Li Tianlong assumed Tang Lingyi was just messing with him again.
And honestly, you couldn't blame him—ever since Tang Lingyi "unlocked" his cross-dressing talent, he'd made it a habit to prank Li Tianlong with it.
The very first time Tang Lingyi dressed as a girl, his opening line to Li Tianlong had been:
"Long Ge, I've become a girl! Take me out for dinner—I'll be your girlfriend!"
Back then, the naive and gullible Li Tianlong, seeing Tang Lingyi's delicate features, feminine voice, and curvy figure, actually believed it. Overjoyed, he splurged on an extravagant meal.
It wasn't until after dinner, when the two walked into the men's restroom together and stood side by side at the urinals, that Li Tianlong realized he'd been utterly fooled.
Ever since, Tang Lingyi's "I've become a girl!" claims had become the modern-day "Boy Who Cried Wolf"—so Li Tianlong had long since stopped believing them.
"Uh… I really *am* a girl now," Tang Lingyi said, surprised that Li Tianlong still didn't believe her. She repeated herself patiently.
"I really mean it—get lost," Li Tianlong deadpanned.
Just then, Yang Li approached from down the hall. Seeing Li Tianlong's hand still resting on Tang Lingyi's chest, her eyebrow twitched.
"What are you two doing?" she asked coolly.
"Sis Yang, look at Lingyi's—OW! What was that for?!"
Before Li Tianlong could finish, Yang Li smacked him hard on the head, making him yelp and clutch his skull.
Ignoring him, Yang Li turned to Tang Lingyi. "Didn't I tell you not to tell anyone about this? Why'd you go blabbing the second you left my room?"
"But Long Ge isn't 'anyone'!" Tang Lingyi replied matter-of-factly. They'd grown up together—practically brothers, if not by blood, then by bond.
"What are you even talking about? And why'd you hit *me*, Sis Yang? Why not hit Lingyi for cross-dressing?" Li Tianlong protested.
"Why? Because no girl in her right mind would date someone who gropes strangers on sight! No wonder you're still single at twenty-five!"
"But Lingyi isn't a girl!" Li Tianlong shot back.
Yang Li paused, then turned to Tang Lingyi. "Didn't you tell him?"
"I *did*—he just doesn't believe me! Can I just take my top off to prove it?" Tang Lingyi asked.
"What nonsense are you spouting?!" Yang Li scolded. "If you strip right here and accidentally turn Long Ge gay, what'll happen when you change back? He'll be stuck liking guys!"
Despite her age, Yang Li was surprisingly fluent in internet slang.
After a moment's thought, she decided it was best to clarify. Pulling out the serum vial, she said to Li Tianlong, "Tianlong, Lingyi just used this serum. She's genuinely a girl now."
"Huh?!" Li Tianlong's jaw dropped as he stared at the syringe in Yang Li's hand. "You two aren't joking, right?!"
"If you don't believe us, fine. But I can't prove it—the serum's too expensive. I only bought one dose."
Ironically, Yang Li's dismissive tone convinced him. Having grown up in the organization, Li Tianlong was used to bizarre gadgets and impossible tech. A gender-changing serum? Honestly, it wasn't even that shocking.
He looked down at his own hand.
So that meant…
The soft, warm flesh he'd just squeezed… was *real*?
"Hahaha!" Tang Lingyi burst out laughing. "This serum doesn't change your face, height, or even hair texture. Imagine if *you*, Long Ge, ended up in a girl's body—it'd be terrifying!"
She pictured Li Tianlong as a woman and couldn't stop giggling.
And since she could safely revert afterward, she might as well fully embrace being a girl for now.
After all, people always act bolder when they know they've got an escape route.
"Alright, enough fooling around," Yang Li cut in. "Lingyi, I'll soon transform you into an exact replica of Tian Suimei. Then I'll brief you on Tianye Group's building layout and your escape routes in case you're discovered. Once the job's done, contact me directly—I'll handle the handoff."
Tang Lingyi nodded. "Understood."
She—*the legendary phantom thief Xiao Jie*—was about to make her grand return!
Wait… hold on.
Now that she was a girl, "Phantom Thief Xiao Jie" didn't quite fit anymore. Maybe she should rebrand as…
*Phantom Thief Miss*?
That actually sounded pretty cool.
She was already excited to see how the media would react to "Phantom Thief Miss." Would they connect her to the original Xiao Jie?
"Oh, and this time, don't leave your calling card," Yang Li added. "Our client wants Tianye Group to realize they've been robbed as late as possible. Leaving your signature would raise suspicion."
"Aww… okay," Tang Lingyi sighed.
······
Later, Yang Li took Tang Lingyi to City S's most prestigious luxury mall—Baihui Plaza—for their shopping spree.
Though Tang Lingyi's hair had been long for a guy, it was still considered short by female standards. And since Tian Suimei sported dyed, voluminous waves, their first stop was the mall's high-end salon for hair extensions.
Hair extensions—exactly as the name suggested—involved attaching artificial strands to one's natural hair to achieve desired length.
After the stylist trimmed her ends, the painstaking process began. Two hours later, when Tang Lingyi looked in the mirror again, she saw a cascade of jet-black, waist-length straight hair.
The girl in the mirror stared back with wide, astonished eyes. She'd worn wigs before—but always flashy, colorful, exaggerated curls for dramatic effect. This pure, innocent black long-straight look? It was her first time.
"Pretty, right?" Yang Li asked, noticing her awestruck expression.
"It's gorgeous! Can I just keep this style, Sis Yang?"
"No. You're already suspicious enough showing up 'from overseas.' If you suddenly have black straight hair instead of Tian Suimei's signature look, they'll get even more suspicious. We're dyeing and perming it—now."
"Aish—OW!" Tang Lingyi muttered a foreign curse under her breath—only to get smacked on the head again by Yang Li.
"Think I don't understand foreign swear words?!"
After several more hours of perming and coloring, the mirror finally reflected a seductive, fiery redhead with golden-red ombre waves—Tian Suimei's exact look.
Next, Yang Li took her on a whirlwind shopping spree for all of Tian Suimei's favorite luxury brands: Chanel perfume, a Hermès handbag, Gucci tees and hoodies—even her lingerie had to match Tian Suimei's exact cup size and style.
For Tang Lingyi, this was like stepping into a billionaire's fantasy. Spending money like water? Absolutely exhilarating.
But there was one small issue.
"Sis Yang… this bra feels kinda tight…" Tang Lingyi winced as she fastened Tian Suimei's size.
"Probably because your chest ended up slightly bigger than hers after transformation," Yang Li said with a shrug. "Tough luck. Just endure it for one day. Once the job's done, you'll switch back to being a guy."
With no choice, Tang Lingyi gritted her teeth and bore the discomfort.
So… having big breasts wasn't all it was cracked up to be, huh?
This was the first time she'd genuinely thought differently as a girl than she ever had as a boy.
While Yang Li paid at the counter, Tang Lingyi—now dressed head-to-toe in designer labels, radiating mature allure—stood quietly nearby, holding shopping bags like a well-behaved heiress.
Her movements and mannerisms were carefully mimicked from real women, making her performance utterly convincing. Yet this femininity was purely performative; once the mission ended, she'd slip back into her usual masculine self without a second thought.
To her, cross-dressing was just another job.
Just then, a long-haired man bumped hard into her chest as he hurried past. Caught off guard, Tang Lingyi staggered backward, nearly falling.
"Sorry, sorry! Are you hurt?" The man quickly steadied her, his tone genuinely concerned.
Annoyed at first, Tang Lingyi softened when she saw his sincere apology. "I'm fine. Just… watch where you're going next time."
"Really sorry—I'm in a rush. See? My friend's waiting up ahead," he said, pointing forward.
Tang Lingyi glanced over and indeed saw a man in jeans standing nearby. She gave a polite smile. "It's okay. Go ahead."
After profusely apologizing, the long-haired man jogged back to his friend. Once they were far enough from Tang Lingyi, he slipped a glowing green object into the other man's hand.
"Got it, Feng Ge! That girl didn't suspect a thing—and hey… her chest was real. Pretty firm, too," he added with a lecherous wink.
"Can you quit being such a pervert? One of these days you'll get caught, and I won't save your ass," Feng Ge muttered, examining the jade pendant. "This jade doesn't look that valuable… you sure it's worth anything?"
"Of course it is! That chick was dripping in designer gear—must've cost over a hundred grand! This jade's gotta be top-tier."
"Alright, let's go get it appraised."
The two thieves chuckled to themselves, completely unaware they'd just pickpocketed someone far more skilled at thievery than they'd ever be.
And what they didn't know even more was this: the moment they pulled out that jade pendant, a pair of eyes in the shadows locked onto them—watching, waiting.