Chapter 5: Best Friend
"Chengcheng~ Chengcheng~ Hurry up and come downstairs! What are you talking to An Yuan about?"
Chen Cheng was startled for a moment before feeling a breeze of perfume. The next thing she knew, a soft body leaned against hers, and a girl's arm wrapped around her own.
She turned her head in surprise and saw a slightly chubby girl smiling at her while holding her arm.
"Shuting?"
"Hmm?"
Even though it had been ten years since they last met, Chen Cheng still clearly remembered this girl's name.
Chen Shuting wasn’t particularly pretty, but she was a bit taller than Chen Cheng in this life. She had a round face and a gentle personality. The reason she was so memorable was that back in their second year of high school, Shuting had suddenly confessed her feelings to her. She had even drawn a cute anime-style character of her and given her gifts.
But at the time, Chen Cheng had been shallow, she cared too much about appearances. Plus, their classmates teased them, which made her uncomfortable. So, she had rejected Shuting without hesitation, even going so far as to do some rather mean things to hurt her feelings on purpose.
Looking back now… that was pretty stupid.
Shuting pulled Chen Cheng downstairs while asking with concern, "Is it that time of the month? You looked a little out of it just now."
"Huh? No, no!"
Wait… my period?!
Chen Cheng had never expected she’d actually have to experience this one day.
For a moment, she really hated being a woman.
"Really? But isn't it about time?"
Her face paled a little. And now that Shuting mentioned it, her lower abdomen did feel a faint, dull ache…
She was starting to worry about that issue, but she was also trying to figure out her current relationship with Shuting.
Were they best friends? Do normal girls hold hands this closely?
Faced with another girl, Chen Cheng instinctively straightened her back and walked with bigger strides. As a "man," she couldn’t act all silly and carefree like she did around An Yuan.
Her muscles tensed up slightly, her gaze darted around nervously, and she had no idea where to put her hands.
She had almost no experience interacting with girls this intimately. And now, all of a sudden, she had a best friend this close? She wasn’t ready for this.
"Are you dating An Yuan?"
"Huh?"
That question completely caught her off guard.
She turned her head in disbelief, glanced at An Yuan, who was playing around with their classmates, and twitched the corner of her mouth.
"Come on, that’s disgusting. Where’d you even get that idea?"
Shuting’s eyes widened curiously. "But An Yuan is really handsome! And he’s smart, too. What’s so disgusting about it?"
"You don’t get it..."
Sure, in the future, An Yuan would turn into a balding, beer-bellied middle-aged man. But even Chen Cheng had to admit, right now at this moment, he was a total heartthrob. He was over six feet tall, had sharp features, thick eyebrows, and bright eyes. He even carried himself well and dressed neatly. This was, without a doubt, the peak of his attractiveness in the next ten years.
But dating An Yuan? That was just way too ridiculous to even think about.
Chen Cheng shuddered. "I'd rather jump off a building than date him."
"I think you two would make a cute couple."
"Please! We’re in our senior year, and you still have time to think about this stuff?"
Shuting glanced at Chen Cheng’s side profile, a bit puzzled. Her best friend seemed... off today.
………………………………………
By the time they arrived at the school’s large field, all the students and teachers had already gathered, forming neat rows. For the first time, Chen Cheng found herself standing near the front, completely surrounded by girls.
The cool morning mist had already been chased away by the sun, leaving behind a stifling heat.
Under the blazing sun, Chen Cheng felt like a fish stranded on land. She wasn’t sweating, but all her energy was drained.
It had been years since she last stood under the sun…
Before she ended up here, she spent all her time cooped up in a tiny rental apartment writing novels. The only time she’d go out was at night, to take out the trash or pick up deliveries. If the temperature went above 30°C, she’d keep the AC running all day.
"The times are calling~"
Honestly, even just doing this morning exercise was more physical activity than she usually did in an entire day.
Her arms flailed like limp noodles, and when she jumped, she barely lifted her feet off the ground. She halfheartedly mimicked her classmates’ movements. Until she caught her homeroom teacher glaring at her from the sidelines.
A jolt of panic hit her, and she immediately straightened up and did the moves properly. But as soon as the teacher looked away, she slumped back down like a wilted plant.
She wondered what kind of personality the previous owner of this body had.
Even though they were different genders, they had the same parents, grew up in the same environment, and received the same education. There shouldn’t be too much of a difference, right?
Technically, she had “taken over” this body, and the guilt was starting to creep in. She was already brainstorming excuses in case someone noticed something was off.
Morning exercises ended quickly, but up next was a two-lap run, 800 meters in total.
Chen Cheng hadn’t done proper exercise in seven or eight years. This new body of hers was probably even weaker than when she was a shut-in guy. She barely had any muscle, and after just a few steps, she was already out of breath, sweating, and gasping for air.
To make things worse, her chest, despite being held in place by her bra, still bounced slightly with each step. It threw off her rhythm, made running even harder, and she had no idea if her loose school uniform was doing a good job hiding it. She felt like everyone around her was secretly watching.
Her face turned red, not just from exhaustion but from sheer embarrassment.
Meanwhile, An Yuan… that guy had suddenly been gifted a fresh, young, and healthy body again. Now, he was way ahead of the pack, sprinting like a golden retriever finally let off its leash.
"Why do we even have to do morning runs?"
"Exercise is good for you."
An Yuan had already lapped her once and had slowed down to run beside her.
She glanced at him, panting between her words. "You say that like you love exercising. You’re just showing off your good condition right now."
An Yuan smirked but didn’t deny it.
"Hey… Do I, um, bounce a lot when I run?" Chen Cheng lowered her voice and leaned toward him.
"???"
The question caught him completely off guard. "Bounce? What do you mean?"
"Never mind~" She let out a frustrated sigh. "No idea if I’m a B or C cup, but why did I have to develop so well? Flat chests really are superior…"
Are you seriously not treating yourself like a woman at all? How do you just ask stuff like that out loud?
Only then did An Yuan actually look at her chest. He could see a faint, subtle movement, and the sweat soaking into her summer uniform had turned the thin fabric slightly translucent. Her skin tone showed through, and the straps of her bra were especially noticeable.
Ah… youth.
Back in middle and high school, every time they had to run, the pretty girls in class were very eye-catching. None of them ever realized just how much damage they were doing to the teenage boys around them.
"I’d suggest wearing an extra tank top under your uniform tomorrow."
"That’d kill me in this heat!"
"Your bra is showing."
Chen Cheng had slowed to a fast walk, trying not to get caught slacking by a teacher. But the moment she heard his words, she immediately looked down at herself.
Her already flushed face turned an even deeper shade of red. Panicking, she hid behind An Yuan.
"Sh*t! Do you have a jacket I can borrow?!"