Chapter 10: A Confession?!
It was math class, and the skinny, strict old teacher was lecturing at the front. His voice had a strange, almost magical effect. It made people want to fall asleep.
But this old man was also the head of the academic office. Not someone you wanted to mess with.
Chen Cheng, resting her chin on one hand, looked utterly lifeless. Since school could get really boring, she forced herself to pay attention, hoping that focusing on class would make time pass faster.
It had been a while since she had challenged her brain with anything difficult. Her mind felt sluggish, like rusty gears that hadn’t been oiled in ages. No matter how hard she tried to stay focused, her attention kept drifting to the uncomfortable feeling deep in her lower abdomen.
She reached behind her back, discreetly tugging at the waistband of her underwear over her school pants.
Ugh, it’s getting sweaty… and kinda itchy…
It was her first time using pads, and she just couldn’t get used to having an extra layer of fabric stuck to her. The classroom didn’t even have air conditioning, just an old ceiling fan wobbling dangerously overhead, making her wonder if it would suddenly come crashing down and take out a student.
She was pretty sure she had seen news about something like that happening before… though the student in question had only been left dizzy and bruised.
Fun fact: One year after she graduated, the school finally installed air conditioning in every classroom. Too bad she had missed out.
Oh no… she zoned out again.
The bell rang for the end of class, but the math teacher kept going for another three minutes before finally dismissing them.
Stretching lazily, Chen Cheng cautiously reached into her desk drawer, quickly grabbed a pad, and stuffed it into her pocket.
Time to change.
She turned to look at An Yuan, hoping he would go with her to the restroom.
Of course, he couldn’t actually help, but having someone familiar around made unfamiliar things a little less stressful.
"Chengcheng~ wanna go to the restroom together?"
As soon as class ended, Chen Shuting popped up beside her, smiling cheerfully.
Seeing that An Yuan had already gone downstairs, playing basketball with his classmates, Chen Cheng reluctantly mumbled, "Fine… let’s go?"
The next thing she knew, Chen Shuting had wrapped her arm around hers, and her whole body went stiff.
"Hu Wei! Come on~"
Chen Cheng turned her head and saw a petite girl with twin ponytails standing up from her seat.
This girl was exactly Chen Cheng’s type. Small, cute, and delicate. She had never been into curvy, mature-looking girls.
According to An Yuan, this was a typical “virgin preference”, the kind of taste you have before you actually experience a relationship. "Once you’ve been with a woman, you’ll understand the appeal of big boobs," he had once told her.
But even after being a girl, Chen Cheng still didn’t get it. In fact, she disliked big chests even more now! What a hassle!
Hu Wei skipped up to her and also linked arms with her, leaving Chen Cheng sandwiched between two girls.
Her body wasn’t just stiff anymore, her face was starting to burn. She felt so flustered she could barely walk properly.
Wait, hold on! Why did this never happen when I was a guy?!
Girls' hands are so soft…
Determined not to embarrass herself, she straightened her back, kept her expression blank, and tried to act cool and composed.
Unfortunately, from an outsider’s perspective, she just looked cold and unapproachable.
"Chengcheng~" Hu Wei swayed their joined hands back and forth, her voice full of curiosity. "You and An Yuan…"
"Just friends!"
Chen Cheng cut her off immediately, her tone stiff.
Why is everyone so nosy?! It’s senior year! Can’t you people just focus on studying?! Your parents sent you here to learn, not to gossip!
But since they loved gossip so much, Chen Cheng figured she might as well dig up some of her own.
Her eyes darted around, and she lowered her voice. "Hey, do you guys know anything about Li Wanyi?"
"Wanyi?"
"Yeah. Shuting, weren’t you in the same dorm as her?"
Chen Cheng was secretly hoping to hear some juicy gossip about Li Wanyi, something like how she changed boyfriends as often as she changed clothes, was overly flirtatious, or was dating multiple guys at once.
"She’s not really up to anything?" Chen Shuting tilted her head in confusion. "Oh! Do you mean that thing?"
"What thing?"
"Last week, during a dorm inspection, the principal got chased out of her room by the smell of her stinky socks. Is that what you’re talking about?"
Hu Wei immediately perked up. "No way, is that true?"
"Totally! She looks all put-together, but in the dorm, she’s a total mess."
Chen Cheng lost interest and smacked her lips in disappointment. Of course, she already knew that Li Wanyi was a lazy slob. In the future, when she moved in with An Yuan, he’d be the one working and taking care of the house, practically worshipping her like a queen. For what reason, though?
Sure, Chen Cheng was lazy too, but at least she still cleaned up after herself.
The restroom was at the far end of the hallway on each floor. The place had old, yellowing tiles, and the grout was stained with years of grime that no amount of scrubbing could fix. It looked downright filthy.
If she could help it, Chen Cheng usually avoided using public bathrooms.
She followed the two girls inside, waited in line, and went into the stall furthest in the back.
Feeling like a thief sneaking around, she double-checked that the stall door was completely locked, looked left and right to make sure no one was watching, and then hesitantly squatted down.
For most girls, having a period was just a normal biological process. But to Chen Cheng, it felt like she was trespassing into a secret, forbidden part of womanhood. Even just changing a pad made her face burn with embarrassment, leaving her flustered and uncomfortable.
A faint metallic scent spread in the air. Panicked, Chen Cheng hurried up, terrified someone would notice that she was the source of the smell.
"Ugh, it’s all blood. So gross."
"And this happens every month?! Being a woman sucks."
"I just want an ice-cold Coke..."
In her past life, she never had to deal with this kind of suffering! Men didn’t have to go through some kind of ‘egg replacement cycle’!
"It’s all An Yuan’s fault! I used to think so highly of him, but what is he doing now? Playing games and basketball with his buddies, completely ignoring me!"
Muttering under her breath, Chen Cheng felt a lump in her throat. She sniffled slightly, looking pitiful and aggrieved.
But no amount of complaining could change the fact that she was stuck in this body now. She couldn’t even hope to go back to her old life.
Being forced to accept reality, just thinking about it made her feel even worse.
When she finally stepped out of the restroom, her two friends were already waiting by the sinks.
"Why did you take so long?" Chen Shuting walked up to her. "Wait, why do your eyes look a little red?"
Chen Cheng sighed lifelessly, exhaustion written all over her face. "My stomach hurts..."
"Oh, yeah. Your cramps are always really bad."
"I have a heating pad in my bag," Hu Wei offered.
"Mm… thanks."
As they walked back to the hallway, Chen Cheng glanced downstairs.
She could see An Yuan on the basketball court, dripping with sweat, full of energy and youth. His laughter echoed faintly in the distance.
What an idiot! The break was barely ten minutes long, and he still went to play?! Let’s see if he even makes it back in time for class!
She rolled her eyes, about to head back to the classroom with her friends, when suddenly, a guy rushed toward her from the side.
Before she could react, he gave something into her arms.
"???"
She stood there, stunned, as the guy immediately ran away, disappearing into the classroom next door.
A moment later, a deafening wave of cheers and whistles erupted around her.
The noise was so overwhelming that she couldn’t even make out what people were shouting. It felt like she had been thrown into the ocean, waves of excitement crashing over her until her brain went completely blank.
She looked down.
In her arms was a red, heart-shaped gift box, with a yellow sticky note attached.
Wait… did she just get confessed to?!
A mix of anger, shock, disgust, and frustration all hit her at once, amplified by her already terrible mood from her period. Her brain buzzed with emotions, and her breath quickened involuntarily.
The world spun around her as she stood there, completely lost.
And then, before she even realized what she was doing.
She dropped the gift box, turned around, and bolted back to the classroom like she was running for her life.
The box hit the ground with a thud.
The chocolates inside spilled everywhere.