Chapter 42: Want a Hug~
"Chengcheng, go to bed early, or you’ll be too tired in class. And make sure to eat more fruits and vegetables."
Later that evening, Chen Cheng’s father stood at the door, holding a bag of luggage, reminding his daughter.
"Also... just because you don’t want to date now doesn’t mean you won’t want to in the future. You’re just not at that age yet. Marriage is still far off, so there’s no rush."
"Mhm, got it."
"Try not to hang out with boys too much. Wouldn’t it be better to just spend time with other girls? Especially An Yuan, have you forgotten how he used to bully you all the time when you were kids? And now you’re lying to me, saying you went shopping with your girlfriends."
Ugh, Auntie has such a big mouth!
Chen Cheng nodded obediently, acting like the perfect daughter while handing her father his coat.
After spending the past few days together, she had grown familiar with the family dynamics in this world.
She was still closer to her mother, but her relationship with her father wasn’t distant either. Compared to how they had practically let their son grow up on his own, her parents were noticeably more attentive now.
The one thing that hadn’t changed, though, was how her parents argued all the time. They still slept in separate rooms, just like in her past life.
"Xiuying! I’m leaving!"
Her mother simply nodded indifferently. Her father didn’t seem to mind and put on his shoes before heading out.
Chen Cheng glanced between her mother and father, wanting to help fix their relationship, or maybe even just tell them to get divorced already. But as their child, she had no place to say such things.
"Mom, I’m going to take a shower." Once her father left, she asked, "Are you going out to play mahjong tonight?"
"I’ll be back by dawn."
Just as expected. The moment Dad left, Mom couldn't resist the urge to play mahjong.
Chen Cheng never understood what was so fun about mahjong. Ever since she could remember, her mom had been playing it with neighbors and her best friends every few days. As a kid, she had often fallen asleep to the sound of mahjong tiles clacking.
"Oh~"
She used to hate mahjong because it meant her mom would ignore her. Now? She actually hoped her mom would go play so she wouldn’t have to deal with her.
While showering, Chen Cheng looked at her fair skin and delicate, curvy figure, feeling conflicted as always. When she stepped out of the bathroom, her mom had already left.
"The skirt, huh..."
"Does An Yuan really see me as a brother? Why does he insist on making me wear a short skirt for him?"
Drying her hair with a towel, she walked barefoot across the floor, leaving a trail of wet footprints while muttering to herself.
"Or maybe... he just wants to see me embarrassed and flustered? Like those pervy readers who love forcing novel authors to wear girl’s clothes?"
She opened her closet and stared blankly at the rows of skirts inside, looking utterly defeated.
Chen Cheng understood that unless she transmigrated again, she would never turn back into a man. Logically, she knew she had to adapt to living as a woman and accept her new body. Otherwise, society would see her as neither here nor there.
But emotionally? She just couldn’t accept it.
If she could, she would rather run away, live alone, and shut herself inside a little world where she was still a man. But escaping wasn’t an option anymore.
Putting on a skirt again, she realized she didn’t actually hate it as much as she expected.
She wore a white long-sleeved blouse tucked into a high-waisted skirt, which outlined her slender waist. The 45 cm skirt reached mid-thigh, revealing her delicate, beautifully curved legs. Her fair skin was almost reflective under the light. But the empty space beneath the skirt felt unsettling.
She wasn’t particularly into stockings, but to get that familiar feeling of pants hugging her legs, she put them on anyway.
The slight pressure of the stockings gave her the illusion of wearing pants, which made her feel a little safer.
Dressed in a short skirt, Chen Cheng stepped into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.
Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes darting around from sheer embarrassment. Her face grew hotter and hotter, like a boiling kettle, until it felt like steam was about to rise from her head.
"Much cuter than the woman in the photo..."
She instinctively compared herself to the woman in the picture An Yuan showed her before but quickly shook her head. "Why am I even comparing myself to a woman?"
From a man's perspective, Chen Cheng in a skirt was simply perfect.
Her waist was so slender it looked like it could be held in one hand. Her long legs were toned and well-proportioned, with a smooth and graceful shape. Her chest was full and curvy, and her face was delicate and pretty, with slightly furrowed brows that gave her a gentle, melancholic look, like someone you couldn’t help but feel protective of. And with her current outfit, there was an added touch of subtle allure.
"I'm so beautiful!"
A small flame gradually ignited deep within her lower abdomen, making her heart race and her thoughts into disarray.
It was an entirely new sensation, her lower abdomen felt warm and tense, a subtle ache spreading downward. Her heartbeat quickened, thudding heavily in her ears like a drum. Even her lower stomach trembled in sync with her pulse.
The feeling was strange, especially without the familiar "brother" between her legs. It left her completely at a loss.
And then, a horrifying realization struck her.
So this is why some guys enjoy wearing women's clothes... they use themselves as their own eye candy?!
Wait, does this mean... I’ve turned into some kind of pervert?!
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang. An Yuan had arrived.
Chen Cheng took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She wiped her burning red face with a towel before heading to the living room to open the door.
"Brought you some late-night snacks."
As soon as An Yuan stepped inside, he was visibly surprised. "Wow, you actually wore it? So, do you not hate skirts anymore?"
"I still hate them."
Chen Cheng’s face was burning, but she kept her expression blank as she took the food and walked toward the couch.
It was already the third time she’d worn a short skirt in front of An Yuan. The embarrassment wasn’t as overwhelming as before, but her flushed cheeks still turned crimson all the way to the tips of her ears.
"I don’t see what’s there to hate. You look amazing." An Yuan grinned as he walked in and shut the door behind him. "I’ve traveled around quite a bit, but I’ve never met anyone prettier than you."
"Oh, come on."
Still, the compliment made the corners of her lips twitch upward.
She opened the bag of snacks. It was filled with street food.
Takoyaki, grilled cold noodles, and a Chinese-style meat sandwich.
Chen Cheng placed everything on the table, picked up a takoyaki, and took a bite. The taste was... meh.
"This is bad. Where did you buy this takoyaki? Don’t get it from there again."
She had wanted to use food as a distraction from her embarrassment, but the snacks were so bad they just made her mood worse. The takoyaki was basically just a ball of flour.
An Yuan leaned down, grabbed a takoyaki, and took a bite. "Yeah, it’s awful... Want me to eat the rest?"
"Sure."
Chen Cheng's gaze drifted toward An Yuan without her realizing it.
For the first time, she seriously studied her best friend. The defined muscles on his forearms, his broad shoulders, his sharp jawline, his high-bridged nose... Wait, he actually had double eyelids? And his eyelashes were long, too. Even the bit of stubble on his chin looked kind of... sexy?
...I kind of want a hug.
An Yuan seemed to sense something, or maybe he just failed to control his gaze, because his eyes flicked down to Chen Cheng’s bare thighs. When he looked up, their eyes met.
Both of them quickly looked away in panic.
Wait, wait, wait! What the hell is happening?!
Chen Cheng suddenly realized how completely wrong her thoughts had been.
Did she seriously just think stubble was sexy? Did she actually want An Yuan to hug her? Was she out of her mind?!
Back when she was a guy, she had always shaved before going out, she hated facial hair!
"Uh... I have to go. We still heading to school together tomorrow?"
"Huh? Oh... yeah."
An Yuan didn’t dare stay any longer. Chen Cheng in a short skirt was just too dangerous.
Chen Cheng didn’t stop him either. She just sat frozen on the couch, her emotions in complete chaos.
Did she really just... get turned on by her own best friend?!