and that Void Realm… they’re all dangerous, aren’t they? What if I could awaken too…” She looked at Huang Xiu. “I could at least offer some help.”
“Hmm…” Yue Zhengyang stroked his chin. “Generally speaking, if someone hasn’t awakened before the age of twenty-five, it can pretty much be concluded that they don’t possess the talent. Auntie, you… probably don’t have the talent either.”
“Ah, is that how it is…” Zhuang Wenli’s eyes visibly welled up with tears. “Damn it, I wanted to be a magical girl too!”
Huang Xiu: “…”
‘So, Mom, you just wanted to be a magical girl?! Give me back all my heartfelt emotions!’