Chapter 203: Total Social Death
The gentle voice on the phone overlapped perfectly with the woman’s voice beside her.
“……”
An Han stiffly turned her head. Her face went pale as she looked at her mother and little sister, who were standing not far away. She swallowed hard, her heart pounding fast. Her lips parted, but she couldn’t say a single word.
If her heart were weaker, she might’ve fainted right there.
This attack was way too sudden!
Weren’t they supposed to come on Friday?
Didn’t she say I’d help book the tickets and hotel?
“Are you happy? We’re planning to stay near your school for two days. When you don’t have class, you can show me and your sister around campus. On the weekend, we’ll go sightseeing.”
“I… I guess… I’m happy?”
The voice on the phone suddenly became quieter, nervous and unsure. Her mother instinctively looked up, and saw the girl who had just gotten off the bus, holding her phone and staring at her, while slowly stepping back.
She had to admit, the girl was very pretty. And oddly enough, she looked like she could be her son’s girlfriend. She even had a good fashion sense… though her skirt was a bit too short.
“Mom, that sister looks a lot like my brother,” the little girl said curiously.
At that, An Han’s palms and forehead broke out in sweat. Her face burned hot red as her thoughts went into total chaos.
Her mother was also staring at her curiously, eyes shifting between her face and the phone in her hand.
Should she pretend to be her son’s girlfriend? No way, that would be such a stupid lie, no one with a normal brain would believe it.
But then again, would her mother believe that her son had turned into a girl? If she thought about it, the girlfriend excuse actually seemed more believable.
Still, when did her mom start pulling off surprise attacks like this?!
And the mission only said she had to dress as a girl and travel with her mother!
Why was Su Peng still here with her?!
Wait… their interaction just now… Could her mom have already mistaken them for a couple?!
An Han swallowed hard, lowered her head, and tried to sneak away quickly, pretending she hadn’t seen anything.
Wearing a short skirt and introducing Su Peng to her family, Even though the system had already trained her tolerance for embarrassment to the limit, this was still something she absolutely couldn’t handle.
“An Han?”
The questioning voice from behind made her heartbeat jump again. Her steps froze. For a few seconds, she didn’t know whether to turn around or respond.
Had she been recognized? Or was her mom just calling because she hadn’t replied for too long on the phone?
“An Han?”
Her mother’s voice, calm but sharp like a devil’s whisper, made her break into a cold sweat. Her teeth trembled slightly as she stammered into the phone, “Uh… I… um…”
She heard footsteps coming closer. Someone was walking toward her. It was over. She was definitely recognized.
An Han let out a heavy sigh, her fragile mental defense completely collapsing.
“Mom,” she said helplessly, turning around.
Her mother stopped behind her, tilting her head slightly. The curiosity and confusion in her eyes deepened.
“That’s your mother?” Su Peng noticed something was wrong and whispered, “Why do you look so scared?”
“……”
An Han looked at her mother, who was now just a few meters away, and accepted her fate. She hung up the phone.
Who knew what kind of nightmare was coming next…
Her mother walked toward her gracefully, stopping right in front of her. She stared at the beautiful girl before her, and from those familiar features, slowly pieced together the truth.
Her face darkened. Her chest rose and fell sharply. Her eyebrows furrowed tight.
“You… why are you wearing girls’ clothes?” her mother asked, trying to stay calm but clearly angry.
If it weren’t for hearing that single word “Mom,” she would never have believed that her clever, obedient son was standing before her, in a short skirt and women’s clothing!
He never showed any sign of being like this before!
Did I fail in raising him? Have I been neglecting An Han’s emotional education all these years?
Although anger was boiling inside her like a volcano ready to erupt, the mother still tried her best to stay calm and think, maybe the problem was on her side.
“T-this… it’s just for fun,” An Han explained weakly, her voice so small it was almost like a mosquito’s buzz.
Su Peng, standing beside her, looked completely confused. Her little sister ran up to them but, seeing their mother’s angry face, didn’t dare to speak. She looked at An Han’s face, then up at their mother again, still clueless about what was going on.
“Hurry up and go back to change your clothes!”
An Han pressed her lips together and nodded obediently. So now her mom thought she was a cross-dresser…
She couldn’t even tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Should she just use this chance to explain that she had actually become a girl?
No, that wasn’t “taking the opportunity”, that was asking for death.
Her mother didn’t say anything else. The heavy silence made An Han even more nervous. With her head down, she walked step by step toward the village area.
Since she had already been seen wearing a skirt, taking her mom to her apartment didn’t feel like that big of a deal anymore.
“Mom, is that brother? Why is he wearing a skirt?”
“……”
Sister, please, I’m begging you, stop talking.
An Han couldn’t even lift her head anymore. She felt so embarrassed she wanted to die on the spot. The scene she saw in her nightmare had actually come true!
Su Peng watched the family walking into the neighborhood and realized something was really wrong. He wanted to step in and help, but after thinking it over, he knew this was a family matter. If he interfered, he might make things worse.
So, holding An Han’s clothes, he stayed where he was and sent her a message asking if she needed help.
Very soon, An Han replied with a single “3.”
It was an online gaming slang that meant “retreat” or “run away.”
That was all Su Peng needed to know, he definitely shouldn’t get involved. He decided instead to skip the school’s evening roll call and stay in the room next door, just in case something went wrong and he needed to step in.
Meanwhile, An Han walked through the narrow village road with her mother and sister. Her mother said nothing, her low heels making sharp tap-tap sounds on the cement ground.
Each sound felt like it was landing right on An Han’s fragile heart.
Her little sister, sensing the strange mood, looked up at her “brother” with curious wide eyes.
“Is that really brother…?” she asked softly.
Please, please stop talking!
An Han could feel that this silence was the calm before a storm. She tried to keep a calm expression, ready to face the coming disaster.
She led her family into the apartment building, opened the door, and walked in with her head hanging low.
“You rented this place?”
“Yeah.”
An Han stood in the corner, fidgeting and nervously rubbing the edge of her skirt with her fingers.
This skirt actually feels kind of nice…
She tried to distract herself with random thoughts to ease her embarrassment, but the moment she felt her mother’s gaze on her, all her little movements froze stiff.
Calm down, she told herself. At worst, I’ll just get scolded or hit.
She had been a mischievous kid and got punished plenty of times before. Even at school, she often caused trouble. This fear was just the leftover intimidation from childhood.
“An Han…”
“Yes, Mom.”
She sneaked a glance up, and saw her mother sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at her. No one could tell what she was thinking.
Maybe she was thinking about where to hit me so it hurts more?
“It’s my fault for not raising you properly…”
An Han’s eyelid twitched. Her mother suddenly lowered her head and wiped away tears.
No, no, no, please don’t cry!
She almost wanted to kneel down right then and there.