Two students walked back into the woods right before Guanmingxue’s eyes, claiming they’d dropped something.

Guanmingxue followed them without hesitation.

What she didn’t know was that the white-haired little boy she’d been thinking about for so long was hiding in those very woods, pants half-down, gasping for breath.

With each ragged exhale, puffs of white mist appeared and vanished in the sweltering heat.

*I overestimated myself.*

Chi Yuzhou was drowning in regret.

Everyone else made eating spicy food look effortless. Why did his craving land him in this mess?

And this heat felt nothing like strong liquor.

He could always chill liquor secretly—even drinking it straight was no trouble.

Ice-cold liquor went down like water for him.

*Never eating spicy food again.*

But as soon as Chi Yuzhou made that vow, the memory of that delicious flavor flashed in his mind. He quietly added an exception:

*Unless I’m small.*

Good food really was addictive.

If he hadn’t tried that unfamiliar, incredibly tasty dish, he wouldn’t be in this state now.

Only faint cicada chirps filled the woods. Thankfully, no one else was around.

Hiding in the shadows, Chi Yuzhou rolled up his sleeves and calculated how long until his body returned to normal.

But... even at nearly 5 p.m., the pre-sunset heat was brutal.

It’d take at least fifteen minutes to change back.

*Blame my misplaced skill points...*

He knew tricks to deal with dangerous women, but his food experience was sorely lacking.

Otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened.

“Sigh...”

A delicate sigh escaped him.

Just as Chi Yuzhou settled in to wait, a twig snapped nearby.

He peeked out—and froze. Guanmingxue stood in the woods, searching for someone.

Her head snapped toward him, sharp as a hawk’s.

He ducked back instantly, but that flash of white hair hadn’t escaped her notice.

*What is this? An Alchemist’s sixth sense?*

Still wearing ill-fitting school uniform, Chi Yuzhou scrambled to a new hiding spot.

En route, he nearly stumbled upon a couple locked in a passionate kiss.

After circling them, he crouched in fresh shadows. Confirming Guanmingxue was gone, he sighed again.

Of all people—it had to be Guanmingxue, who knew his face.

If she discovered his current state? Disaster.

Especially since... she was an Alchemist.

Chi Yuzhou had a gut feeling:

If Guanmingxue caught him as both non-human *and* a little boy, his fate would be no better than before he fled his village.

All this freedom would vanish like a fleeting dream.

*Why do I only meet weird women?*

*If only I were just a normal human...*

Eyes closed, Chi Yuzhou waited for the heat in his body to fade, ears straining for sounds.

“Little brother, why are you sleeping here?”

“!”

A voice right beside him made Chi Yuzhou jolt away uncontrollably.

Hua Fu—long bangs framing her face, thick glasses perched on her nose—stared curiously at the white-haired boy.

“What happened to your clothes? Where are your parents?”

“I...”

Chi Yuzhou’s mind raced.

*Why Hua Fu? Here?*

Seeing only mild confusion in her eyes, he realized his palms were clenched so hard they bore crescent marks.

Good news: Hua Fu hadn’t connected this little boy to any classmate.

Hair color was easy to explain—humans had all sorts of colors.

But shrinking? That was sci-fi territory for ordinary people.

One wrong word here... and everything would collapse.

Voice trembling like a guilty child’s, he stammered:

“I... I saw a brother and sister playing naked in the woods. I... I accidentally put on their clothes to play...”

“I’ll return them right now! Please, big sister, don’t tell them!”

Hua Fu’s heart softened at the jade-carved boy’s fearful expression. He reminded her of her own first-grade siblings.

Kids this age did strange things.

And she *had* spotted a couple seeking thrills earlier...

Gently stroking his head, she asked softly:

“Will you properly apologize when you return the clothes?”

“Mhm! Mhm!”

His obedient nod made her ruffle his hair again.

Cool to the touch—was it because white didn’t absorb heat?

She knew he’d pulled a prank, but how could she scold him?

*After all... I’m a big sister at heart.*

“Th-then goodbye, big sister!”

Holding up his pants, Chi Yuzhou darted off before she could reply.

Hua Fu watched until the little figure vanished.

This small woods... maybe he lived nearby.

Chi Yuzhou kept glancing back every two minutes as he fled.

Thankfully, Hua Fu was normal.

Certain he was truly alone, he unrolled his sleeves and pant legs.

Two frantic escapes had burned off most of the spice-induced heat.

As his breathing steadied, his body swiftly returned to its original size.

But his hair remained stubbornly white—no time to fix it.

His usually face-concealing bangs were messy and parted, failing to hide his features.

The strikingly beautiful face of the Snow Clan now lay fully exposed.

Unseen by him, a figure stood frozen nearby, eyes wide with shock, staring at his retreating back.

By the time Chi Yuzhou exited the woods, his ordinary, unremarkable appearance had fully returned.