Chapter 8: Change
Li Mu didn’t sleep well that night.
Too many strange things had happened in one day, and as a result, his dreams were filled with weird and creepy scenes. At one point, he even dreamed that he had become Lin Xi and saw a bizarre dream from her perspective.
When he woke up, he was drenched in cold sweat.
Sitting on his bed, he glanced around his messy dorm room. It was the weekend, and since his roommates were all out, he was alone. They probably wouldn’t be back until afternoon.
Stretching his stiff body, he leaned forward and peeked under his bed.
Lin Xi was sitting in his chair, resting her head on the desk, staring blankly at his phone, which had been playing a TV series all night long.
Even though this female ghost could physically touch people and objects, she didn’t seem able to pick anything up. She couldn’t open doors, close them, or even lift simple objects like a phone or a broom.
"Why are you here instead of going to find Yu Fan?" Li Mu asked, making no effort to hide his displeasure.
Yu Fan didn’t live in the dorms. After they split up last evening, Lin Xi had still followed Li Mu back to his room.
"Yu Fan's a shaman's heir! If I went home with him, wouldn’t I be walking straight into a trap? What if he catches me, ties me up, and then does whatever he wants to me?"
Lin Xi’s expression shifted from pitiful to one of excitement and anticipation.
…You’re such a perverted girl. Are you actually a masochist?!
Last night, after meeting up with Yu Fan, they discussed the situation and decided to temporarily ignore the raincoat ghost. Their priority for today was dealing with Lin Xi.
Ghosts were harmful to living people. If Lin Xi followed them to class on Monday, the entire classroom might end up sick with fevers and colds. That would lead to quarantine and medical tests.
…Actually, if that happened, maybe the whole school would shut down for a while. That might not be so bad?
As for the raincoat ghost, it was probably drawn to them by the spirit-summoning ritual. As long as they stopped messing around with that stuff, they probably wouldn’t encounter it again.
Yesterday was Li Mu’s first time properly talking to Yu Fan, and he had to admit, the cheerful guy had left a good impression.
…Even though he felt a little unreliable.
"Li Mu, when are you going to change into women's clothes?" Lin Xi asked, still lying on the desk. "I can do makeup, you know. You won’t look bad at all."
"Forget about me cross-dressing."
Li Mu shot her a cold glare and stuffed his overheated phone back into his pocket.
The school dorms were built for six people per room, with bunk beds on top and study desks below. The balcony was empty except for a place to hang laundry, and each floor had a single shared bathroom at the end of the hallway.
Yawning, Li Mu walked to the balcony and took down his laundry.
Something felt off.
His instincts told him something was strange. Glancing at his hand, he suddenly realized all his arm hair was gone.
Overnight, his body hair had completely disappeared, leaving his skin smooth and soft to the touch.
Huh… it actually feels pretty nice.
After folding his clothes and putting them in his wardrobe, he casually opened the dorm door, planning to head to the bathroom to freshen up.
But the moment he opened the door, Yu Fan was standing right outside, grinning at him.
"You…"
"Yo! Li Mu, you look way prettier today!"
"Tch."
Li Mu walked past him and headed straight for the bathroom.
Damn it. You’re the pretty one!
The bathroom area was divided into three sections: toilets, sinks, and three shower rooms. It's not a large public bathroom.
After washing his face at the sink, Li Mu looked up and examined himself in the mirror on the wall.
“Wait a minute... do I actually look prettier?”
Frowning, he leaned in slightly, trying to figure out what had changed.
Maybe… his skin looked a bit better than before?
His eyelashes seemed longer too?
Then, as his gaze moved down to his clothes, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Why were there… two small bumps on his shirt?
He was about to reach out and touch them subconsciously, but suddenly realized what they were.
…Maybe Lin Xi’s cold aura had just made him tense?
Letting out a relieved sigh, he lifted his head and saw Yu Fan standing at the bathroom door. His eye twitched.
Thank god he hadn’t actually touched them. Otherwise, that would have been another embarrassing moment burned into his history.
"What do you want?" Li Mu asked coldly.
"Just wanted to talk about Lin Xi."
Leaning against the doorframe, Yu Fan flashed his usual warm smile.
But after spending time with him yesterday, Li Mu was now 100% sure that behind this sunny, cheerful guy was a scheming mind. That smile didn't make him relax, it only made him more cautious.
You’re not gonna make me wear women's clothes again, are you?!
"There are two ways to deal with ghosts," Yu Fan explained. "One is violence, just kill them. The other is what we’re trying to do, help them resolve their unfinished business so they can pass on."
He shrugged. "Since we’re not strong enough for the first option, we have to go with the second."
"Wow, what a kind and caring approach to ghosts," Li Mu said with a deadpan face.
"The problem is, if her unfinished business is really about her confessing her love to me and I actually accepting her, then how do we do that? Should we find someone else for her to possess? Or… should you dress up as a girl?"
YOU JUST WANT ME TO CROSS-DRESS!
Cursing in his head, Li Mu kept a straight face and asked, "Find someone else for her to possess?"
"Yeah. Ghosts can only possess people with bad luck. And after being possessed, they’ll probably develop mental issues... At least, that’s what my grandpa says. But you… nothing happened to you, which means…"
Yu Fan shot him a knowing look.
Are you seriously doubting that I was not possessed by a ghost in the first place?
To put it bluntly, you still think I'm gay, don't you?
Li Mu’s face darkened.
After rinsing his towel and wringing it dry, he grabbed his toiletries and walked toward the bathroom door. His voice was unfriendly.
"Move."
Yu Fan quickly stepped aside but couldn’t resist making another comment.
"I swear, you really do look prettier today."
"Yesterday, you were just a bit delicate, but today, you actually look kinda girly."
He joked. "I mean, ghosts wouldn’t turn you into a girl… right?"
“......”
Li Mu's steps paused for a second, but he forced himself to keep walking, resisting the urge to beat Yu Fan up.
Yu Fan was 1.8 meters tall. Although he looks thin and his side-part hairstyle makes him look like a literary youth. But Li Mu had seen him show off his six-pack abs in class before.
Apparently, Yu Fan also knew karate, taekwondo, Muay Thai, and street fighting. Back in his first year of vocational school, he had once fought off two knife-wielding thieves, disarmed them in 30 seconds, and knocked them both out.
He even got a bravery award, and his story made it onto the news.
…Yeah. No way Li Mu could beat him. Better hold back.
But the annoying thing was… Yu Fan was right.
Li Mu really did look more feminine than yesterday.
…Maybe it was because of his body hair disappearing?
Feeling uneasy, he returned to his dorm and looked down at his smooth, pale arms. His expression darkened.
If this keeps up…
Will he really turn into a girl, just like Yu Fan said?!