The night was deep.

This secluded street had dim streetlights.

Darkness cloaked the world, and Autumn Ease lay tucked under his covers, struggling to sleep.

He’d gone to bed early because he needed to wake up early tomorrow.

But since living alone, he’d grown used to staying up past midnight.

At nine o’clock in bed, his mind was still wide awake.

Every time he closed his eyes, he felt like he was lying in a coffin.

He saw that doll-like girl’s delicate face.

He saw her emotionless eyes, staring intently at him.

No terrifying images appeared, yet Autumn Ease’s hair stood on end.

It felt utterly eerie.

Unable to sleep, he might as well play on his phone.

Autumn Ease and Uncle didn’t talk; only the sounds of mobile game battles filled the room.

Before he knew it, it was midnight.

Uncle still wasn’t asleep.

“Uncle, aren’t you sleeping yet?”

“Can’t sleep.”

“You’re not scared like Aunt after seeing the body, are you?” Autumn Ease teased.

On WeChat, Aunt had messaged the family group about being too frightened to sleep alone after viewing their cousin-uncle’s remains.

“No,” Uncle replied flatly.

Even if he was scared, he’d probably deny it.

Men cared about face, after all.

Autumn Ease chuckled, got up to use the bathroom, and returned to bed.

Now he truly meant to sleep; drowsiness swept over him.

Faintly, he seemed to hear the midnight chime.

“Bong…”

But there was no clock tower nearby.

Where did that bell sound come from?

Just then, Autumn Ease felt his body changing.

His chest swelled like an inflating balloon.

Below, something strained to shrink back into his body.

His eyes widened. He yanked the blanket over himself, head to toe, wrapping tight.

He realized something was about to happen.

That night, he’d turned into the girl from his dreams, only to change back by morning.

He’d almost thought it was all a hallucination.

In previous days, he hadn’t stayed up past midnight.

He usually slept by eleven, missing the transformation at twelve while unconscious.

Autumn Ease wasn’t stupid. Logically, his body likely shifted into a girl after midnight, reverting by some point the next day.

A predictable pattern was better than random changes…

He scratched his head—and froze. His hair had grown long, silky smooth.

No mirror needed; he knew he’d fully become a girl.

Alone at home would’ve been fine, but this was a hotel room.

Uncle lay on the other bed.

If discovered, how could he explain?

She curled up tightly, making no sound.

Never before had she craved dawn so desperately.

Peeking through the blanket gap, the light still glowed.

Uncle wasn’t asleep—she couldn’t relax.

Only when he slept might she breathe a little easier.

Why? Why did she turn into a girl, into her dream self?

Autumn Ease didn’t recall dream details, but the broad story was clear.

The girl haunting his dreams was him—or another version of him.

In that dream, the female her was named Leaf Grace.

Autumn Ease and Leaf Grace shared one soul.

The same person had fallen in love with herself.

Was that dream a premonition?

A sign this would happen in reality?

But where was that other self?

And… why was she stuck being the girl?

Autumn Ease rubbed her temples. Her phone lay outside the blanket; she could only stare blankly inside. Reaching for it risked exposure.

Those fair arms looked nothing like a man’s.

The yellowish hotel light never dimmed.

Hours passed. Her lower belly ached—she couldn’t hold her pee much longer. Uncle still hadn’t slept.

Then, Autumn Ease’s phone alarm blared.

Unbelievable: she’d been lost in thought until five a.m.

No wonder exhaustion crushed her.

But sleep was impossible now.

After breakfast downstairs, the funeral awaited.

The alarm kept ringing. She dared not reach out to silence it.

She let it blare on.

“Autumn Ease! Your alarm’s going! Time to wake up!” Uncle called.

Panic tightened in her chest.

Her body showed no sign of changing back. Exposure was imminent.

The alarm ignored her dread, blasting rock music relentlessly.

At work, she’d set the loudest alarm to avoid oversleeping—a long rock track. Even on auto-stop, it took five minutes.

She’d also set repeat alerts every five minutes if not manually canceled.

Ignoring it meant endless noise…

The overplayed rock tune now grated on her nerves.

Worse, her full bladder demanded control. One slip, and she’d wet the bed.

That’d be utterly humiliating.

She gritted her pearly teeth, whispering fiercely: “Hurry… change back… now…”

Becoming a girl was fun in stories or for others—not for her.

Such secrets couldn’t be shared lightly…

So why did this happen?

If someone did this deliberately, what did they want?

“Autumn Ease, still sleeping? Get up!” Uncle’s hand landed on her back. She twisted just in time—avoiding his palm on her chest. “Kid, your body’s so soft! You need exercise. No muscle at all. Up! I’m pulling your blanket off!”

Autumn Ease paled.

But the blanket flew off.

“Ahhh—!” A panicked shriek echoed through the hotel room.