Qinmu sat dazed in the back seat of the bus, watching vehicles and buildings blur past the window. Suddenly, Yufei Han popped into her mind. She wondered how things were on Yufei’s end—surely she wouldn’t back out?
Qinmu’s phone screen lit up. A recent QQ message notification appeared:
*"Little sister Qinmu, I’m letting you off easy out of kindness. You should be grateful. I’ll handle tomorrow’s mess for you. I know you’re probably wondering if I changed my mind."*
Qinmu wiped cold sweat from her cheek. *How does she know what I’m thinking?*
She kept reading.
*"Let me be clear: I haven’t backed out. I’m confident I can get your crew to fall in line. So you owe me big time. How you repay me? Depends on my mood."*
*Depends on her mood… Repay her…* Qinmu’s hands flew to her forehead in despair. *This isn’t kindness at all—she’s setting conditions! She’s an even worse demon than Tu Shen!*
Peeking between her fingers at the next line:
*"Oh, and bring me breakfast tomorrow. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?"*
*Phew. At least it’s not some outrageous demand.* Qinmu sighed aloud. "Tomorrow, I just hope she actually works and doesn’t cause trouble."
Below Yufei’s avatar, Tu Shen’s profile showed a 4G connection. His latest update, posted two hours ago, read: *"Living the dream today—no classes! So comfy~"*
Qinmu hadn’t seen Tu Shen all day. *She must’ve sneaked off campus while school supervision was lax during the sports festival. Otherwise, that girl would’ve sprinted over to watch my races.*
Actually… it was a blessing she was gone. It meant avoiding a collision between Tu Shen and Yufei Han. Who knew if Tu Shen would accidentally blurt out Qinmu’s secret? She was careless enough to copy test answers wrong.
*Right now, I’m at others’ mercy. Fewer people who know the truth means fewer problems. My cross-dressing secret can stay hidden longer.*
After agonizing over every detail, Qinmu finally settled on a plan for tomorrow. Just as she was patting herself on the back for her genius—
*"Jintang Middle School station. Passengers, please exit in an orderly manner. Thank you!"* blared the bus announcement.
Qinmu jumped off and sprinted toward home. Night had fallen. As a girl walking alone, she needed to be careful—one wrong encounter could spell disaster.
Back home, she kicked off her shoes, dumped her bag in her room, then headed to the kitchen. She gulped down a glass of cool boiled water.
Glancing at the wall clock—8:30 PM. Her mom was already back, bustling in the steam-filled kitchen. The bubbling sound of boiling broth echoed faintly. *Probably making chicken soup for HuiXiang’s recovery. Good thing she doesn’t hate chicken—otherwise, that picky girl would refuse anyone’s care.*
"Mom, weren’t you at a two-day conference?" Qinmu leaned against the kitchen counter, watching her mother’s back.
Her mom turned, smiling. "Your sister needs someone. My meeting didn’t require my full attention, so I rushed back."
"I see." Qinmu nodded thoughtfully. "Let me take the soup to her when it’s ready."
Her mom patted her shoulder warmly. "You must be exhausted. I’ll handle it. Rest well—you can’t afford to get sick too."
Qinmu changed out of her stiff uniform into a down jacket. Suddenly remembering something vital, she rushed back to the kitchen. "Mom, pack some clothes for HuiXiang. She won’t have anything to change into over there."
Her mom smacked her own forehead. "Goodness, I’m getting forgetful at this age! I’ll pack them now."
"You’re not old at all," Qinmu chirped sweetly—her voice nearly slipping into girlish tones. She clamped a hand over her mouth just in time.
Her mom pulled her into a tight hug. Qinmu was six centimeters shorter, so the height difference masked her frame’s changes.
"What a sweet son I raised~" Her mom beamed, dimples showing as she patted Qinmu’s back.
"I’ll pack the clothes," Qinmu mumbled, flustered by the vibrations against her chest. *I need to escape before she notices anything.*
"Nonsense," her mom chuckled, flicking Qinmu’s nose. "A brother shouldn’t handle his sister’s clothes. I’ll talk to HuiXiang about boundaries."
"Okay… I’ll pour the soup into the thermos then."
"Good boy. Study hard while I’m gone—no slacking!"
"Got it." Qinmu ducked into the kitchen.
After her mom left with the supplies, Qinmu locked the door and collapsed onto her bed. Exhaustion crashed over her. "Ugh… too much happening lately. I just want to sleep forever."
---
**Qi Yao’s Room**
Past midnight, Qi Yao lay wide awake. Ouyang Muxia had glued herself to him all day—zero chance to escape. By the time Class 3’s matches ended, he hadn’t even glimpsed HuiXiang’s back. Total loss.
Worse, Ouyang Muxia had forced him to copy broadcast scripts. *As if anyone could read my chicken-scratch handwriting!* He pictured the announcers squinting at his crooked "calligraphy."
His only hope: arrive at school early tomorrow. Avoid Ouyang Muxia at all costs. Today’s lateness had trapped him in the student council room for hours. *Why did I even join this club?*
Restless, he booted up his PC. In his guild chat, "Tingyu Muchi" (Qinmu) was offline—again. *Three days straight? Is he ditching daily quests?*
Qi Yao recalled Qinmu and Yue Yang’s lovey-dovey act recently. *Guess he’s gone full "real-life couple." Abandoned gaming for romance. After all that intel I gathered on Yue Yang for him…* He sighed. *People these days. No loyalty.*
His eyes landed on another online member: "Distant Snow’s Whisper" (status: *Busy. Do not disturb*).
*Who’s this girl? It’s 1 AM—doesn’t she care about her skin?* (He conveniently ignored his own sleepless state.)
He clicked her username.
*"Hey cutie, late-night gaming ruins your complexion ;)"*
A reply flashed instantly:
*"LOL who r u? Newbie in our guild?"*
*"Newbie?!"* Qi Yao bristled. *"I’m one of the THREE ELDERS. How dare you? Little girl, duel me fair—no hiding behind the team to loot my kills!"*
*"Cute story,"* she shot back. *"Where’s your ‘Elder’ badge? Self-proclaimed? Piss me off, and I’ll get the admin to kick you."*
*"The admin’s my BRO,"* he typed furiously. *(Tingyu Muchi—the guild founder.)*
*"Oh please,"* she retorted. *"Admin and I are VERY close. He’d never kick me. He’d miss me too much~"*
A sharp pang hit Qi Yao. His fingers flew:
*"Geez, how many girls is Nangong Qinmu flirting with?! Using that pretty-boy face to play the field—"*
*"WHAT?!"* came the stunned reply.
Qi Yao froze. *Crap. Did I just leak his secret?* He logged off instantly. *Sorry, bro. If she’s really your girl… good luck.*
Grinning sheepishly, he alt-tabbed to another game. *Damn Tencent. Endless quests. Play free? Only if you grind. Pay to skip? Yeah right.*
