Chapter 26: That Senior

“So hot…”

The last few days of August.

Mu Le walks on a nearly empty street, feeling like she is about to melt.

Even though it is already afternoon, the sunlight still burns her skin uncomfortably.

As for why she came out in this kind of weather… well, that’s because…

The fridge at home is empty.

That’s right. Even the cold beer is gone, not to mention the must-have summer ice cream.

Since Xiao Yuze is not at home, and Mu Le also feels she shouldn’t rely on him all the time, she has no choice but to come out and buy supplies herself.

Although the nearest supermarket is not far, this short walk almost makes her want to turn back.

The late-August sun is truly no joke.

After struggling for a while, she finally enters the supermarket and at last feels like she has survived.

“Haa…”

The cool air from the air conditioner makes her feel like she has just escaped from danger.

After standing still for a moment, Mu Le wipes the sweat from her forehead and heads straight to the freezer section.

Through the glass, looking at the many kinds of ice cream inside, she once again feels the meaning of life.

In summer, you can live without many things, but not without watermelon and ice cream. That saying really makes sense.

“This place is like paradise…”

Taking a deep breath, Mu Le starts looking for her favorite flavor.

The freezer area is not very big, and since not many people go out in this hot weather, there are only a few people here.

Including Mu Le, there are only three people.

“…Hm?”

But when she notices the man standing across from her, Mu Le can’t help but pause.

As if sensing something, the tall young man across from her also looks over.

“Senior?” Mu Le murmurs softly.

Her voice is quiet, but since they are not far apart, the young man seems to hear her.

Before he can say anything, the little girl who has been leaning on the freezer next to him pulls his clothes.

“Big brother, I want that one.”

The young man naturally shifts his gaze away from Mu Le and looks at where the girl is pointing.

He presses his lips together for a moment, then takes a large tub of ice cream that looks quite good. He also takes out a 100-yuan bill from his pocket.

After giving both to the little girl, he gently pats her head.

“Go pay for it yourself.”

“Huh?” The girl, who looks about twelve or thirteen years old, blinks, then nods a little confused. “Okay… wait for me, big brother.”

“Mm.”

The young man nods calmly, then looks back at Mu Le.

The girl doesn’t notice anything unusual. Now that she got the ice cream she wanted, she happily goes to pay, since she has done it by herself before.

Although she also noticed Mu Le, in a public place, seeing other people is nothing special.

After the girl leaves, only Mu Le and the young man remain in that area.

Looking at him, Mu Le suddenly feels a strange kind of awkwardness.

“You just… called me ‘senior’?” The young man looks at the girl in front of him, then frowns slightly. “Excuse me, do we know each other?”

Huh?

His question makes Mu Le widen her eyes.

“What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong? Sorry, but I really don’t remember you.”

Seeing her reaction, the young man frowns even more.

The girl in front of him is very good-looking. With his memory, if he had met her before, he wouldn’t forget.

But…

Why does she feel familiar? Like he has seen her somewhere before.

His reaction makes Mu Le fall silent for a long time. She also starts to feel lost and unsure.

The man in front of her is Zhuang Yue, a senior who used to have a good relationship with Mu Le and took good care of him.

After her transformation, Mu Le had even called some of her old friends to test things.

And all of them remembered her as a girl.

So why is this man in front of her… reacting like this?

Mu Le’s mind becomes confused. Has she misunderstood something all this time?

Or could it be…

“Are you okay?” Seeing her pale face, Zhuang Yue’s expression changes slightly.

“I-I’m fine. I must have mistaken you for someone else. Um… sorry, I have something to do, so I’ll go first.”

Mu Le forces a smile. Right now, she needs to find Xiao Yuze and talk about this.

Are there other people who also don’t remember her current self? Or…

“Wait. You are… Mu Le?”

Just as Mu Le turns to leave, those simple words from behind make her freeze completely.

What is going on?

From Zhuang Yue’s expression earlier, he clearly didn’t recognize her. So why is he suddenly calling her by name?

Mu Le turns back and looks at the man seriously.

To be fair, Zhuang Yue has a very good appearance and build, probably because he is mixed-race.

His father is Chinese, and his mother is British. So his face has both the softness of the East and the strong features of the West.

Overall, even though his face looks serious and expressionless, he is undeniably handsome.

There is also a cold and distant feeling around him that keeps strangers away, something many people find attractive.

On top of that, even though his relationship with his parents is not very good, he is still truly from a wealthy family, so he is very popular at school.

Mu Le knows him because he is a senior in the same club, and he used to take good care of her.

Of course, since Mu Le is a homebody, she usually doesn’t go to club activities unless necessary.

As for why she has a good relationship with someone known as cold and hard to approach, Mu Le would say…

This guy just looks cold, but actually has a warm heart. He only seems hard to approach.

In truth, he is quite a good person.

While Mu Le is lost in thought, Zhuang Yue suddenly walks around the freezer and comes closer to her.

Then, in front of her surprised eyes, he reaches out and pulls her cheek.

Mu Le’s mouth twitches. She is completely confused by this sudden action.

“…S-Senior?”

“Looks like I wasn’t wrong.”

Zhuang Yue lets go, then touches his nose.

“It seems… you really did turn into a woman…”