"No... no, there must be some misunderstanding."

Wang Ziheng had just seen a girl sneaking around his yard like a thief, wrapped head to toe. His reaction had been a bit extreme.

Turns out, it was his good-for-nothing cousin—no, *cousin sister* now.

Even more shocking? His once-rowdy, troublemaking cousin brother was now sobbing after one sharp glare from him.

Sure, he’d overreacted. But...

Was this act *too* fake? Even as a girl, she’d been a street punk just months ago. How could her personality turn this soft overnight?

*She must be faking it out of spite*, he thought. *Trying to get me scolded for revenge.*

And damn, it worked. His grandpa and dad were giving him death glares. Even though Auntie forgave him and his cousin sister mumbled it was fine, he knew he’d get an earful the moment they left.

Truth was, he’d always disliked this cousin—no, *despised* him.

Why did *he* get Uncle and Grandpa’s attention without half the effort Ziheng put in? What did that dropout have in common with him? Yet his own father and grandpa kept comparing him to "the neighbor’s kid."

It wasn’t that she wasn’t family. But this kid from a broken home—dad always absent—got treated like royalty here. Sometimes *better* than him.

Like *he* was the outsider.

Now she’d turned into a girl? This’d only get worse. Look—she’d already caused trouble. He had plans tonight, and now he’d waste hours listening to parental lectures because of *her*.

*She* was the one lurking like a thief. Why was *he* the one blamed?

Resentment boiled over. Ignoring his father and grandpa’s hints, he glared at his plate, refusing to apologize.

Li Mo squirmed under his murderous stares. How could she eat with this hostile boy—barely family—shooting daggers at her every few seconds?

Their feud wasn’t one-sided. Back when she was male, his random hostility had infuriated her too. They’d brawled, then frozen each other out for years. He looked down on her; she couldn’t stand him.

But things were different now. After months of changes—and honestly, she was an adult—holding grudges felt childish. Her overreaction earlier? Just weak nerves. A simple explanation could’ve cleared the misunderstanding...

The suffocating silence at the table choked her. Screw it. She forced out an apology:

"Um... Ziheng didn’t do anything wrong. I overreacted... shouldn’t have wandered over there..."

*Ugh, this girl has zero sense of timing!*

Her mom’s heart sank. She’d planned to wolf down dinner and escape with her daughter. Now this? More trouble.

"Tsk, how can you say that? It’s *my* fault. Sisters are meant to be spoiled, you know? Even half-sisters. Just blame me."

Predictably, Ziheng’s sarcastic retort dripped with venom, stressing every word: "*Spoiled*? *Half*-sisters? We’re *water and fire*, got it?"

***BAM!***

Grandpa slammed the table first. "Wang Ziheng! Get out of my sight! Is that how you speak to your sister?!"

"Fine! I’m gone! You two raise her then! Damn it—I work my ass off to improve, and it’s still not enough for a lazy freak like her?!"

The table erupted. But Li Mo didn’t hear the rest. She’d already bolted from Grandpa’s house the second Ziheng spat his second sentence.

*This* was exhaustion. Body and soul.

That’s why she hated people knowing her truth.

The doctors said her years as a boy were the illusion. But to others? She was just another "Thai tourism" case.

Just like Ziheng’s words.

*What rotten luck. Stuck with this freakish illness...*

Her phone buzzed nonstop. No need to check—she knew who it was. She silenced it, then powered it off. Yeah, she might get a scolding later. Right now? She couldn’t face anyone.

Almost home, she stopped at the old folks’ exercise corner and plopped onto a bench, staring blankly at the sky.

Not that she didn’t want to go in.

No keys. The dark windows meant Mom wasn’t home either.

Too tired to call. She’d just wait here.

But alone in the dark, bad memories crept in.

"Yo. Sitting here in a dress after dark, phone off—what’s your deal?"

"...Ah."

*Him again. Cursed timing?*

She hadn’t forgotten the dress. He’d seen it too. Li Mo felt utterly defeated—but what could she do?

Whatever. After being called a freak by her brother, being labeled weird by her childhood friend wouldn’t make it worse.

"Talk to me. What’s wrong?"

Tang Zhe texted Li Mo’s mom *"Found her downstairs,"* then sat beside her, baffled. "Addicted to crossdressing now? Some creep might mistake you for a real girl. Go change."

"...Hah."

Right. This idiot never noticed the obvious. Her whole vibe screamed *girl*, yet he still hadn’t caught on. Was that good or bad?

"No keys. Waiting for Mom."

Strangely, she felt zero fear around Tang Zhe. No guard up. She slumped on the bench like a ragdoll.

"Fine. I’ll wait. Damn it—I was mid-game when your mom dragged me out. You owe me."

Tang Zhe lit a cigarette, tossed another to her.

"Hey."

Li Mo fiddled with the cigarette, voice flat. "What if I really *am* a girl? What would you think?"