Chapter 39: Crossing the Line
From their neighborhood, it was about a one-kilometer walk to the county’s biggest supermarket, Walmart.
Outside a clothing store on the third floor of Walmart, An Yuan stroked his chin, studying a mannequin dressed in women’s clothing. He imagined how Chen Cheng would look wearing it.
"What do you think of this outfit?"
"Chengzi? Chengzi!"
Turning around, he saw Chen Cheng staring blankly at the floor, lost in thought. After calling her name twice more, she finally snapped out of it.
"Huh?"
"Look at this outfit. Pretty nice, right?"
Chen Cheng followed his gaze to the mannequin. It was dressed in a fitted blouse paired with a JK-style pleated skirt. The blouse was so thin it was practically see-through, and the skirt was so short it barely covered anything. Even her sleepwear wasn’t this revealing.
This was not something she could wear outside! If she showed up in this outfit in front of her mom, she was pretty sure she’d get spanked.
Then, she glanced up at the store’s sign... Oh. An adult store.
"Are you out of your mind?"
An Yuan held back a laugh. "You were zoning out, so I wanted to mess with you."
"Can you not do that here..." Chen Cheng felt the stares of passersby and blushed, pulling An Yuan away. "People are gonna think we’re seriously considering buying something!"
Even though she really wanted to buy some men’s clothing, she had to take her parents’ opinions into account. At most, she could settle for some gender-neutral styles.
Inside a regular women’s clothing store, An Yuan browsed through skirts while Chen Cheng searched for long pants.
"We could just shop online. It’s been a while since I bought clothes in person."
"You can try them on in person! If it doesn’t fit, you can swap it right away." A saleswoman enthusiastically approached. "Looking for fall and winter clothes? Check out our new arrivals!"
"Uh... I’ll just look around on my own."
Chen Cheng’s social anxiety kicked in, and she shrank back nervously.
"Little sister, you are so pretty. This dress would look amazing on you. Pair it with some fleece-lined tights, and you’ll be warm even in winter!"
"Um..."
An Yuan came over. "She’s right, it’d look great on you."
"See? Even your boyfriend agrees!"
"He’s not my boyfriend..." Chen Cheng quickly shook her head and corrected her in a small voice. "I don’t wear skirts."
"Oh, no skirts?" The saleswoman paused for a moment before introducing another item. "Then how about these legging pants? They can be worn as outerwear, and they’re super warm. If you’re shy, you can layer them under a skirt or a long sweater."
An Yuan nodded rapidly. "These look nice!"
Stop making things worse!
Chen Cheng shot him a glare, and he awkwardly backed off.
There were a lot of clothing options, and most of them fit her taste. They were stylish and looked great.
From a guy’s perspective, she used to love seeing pretty girls in fashionable outfits, the shorter and tighter, the better. Miniskirts, yoga pants, sheer stockings, she appreciated them all.
But now, she was the one who had to wear them.
She settled on a black lightweight jacket, black casual pants, and a white knit sweater underneath.
It was almost the same style she used to wear as a guy, mostly black. But on her current body, it didn’t make her look cool or handsome.
"An Yuan, pay up."
An Yuan walked over, holding a pleated miniskirt. "Add this one too."
Chen Cheng frowned in resistance, but then she remembered the picture An Yuan had shown her, the one of that girl.
That girl had been wearing a similar pleated skirt…
A wave of sourness rose in her chest, spreading through her whole body, hot and bitter.
Once again, she felt a strong urge, to sabotage An Yuan’s love life.
Before she could say anything, An Yuan had already paid for everything and was carrying the shopping bags.
They left the store and stopped by a milk tea shop to take a break.
There weren’t many customers at Walmart in the morning, and the milk tea shop was nearly empty, with just a few people inside. Chen Cheng found a seat in the corner while An Yuan went to order at the counter.
She rested her chin on one hand, staring blankly out the window at the pedestrians passing by, her eyes unfocused.
After getting jealous so many times, she was well aware that her possessiveness over An Yuan was becoming unhealthy… Definitely not the kind of feeling friends should have.
She knew she shouldn’t interfere in his love life, yet somehow, she always ended up getting involved.
In this world, only An Yuan knew she was a transmigrator. Only he acknowledged that she was actually a man. They knew each other inside and out. He was the person she trusted the most.
And now, some girl was about to take away her best friend? And she was supposed to smile and give her blessing?
"What are you thinking about?"
An Yuan returned with two cups of milk tea. "Do you want milk green tea or milk foam tea?"
"Milk green tea."
"Knew it." He slid the jasmine-flavored milk green tea in front of her and grinned. "You should really try something new once in a while. There are plenty of other flavors that taste even better."
Chen Cheng held the cup with both hands and took a small sip.
That burning feeling inside her wouldn’t go away. She suddenly set the drink down and, pretending to be a concerned friend, asked, "So, An Yuan, how’s it going with that girl?"
"Going? We just chat online occasionally."
"Why not take the chance this weekend and ask her out?"
"Huh?" An Yuan was caught off guard. "But you…"
Chen Cheng patted her chest confidently. "I’d be the perfect wingman! Don’t worry about it!"
Don’t worry! I’ll totally ruin it for you!
An Yuan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right."
Did she think he was an idiot? Who brings a pretty girl along as their "wingman" on a date?
Of course, he had noticed Chen Cheng’s possessiveness and her obvious jealousy. It was so strong it was practically suffocating. That’s why he sometimes wondered, could she actually like him?
"But…"
An Yuan cut her off and gently said, "Chen Cheng, you don’t have to be this concerned about whether I date someone or not."
"I-I know, I just wanted to help you analyze things…"
She lowered her gaze, pressing her lips together as she mumbled an excuse.
She knew she was crossing the line. She just couldn’t accept it. "Being single together was great. You’re betraying the single life alliance."
"I never signed up for something that weird."
An Yuan chuckled and reassured her, "Relax. Since I’m the one who brought you back, even if I get married one day, I won’t just abandon you. If you ever need me, I’ll be there. Even if you don’t need anything, you can still come find me to hang out."
"Mm. Then I’m heading back first. You should go ask her out while you have the weekend off."
"Not going to the internet café?"
"I have a computer at home…"
Watching her walk away looking lost and defeated, An Yuan hesitated.
Did he say something too harsh just now? Chen Cheng had always been sensitive…
But he was a normal guy! He couldn’t stay single for life just for the sake of "brotherhood." He was actually trying to protect their friendship, making sure they didn’t end up in a messy situation.
Because if that ever happened, Chen Cheng wouldn’t just feel down. She’d probably cut ties with him completely.
An Yuan sighed. "Take your clothes with you."
"Mm."
Chen Cheng hooked the shopping bag with her pinky, still holding her milk tea with both hands, and walked out of the shop looking dazed.
Why did she feel so unwilling to accept this?
She felt like a loser…
Wait, could she actually like An Yuan?
Her steps came to a sudden halt. She turned back, looking at An Yuan through the window. Then, she shook her head.
No, no, no. She couldn’t even imagine herself acting all girly, leaning into An Yuan’s arms. That would be disgusting!
It was just because she had become a woman. The discomfort made her overly dependent on An Yuan, that’s all.