The heavy door closed with a muffled thud. Mo Yachen walked to the window and stood there for a long time, watching until that wild-haired girl opened her umbrella and vanished into the curtain of rain.
He took off his glasses and reached into a drawer, retrieving another case. From it, he pulled out a familiar pair of black frames and put them on.
"Blue eyes, huh… I can still see the color even without these glasses?" His fingers slid along the edge of the special lenses for color weakness, his lips curling into a faint smile.
"Ji Yu?" His fingers toyed with the neatly written application form, and for a brief moment, his mind wandered.
"The rain's stopped. The sky should turn blue soon."
In his dorm, Tang Li barged in like he'd just been freed from a huge burden. He stomped his feet in rhythm and clapped loudly, jolting his three roommates from their sleep.
"What's wrong with you? You trying to get yourself killed early in the morning?"
"Just because you pulled an all-nighter doesn't mean you get to ruin the rest of us single guys' sacred late-sleep ritual!"
Energy and laziness clashed in their cramped dorm room. Chen Haoting and Zhang Jun couldn't stand the double assault of noise and motion, and immediately fired back at Tang Li with an impressive array of civilized vocabulary.
"They say your girlfriend's pretty cute. When are you gonna introduce her to us?"
The third roommate, Yu Yuan, had spent most of the school year ditching classes and hanging out off-campus. Naturally, he'd been gifted the opportunity to retake his first year. His naturally silver hair was almost blinding to look at—though admittedly, it looked good.
"What girlfriend? Ji Yu's just a very, very good friend. I actually plan to find a girlfriend in college."
"Yu Yuan, you've been in Yuyang for two years. Hook me up with someone and I'll treat you to dinner!"
His tone carried no hint of joking or modesty, so the two others instantly got serious.
"That pretty girl isn't your girlfriend?"
"Don't tell me you're incapable, man. Even if I forgot her face, those blue eyes alone are enough for me to worship her like treasure."
At the mention of Ji Yu, the hyperactive Tang Li went quiet. Leaning back in his chair, he swayed slightly.
"No. Just friends. That's all we'll ever be."
Blue eyes—Yu Yuan immediately recalled the petite girl in a baseball cap he'd given a ride to yesterday morning. His tongue clicked in mild surprise.
"Well, guess our Li-bao's just unlucky then. That girl's practically the gold standard for natural beauty."
The other two glanced at him, curious. Yu Yuan smirked and explained, "Yeah, I gave her a ride yesterday morning. Pure type of girl."
Noticing Tang Li's expression shift, Yu Yuan quickly waved his hands. "Don't look at me like that. Sure, I'm half a scumbag, but I only mess with the scummy types. Mutual damage, you know? A girl like her? Not interested."
Satisfied with his self-acquittal, Tang Li relaxed. After arranging a few low-key campus blind dates through classmates, he scrolled to Ji Yu's contact… but didn't have the courage to send a message.
Outside, the rain was coming down even harder.
Ji Yu stopped in front of a clothing store with a nicely decorated display. Maybe because of the weather, there weren't many customers inside. With online shopping being so convenient, these physical shops were just barely getting by.
Shopping for clothes…
She glanced at the extra 1,000 yuan in her account and shook her head.
— Didn't you say you wanted to change? Why not start with a new outfit? —
— I can just wear my sister's. It's not like I don't already have clothes. —
— You're a girl now and still this stingy? Careful, one day some bad guy might swindle you out of a few thousand. Here—take this 1,000 and buy yourself something nice. Let's call it my way of celebrating that my buddy can now have kids. —
Her breath turned into a faint puff of white in the damp summer air before vanishing into the rain. The street was lined with budget-friendly stores. Ji Yu would have preferred to shop in those—good value for money. But this was Tang Li's money.
If she didn't pick something that was actually nice—maybe even expensive—wouldn't he think she'd pocketed the change?
With that thought, she stepped into a boutique with six mannequins modeling stylish outfits in the window.
"Welcome! Is it just you, miss?"
The saleswoman moved with graceful steps, taking Ji Yu's umbrella and placing it neatly aside. The warm reception made Ji Yu feel a little flustered.
"I'd like to buy a full outfit. Do you have any suggestions?"
"Do you mean including lingerie?" The clerk's clear, professional tone reflected her training. Ji Yu felt a pang of envy for her confidence.
"Yes… yes."
"May I know your budget?"
"Around a thousand."
"Alright, miss—this way, please."
The store was spacious, and Ji Yu couldn't even count how many air conditioners were running. The warm lighting gave the place a cozy yet slightly intimate atmosphere.
"Let's start with lingerie. Could you tell me your bust size?"
In that instant, Ji Yu's eyes widened.
Size?
What size?
How was she supposed to know?
Two days ago, she'd still been a guy—one who barely talked to girls, let alone thought about their measurements.
The clerk noticed her striking blue eyes, which seemed to grow even larger with her rising emotions. At first she'd assumed the color came from contacts, but no pair of lenses could change with a person's mood.
"You're not familiar with your own figure?" The saleswoman chuckled softly. "Why don't we head to the fitting room? I can measure you."
Naive as she was, Ji Yu blushed all the way to the tips of her ears. But her shy reaction only seemed to please the clerk more. Girls this innocent—especially ones whose every emotion showed in their eyes—were rare.
Before Ji Yu could stammer an excuse, the clerk had taken her hand and was leading her toward the fitting room.
"If you don't know your measurements, it's impossible to choose the right clothes—let alone find a boyfriend."
"What? Boyfriend? Ah—!"
"Come on, we're both girls. Why so shy? I'm not going to grope you or anything."
The store's speakers played soft, free-flowing jazz. Laughter and teasing blended with the lazy rhythm. Nobody paid attention to the chatter coming from that particular fitting room.
"Hmm… 82-64-84. That's an amazing figure—almost textbook perfect. Why don't you seem to care?"
Ji Yu just blushed harder and said nothing.
A few minutes later, the clerk, whose name tag read Qin, finally coaxed her into a better mood. Then the shopping spree began in earnest.
In a store like this, the lingerie section was huge, covering a wide range from everyday wear to specialty designs. Ji Yu, embarrassed to dampen Qin-jie's enthusiasm, listened quietly as the woman explained all sorts of things she'd never considered when she was a boy.
Minutes later, Ji Yu emerged from the fitting room, face crimson, hands half-covering the bra she was wearing.
"Look, Ji Yu—the little purple bow at the chest, and the matching ribbon on the panties—so cute!"
She had no idea what to say.
"Qin-jie… let's just go with this set. I don't want to change again…"
In ten minutes, she'd tried on four different lingerie sets—a nightmare for someone who'd never even worn one before.
"Alright, you can keep this one on. I'll bag the black lace set for you too, okay?"
Ji Yu poked her head out, overwhelmed, and just nodded quickly.
"This girly-style bra is perfect for wearing at home—and it adds a little fun, too. But when you go out, make sure you wear proper ones. Girls should always dress up nicely for themselves."
Closing the door, Ji Yu touched the curves Qin-jie had praised, then carefully adjusted the fabric covering the most delicate parts of her body.
In the mirror stood a 1.64-meter-tall girl with a graceful figure. Ji Yu found herself staring.
Happy.
After pulling on her sister's gray-and-white hoodie, she let Qin-jie guide her through picking two more outfits within budget—well, almost. They overshot by 2 yuan.
"Hehe, since your budget's a thousand, I'll cover the extra two. In return… can I add you on WeChat, Ji Yu-meimei?"
Qin-jie's smile was radiant, and Ji Yu suddenly remembered her own sister used to smile like that.
"Sure, you can scan me."
"Great—one more pretty little sister in my contacts~"
Her phone buzzed.
[Friend request received: Qin Xiao].