Chapter 195: What’s There to Be Shy About!
An Han now had a woman’s body and a man’s social identity, but her mindset depended on who she was with.
At school, when she was with her roommates and classmates, she thought and acted more like a man. But when she was out with Su Peng, she would naturally show her more feminine side without realizing it.
As she ate more meat and protein, though, she slowly forgot those complicated thoughts. Her attention was now completely focused on the electric grill on the table, staring hungrily at the sizzling pieces of meat dripping with oil.
Su Peng, who had lost his appetite because of his cold, was now feeling hungry again from the delicious smell of grilled meat.
“Can we eat now?” he asked in a low voice.
“Let me check.” An Han picked up the tongs and poked at the chicken wings and drumsticks. “Everything except the wings and legs should be done.”
Neither of them cooked often, but at least she could tell whether the meat was cooked or not. So she was in charge of grilling, and Su Peng was in charge of taking and eating.
“You really don’t know how to do anything, huh?” An Han complained while dropping two pieces of meat into his bowl, her face full of mock disgust.
Su Peng scratched his head awkwardly. “I only ate this once or twice when I was a kid, and my parents did all the grilling back then.”
“I can’t believe I used to think you were so capable.”
An Han blew on the meat on her chopsticks a few times before biting into it. Her cheeks puffed up instantly like a little hamster.
After chewing for a moment, she asked, “Winter break’s coming soon, right?”
“Yeah, in about a month.”
Winter break...
Their chopsticks were still clashing over the grill as they competed for meat, but An Han’s eyes had gone a little distant. Only one month left before she had to face her family’s reaction.
She couldn’t even imagine standing in front of her mother and sister and saying, “I’m a woman now.” Just thinking about it made her panic.
Luckily, she still had the system’s tools to help her hide it. Since her family members were all women, she didn’t have to worry about the tools’ side effects. The only problem was that she couldn’t go outside while using them.
“What’s wrong?” Su Peng asked after stealing several pieces of meat, noticing she’d gone quiet. “Why are you so distracted when we’re out eating?”
“I just… have a lot on my mind.”
“Then tell me,” Su Peng said seriously, sitting up straight and pretending to look proper — though the grease on his mouth made him look a bit silly.
An Han thought for a moment before answering, “I’m just worried about the future.”
“You mean after graduation? I’ll probably go abroad for graduate school. Might take three to five years before I come back.”
“……”
“Wanna come with me?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Do you think my family’s rich? Plus, my grades are average, and I barely passed my English exam. I’d have a hard time even living overseas.”
“Well, at least Brother Long hasn’t passed the exam at all. Not even sure if he’ll graduate,” she added.
The school supposedly required students to take the English test after sophomore year, but not passing it didn’t stop graduation.
Su Peng’s gaze, which had been focused on her face, slowly drifted downward, and he noticed something different. It seemed… more obvious now?
His eyes quietly glanced at her chest. Even under her thick jacket, the curve of her chest had become noticeably fuller.
“I need to buy some things after we eat,” An Han said, tossing the remaining pieces of meat onto the grill. Her cheeks were slightly red again as she rubbed her shoulder and subtly adjusted her bra strap.
Still uncomfortable…
The tightness she’d felt since leaving home was only getting worse. It was getting hard to breathe. Clearly, her bra was at least one or two sizes too small now.
That made An Han feel a little hopeless.
Great… I’m really turning into a milk cow…
Su Peng looked at her curiously, but she didn’t dare meet his eyes. She quickly lowered her head and urged, “There’s only a bit of meat left, hurry up and eat.”
“I’m still not full…”
“How can you eat so much?”
They had only been in the barbecue restaurant for about forty minutes. An Han was already full, more because of the greasy taste than the amount she ate, while Su Peng looked dissatisfied, clearly still wanting more.
The weather was supposed to warm up after the cold front, but it was still only around ten degrees.
Walking down the street, An Han’s soft pink cheeks were stung dry by the chilly autumn wind, and the tips of her ears and nose were red from the cold. She could only shove her hands deep into her pockets and hide behind Su Peng’s back. He was thick-skinned and didn’t seem to mind the wind at all.
Back in her southern hometown, even the coldest winter days stayed around five or six degrees, and that only lasted about ten days. So ten degrees already felt freezing to her.
Su Peng glanced back at her every now and then. After walking a few steps, he suddenly turned into a small shop by the street.
“Wait for me a second.”
A moment later, he came back holding a ball of yarn.
“You’re planning to raise a cat?” she asked.
“No.”
An Han couldn’t imagine this rich young man sitting down to knit something. He’s not seriously going to make me clothes, right?
Knitting a sweater by hand would take him at least two or three months with his schedule, and by then, winter would already be over.
She looked at the yarn curiously. “You actually know how to do that?”
“I learned a little when I was a kid. Thought it was fun. I can at least fix clothes.”
“You’re rich. Why not just buy new ones when something rips?” she muttered softly, still not understanding how Su Peng thought.
She gave him a suspicious look, half-expecting that he really did plan to make her a sweater.
But she didn’t even wear sweaters…
Don’t overthink it, she told herself. He probably just wants to fix something.
Although Su Peng was usually gentle and calm, she really couldn’t picture him sitting there knitting.
The restaurant they had eaten at was near the pedestrian street by campus. They had barely walked a few steps when An Han spotted a lingerie store.
She peeked inside, then suddenly grabbed Su Peng’s wrist. “Come on, go shopping with me.”
“What are we buying?”
Su Peng followed her for a few steps before realizing where they were headed. Right in front of him was a women’s lingerie shop.
If the store had been empty, maybe it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But through the glass, he could clearly see seven or eight female customers inside. The walls were lined with colorful bras and underwear, making his face flush bright red.
He froze. “I’m a guy! Isn’t it weird for me to go in there?”
“What’s weird about coming with me?”
An Han tugged at his arm, but it was like he had grown roots in the ground. He didn’t move an inch.
So she turned around, grabbed both his hands, and pulled with all her strength, resting his arm on her shoulder like a weightlifter dragging a cart. Her cheeks turned red from the effort. “Come on! You’re going with me!”
“I’ll wait outside, okay? If I go in, they’ll kick me out.” Su Peng didn’t move, but his shoes slowly began to slide across the floor.
“I just want you to feel what I feel!”
“Hey, we don't have that much of a grudge, do we?” Su Peng said nervously, trying to resist but not daring to use too much strength in case he hurt her.
“What are you being shy about!”
If she had to experience that kind of embarrassment before, then it was only fair that Su Peng got to feel it too. That was the only way she’d feel mentally balanced.