On the first day of class, Chen Cheng couldn't muster any energy.
The lessons dragged on painfully, feeling as if each minute lasted an eternity. During breaks, she would collapse onto her desk and sleep, skipping lunch entirely. In a daze, she somehow made it through the day.
Ring ring ring~
At around 9 p.m., the school bell finally rang, signaling the end of classes.
Chen Cheng, who had been drowsy just moments ago, instantly perked up. Her heavy eyelids lifted, and a sparkle appeared in her eyes.
"School's over~ School's over~"
She cheered softly, quickly packing up her desk, eager to leave.
"Damn, getting dismissed at 9 p.m.? Even An Yuan doesn't get off work this late."
Pan Jie, who was hurrying to finish his homework, heard his deskmate's complaint laced with profanity. He glanced at her blankly.
"Chen Cheng, aren't you going to do your homework?"
"I'll copy yours tomorrow morning."
"Huh? Uh… okay."
Stretching lazily, Chen Cheng slung her backpack over one shoulder, stood up, and turned around. She walked straight to An Yuan's side and urged him, "Hurry up, let's go home."
"Hold on, what's the rush?"
As she waited, Chen Cheng turned her gaze toward An Yuan's deskmate—the girl who would one day cheat on him, Li Wanyi. Her lips pressed together, eyes narrowing slightly as she looked her up and down.
The girl was tall, and even the loose school uniform couldn't hide her ample chest. Her baggy school pants had been altered to be smaller and shorter, emphasizing her slender legs and delicate ankles.
But her high cheekbones, pointed chin, and thin lips, paired with her slightly elongated philtrum, gave her a mature yet sharp appearance—one that hinted at scheming intentions.
Sensing the hostility in the gaze directed at her, Li Wanyi looked up in confusion. However, by then, Chen Cheng had already turned away, adjusting her glasses with an innocent and well-behaved expression.
She wondered if she had imagined it. After all, she had been classmates with Chen Cheng for nearly three years. In her eyes, Chen Cheng was a beautiful but somewhat clueless girl—quiet, studious, and diligent, yet always ranking in the lower-middle academically. Hardworking, but lacking the talent for studying.
"You two seem pretty close?" Li Wanyi asked curiously. "I don't recall seeing you go home together before."
"We just happen to take the same route…" Chen Cheng hesitated, then added, "We grew up together."
She wanted to subtly hint to Li Wanyi that she and An Yuan were childhood friends—implying that this scheming woman should stay away from him. But then, feeling like she might come across as jealous, she quickly added, "Just normal friends."
"Oh, really?"
Li Wanyi frowned slightly, glancing at the sweet and innocent-looking Chen Cheng before shifting her gaze to An Yuan. Suddenly, a sense of unease crept into her heart.
"Alright, let's go." An Yuan finished packing his bag, slinging it over his shoulder before calling out to Chen Cheng, "Want to grab a late-night snack? I noticed you didn't eat lunch."
"Yes, yes, yes! I want fried skewers! Your treat!"
"That place across from the school?"
"Yeah, they haven't changed owners yet, right? The last time they did, the food tasted awful."
As they walked to the podium to retrieve their phones from the storage bag, Chen Cheng glanced at her screen—unsurprisingly, not a single message.
She knew she didn't have many friends who would message her during class, but without her phone, she always had this irrational fear of missing something important. A strange sense of unease.
As they left the classroom, An Yuan suddenly paused, turning his head to look deeply at Li Wanyi through the window.
The woman he had once loved for seven or eight years, the one he had been just a step away from marrying—right now, she looked just as beautiful as she did in his memories. Even just watching her sit there doing homework made him feel dazed for a moment.
He could still vividly recall their argument two days ago, the way she stormed off. If not for that fight, he wouldn't have driven out to meet Chen Cheng for drinks.
"What's wrong? Still mad she cheated on you?"
"I'm just wondering… How did the Wanyi I know turn into that kind of person?"
Chen Cheng scoffed, fanning the flames. "Have you considered the possibility that she was always like this? Cheating rarely happens just once. Maybe you just caught her that one time."
An Yuan seemed to recall something, and his expression became somewhat unnatural. Frustrated, he grabbed Chen Cheng's head and vigorously ruffled her hair, making her shake her head wildly while crying out in pain.
"You're doing this on purpose to provoke me, aren't you?"
"Let go, let go! I'm just telling the truth, okay? It hurts!"
Chen Cheng broke free from An Yuan's grip and punched him on the arm. "Psycho!"
"Didn't even feel it. You've got no strength at all right now."
"Oh yeah? Then stand still!"
Seeing her clench her little fists seriously, An Yuan smirked and flexed his biceps, bracing himself for her punch.
"Hah!"
Instead of punching, Chen Cheng stomped on his foot and took off running.
"Damn it! Stop right there! My turn now!" An Yuan yelped in pain, hopping on one foot before angrily chasing after her.
"I'm not an idiot! If you hit me back, I'd probably fall to my knees begging for mercy!"
Chen Cheng was well aware of the physical strength differences between men and women. Back when they used to mess around, exchanging playful punches was no big deal. But now? If she took a real hit, she'd probably end up bruised and crying.
And crying from pain? That would be way too embarrassing!
She ran out of the school building, only slowing down once she was gasping for breath, hands on her knees.
"Enough, I can't run anymore~"
Hearing An Yuan's footsteps catching up, she quickly waved her hand in surrender. "I'll treat you later, okay? Let's call it even."
An Yuan stopped beside her, stretched lazily against the evening breeze, and sighed contentedly. "Life is good, huh~"
Even though there was still academic pressure, at least there were no endless loans to repay, no crushing family burdens, and no soul-draining overtime.
Back in school, he had wanted to grow up as fast as possible. But now, he realized being a kid wasn't so bad after all.
"Good, my ass!" Chen Cheng grumbled bitterly. "I was perfectly fine lying flat in my rental, doing nothing, and then you dragged me back into this world as a girl. And now I have to take the college entrance exam all over again!"
She continued ranting. "I never wanted to be a woman! These damn boobs are huge—it feels weird to walk! The moment I start sweating, people start staring. What's wrong with them? Oh, and don't even get me started on periods. Ugh! Shuting said mine's due in the next couple of days. What if I have painful cramps too?!"
She had thought that the hardest thing to accept about coming back was reliving the hell of senior year.
Turns out, the worst part was being a woman.
"I was doing just fine! Unlike you—your house was a scam, and your wife left you."
An Yuan winced at the painful truth. But since Chen Cheng's current situation was entirely his fault, he could only scratch his head awkwardly and suggest, "Didn't you write novels before? Why not copy the best-selling books from the future? You might just become a top author."
"Me?"
Chen Cheng pointed at herself. "You're overestimating me. Even if someone handed me the full outline, I wouldn't be able to make it big."
"So now that you're back, there's nothing you want to do?"
"Absolutely nothing." She lowered her gaze, sighing in frustration. "I just don't want to be a woman. Being a guy was so much better…"
An Yuan slung an arm over her shoulder and gave her a reassuring pat.
He wanted to say something comforting, but her shoulder was incredibly slender, and through the thin fabric of her uniform, he could feel the soft, smooth texture underneath. His hand froze for a moment before he discreetly pulled it away.
But Chen Cheng didn't seem to notice. She tiptoed, hooked an arm around his shoulder, and tugged him toward the school gate.
"Let's go drink! Let's go drink!"
"Again?"
"What else? Drowning your sorrows in alcohol is a legitimate solution!"
An Yuan chuckled, bending down slightly to make it easier for her to drape her arm over him. The scent of her shampoo lingered in the air, wafting straight into his nose.
"Take it easy. You're a girl now."
He tried to subtly remind her to keep some distance, but he didn't want to say it outright, afraid she might have a meltdown about suddenly being a woman.
Chen Cheng gave him a suspicious side-eye. "What, you're not actually into your bro, are you, you pervert?"
"The hell? That's your messed-up thought process, not mine!"