Night fell. An Han sat alone on a stone bench beneath a broken streetlamp at the edge of the school playground. Bathed in faint light from distant lamps, he rested his chin in his hands, watching night joggers and couples strolling nearby.
If he could choose, he’d rather not have this system at all.
Su Peng finding out about his cross-dressing wouldn’t be so bad—he was a decent guy. But Wu Dongming? A whole different problem.
He let out a lifeless sigh.
Wu Dongming and Brother Long barely interacted daily—why were they suddenly chatting today?
“I should’ve just been upfront with Brother Long.”
If he’d confessed that night to Long Xing about being a cross-dresser, the worst would’ve been social death—and for the mission, maybe acceptable. He’d almost done it multiple times.
But now…
Long Xing had fallen for his female persona.
He’d thought it was a joke. But Long Xing seemed genuinely serious.
An Han sighed wearily. “If this gets exposed now, it won’t just be social death.”
This was Long Xing’s first love… Don’t be fooled by his tough, gangster-like looks—he was a pure-hearted boy who’d blush just talking to a girl.
If exposed, would Long Xing fly into a rage and beat him up?
An Han glanced at his slender arms and legs. No contest.
And the heartbreak of your first love turning out to be a guy? Brutal.
He chuckled, amused by the irony—then his expression soured.
Too bad *he* was the one being liked. Otherwise, he’d absolutely kick the guy while he was down.
“An Han.”
The call snapped him from his thoughts. He turned. Wu Dongming jogged up. “Couldn’t pick a better spot? I’ve been searching forever.”
“Sit.”
An Han shifted to make room.
Suddenly, the system interface flashed before his eyes:
[Option 1: Ask Wu Dongming for a solution and follow through. Reward: Random Advanced Skill
Option 2: Kick him and tell him to scram. Reward: Basic Makeup Skill
Option 3: Change the subject. Reward: Random Attribute Point]
An Han froze. *This triggers the system?*
Option 2 was impossible—Wu would run straight to Long Xing. Option 3 felt pointless. Option 1’s reward looked solid… and matched his goal.
“Advanced Skill”—after house-and-lottery rewards, this had to be master-craftsman level. Not instant riches, but lifelong security.
“What’s so urgent?” Wu Dongming settled beside him. “Your cross-dressing?”
An Han buried his face in his hands with a groan. “What do I do now~?”
[Task One selected. Complete promptly.]
“You actually came back in full cross-dress?” Wu Dongming crossed his legs, smirking. “What were you *thinking*?”
*All the system’s fault!* Better options existed—but it dangled rewards.
“I just didn’t want them to know I cross-dress—so what?” An Han shot back. “You ran off with my clothes! Would it be this messy otherwise?”
“Only ’cause you tried tricking *me* into it first! If I didn’t need your help next week, this secret would’ve blown up already.”
“Enough. Brothers don’t stand on ceremony.” An Han clapped his shoulder. “So—any good ideas?”
“Confessing? You’d get punched.” Wu’s eyes gleamed slyly. “Come closer. Don’t want eavesdroppers.”
An Han leaned in. “Hmm?”
“Why not make that girl *actually* exist?”
“???”
An Han froze.
“Cross-dress again. ‘Accidentally’ bump into Long Xing. Say you’re not interested.”
“This…”
“Chen Junjie’s got connections. Once he confirms no such girl exists at school? Case closed—it was you. They already suspect you.” Wu Dongming fanned the flames.
[Task updated: Cross-dress and meet Long Xing again.]
*This solution is insane!*
“I’d be exposed the second I spoke!” An Han objected gently.
“Learn to mimic a girl’s voice.”
An Han bristled. “I can’t!”
“Then don’t.” Wu shrugged. “Still the best plan. And you’ll likely cross-dress again next week anyway—call it practice.”
“Again? *Why?*”
“You made my parents think I’m gay. You owe me a fix.” Wu grinned wickedly. “Explain? They’ll call it excuses. But if *you* show up as my girlfriend? How could they still think I’m gay?”
“…” An Han’s lip twitched. “That’s a stretch.”
“When I’m setting you up, why hold back?” Wu’s grin widened.
*If I “slip up” in front of his parents… he’ll never shake their bias. Unless this shorty miraculously finds a girlfriend.*
An Han didn’t believe it. He was better-looking than Wu—and zero confessions.
(Though he rarely hung out with girls. Even gaming with them felt too noob.)
An Han narrowed his eyes. Wu Dongming met his gaze—both hiding agendas.
System tasks had no penalties. Skipping was fine… but the reward stung to lose.
Still, Long Xing’s situation remained unsolved.
Wu’s idea… worth testing.
“How about this—you tell him you got the girl’s WeChat?”
Meeting in person? Impossible. But chatting online as a girl? Manageable.
If Long Xing believed she existed, suspicion would fade.
“WeChat? I thought you didn’t use it.”
“Rarely.”
An Han only used WeChat for parents—roommates never added him.
“Works. What’s your ID?”
Wu Dongming yawned, then sized An Han up. “Huh. Lately… you’ve started looking kinda pleasant.”
“So you *didn’t* before?”
“Before? You just screamed ‘punch me’—always pulling shady stuff!”
“Says you.”
An Han retorted aloud, but inwardly thrilled.
*So the Affinity trait and +1 Charisma… they’re working.*
Classmates just wouldn’t say it.
Then why—after thirty minutes on this bench—hadn’t a single girl approached him?
