Ye Yubai parked downstairs.

He was nothing like Gan Lan—he was always parking his bike wherever he pleased, and he didn’t take the slightest care of the expensive thing.

“Wonder what that guy’s up to right now. He’d better not be taking a shower.”

Ye Yubai thought this, then clicked his tongue.

“The building manager said hot water’s limited at night these days. He’d better not use it all up.”

With that worry on his mind, Ye Yubai took the stairs two at a time and hurried upstairs.

He pulled out his key and opened the door.

“Gan Lan? Where are you?”

He called a few times, but no one answered.

All he could hear was the loud rush of water coming from the bathroom.

Ye Yubai set down what he was carrying, took off his shoes, and padded barefoot over to push open the bathroom door.

The moment he opened it, a cloud of warm, misty air hit him in the face.

Gan Lan was taking a shower, hidden behind the curtain.

Maybe the water was running too loudly, because she still hadn’t noticed someone had opened the bathroom door.

Ye Yubai clicked his tongue.

“Gan Lan, I forgot to tell you—we’re running low on hot water at night these days…”

As he spoke, he reached out to tug at the shower curtain.

Only then did Gan Lan realize someone was behind her. She shrieked and grabbed the curtain, stopping Ye Yubai from getting in.

Ye Yubai: “Huh? What are you doing?”

Gan Lan took a deep breath. “Y-you need to go outside first!”

Ye Yubai: “Oho, didn’t know you were so shy.”

Gan Lan: “Just get out!”

Ye Yubai tugged at the curtain again. “Let go. Don’t waste the hot water. I’ll shower with you.” As he spoke, he started showing off his one-handed undressing skills.

His broad, muscular chest was exposed in an instant.

Soon, he’d taken off his trousers too, leaving only a thin pair of briefs.

Through the light, Gan Lan caught a glimpse of Ye Yubai undressing, and her face turned bright red.

Shower together?

Gan Lan absolutely wasn’t going to shower with him!

They’d both been guys before, so showering together had been no big deal. But now she was a girl. How could she shower with this shameless pervert?

Gan Lan clung to the shower curtain with all her might.

The two of them launched into a tug-of-war over that flimsy curtain.

“Let go, Gan Lan! If the hot water runs out, what am I supposed to wash with?”

“Y-you… don’t come in!”

Now that Gan Lan had turned into a girl, she obviously couldn’t match Ye Yubai’s strength.

He gave a slight tug, and the curtain—and Gan Lan with it—came flying open.

The world spun around her.

Gan Lan snatched up the falling curtain and wrapped it around herself. She didn’t even bother with her shoes or clothes—she just turned and ran.

The whole thing happened so smoothly that Ye Yubai was left staring in stunned disbelief.

“Gan Lan, you know how to do that?”

Gan Lan ignored him.

Soon, Ye Yubai heard a loud bang from Gan Lan’s room as the door slammed shut.

It sounded like she was angry.

Ye Yubai was a total blockhead when it came to women, so he had no idea what he’d done to upset her. He just scratched the back of his head.

“Whatever. I’ll just take my shower first.”

In weather like this, after playing basketball and going for a long run during the day, he’d stink tomorrow if he skipped a shower.

…

More than ten minutes later.

Ye Yubai came out of the bathroom wearing a fresh pair of shorts.

Gan Lan had spent so long in the shower that she’d used up most of the hot water.

So he’d had to rinse the soap off with cold water.

Ye Yubai wiped the water droplets from his hair and walked barefoot across the floor, making the wooden boards creak beneath him.

Gan Lan had been hiding in her room, already changed into her clothes.

At least her breasts hadn’t developed much since she’d turned into a girl. That was one thing Gan Lan could be grateful for.

She hugged a blanket, shivering.

“Achoo!”

The muffled sneeze caught Gan Lan completely off guard.

She rubbed her itchy nose.

“Don’t tell me I’m catching a cold again.”

She’d always been sickly, and after turning into a girl, her constitution seemed to have gotten even worse.

Ye Yubai knocked on her bedroom door.

“Gan Lan, why haven’t you eaten the dinner I bought you?”

Gan Lan hurriedly replied, “It’s fine. I’m trying to lose weight, so I’m not eating!”

Ye Yubai went, “Huh?”

Gan Lan looked at her own skinny arms and legs and realized the whole “I’m trying to lose weight” excuse wasn’t very convincing.

So she immediately changed her story. “I don’t really have an appetite today. Anyway, put dinner in the fridge. I’ll eat it tomorrow morning…”

The main thing was, she didn’t know how to face Ye Yubai right now.

If she went out and blushed in front of her childhood friend, that’d be mortifying.

Ye Yubai rubbed his chin. “Gan Lan, don’t you think you’ve been acting kind of weird today?”

Gan Lan hugged her knees and leaned against the wall, saying nothing.

Suddenly, Ye Yubai thought of the things he’d found in her desk.

A pile of broken utility-knife blades stained with red paint.

Did Gan Lan know about that?

Ye Yubai’s expression darkened, and his tone turned serious.

“Gan Lan, did you find out about something?”

Gan Lan stiffened and looked toward the door.

“You idiot. I’m right here. How could I let anyone bully you?”

Now it was Gan Lan’s turn to be confused.

What was Ye Yubai talking about?

“Anyway, come out and eat first. If you leave stinky tofu in the fridge overnight, it’ll be ruined—and so will the fridge!”

His tone had turned downright commanding.

Gan Lan suddenly thought of the Ye Yubai from her previous life—the one who’d inherited the Ye Family, become a CEO, and made waves in the business world.

For a moment, she felt dazed.

Just then, she heard a key turn in the lock at the door.

Gan Lan’s hair stood on end. “Ye Yubai! What are you doing?”

Before she could finish speaking,

Ye Yubai strode in, his face set.

When he saw Gan Lan huddled in the corner with her knees drawn up, he became even more certain his guess was right.

A nameless anger flared in his heart.

Those damn women—if they had a problem, why couldn’t they come after him instead of picking on his childhood friend?

If they scared Gan Lan so badly that something happened to her, who’d split the rent and chores with him?

The more Ye Yubai thought about it, the angrier he got. His lips twitched, and he gave a cold snort.

If beating up women weren’t so ungentlemanly, he’d give them a good thrashing and teach them what happened when they messed with his childhood friend.

Gan Lan studied his expression. The longer she looked, the stranger it seemed. “Did you bite your tongue while eating or something?”

Ye Yubai let out a breath. “No!”

Gan Lan warily watched his hands. “How do you have the key to my room?”

Ye Yubai let out another breath. “No!”

As he spoke,

he bent the wire in his hand and slipped it into his pocket as if nothing had happened.

He ran a hand through his damp bangs.

With both hands in his pockets, he turned and walked away.

Smooth as could be.

He left her with just one parting remark:

“Come out and eat. Don’t make me lower myself and beg you!”