Xu Wantong switched off the light herself. We each took half the bed under separate blankets, neither of us drifting off immediately, lost in our own thoughts.

Soon, Xu Wantong’s clear voice floated through the dark: "Tongtong, could you tell me about your sect? I’ve loved wuxia novels and movies since I was little. I’m super curious about that stuff!"

I’d known this girl would ask eventually. Her curiosity was bottomless—unanswered mysteries would itch under her skin like tiny crawling insects.

Luckily, after all this time, I’d leveled up my "Silver-Tongued Skill" to tier one. Lies rolled off my tongue without a blush: "Sect secrets can never leak. If they do, my whole family faces a never-ending martial arts death warrant. But... you’re my best friend, Wantong jiejie. You’d never tell anyone, right?"

"Mhm! Mhm!" Xu Wantong rolled toward me. Her dark eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.

"Our sect is called the Lianqi Sect. As the name suggests, we cultivate qigong. Our founding patriarch, Wu Zhuxie, was born in the second year of the Chongzhen era, Ming Dynasty. A poor farm boy, he stumbled into a cave at twelve while gathering herbs. Inside, he found a Foundation Establishment Pill and the Lianqi Manual. He trained in secret to avoid thieves. When rebels stormed the capital and Manchus invaded years later, chaos swallowed the land. Bandits roamed everywhere. Patriarch Wu used his skills to protect his family—even fought for the nation. But one man couldn’t turn the tide. Watching his homeland fall broke his spirit. He led our clan deep into the mountains, sealed the valley entrance with boulder-shattering qigong, and we lived isolated for centuries. Not until the Republic of China era, when government planes mapped the land, were we rediscovered."

Xu Wantong hung on every word. "And then? What happened next?"

"Our clan spread across the country but kept the old valley rules. Only the patriarch’s bloodline inherits leadership. Only men learn the Lianqi Manual." I paused. "Oh, Wantong jiejie—I never told you. I was born with a congenital heart defect. Doctors said I wouldn’t live past ten."

"Eh? But... you look perfectly healthy now?"

"The Lianqi Manual saved me. My father bribed doctors and nurses heavily to alter my birth certificate. The sect believes I’m male. By high school, my face grew too delicate, so he got me a Skin Mask." I touched my cheek. "The face you always see."

Good lies flow smoothly and drown in details. Unlike her cautious sister, Xu Wantong was already lost in my story. "But what about your future? You’re a girl. You’ll want to marry someday. Can you really pretend to be a boy forever?"

My eyelids dropped. My voice turned hollow. "I don’t know... I wish I could live like a normal girl. Go to school. But my father forbids it. A daughter’s duty to her father is absolute. And now... I have no way back. If the patriarch discovers the truth, he’ll strip my cultivation."

"Who cares about cultivation? It’s the modern era! We don’t survive on martial arts. Just be an ordinary girl!"

"You forget," I whispered. "Qigong keeps me alive. Without inner energy... I might not... live long."

Silence swallowed the room. Thick. Heavy.

Seconds later, Xu Wantong slipped under my blanket and wrapped her arms around me. "Tongtong," she murmured against my shoulder, "you’ve carried so much. A girl forced to wear an ugly mask every day. No pretty dresses. No dating boys." Her grip tightened. "But you have me. I’ll protect you. Be your safe harbor."

Her body smelled sweet. Soft. We wore only thin pajamas. That warm, girlish scent made my heart hammer. I clenched my thighs tight—*don’t let the little stick wake up now*. Harbor? Protect? Did that sound like... a confession?

Xu Wantong’s cheeks flushed. She pulled back slightly. "I-I mean like best friends! Sisters! Since you shared your secret..." She took a breath. "I have one too. About my father."

"I guessed as much."

"My parents’ business thrived early on. Then, when I was eleven, he vanished. Ran off abroad with his secretary. Stole nearly all the company’s cash. Left Mom drowning in debt." Her jaw tightened. "Every day after that, creditors banged on our door. Once, walking home from school... a brick hit my head. Blood poured everywhere. When we got back from the hospital, Mom just held me and cried. For hours."

She spoke calmly, but I heard the rage beneath her clenched teeth. I’d always seen Xu Wantong as just a pretty, wealthy girl. I never knew this pain lived behind her smile.

My chest ached. I hugged her back gently. "It’s over now, jiejie. Let it go."

"Yeah... over." Her head rested on my shoulder. Her hair brushed my neck like spring rain. "Mom got lucky. The government requisitioned a piece of company land for a big project. The compensation saved us. Slowly, she rebuilt the business. We moved here."

"Do you... still hate him?"

"Hate him?" Her answer was ice. "Absolutely."

Silence again. We held each other. No words needed. Outside, wind rustled tree branches. *Shhh... shhh...*

Minutes passed. Then Xu Wantong’s face, half-buried in her long hair, twisted into a mischievous grin. Her hand darted out and pinched my chest. "Hah! Knew it! Tongtong’s flat as a board. No wonder you fooled everyone as a boy!"

"Shut up!" I retaliated, grabbing back.

*Whoa.* This softness... warm like clay. Addictive. My fingers brushed something small and hard—a tight little bud—

"Let go!" Xu Wantong yanked away, face crimson. She stuck her tongue out. "Pervert! Touch your own!"

"But I don’t have any!"

"Heh. Not my problem!"

We collapsed back to our sides of the bed, breathless from laughing. Xu Wantong had been doing homework before I arrived. Exhaustion finally claimed her. Her breathing evened out. Her sleeping face held no guard.

After our talk, my earlier restless urges had faded. Now, I just felt... fond. Like she was truly my friend.

...Though girl’s chests really were soft. So soft. I kinda wanted to squeeze again.