Li Mo had always been delicate-looking since childhood—everything about him resembled a girl’s except his personality. As a result, his unreliable mother never missed a chance to dress him in all sorts of bizarre outfits. But as Li Mo grew older and his father put his foot down, those days faded away.
That didn’t mean they were over forever.
His dad wasn’t around today, after all. And while other boys matured with age, Li Mo only grew more uncannily beautiful. If his classmates and mother hadn’t reacted so normally, he’d have wondered if Li Mo’s gender had somehow shifted during puberty.
"Ah Zhe? Heading out?"
It was Saturday. The moment Tang Zhe stepped out his door, he bumped into Li Mo’s mom returning next door.
"Yeah. Thought I’d wander around since it’s the weekend."
*Secretly planning to sneak to an internet café.*
This wasn’t some big city—just a sleepy third-tier county town with few entertainment options. Students like him, without personal computers, usually killed holidays at internet cafés.
Unlike childhood, when everything felt new and exciting. Back then, he could spend an entire afternoon bragging about nothing.
*Sigh.*
"How about taking Li Mo with you? High schoolers only get half-days off on weekends, but she just lies in bed scrolling through her phone all day. Terrible for her health."
Wang Jiawen rubbed her temples. Even when she had time to take her kid out, Li Mo refused to be seen with parents. This was a rare chance—and she trusted no one else.
"Not impossible... but your son doesn’t exactly *want* to be seen with me."
Tang Zhe winced. Just yesterday, Li Mo had brushed him off coldly. When he’d tried talking, he’d even gotten hit. *If it weren’t for Li Mo, I’d have snapped at anyone else by now.*
"This kid..." Wang Jiawen waved a hand. "Leave it to me."
*Definitely just being stubborn again.*
Ever since the surgery, Li Mo’s personality had shifted. Gone was the outgoing (read: shameless), cheerful (read: reckless) girl she’d known. At first, Wang Jiawen missed even her troublemaking ways—anything was better than this gloomy, silent shadow who never smiled. That’s why she pushed Li Mo’s social life so hard. Tang Zhe? She trusted him completely. Maybe he could even help fix her kid’s withdrawn nature.
"Sweetie, up and at ’em!"
Wang Jiawen unlocked Li Mo’s door with her spare key and smacked her rear through the blanket.
"Yowch!"
The slap jolted Li Mo awake. She yelped, scrambled upright, and shrank into the corner of the bed. "What was that for?!"
"It’s nearly ten! Get up before your butt roasts in the sun."
Wang Jiawen struck a stern pose.
"It’s Saturday. Who cares? I used to sleep in all the time—"
Predictably, Li Mo flopped back down, pulling the blanket over her head.
At least this pink pajama set covered in cartoon pigs was practical—no extra blanket needed.
*Honestly, as long as it’s not that frilly nightgown, anything’s fine. No one sees me anyway.*
"If you don’t get up right now," Wang Jiawen warned, "I’ll invite Tang Zhe in while you’re asleep. Let him admire *this* look."
"... ..."
*That furious but helpless glare...*
Still, the poor kid obeyed. She dragged herself up, swapped pajamas for casual clothes, and shuffled out without washing her face or brushing her teeth. "Did you make breakfast?"
Her reward was a sharp knuckle-rap on the head. "Breakfast? It’s long cold. Go wash up properly—plans await!"
"You’re extra scary today..."
To Li Mo, her mom seemed to have swallowed dynamite.
Even while brushing her teeth, she heard Wang Jiawen muttering outside about "unladylike sleeping positions" and "zero fashion sense." Li Mo bit her tongue, rolling her eyes furiously behind the bathroom door.
"... ..."
*Wait—has my hair gotten this long?*
Wet strands now reached past her shoulders, easily braided like her mom suggested. Paired with her delicate features, it looked... natural.
Almost...
"...Do I actually... look kinda cute?"
The words slipped out before she could stop them. Mortified, her face burned crimson. She buried it in the sink with a *splash*.
*Gurgle gurgle gurgle—*
*What am I thinking?! If my mind turns girly too, does that mean... dating boys? Marriage? Kids?!*
*Absolutely not. I’d rather die alone eating dog food than like a guy!*
*Ugh. Especially Tang Zhe—that clingy idiot with zero emotional intelligence. So annoying.*
After storming through her routine and blow-drying her hair, she called out sweetly from the hallway: "Mooom—I’m starving—breakfaaast—"
"Told you, no breakfast. Here—" Her phone *dinged* with a WeChat transfer. "Two hundred bucks. Eat out for lunch."
"Huh?"
Her mom *never* let her eat street food.
Dazed, Li Mo let herself be herded into shoes and out the door—only to spot Tang Zhe waiting outside.
"You two figure out meals yourselves. Your auntie and I are hitting the mall this afternoon. Don’t forget self-study at school later. No being late!"
"Wait—Mom!"
Wang Jiawen vanished like a startled rabbit.
"Ugh. Whatever. I’m ordering takeout and going back to bed."
Li Mo finally saw through their scheme. She turned to retreat—until her phone buzzed again:
*"Don’t even think about takeout. We’ll call to check. Let Tang Zhe take you out for fresh air. No more rotting in bed with your phone!"*
*...They’re forcing me to expose myself to Tang Zhe!*
*Those evil women!*
"Uh... nothing much to do around here anyway," Tang Zhe ventured carefully, watching Li Mo’s stormy expression. "Maybe we grab food somewhere... then... hit an internet café?"
He tiptoed around the words, terrified of another misstep.
*Since when did I walk on eggshells around another guy?*
