Prologue

The two-month summer vacation passed in the blink of an eye.
Before I knew it, the first month of the second semester of my first year of high school was already over.
It was the same old campus life as always—neither particularly hard nor particularly happy.
Or at least, that’s how it should have been.

But on that day, the change descended silently, without a sound!

Quietly, like a gentle breeze brushing past.

By the time I realized it, my best friend’s life had already ended.
And at the same time, a new friend was born!

The moment came so suddenly that, ashamed as I am to admit it, neither Ye Qing nor Lin Yuxuan noticed any warning signs before the change.

One day before the transformation, my best friend said his final goodbye.
That also became the last words between Ye Qing and him, forever engraved in Ye Qing’s heart.

“Ring, ring, ring~”

“That’s it for today’s class. Dismissed!”

With the teacher’s official order to end the class, after-school hours officially began.

“I’m heading out first, Ye Qing!”

“Oh!”

Ye Qing casually waved at his deskmate, who was smiling and saying goodbye, and gave a short reply.
His deskmate had already rushed to the door without looking back before even hearing the reply, so Ye Qing’s response was just as brief and casual.

After-school time was always like this—students were all eager to go home or to club activities.
That included Ye Qing’s childhood friend, Lin Yuxuan.

With her glossy, jet-black, silky long hair, her slender, graceful figure, and her captivatingly beautiful face, she was recognized school-wide as the number one school beauty.

But unlike her perfect appearance, her personality was straightforward, fearless, and lively.

“Yuxuan, are you going to the activity room again today?”

A short-haired girl in the class walked over to Lin Yuxuan and asked with a light smile.

“Yeah, sorry!”

Lin Yuxuan smiled apologetically, pressed her palms together, and apologized to the girl.

“No worries, Yuxuan. Do your best with the club!”

The girl shook her head with a smile, made a cheering gesture toward Lin Yuxuan, and left.

Lin Yuxuan briskly packed her books into a small brown backpack, flicked the strap over her slender shoulder with her right hand, and then dashed toward the door.

Seeing Yuxuan running at full speed while still wearing her school uniform skirt, Ye Qing couldn’t stand it anymore and called out loudly to his childhood friend.

“Yuxuan, we’re meeting in the classroom! And don’t run at full speed in a skirt!”

“Got it!”

She replied without even turning her head.
Her long legs beneath the skirt kept running, completely ignoring his advice.
As she passed a boy sitting blankly in the front row, she slapped him hard on the back and then bolted out the classroom door.

“Hey… honestly!”

The boy had wanted to scold her, but seeing Yuxuan run off faster than a rabbit, he could only sigh helplessly and let it go.
The boy’s name was Zhang Haoyang.
He was Ye Qing and Lin Yuxuan’s best friend.
The three of them had shared a long time together and could truly open their hearts to one another.

Soon, only Ye Qing and Zhang Haoyang were left in the classroom.

Bored, Ye Qing walked over to his best friend to see what he was doing.

Unsurprisingly, there was a thick book on the desk—a novel, without a doubt.

[Still reading novels as always,] Ye Qing thought as he struck up a conversation.

“What are you reading this time?”

“Feng Hen…”

His best friend replied coldly, seemingly engrossed in the book.
Even though he was putting up a good front, Ye Qing could still see through his absent-mindedness.

But the title his friend mentioned seriously excited Ye Qing’s book-loving heart. He spoke to his friend with great enthusiasm.

“Oh, that new popular novel?! I was planning to buy a copy too. Ah~ too bad I’m poor… can’t afford it.”

Ye Qing made all sorts of exaggerated gestures and finally placed his right hand on his forehead, shaking his head helplessly.

In response to Ye Qing’s theatrical behavior, his best friend shot him a resentful look that clearly said, “If you have nothing better to do, get lost!”

“Fine, fine! I won’t bother you anymore!”

Ye Qing sat back down in his seat, bored, and couldn’t help sighing.

[How am I going to kill time now?]

Yuxuan’s club activities would last until at least 5:40.
But class had only ended five minutes ago—5:15.
That meant at least 25 minutes to kill.

Normally, Ye Qing would have gone off to play soccer with his friends, but unfortunately, it was drizzling outside.

[Ahh! Rainy days really are the worst.]

Thinking this, Ye Qing leaned back in his chair, balancing on its back legs and rocking back and forth.

Rocking gently, he stared at the white ceiling, listening to the steady sound of rain from outside the window, his thoughts drifting to his best friend.

[Has Haoyang been too cold lately? It’s one thing to treat me like that, but he’s even ignoring Yuxuan. Then again, with someone like Yuxuan, maybe ignoring her isn’t such a bad idea? I absolutely can’t let Yuxuan hear that, or someone’s going to die!]

The thought of Yuxuan swinging her fist at him made Ye Qing break out in a cold sweat—her punches were no joke.

“Sigh~”

He let out a soft sigh, stopped rocking, and let the chair hit the floor with a “smack!”
He turned his gaze toward his best friend, who was still buried in his book.

[I really need to get to the bottom of this.]

Ye Qing quietly walked up behind his best friend and put him in a headlock.

“Hck…! Ye Qing… what are you doing?”

Zhang Haoyang coughed, struggling to breathe, then grabbed Ye Qing’s arm and protested in dissatisfaction.

Seeing Haoyang’s furrowed brow and slightly angry expression, Ye Qing easily let go, then leaned in close to Haoyang’s face, looking at him with concern.

Because of his family background, Haoyang had always been “pretty-faced.”
But his already pale complexion now had a few extra traces of haggardness, making him look unnervingly gaunt.

“What?”

Feeling uncomfortable under Ye Qing’s concerned gaze, Haoyang turned his face away and asked flatly.

Ignoring his best friend’s coldness, Ye Qing pressed on with concern.

“What’s been going on lately? You look really pale!”

“No, nothing.”

“Really nothing?”

“I said noth—”

Seeing that his friend had no intention of answering, Ye Qing cut him off. He changed from leaning in close to standing casually and shifted the topic.

“Then what do you think of Yuxuan?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Haoyang fell silent for a moment. His previously strong resistance softened.

“What do I think?”

Haoyang lowered his head and thought for a while before voicing his thoughts.

“I don’t dislike her.”

“So you like her!”

“You… it’s not like that.”

Haoyang’s pale face reddened slightly, and he weakly protested.

“At this point, you think I wouldn’t know?”

Ye Qing showed a sly smile, teasing him.

“Ye Qing!”

Haoyang looked helplessly at his best friend.
The strong resistance in his eyes was gone, replaced by calm acceptance.
This was the expression Ye Qing had seen before—Zhang Haoyang giving in.

[Finally caving, huh?]

Thinking this, Ye Qing shrugged and gave a wry smile, waiting for his friend’s answer.

“If I have to say… it’s just that my health isn’t good.”

“That’s it?”

Haoyang spoke flatly while staring at his book.
Ye Qing asked suspiciously—it didn’t seem that simple.
So he stared hard at his friend, trying to find a crack in his story.

But Haoyang stood up, forced a faint smile, and gently patted Ye Qing on the shoulder.

“Ye Qing.”

[Huh? What’s this about?]

Ye Qing looked at Haoyang’s forced smile with confusion.
A strange sense of sadness welled up in his heart, though he couldn’t quite name it.
He felt inexplicably troubled but couldn’t say a word.
He just stood there dumbly, waiting for his friend to continue.

“Thank you. And thank Lin Yuxuan for me. Thank you both for always being by my side.”

“Hey… what’s with this all of a sudden? Thanking me and all… aren’t we best friends?”

Haoyang’s sudden words of thanks made Ye Qing scratch his head in embarrassment.

Haoyang ignored Ye Qing’s shyness.
He slung his backpack over his shoulder and took a step toward the door.
With his back to Ye Qing, he calmly said his farewell.

“Ye Qing, and Yuxuan—take care of yourselves. I… might not come anymore.”

“Hey, there’s a limit to joking around.”

Ye Qing smiled bitterly, confused.
In his eyes, there was no way Haoyang would stop coming to school or leave them.

“Mm.”

With a soft “mm,” Haoyang walked straight out of the classroom, leaving Ye Qing alone, frustrated and confused.

The next day, Haoyang was nowhere to be seen in the classroom.
Just as he had said, Haoyang didn’t come to school anymore.

After school that afternoon, Lin Yuxuan was the first to stand up.
She slammed her hand on the teacher’s podium and excitedly asked the homeroom teacher.

But before Lin Yuxuan could even get the question out, the teacher raised his hand to stop her.

“As for him, he’s already withdrawn from school. From what his parents said, it seems to be for health reasons. The withdrawal paperwork has already been processed.”

“Which hospital?”

“His parents didn’t tell me, but I think he should be at Shengdi Technology Hospital. You can ask at the front desk there and they’ll know.”

“Thank you, teacher!”

Lin Yuxuan rushed out anxiously.
Ye Qing ran out after her.
Neither of them even packed their bags.
Their minds were completely focused on Zhang Haoyang as they hurried toward Shengdi Technology Hospital.

—

Shengdi Technology Hospital, in front of the special ward.

“Doctor, isn’t there something you can do? We’ll pay whatever it takes… Please, save my son!”

The patient’s mother wailed bitterly, begging for the doctor’s help.

“I believe I’ve already made it clear. There is currently no cure. Not everything in this world can be solved with money.”

“Why? Why did it turn out like this? Wuwuwuwu~”

The patient’s mother covered her face in anguish, squatting on the ground and sobbing.
Even though she tried to restrain her voice, the pain and disbelief still came through in her cries.

“Doctor, is there really nothing you can do?”

The patient’s father comforted his wife while looking up to ask.
His stern, tense face was also tinged with sorrow.

“I’m afraid not.”

The doctor shook his head regretfully and continued.

“For now, we’re completely helpless. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a treatment in the future. If we can develop a drug to inhibit this type of cell, the patient can be cured.”

“Enough!” the patient’s mother suddenly cried out. “By the time that happens, it’ll be too late!”

“Doctor, we’re counting on you for our son.”
With that, the father helped the mother leave.

Just then, two people ran up to the doctor, panting heavily.

“Excuse me, is this Zhang Haoyang’s room?”

[One wave hasn’t even settled, and another rises?] the doctor thought, but still replied flatly, “Yes.”

Before he could even finish, the girl had already rushed toward the door.

“Hey, hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

The doctor was startled and had no time to stop her.

But someone else stopped the girl’s hand just as she was about to open the door.
The doctor breathed a sigh of relief, then scolded them in an annoyed, somewhat angry voice.

“You two! Do you know you can’t just barge into a patient’s room? At least give your names first before charging in!”

[So you *can* barge in, as long as you give your names first!]

Ye Qing couldn’t help but instantly roast him internally.
But now wasn’t the time for that.

“We’re Zhang Haoyang’s classmates. My name is Ye Qing, and she’s Lin Yuxuan.”

Ye Qing introduced them briefly, then asked politely.

“So, can we go in now?”

“Fine.”

The doctor nodded to the assistant who was holding the girl.
The assistant let go of Lin Yuxuan’s hand.
Without hesitation, Lin Yuxuan rushed inside, and Ye Qing followed.

As soon as they entered, a strong medicinal smell hit them in the face.
It felt almost like walking into a medicine warehouse—the scent was that intense.

Zhang Haoyang lay quietly on the hospital bed, surrounded by various medical devices.
A bag of ice hung above his forehead.
His face was pale, and he looked extremely weak—so fragile that one worried he might die on the spot if anything at all happened.

Lin Yuxuan crouched by the bed, holding the patient’s hand, silently closing her eyes and bowing her head as if praying.

Ye Qing didn’t know what to say, so he just stood by and watched.

No one knew how long passed.
Lin Yuxuan silently stood up, turned around, and walked out of the room.
Ye Qing followed her out.
Then Lin Yuxuan asked the doctor, “Doctor, how is he?”

“His condition is currently very poor. He remains in a coma. There are no abnormalities in his body, but his brain has suffered severe trauma—especially the memory region, which is particularly badly damaged. There’s a high possibility of memory loss. However, his life is not in danger—you can rest assured on that.”

“Will he wake up?”

“It’s hard to say. Aside from the known information I just mentioned, everything else is uncertain.”

“Bastard!”

Yuxuan cursed bitterly and then left.

“I’m sorry! She didn’t mean it. We’ll be going now.”

Ye Qing quickly apologized and followed her out.

Only the doctor and his assistant remained in front of the ward, wearing gloomy expressions.

Over the following days, Lin Yuxuan, Ye Qing, and Zhang Haoyang’s parents continued to make the long trip from the center of Shengdi City to visit.
Since they had met several times, they all knew each other.

On the 20th day of visits, after dinner, Lin Yuxuan and Ye Qing took the bus to Shengdi Technology Hospital and stood before Zhang Haoyang again.
The same room. The same equipment. The same pale face.
The only change was that the ice bag had been removed.

As usual, Lin Yuxuan crouched by the bed, held Zhang Haoyang’s hand, and prayed.

Suddenly, she felt the hand she was holding twitch.
Lin Yuxuan’s quietly closed eyes opened.

“Haoyang? Haoyang… are you awake?”

Lin Yuxuan stood up and called out to the still-sleeping patient.

“Yuxuan, what’s wrong?” Ye Qing, standing behind her, asked urgently.

“Haoyang’s hand just moved! But his pulse is beating so fast!”

“What’s going on?” A nurse walked in.

“Nurse, his pulse is racing, and his finger just moved. What does that mean?”

The nurse looked at the equipment connected to the patient’s body and exclaimed, “It really is very fast! Wait here. I’ll go get the doctor.”
Just as she was about to turn around, the medical equipment suddenly blared a dangerous alarm.

“What’s happening!?”

Then the three of them witnessed an unbelievable sight.
Zhang Haoyang’s body was changing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Actually, only the changes to his head were visible—the rest of his body was covered by the blanket, so they could only see slight movements beneath it.

First, his face: skin tone, cheeks, chin, eyelids, and eyebrows all shifted from male characteristics to female characteristics.
Then his hair: it began growing at an explosive speed, extending outward from its original position like spreading tree roots.
Soon, it passed his shoulders.
A few strands even slipped off the bed and hung over the edge.
Then the hair color changed too—from the roots to the tips, the original black rapidly transformed into pink.

The three people in the room were stunned.
Then they all screamed as if they’d seen a ghost.
An ordinary boy had transformed right before their eyes into a pink-haired beautiful girl!?

“Doctor! Dr. Hadi… Doctor!” the nurse shouted, calling for the attending physician.

Meanwhile, Lin Yuxuan and Ye Qing could only stand there blankly, utterly unable to comprehend what was happening…