The president’s chair wasn’t actually anything special. Just a regular padded office chair. Still, it gave my vanity a tiny bit of satisfaction.

Phew. So I’m a man who’s sat on the president’s throne too—right?

I lowered my head and looked at the soft pleats of the schoolgirl skirt over my thighs. My mood instantly sank.

At that moment, Xiao Qingqing was already walking toward me with a bag in hand.

“Master? What are you trying to do now? I already did what you told me to. Can you let me change back and go home?”

The unease in my chest only grew. I had a bad feeling something awful was about to happen.

But the girl only said in a commanding tone, “Close your eyes.”

“For what?”

“To do your makeup.”

“I know that... but why do I need makeup? Are we taking model photos here or something?”

“If you want to go out looking like that, I don’t mind.”

Huh? I still have to go outside?

Wearing a girls’ school uniform?

My whole body tensed up at once, and even my voice started stammering. “No way! This is school. There are too many classmates here. If they recognize me, I... I won’t be able to show my face ever again!”

“So if you don’t want to be recognized, then sit still and let me do your makeup.”

“Oh...”

Wait. That’s not the real issue here, is it? Wouldn’t it be enough to just let me change back into the boys’ uniform and leave?

But Xiao Qingqing clearly had no interest in arguing basic logic with me. A familiar wicked smile curled at her lips.

“Oh, right. I forgot to tell you. I already notified Liu Sheng from the Organization Department to come pick up some materials. If I remember right, he’s in Class 3, Year One. Same class as you, right?”

Huh???

Of course I knew who Liu Sheng was. He was my classmate, and also a Student Council officer in the Organization Department. We weren’t exactly friends, but we saw each other in class every day. At the very least, we knew what the other looked like.

Crap, crap, crap. If a classmate sees me in a girls’ school uniform...!

I instinctively tried to dash back into the little side room to change back into boys’ clothes. At the very least, I had to hide and lie low—

Only to realize in despair that the door had somehow been locked.

“If you want to go home like that, I won’t stop you.” Xiao Qingqing’s teasing voice came from behind me.

Strictly speaking, I already looked a lot like a girl right now. The short-haired, delicate kind. If I walked down the street, people probably wouldn’t suspect a thing. Honestly, even when I wore boys’ clothes, random passersby often called me “miss”...

But the problem was, this was school!

Those classmates all knew I had a very pretty, delicate face. If I walked out in a girls’ uniform like this, there was a very real chance they’d recognize me—

“Lin Xiaoxi? Is that you? So you’re into this kind of thing?”

“You should’ve said so earlier. We’re all guys here. We get it. How about this? We’re having a study party tonight. Come dressed like that.”

“Hehehe, the party’s gonna be lively. All the guys in class will be there. We’ll make sure you drown in books and feel so good you’ll lose your mind~”

And then a few boys would drag me into a car by force...

Too scary ahhh!!!

I shook my head hard, throwing those cursed images out of my mind.

I couldn’t leave like this. But if I stayed, I’d run into a classmate. At this point, I had no way out. I could only beg in a pleading voice, “Master, please, I’m begging you, hurry up and put the wig on me and do my makeup!”

Yesterday, I’d already gotten a first taste of how powerful makeup could be. It might not turn me into a completely different person, but it changed my whole vibe. People who knew me wouldn’t recognize me that easily.

And yet Xiao Qingqing’s devilish side flared up again. She crossed her arms leisurely over her chest and said, “What? You want that badly to dress up like a girl? You perverted little puppy.”

“Ugh...”

“You want to sneak into the girls’ restroom again too, don’t you? To satisfy your special hobby, you perverted little puppy?”

“Uh...”

I was done for. I actually had no comeback.

“If I leave you alone, your classmate will walk in any second and see you looking this shameful. What do you think will happen then?”

As if on cue, there came a knock at the door. A familiar boy’s voice drifted in from outside.

“President, may I come in?”

Xiao Qingqing didn’t answer. She only looked down at me with mocking amusement.

I didn’t dare speak loudly. I was afraid the classmate outside would hear my voice. I could only look at Xiao Qingqing anxiously, tears even starting to gather in my eyes.

Maybe my lowered posture finally earned me a trace of sympathy. Xiao Qingqing lazily raised her voice and said, “Officer Qian, is that you? Wait outside for a moment. I still have something to deal with.”

“Understood, President.”

The outside fell quiet again.

And I, faced with the wig Xiao Qingqing pressed onto my head, no longer resisted at all. I let her smear and brush things across my face as she pleased.

Second by second, time passed. The person outside seemed to be getting impatient. He knocked again.

“President, may I come in now?”

“Wait a little longer.” Xiao Qingqing sounded absurdly calm.

Silence returned outside once more.

I had no idea how much time passed after that. Maybe just ten minutes or so. Xiao Qingqing finally stopped and raised her voice.

“Officer Qian, come in.”

Huh? Just like that?

I instinctively tried to duck under the desk, but Xiao Qingqing forced one hand down on my shoulder and pinned me in place.

Very soon, the office door was pushed open from outside. A familiar boy with a short buzz cut walked in, his attitude respectful.

“President, I came to pick up the materials as instructed.”

“Oh. The materials are on the desk. Sorry to make you come all this way,” Xiao Qingqing replied coolly.

The boy quickly walked over to the desk, and his gaze naturally landed on me.

After all, there was suddenly a stranger in the president’s office, sitting in the president’s chair. It would’ve been harder not to notice me.

Don’t recognize me. Don’t recognize me!

I lowered my head and hunched my shoulders like an ostrich, praying this classmate of mine would leave as soon as possible.

But the more I acted like that, the more curious he seemed to become. His face was full of confusion. He even bent down, trying to get a clear look at my face.

Crap! If he sees me...!

And right then, a certain devilish girl’s voice sounded by my ear.

“Xixi, this is Officer Qian from the Organization Department. He’s also in the first-year division, same as you. Aren’t you going to say hello?”

Devil. Absolute devil!

If I kept acting like an ostrich now, it would only make him more suspicious. And once suspicion grew, his thoughts would start running wild. Then my real identity would...!

At that thought, I bit down on my lip and decided to risk it all.

I slowly raised my head, forced out a bright and harmless smile, lifted my voice, and spoke softly.

“Hello, Officer Qian.”

The instant he saw my face clearly, his expression visibly blanked for a moment. Even his voice started stumbling.

“Y-you... hello.”

His gaze burned as he looked me over. But as a boy myself, I knew that look very well. It was the classic admiring look a guy gave a pretty girl, not the contemptuous look he’d give some pervert in girls’ clothes.

So... he still hadn’t recognized me?

A bit of confidence returned to me. I kept trying my best to imitate a girl, lifting one finger to my lips in confusion.

“What’s wrong, Officer Qian? Is there something on my face?”

“N-no... nothing. I...”

The boy didn’t seem very good at talking to “girls” either, and the atmosphere instantly turned awkward.

But then, out of nowhere, he seemed to gather some courage and actually pulled out his phone.

“Classmate, we’re both in the first-year division, and we both work in the Student Council. Can I add your WeChat? It’ll make it easier for us to communicate about work.”

Wait, this... this is him asking me out, isn’t it?

Like hell I’d believe that “communicate about work” excuse.

Which meant not only had he failed to recognize me as Lin Xiaoxi, he’d actually fallen for me at first sight?

I had to admit, makeup and hairstyle could change a person’s whole aura. The so-called three great Asian sorceries really weren’t just for show.

But being hit on like this by a guy I knew was so awkward. So, so awkward!

The atmosphere froze. For a moment, I had no idea what to say.

Thankfully, Xiao Qingqing seemed to have had enough fun watching the show. In a cheerful tone, she stepped in to save me.

“What’s this, Officer Qian? Have you forgotten the Student Council rules?”

The boy jolted at once. Hugging the stack of files from the desk, he hurried out.

“Sorry, President! If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now!”

“Oh, alright.”

Before leaving, he even turned back and gave me one last lingering look, which made my skin crawl with goosebumps.

If he ever found out I was actually his classmate Lin Xiaoxi—the short, forgettable little guy he saw every single day—I had no idea what he’d think.

Soon, the office door shut again.

And in the spacious room, only two people remained.

Me, and that devil girl.