Another lazy afternoon. Qiu Yi had completely overturned Ye Wen’s memories of him—he’d actually stuck with studying this long, still diligently working on the homework their teacher had assigned, twirling his pen as he wrote.
Outside, the blazing sun of the autumn tiger beat down even fiercer than summer’s. The girls stayed put in the classroom, chatting quietly, while most boys were sweating it out on the playground.
Basketball was one of those essential skills every guy needed. Boys who couldn’t play lost out on plenty of advantages—on campus, it was the go-to sport for showing off masculine charm. Simple-hearted girls often developed secret crushes just from watching a guy’s performance on the court.
Unfortunately, Qiu Yi knew nothing about basketball. When everyone was still learning, he skipped out—too tiring, too risky for injuries. Later, when others had gotten good, he felt too embarrassed to join. Girls always watched from the sidelines. Playing badly would be even more humiliating than not playing at all.
Compared to intense basketball, Qiu Yi preferred ping pong and badminton—sports he called "gentlemanly." Though technically, golf was the real gentleman’s game…
"Qiu Yi! You coming or not?" Luo Liangjian stuffed a washed spoon into his backpack and called out.
"Hold on," Qiu Yi replied, twirling his pen while slightly furrowing his brow in thought. "I’ll be right there once I finish."
"Oh! Lend it to me when you’re done!" Luo Liangjian shouted back, then pulled out two ping pong paddles and a ball from his bag, starting a solo game.
The assignment wasn’t long. Qiu Yi quickly wrapped up the remaining parts, stood up, and stretched widely. "Fatty Luo! Let’s go!"
"Coming! Oh, and the homework!"
A notebook arced through the air, landing neatly on Luo Liangjian’s desk.
"Go!" Luo Liangjian tossed a paddle to Qiu Yi, and the two strolled out arm in arm.
The ping pong room was a repurposed classroom with three tables. Few students went there—usually just Qiu Yi and Luo Liangjian.
The girls huddled together chatting. Boys were either out playing or napping at their desks. Ye Wen glanced around. No one was paying her any attention.
*What’s inside this bag?*
*Well… peeking at others’ things is wrong. But it’s technically "me," right? Just a quick look won’t hurt…*
The bag looked familiar. Ye Wen examined it closely—it was the same one Tian Yuyao had used to pack her pottery figurine! Could it just be a figurine Qiu Yi bought?
Her curiosity refused to fade. Ye Wen pulled out the cardboard box and opened it under the desk. It was her own pottery figurine! Dressed in a white dress—exactly what she’d worn at the school sports festival.
Ye Wen stared into the figurine’s eyes. Her mind grew hazy. For a fleeting moment, it seemed to move. Those eyes held a soulful gaze that locked onto hers.
Her body locked in place. Something felt like it was trying to burrow into her mind.
Instinct screamed to resist, yet part of her wanted to accept it. A contradictory feeling—as if that thing had always belonged to her.
A splitting headache tore through Ye Wen’s skull, but she couldn’t move a muscle.
*Boom—* A deafening roar filled her ears. Her vision whited out completely. Then, in the next second, the world snapped back into color.
Ye Wen wiggled her fingers. No problem. She blinked. Control of her body had returned.
A strange sensation lingered—as if something had fused with her, adding something indescribable.
She looked back at the figurine’s eyes. Though still lifelike, that soulful spark was gone.
*Was it just my imagination?*
Puzzled, Ye Wen carefully placed the figurine back inside and rested her head on the desk, lost in thought.
She felt changed somehow, but couldn’t pinpoint how. The nameless feeling made her want to scream in frustration.
*Huff—* The class bell rang like a death knell. Qiu Yi and Luo Liangjian sprinted back, barely slipping into the classroom before the teacher arrived.
Ye Wen glanced at Qiu Yi. Suddenly, something about him pulled at her. Her heartbeat quickened faintly.
She pressed a hand to her chest, bewildered. *What was that feeling just now?*
…
It was Friday. School ended an hour early. Shuizishi suggested strolling down the pedestrian street—women’s love for shopping knew no bounds.
Ye Wen turned her head and froze before a shop window. A fluffy sheep plushie caught her eye.
Shuizishi followed her gaze and smiled. "What’s wrong? Want to buy it?"
"Huh?" Ye Wen snapped back, shaking her head. [*No.*]
"Oh dear, Miss… Wenwen, you already have so many plushies at home. Your parents bought them all for you."
"Hmm?" Ye Wen quickly scribbled on her notepad: [*Really don’t want it.*]
"Really~?"
[*Really.*]
Even as she wrote it, Ye Wen felt no conviction.
*Why was I drawn to that plushie just now? It felt… instinctive.*
*Am I… still me?*
*Who am I really?*
Confusion clouded Ye Wen’s mind. She felt like she couldn’t even recognize herself anymore—she was becoming more and more like a girl.
She didn’t particularly hate this body, but deep down, she still clung to her identity as a boy.
*If this keeps up, will I lose myself completely? When I’ve fully "become" her… will I still be me?* Ye Wen’s heart churned. Her boundaries were eroding. What was the point of insisting she was male? Was she just clinging to the fantasy of changing back?
Maybe that was the only reason she could give herself.
Lost in thought, Ye Wen bumped straight into Shuizishi’s back.
"Wenwen, what’s wrong?" Shuizishi rubbed Ye Wen’s nose gently. "Does it hurt?"
Ye Wen shook her head.
"Something on your mind?" Shuizishi asked.
Ye Wen shook her head vigorously. Her past as a boy was better kept buried deep inside…
Thankfully, Ye Wen found comfort in one thing: her love for anime merch hadn’t faded. She still adored it just like before—as if proving she hadn’t changed. She bought several anime goods in one go, and her mood lifted instantly.
*Wait… finding joy in shopping… Hmm, that can’t be just a "woman’s thing," right?*
*Of course not! Anyone feels great after buying a bunch of stuff…*
…
