"What cross-dresser...?"

The snap of the strap seemed to have knocked all sense out of Li Mo. Her small hands trembled slightly as she tucked the fully exposed strap back under her shirt.

*Just now... no one saw it... right?*

"Don’t play dumb. I know this stuff inside out. Since when do normal guys wear bras under their clothes?"

"Who’s wearing a bra?! This is an undershirt!"

*It really is! Just a tiny undershirt!*

"Oh? Is that so?"

Her stubbornness flipped a switch in Liu Shishi. Determined to prove herself right, she lunged forward, grabbed Li Mo’s collar with both hands, and yanked it violently upward.

"Whoa! What the hell are you doing, you pervert?! You’re stripping me?!"

"So what if I am? You’re a guy. Even if girls see your bare chest, it’s no big deal. Stop being so prissy. I’ll just inspect your ‘undershirt,’ then personally help you redress. Fair enough?"

"Eeek! Stop! No!"

Liu Shishi attacked with brutal efficiency—brutal yet precise. Poor Li Mo could never resist her forceful advances, let alone now. In sheer panic, she threw caution to the wind and screamed a frantic triple refusal:

"No! Stop! Don’t!"

"...?!"

The sharp, unmistakably feminine shriek stabbed into Liu Shishi’s ears, freezing her mid-motion.

No guy could produce that voice.

Before her stood a "boy" whose eyes glistened with tears of frustration, lips pressed tight in stubborn defiance—a strangely cute sight.

*Wait... is this person even a guy? So girly-looking, yet hanging out with boys all day, even using the boys’ restroom...*

No. She needed confirmation.

"Don’t scream. I’m just checking."

Liu Shishi’s brain, scrambled by conflicting thoughts and that ear-splitting shriek, acted on autopilot. She released Li Mo’s collar and reached straight for their chest.

*Hmm...*

Flat, yet undeniably soft. With a faint, springy give.

"Pervert!"

*SLAP!*

...

...

"Back already? Where’d you run off to?"

Li Mo returned to class, cheeks still faintly flushed. Tang Zhe, bored and flipping through a novel at his desk, couldn’t help but imagine scenarios.

Like... uh...

A timid boy x domineering girl CP.

Damn. Even as a guy, he found it kinda... ship-worthy.

"Nothing much. Liu Shishi dragged me around the sports field a few laps."

*No other excuse. Just make something up.*

"Man, that sucks."

Tang Zhe bought it easily, chalking up Li Mo’s flushed face to exertion.

"Where’s Liu Shishi now?"

The others were more concerned. With her temper, she might’ve already reported their playground brawl to the homeroom teacher. An extra demerit now would stick to their records forever—no time to clear it later.

The thought made them shudder. If things had escalated to the school office earlier... yikes.

"Ah, her?"

*Uh...*

No clue. But judging by that slap to her face earlier...

*Crisp. Powerful.*

A strike fueled by every ounce of Li Mo’s strength and courage. Most girls would’ve been knocked flat by it.

Phew. Good thing she ran fast. If Liu Shishi had chased her down for payback, *two* people would’ve ended up in the infirmary.

"...Dunno."

Li Mo shook her head, playing dumb.

"Ahhh—if she rats us out, we’re doomed—"

The group instantly lost interest in their games. They slammed laptops shut, abandoned matches mid-play, and collapsed face-down on their desks like corpses.

"... "

Li Mo sank into her seat with a worried frown, pulling on her jacket and zoning out.

Her fear wasn’t about Liu Shishi reporting the fight.

It was about her secret getting out—or worse, being used as blackmail to force Li Mo into things she’d never agree to.

She remembered her mom flipping through an old yearbook once, pointing at a classmate’s name: *"That one turned cruel after being bullied too much in school."*

Come to think of it... that girl’s surname was also Liu.

Had she inherited her mom’s weird, cursed quirks?

*But Liu Shishi isn’t that petty over small stuff... Wait, no—I just slapped her silly...*

*Uuuugh—!!*

"What’s wrong with you?"

Li Mo suddenly clutched her head and buried her face on the desk, rolling her cheek back and forth. The bizarre sight made Tang Zhe jump—he thought the kid was having a seizure.

"My stomach hurts..."

"Drink more hot water."

"... "

*Now I get why girls hate that line.*

Seriously. It made her want to bash his head in.

But realistically? *He’d* be the one bashing *hers*. Best to stay silent and play dead on the desk.

"Tch... your stamina’s really dropped. Exercise more."

"Honestly, Tang Zhe? Your EQ needs serious work. At this rate, you’ll never find a gi—"

After two days together, Li Mo figured his annoying comments came from low emotional intelligence. Out of childhood-friend duty, she decided to give him a heads-up.

But as she lifted her head, something cool and damp gently touched her cheek.

"Huh? What’d you say?"

Tang Zhe pulled the ice-cold water bottle away from Li Mo’s face. "Bought these on the way back. One for you, one for me."

"... "

"Too cold?"

Li Mo stayed silent. Tang Zhe, misreading her expression, dug into his bag and pulled out another bottle. "Got a room-temp one too. Want this instead?"

*...Guess he’s not totally hopeless sometimes.*

"Dude. Something’s off with you."

Seeing Li Mo still dazed, Tang Zhe leaned in close, his big face hovering near hers as he reached to feel her forehead.

"...What are you doing?"

She instinctively flinched back—but forced herself to stop. Too much distance might raise suspicion. She leaned back just slightly and let him proceed.

Cool fingers brushed her forehead. Yet her own face burned inexplicably warm.

*Why’s he so close...?*

Two guys this near... felt weird. Unsettling. She couldn’t quite name it.

"Tch. No fever. Just overheated. Drink up. Hydrate so you can pee later."

Tang Zhe suddenly frowned, snatched his hand back, and shoved the water bottle into Li Mo’s arms with a weirdly clinical remark.

"... "

*Yeah. This guy’s destined to die alone.*