It was the final day of the National Day holiday.
An Han's ankle still ached, but at least he could put weight on it now. He walked with a limp—painful, but not enough to seriously hinder him.
Still, he tried his best not to leave the dorm. Even when gaming with Su Peng, they stayed in their separate rooms.
"Our roommate's coming back tonight," he muttered, sitting in front of his computer with a despondent expression as he stared at his slender wrists. They looked so delicate he felt sick just looking at them.
His "Bone and Skin" stat boost had slimmed his arms down another notch—so fragile they seemed like they'd snap with a single touch.
Oddly enough, even though he objectively looked healthier now, he paradoxically felt even more delicate than before.
Once, his dream had been to build up his scrawny bamboo-stick frame—get some solid muscle, maybe even pecs and abs. But now, all he hoped for was that his body would stop becoming more and more feminine.
He'd just weighed himself this morning—he'd lost several pounds. He wasn't sure if it was because his frame had actually shrunk, or because he'd barely eaten anything these past few days.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. An Han turned his head and called out, "It's unlocked!"
He assumed it was Su Peng—but instead, Long Xing stepped in, dragging a suitcase behind him.
The moment their eyes met, An Han's face froze. Memories of their recent WeChat conversations flooded back, and a wave of awkwardness washed over him.
Long Xing stood rooted in the doorway, eyes locked with An Han's. His expression was blank, but his whole body had gone rigid with nervousness.
"Ah… Long Ge… Why don't you come in?" An Han quickly looked away, lowering his head.
Oh no, oh no! Long Xing's back already!
What should I do?! Will he bring up my cross-dressing?!
Will he suddenly pull a bouquet of flowers out of his suitcase and confess to me?!
What if—
"You're up this early?" Long Xing's voice interrupted An Han's spiraling panic.
An Han hastily composed himself, mimicking Long Xing's stoic expression and speaking flatly, "Aren't *you* the early one? It's only 8 a.m."
Stay calm! Pretend like nothing ever happened!
Long Xing would play along—he must be just as embarrassed as I am!
But seriously… 8 a.m.? Shouldn't you be coming back in the evening?
"There were no tickets left for afternoon or evening trains, so I had to get a morning one," Long Xing explained as he walked over to his wardrobe to unpack his suitcase.
An Han didn't dare turn around. He kept his eyes fixed on his computer screen, pretending to be engrossed in his game—but his ears perked up, straining to catch every sound Long Xing made.
Meanwhile, Long Xing occasionally glanced toward An Han's back.
Just a few days apart, and An Han's shoulders and back seemed even narrower now. At nearly 170 cm tall, he somehow looked petite—his smooth, delicate back giving off an unmistakably feminine silhouette.
Long Xing couldn't understand how An Han had changed so drastically.
"You…"
An Han abruptly stood up and quickly grabbed his jacket hanging on the wardrobe door, slipping it on.
He'd almost forgotten—without a jacket, his now-girl-like figure would be way too obvious.
"Here," Long Xing said, suddenly holding out a bag of local snacks toward him. "Specialty from my hometown. Give it a try."
An Han stiffened and awkwardly stepped back, creating distance. "N-no thanks… I already had breakfast."
He didn't dare accept any kindness or gifts from Long Xing—what if Long Xing secretly saw it as some kind of romantic gesture?!
"I'll just leave it on your desk, then."
The guy who usually looked like a cold, tough gangster now had flushed cheeks and trembling hands.
An Han realized—he absolutely had to reduce Long Xing's crush *fast*.
This wasn't brotherly affection!
Otherwise, why would he be so nervous?!
His own face burned crimson too, and he kept his gaze lowered, too shy to meet Long Xing's eyes as he returned to his seat.
But Long Xing wasn't giving up. He walked over and stood beside An Han, casually asking, "How was your holiday?"
"Not great…"
An Han's mind flashed through everything that had happened over the past few days, and his heart nearly shattered.
He was just an ordinary, law-abiding young man—how did he end up entangled with so many guys?!
Sure, it'd been kinda thrilling… but still—
He turned to face Long Xing, his expression growing serious.
"Long Ge."
"Hm?"
He had to be blunt—now was the time to clear things up! No more avoiding embarrassment!
If this ambiguity kept going, Long Xing would definitely start fantasizing all sorts of things! He'd probably even have names picked out for their hypothetical kids!
…Though, two guys couldn't actually have kids.
An Han took a deep breath, pushed down his rising awkwardness, stood up tall, and looked Long Xing straight in the eye.
"Long Ge… I—I…"
Damn it! Why was he suddenly stuttering like this?!
His cheeks flushed an even deeper, more alluring shade of pink. Nervously, he dropped his gaze, squeezed his legs tightly together, then finally steadied himself enough to speak clearly:
"I don't like guys!"
"Huh?"
"I'm not into men!"
Long Xing blinked in surprise, scratching his head. "I'm not either…"
"And don't you *dare* look at me like I'm a girl!"
"I…" Long Xing suddenly realized—he *had* been subconsciously treating An Han like a girl.
But honestly… with that figure, that face, that posture—how could anyone *not* see him as female?!
"You're making this really hard for me," Long Xing said with a wry smile. "You look like *this* now…"
An Han planted his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest indignantly to bolster his confidence: "What's wrong with how I look?! I'm a real man! Eighteen centimeters!"
"Can't tell."
"…"
The air in the dorm froze. The two stood facing each other, awkwardly frozen—neither knowing what to do with their hands or what expression to wear.
Long Xing carefully studied An Han's face. Over the past few days, he'd done some online research and asked around, picking up a new, strange term along the way.
He'd thought maybe he was imagining things—but now, seeing An Han's drastic transformation firsthand…
Figuring this was the perfect chance to get things out in the open, Long Xing carefully asked, "Xiao Han… do you… want to become a girl?"
"Huh?"
"Did you take those… dangerous pills? You know, the ones that… *change your body*?"
"What pills?! What are you talking about?!"
"Is that why you've changed so much?"
Pills that could reshape your bones?! Had such black-market tech really appeared?
An Han was completely baffled, staring at Long Xing with wide, confused eyes before slowly shaking his head.
"You didn't?"
"I don't even understand what you're saying…"
"We've been roommates for years. If something's going on, just tell me. I'll…"
An Han immediately took two large steps backward. "Don't say stuff like that—it sounds like you like me!"
"I don't!"
"But you said you liked my cross-dressing…"
"I didn't know it was *you*!" Long Xing blurted out, genuinely flustered. "If I'd known, do you really think I'd fall for a *guy*?!"
If An Han hadn't looked just as embarrassed, Long Xing might've suspected this was all some prank—An Han dressing up on purpose just to mess with him!
"But now you're looking at me like I'm a girl…"
Long Xing fell silent, quickly averting his eyes. His voice dropped, suddenly timid: "Well… you've changed so much…"
Yep—definitely still dangerous!
An Han now had a pretty good grasp of what was going on in Long Xing's head. The realization sent goosebumps prickling across his skin.
——————
One update tomorrow.