Chapter 8: It’s Still Better to Be a Man
Standing in the bathroom, completely undressed, Chen Cheng’s face burned red as she awkwardly covered her chest with one hand. Her eyes darted around, refusing to look down.
She just couldn’t accept that this was her body now. Even glancing at it made her feel like she was violating some innocent girl.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop looking.
"The chest is so perky... The waist is so slim..."
Chen Cheng had never touched a woman's breasts in real life, but looking at the sizes marked on the bras, she was now at a B cup level.
But it seemed quite a bit bigger than the B cup she'd imagined?
Was the bra too small, or were they larger than a B cup? Because the bra was very tight when worn.
Her narrow navel sat just above a slightly soft belly. Her waist-to-hip curve was like an hourglass, her thighs were plump and smooth, and her calves were long and slender. Honestly, her body proportions were on par with an anime girl’s.
"This is some crazy character creation buff..."
Since she was extremely nearsighted, everything looked slightly blurry without her glasses, which at least helped ease the weird guilt she was feeling.
Wait, if I got a new body after traveling to this world, why am I still nearsighted?
As she showered, her fingers ran over her soft skin, and she couldn't stop trembling. Her face remained flushed the entire time. She didn’t dare touch any "sensitive areas". Instead, she just tilted her head back, hurriedly lathered herself with body wash, rinsed off, and got out in barely ten minutes.
"Phew—"
Throwing on a long-sleeved shirt and pajama pants, she practically ran out of the bathroom.
Sure, she was nearly thirty before she transmigrated, old enough to be a proper adult with a career, maybe even kids calling her “uncle.” But as an old virgin, she had never been this up close and personal with a girl’s body before.
Her face stayed red no matter what, and in the mirror, the girl staring back at her looked both shy and delicate.
From the living room, she heard her mom chatting with An Yuan’s mom.
Wait… Mom’s going on a trip with Auntie?
Hell yeah! That means she can stay up all night at the internet café!
Feeling instantly better, she impatiently grabbed the hairdryer and only half-dried her short hair before dashing into her bedroom.
This ear-length cut might be "short" for a girl, but for a guy, it already felt way too long. There was no way she was spending ten whole minutes drying it properly.
Locking the door behind her, she flopped into her chair, propping one foot on the seat while idly clicking her mouse.
That bastard An Yuan! He went to the internet café with his friends and left me here alone!
A knock on the door.
"Chen Cheng, did you finish your homework?" Her mom’s voice came from outside.
"I finished it at school."
"Then go to bed soon. It’s already eleven."
"Got it. I’m going to sleep now."
She shut off the lights and muted the computer speakers, pretending to be a good kid who was about to sleep.
Resting her chin on her palm, she stared blankly at the screen, thinking back on her completely messed-up day. She missed her old life, living alone, no social obligations, and just lazing around without a care in the world.
"Haven’t even touched my homework..."
"No clue how I’m supposed to deal with the college entrance exams."
"And what about the future? Am I seriously expected to get married someday? I'd rather stay inside and write novels forever."
"I transmigrated, so why didn’t I get any cheat skills?!"
Grumbling to herself, she suddenly felt a slight discomfort in her lower abdomen, followed by a dull ache in her waist.
Her first instinct was to wonder if she ate something bad. Then she remembered An Yuan’s reminder.
"…Period?"
No way. Is it actually happening?!
In disbelief, she rubbed her belly and peeked into her pajama waistband.
No blood yet.
She let out a sigh of relief, false alarm… for now.
"Forget it, just sleep."
Maybe after a good night’s sleep, she’d wake up back in her old world.
Not that her old life, pushing thirty with nothing to show for it, was much better…
"Chengcheng~ Chengcheng~ Time to wake up!"
"It’s almost seven! Get up already!"
First, there was a gentle knock on the door. Then came loud banging, finally dragging Chen Cheng out of her nightmare-filled sleep.
She weakly opened her eyes, turned her head to glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand, just past six.
"It hurts…"
She had already been woken up by pain in the middle of the night, curling up in bed clutching her stomach. She’d drifted in and out of sleep, only to be jolted awake by the pain over and over again.
"So… this is a period?"
Honestly, this was on her. Her friend had warned her that it was coming soon, but instead of preparing, she went out drinking ice-cold beer with An Yuan last night.
The banging on the door got even louder, making the whole room shake.
Chen Cheng groaned weakly, "I'm up…"
"Up and awake!"
Only after she raised her voice did her mom finally let it go.
"Hurry up and wash up. Breakfast is ready."
Curled up in bed, Chen Cheng felt like a screwdriver had been jammed into her stomach and was being twisted non-stop.
"Ahhh! This is hell!"
The pain radiated from her lower abdomen down to her thighs and up her back, spreading like fire. She was numb with pain.
Her eyes were red, tears brimming and ready to spill, but she gritted her teeth. She was a man, damn it! No way was she going to cry over this.
Her phone vibrated. Weakly, she picked it up. It was An Yuan.
"Chengzi, you up yet? Should I wait for you outside your place today? I won’t come up. I don’t want your mom to misunderstand."
"Mmm…"
"You just woke up? Why do you sound half-dead?"
"Hurts… hurts so bad… I wanna die…"
Sniffling, Chen Cheng slowly shifted up against the headboard, struggling to sit.
"Your period came, huh? Just take a painkiller and drink some hot water. I told you not to drink last night."
Easy for you to say!
She looked down and froze.
A huge, dark red stain spread across the pink bedsheet, like something out of a horror movie.
Her breath caught.
The tears she had been holding back burst out all at once.
"Blood… there's so much blood…"
"Wait… are you crying?!" An Yuan instantly picked up on the trembling in her voice. "Hey, it’s fine! Just take a painkiller. Let your mom handle the sheets."
That only made Chen Cheng break down completely.
"An Yuan! Waaahhh! Just take me back, please!"
She had been a perfectly normal guy. How did she end up suffering like this for no reason?! It wasn’t just the pain. It was the sheer injustice of it all.
She was almost thirty, but in this moment of panic, the only thing she could do was cry out instinctively.
"Mom! MOM!"
Early in the morning, the whole house was thrown into chaos.
Her mom, looking absolutely pissed, stripped the bloody bedsheets while Chen Cheng hid in the bathroom, trying to figure out how to put on a freaking pad.
"You’re a grown adult. How did you not prepare for this?"
"Painkiller’s on the table. I filled your thermos with hot water."
For once, Chen Cheng didn’t find her mom’s nagging annoying. She just pouted miserably, carefully sticking the wings of the pad onto her underwear.
"Being a man was so much easier…"