12.4 Thursday

Before morning reading, Class 13 had already gathered. Seizing the moment, HuiXiang appeared at their classroom door and beckoned Qinmu out. Qinmu shuffled over, deeply reluctant. "Do we really have to do this?"

"Jiejie, I’m serious. No backing out now," HuiXiang declared, her resolve ironclad. This time, she wouldn’t let Qinmu escape again.

HuiXiang mustered her courage and stepped onto the podium. Qinmu lingered far below, shifting uncomfortably, dreading the fallout and embarrassment her sister’s words might unleash.

Whispers rippled through the class. No one understood what the sisters were up to.

"Isn’t that the Class 3 flower? Qinmu’s sister—they’re like two peas in a pod."

"Is she transferring to our class?"

"Who knows what these siblings are planning? Let’s just watch."

...

HuiXiang cleared her throat. "I’m Nangong Huixiang, vice monitor of Class 3, Grade 11. Today, I’m here to announce something important about my twin sister."

"Sister? Does she mean Qinmu? So Qinmu’s really a girl?"

"Explosive news! I knew no guy could be that cute."

"Maybe she misspoke. Let’s hear her out."

Unfazed by the murmurs below, HuiXiang continued firmly: "My sister, Nangong Qinmu, has been enrolled as a boy due to personal reasons. I sincerely apologize for this deception. But she no longer needs to live as a boy at school. I ask for your understanding and acceptance."

Qi Yao sat stunned. She’d denied it yesterday—why admit it today? He couldn’t fathom Qinmu’s thoughts, or even if the person before him was the Qinmu he knew.

The boys cheered and whooped. The title of class beauty was now undeniably hers.

Qinmu, however, showed no joy. She looked utterly ill at ease, as if she’d done something shameful.

HuiXiang stepped down, patted Qinmu’s shoulder, and left the classroom.

The girls—except Qinmu’s devoted admirers—sighed in disappointment. The adorable "boy" they’d crushed on was just a pretty girl. What a letdown.

Qinmu returned stiffly to her seat. Yue Yang smiled. "Still couldn’t say it yourself, huh? But it’s a relief, right? No more pretending. No more fear of being found out."

"It *is* a relief," Qinmu murmured, her mind blank. "But... how do I live from now on? I haven’t figured that out yet."

Her thoughts fixated on how those who knew her would see her now—Qi Yao, Ouyang Muxia...

Qi Yao sat racking his brain, replaying every memory with Qinmu. Had he truly misremembered everything? Doubt crept into his own recollections.

Yufei Han barely cared—she’d never minded Qinmu’s gender. Tu Shen, though, seemed thrilled. Now she had a perfectly valid reason to tease Qinmu.

---Later---

Qingyu swiftly secured Qinmu a female ID card and updated all gender records in her school files. How she navigated China’s notoriously bureaucratic system remained a mystery—likely through pulled strings and well-placed connections.

Qinmu received her new girls’ uniform from the school. Soon, she’d walk the halls of Jintang High as herself. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

After talking with Qingyu, Qinmu’s mother in Chicago also accepted the truth and approved the gender change. Everything fell neatly into place.

As a girl at Jintang, what kind of sparks would Qinmu ignite next?