Before she knew it, Friday had arrived, and Jiang Xuehan’s period had finally passed its worst phase. Her body still felt uncomfortable, but it no longer interfered much with her daily activities.

Her three warmhearted roommates took the opportunity to teach her a thing or two. They explained what foods to avoid, how to choose sanitary pads, and other such matters.

That was when she realized being a girl was such a hassle. She wanted more and more to regain her male body as soon as possible.

Her period hadn’t actually ended yet, but the bleeding had decreased dramatically. One pad a day was enough now, and that constant feeling of not fully emptying her bladder had faded considerably.

With that, her mood finally improved as well. She could return to her part-time job at the internet café and resume attending classes.

At first, Jiang Xuehan had found university classes deeply troublesome. After all, she had enrolled under a false identity simply to claim a bed in the dormitory. She didn’t care about exams, graduation, or anything else.

Still, if a student skipped classes constantly right after the semester began, it would inevitably arouse suspicion. So even if she was only pretending, she had to put on an act.

Fortunately, university lectures were nothing like high school classes. Discipline was much looser, especially in large courses shared by different majors.

Hundreds of students filled the enormous tiered lecture hall. Even if the professor wanted to control them, there were simply too many people to manage. Usually, the teachers could only rely on the students’ own self-discipline.

Those who genuinely wanted to study sat in the first few rows. They opened their notebooks and listened with serious expressions.

Those who just wanted to get by chose a seat in the back or a corner. They played on their phones and chatted casually, as long as they didn’t disrupt the class too much.

Jiang Xuehan actually wanted to be the second kind of student. Unfortunately, all three of her roommates were rather ambitious.

Perhaps girls generally took their studies more seriously, too. In the end, she had no choice but to sit in the front rows, listening to the lecture for a while before playing on her phone for a while.

The semester had been underway for less than a week, yet the freshmen had already split into various little groups.

Room 312, where Jiang Xuehan lived, was a typical example. She already knew most of the other girls in her class to some extent, but they usually only exchanged greetings and a few words when they met.

When it came to attending class, leaving class, and eating meals, the four of them still stuck together.

Among the four girls in Room 312, the most watched—and the most excluded—was undoubtedly Li Xinglan.

After all, beautiful girls with haughty personalities usually weren’t very popular.

Fortunately, Jiang Xuehan was good at smoothing things over. Xia Ziying and Wen Jiaqi were also kind and innocent by nature. They would never bully their classmates.

That was how Li Xinglan had managed to remain, barely, within their little group.

Jiang Xuehan, meanwhile, had the kind of sweet and obedient appearance that people naturally found endearing. Her lingering male consciousness also kept her maintaining a gentleman’s manners.

She was especially polite and courteous toward her female classmates.

These qualities didn’t make her particularly popular among the girls, but they did earn her widespread approval. Whenever her classmates mentioned her, they would usually say, “She’s a good person. She’d make a nice friend.”

In the complicated and treacherous world of girls, earning that kind of evaluation was no small achievement.

Class was finally about to end. Jiang Xuehan eagerly began packing her schoolbag, preparing to lead the other three girls from her dormitory into the cafeteria.

That way, they could beat the crowd and avoid waiting in a long line.

Just then, Li Xinglan’s phone vibrated.

She glanced at the message, turned off the screen, and muttered under her breath, “Annoying fly.”

“Which guy is asking you out this time?” Jiang Xuehan guessed immediately.

“Yeah. It’s Yu Qian from our class again. And it isn’t even an invitation. He confessed outright. It was so disgustingly cheesy.”

The four girls were sitting in a row, so everyone could hear their conversation. Wen Jiaqi immediately picked up the subject from the other side.

“You mean that fat guy with the pig face? Where did he get the courage to confess?”

“Heh. Ugly people really do love making a spectacle of themselves.”

“Lanlan, wasn’t that the seventh flirty text you’ve received from a guy this week? You’re seriously popular.”

“Forget it. They’re all a bunch of toads. I’d rather stay single than consider any of them.”

Even Xia Ziying refused to be left out and joined the discussion.

“I remember that Yu Qian. He dresses terribly, like a college student from the last century. His hair’s a mess, too. You can tell at a glance that he has no taste.”

“Agreed, agreed!”

When girls discussed boys in private, they often went to one of two extremes. Either they praised them without restraint, or they tore them apart completely—with especially vicious insults.

Besides, modern media spread information so quickly. Girls encountered all kinds of dreamboats online every day.

As a result, their standards of beauty kept rising. A boy their own age who could win the approval of most girls was practically as rare as a phoenix feather or qilin horn.

Take Yu Qian, for example. Jiang Xuehan vaguely remembered seeing him in another class.

He was a little fat, but his fair, soft features weren’t ugly. He also looked shy and honest.

Yet a group of girls was tearing him apart behind his back like this. If he ever heard them, his face would probably turn black, too.

That was why Jiang Xuehan didn’t join the discussion. Her feelings were somewhat complicated instead.

At first, she had held girls in high regard. She had even admired them quite intensely.

But the more she interacted with them, the weaker that feeling became.

So girls weren’t actually as wonderful as they appeared.

For example, many girls had a habit of badmouthing others behind their backs and obsessing over every little slight.

Xia Ziying had once been attacked behind her back by a high school classmate for two whole years. The reason was nothing more than a single classroom-cleaning duty.

At the time, Xia Ziying had been the class representative in charge of labor. Because that girl hadn’t cleaned the windows properly, Xia Ziying had criticized her twice in front of everyone.

That was enough for the girl to hold a grudge ever since.

What was even more frightening was that she had acted friendly toward Xia Ziying on the surface. Whenever they met, she would hold Xia Ziying’s hand and chatter away like a close friend.

Xia Ziying, who knew nothing about the grudge, had genuinely believed she was a kind and friendly person.

Only after graduation did a good friend tell Xia Ziying what had happened in private. One could imagine how miserable she had felt.

Not every girl was like that, of course. But some of them truly had frighteningly narrow minds.

When boys had a disagreement, they usually said it straight to each other’s faces. Then they’d have a fight, their friends would break it up, and everyone would share a meal and a few drinks afterward.

By then, they would reconcile as if nothing had happened. Sometimes, they would even become closer than before.

Girls, however, didn’t work that way.

They would keep their grievances buried for years without saying anything directly. Both sides might develop deep prejudices against each other, yet still wear the mask of friendship whenever they met.

Then they would slander each other in private.

The saying about “a girls’ dormitory with five group chats for four people” wasn’t merely a joke from the internet. It really happened.

The sad part was that some of the people involved didn’t discover those hidden group chats until many years later—or never discovered them at all.

That was why friendships between girls could be so fragile. Many girls who seemed close at school would never contact each other again after graduation.

On the surface, everyone appeared harmonious. Deep down, they might even be wishing for each other’s early death.

Jiang Xuehan wasn’t especially interested in these petty disputes between girls. But she was a girl herself now, and she lived in a shared dormitory.

To some extent, she still had to pay attention to her relationships with the people around her. Otherwise, she might offend someone and create trouble for herself later.

Hmm. She really missed being a boy.

Not only could she pee standing up, but all kinds of other things had been more convenient and comfortable, too…

Before the bell rang, the professor announced that class was over.

A swarm of students immediately surged toward the exit.

At that moment, Jiang Xuehan’s masculine nature finally showed itself. She led the three girls through the crowd, pushing left and right.

After a great deal of effort, they reached the cafeteria a little earlier than everyone else. Each of them ordered some food she liked, then sat down and leisurely enjoyed lunch.

By then, her three roommates had already changed the subject to a currently popular young idol.

Wen Jiaqi excitedly talked about how cute and adorable XXboy was, and which celebrities were a couple.

Unexpectedly, Li Xinglan dumped a bucket of cold water over her.

“Hmph. You’re already an adult, yet you still chase celebrities. How childish are you?”

“What did you say!?”

“And don’t order meat next time. Look at you—you’re practically turning into a ball. From now on, I won’t call you Fatty. I’ll call you Ball-ball.”

Wen Jiaqi flew into a rage. Her hair nearly stood on end.

“Hey, you with the surname Li! Are you deliberately picking on me?”

Li Xinglan refused to back down. Her starry eyes turned cold.

“Hmph. I’m only reminding you. Look at Xiaohan. She’s already so thin, yet she still eats such light food.”

The conversation had somehow turned toward her again. Jiang Xuehan hurriedly tried to explain.

“I’m a local, after all. Cuisine from my hometown tends to be light. I’m just used to eating that way.”

“Besides, I don’t want to be this thin, either. I’d rather put on a little weight. Girls are cuter when they’re a little soft and chubby!”

She had meant to comfort Wen Jiaqi.

Instead, Wen Jiaqi suffered an even heavier blow.

“Waaah! Even you, Xiaohan, think I’m too fat and too chubby?”

“Sure enough, you and that girl surnamed Li are on the same side! You both love making fun of my weight! You big meanie!”

“Wait, I never said you were fat…”

Although you really are a little fat…

In short, getting along smoothly among girls was no easy task. Jiang Xuehan had already learned that firsthand.