A New Name and a Mother’s Wish

“Xiu, are you…”

Zhuang Wenli felt like laughing at Huang Xiu’s words, but the last word ‘stupid’ never left her mouth.

She reached out and touched Huang Xiu’s small head.

Her hair was fluffy yet smooth, like silk, and Zhuang Wenli couldn’t help but keep her hand there.

Maybe it was the adorable red-eyed girl in front of her that reminded her of the daughter she once wanted to raise.

Her tone softened considerably.

“How could I not acknowledge you? I’ve raised you for over ten years, how could I not recognize you?”

“I’ll call your father back right now. If he dares not recognize you, I’ll kick him out.” Zhuang Wenli snorted, then gently pushed Huang Xiu away. “Alright, you’re a grown-up now. Stop crying. Go to the bathroom and wash your face, freshen up.”

These words gave Huang Xiu an excuse to temporarily avoid facing Professor Yuan and the others.

She quickly nodded and without looking back, ran all the way into the bathroom.

Hearing the bathroom door slam shut, Zhuang Wenli turned to look at Yuan Fei and the others.

“Gentlemen, could you please explain now? Why has my son turned into a daughter?”

Her tone was very gentle, but Yuan Fei inexplicably felt a pressure.

“Ahem, it’s like this…”

****

“Gurgle…”

In the bathroom, Huang Xiu pressed her head hard into the sink, only lifting it after a long time.

Her bangs were wet, water droplets streaming down her face to her chin, finally dripping down in a steady rhythm.

Looking up at the mirror, Huang Xiu pouted.

In the mirror, the girl with red eyes, as cute as a rabbit, also pouted.

“It really feels like a dream!”

Having her mom recognize her identity was unexpectedly simple. Dad probably wouldn’t be a problem either.

The biggest issue was solved just like that.

After all her worrying and sleepless nights.

Was the best way to eliminate a problem really just to face it head-on?

Huang Xiu closed her eyes and dried her face with her old towel.

She checked herself in the mirror again, making sure there was nothing unusual except for slightly red eyes.

Then she pushed open the bathroom door and walked out.

In the living room, Zhuang Wenli and Yue Zhengyang were chatting happily, their lively conversation audible even through the bathroom door.

As for Professor Yuan, who had been explaining earlier, he had long been sidelined by Yue Zhengyang due to his poor conversational skills.

There was no helping it. The old man kept boasting about how amazing he was and how accurate his judgment was. Completely unreliable.

“Is that so?”

Zhuang Wenli’s eyes lit up, her voice trembling. “A magical girl, you say? Xiu is a magical girl?”

“Ahem.” Yue Zhengyang coughed awkwardly. “If you want to put it that way, I suppose so. But the transformation is irreversible. From now on, Classmate Huang will have to live as a woman.”

As he spoke, Huang Xiu shuffled over to her mom and plopped down right next to her.

“I see…” Zhuang Wenli took Huang Xiu’s fair little hand, a bit troubled. “Then what about Xiu’s identity?”

She couldn’t have her child dressing as a woman forever, like Mulan.

“As for the identity…” Yue Zhengyang glanced at Professor Yuan. Seeing him nod, he continued. “Don’t worry about that.”

“Our professor has already communicated with the government agencies. We can arrange a new identity for Classmate Huang at any time. The original identity of Huang Xiu will be canceled as deceased or missing.”

When she heard about the original identity being canceled as deceased or missing, Zhuang Wenli could clearly feel her child’s hand tighten a bit.

She sighed softly. “Alright, I understand.”

“By the way, it’s best to change the name, to avoid confusion with the old one.” Yue Zhengyang added.

“Change the name?”

Zhuang Wenli looked at Huang Xiu, who was sitting quietly beside her without a word.

“Xiu, what do you want to be called? You’ve always been dissatisfied with your name before, wanting a three-character name like your father’s. Now you have the chance. Think about it.” She tried to cheer Huang Xiu up with a teasing tone.

“I… I don’t want to change my name,” Huang Xiu said softly.

If her household registration was canceled, ‘Huang Xiu’ would become completely past tense. But at least she wanted to keep the name.

Otherwise, what would she use to hold onto the memories of when she was still a boy?

Maybe she could only live as a girl for the rest of her life.

But right now, at least four days ago, for these seventeen years, she had been a boy.

All the beautiful, sad, happy, and even angry memories were from her past life as a boy.

She didn’t dare forget those memories, because that would mean forgetting her former self.

“How about calling you Huang Xiu, using your nickname?” Zhuang Wenli came up with a compromise.

Huang Xiu was silent for a moment, then nodded.

Same sound, different character. And it was her nickname since childhood. There really was no better option.

“Huang Xiu…”

The girl murmured the name, the name that would accompany her for the rest of her life.

And Huang Xiu would gradually be forgotten as her male identity was canceled, except for those moments in some night or when triggered by a scene she would suddenly remember it.

Huang Xiu, no, from now on, she should be called Huang Xiu, suddenly became emotional again.

For some reason… maybe just to find an excuse to vent.

Huang Xiu felt that since she awakened and transformed, her emotional fluctuations had become much greater than before.

Previously, even if he was very sad, he wouldn’t cry in public holding his mom.

Nor would he blush so easily.

“Alright, the identity of Huang Xiu has been submitted.” Yue Zhengyang smiled and flipped his phone. “The new ID card will be delivered by express within two days.”

“Wait…” Huang Xiu suddenly thought of a question.

She asked weakly, “Did you have authorization to tell her about us? Is it legal?”

There was something called the Wall of Truth that kept ordinary people from knowing about the Void Realm and Specials.

She didn’t want her mom to be taken by the Control Bureau right after hearing it, put into an orange room, and only released after having her memory erased.

“Ah, don’t worry about that.” Professor Yuan finally found a chance to interject. He clapped his hands and laughed. “I applied for temporary authorization for your parents yesterday. Now they can know about us Specials, but they can’t reveal it.”

“You’re really thoughtful, Professor Yuan!”

Huang Xiu thanked him sincerely, but keenly noticed a flash of amusement and helplessness in Yue Zhengyang’s eyes.

“By the way,” Zhuang Wenli suddenly asked, “That Special you mentioned, can I awaken too?”

“Since you Specials, and that Void Realm, are dangerous… If I could awaken too…”

She glanced at Huang Xiu. “I could help you a little.”

“Hmm…” Yue Zhengyang rubbed his chin. “Generally speaking, if someone hasn’t awakened before the age of twenty-five, they basically have no talent.”

“Auntie, you probably don’t have any talent either.”

“Ah, is that so…”

Zhuang Wenli’s disappointment was palpable. “Damn, I wanted to be a magical girl too.”

Huang Xiu: “…”

So you just wanted to be a magical girl, Mom?! Give me back my touching moment!