Mo Yachen studied his sister's expression carefully. Tonight, she looked different. Gone was the mischievous, almost wicked grin she usually wore. Instead, she leaned lazily against the table littered with empty beer cans, her smile softer, but her gaze sharp and scrutinizing as it locked on him.
"Come on. Let's go to another place and talk properly."
Mo Xunhan's tone shifted suddenly, regaining the crisp decisiveness she only displayed when directing a film. There was no room for refusal.
"Another place for a midnight snack, of course—on you."
The city of Yudu never lacked for late-night food. From brightly lit restaurants to street stalls grilling skewers over charcoal, the variety was endless.
"I'll start with a question," Mo Xunhan said after they sat down at a roadside stall. She ordered a couple of skewers of chives, five wings, three garlic skewers, and two bottles of soda, watching the cars splash muddy water into the flowerbeds.
"What's your opinion on love between people of the same gender?"
The night market, fresh from the rain, bustled with life. Students crowded the stalls, eating with the kind of ferocity that only came after long restraint. Yet Mo Yachen heard none of it—his ears were buzzing, his mind blank.
Adjusting his tinted glasses, he forced his voice into calm. "Is this for some new movie idea of yours?"
"No," Mo Xunhan said casually, gesturing for a plate of spicy cucumber as an appetizer. She stabbed a piece with a toothpick and popped it into her mouth. "Just asking."
Eyes drifted toward the siblings' table, drawn by their looks, only to turn away with muted regret once they realized who they were.
"I don't oppose same-sex relationships," Mo Yachen said evenly. "It's not about gender—it's about soul. If their heart only responds to someone of the same gender, that's their private life. Who are we to interfere?"
Mo Xunhan chuckled, holding her chilled soda bottle. She watched him with an amused sparkle, dropping another cucumber slice into her mouth.
"Not bad, little brother. Pretty open-minded. Then I won't keep anything from you."
Just as she spoke, a student waiter placed down their skewers. "Enjoy your meal, Chairman. Miss."
Mo Yachen gave him a polite nod, but his eyes immediately turned back to his sister, cold and sharp.
"Popular, aren't you? Anyway, about the person you like…"
"Who said I liked anyone?"
"That girl yesterday."
"I never said—"
"Your eyes were practically glued to her. Don't play dumb."
"…Tch. Just get to the point."
Mo Xunhan leaned back, watching the crowd pass by. After a moment, she lowered her voice.
"That girl, Ji Yu… she's actually a boy."
Her lips curved into a sly, twisted smile.
"Wh-what… WHAT?!"
Mo Yachen spat out the garlic he had just put in his mouth, coughing violently.
"I really didn't expect my little brother to turn out gay. But hey, like I said, I don't get it—but I support you. Spiritually, at least."
The steam rising from the skewers curled into the night air. Mo Yachen wiped his mouth and shirt with frantic irritation.
"I just saw her alone today! She has a chest, curves, a girl's voice… Even professional broadcasting students couldn't fake it that perfectly!"
Mo Xunhan tapped her painted fingernail against the table. "Who knows? With modern medicine, implants, voice training—anything's possible."
"Maybe she's just a cross-dresser. Wouldn't be the worst outcome. Married life wouldn't be that bad."
Mo Yachen's face darkened, his worldview cracking. "Then what about her eyes?"
"Her eyes?"
"Yes. The blue ones. They change."
She paused, then suddenly stuck out her middle finger.
His face went black.
Rolling her eyes, she clarified quickly, "I mean—look at my nails. What color are they now? They weren't like this before, were they?"
"…You're saying she wears contacts?"
"Exactly. What else could it be?"
Mo Yachen's lips pressed into a hard line, the air around him dropping in temperature. Her words dug deep into his mind like roots burrowing into soil.
Roots of something ugly.
Roots of disgust.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom at home, Ji Yu's sister Ji Yu was giggling as she called out:
"Mom! Ji Yu really turned into a girl!"
"Uh, Sis," Ji Yu muttered nervously, hugging her body. "Am I imagining things, or do you actually sound… happy?"
"What? Really? I thought I was hiding it pretty well."
Ji Yu shrank back, her face red. Her sister had already started undressing to bathe together, but Ji Yu's voice trembled.
"I was still a boy just a few days ago… I don't think I can. It's too weird."
Laughter and water echoed through the house. In the kitchen, their mother stirred noodles with a softened expression. At first her gaze carried guilt, but slowly, it warmed with quiet happiness.
That night, she even made a rare call to work.
"Hello, Ning-jie? Tomorrow, Yu and I are taking the day off."
"What, finally? You two workaholics nearly never stop! I'll give you both five days paid leave. Go, relax. Don't even think about the studio for once!"
"…You don't need a reason?"
"The fact you asked is reason enough. If you go traveling, bring me the receipts—I'll reimburse. Call it a company retreat."
Her voice was fiery, passionate—like her personality itself was dyed red.
Back in the bathroom, the two sisters chatted in whispers under the sound of running water.
"Xiaoyu," Ji Yu's sister said gently, washing her hair. "If you ever feel wronged, or can't adjust, don't show it in front of Mom. Tell me instead."
"Why?"
"Because no matter the reason you became a girl, Mom will feel guilty. If you look weak, if you reject this body, she'll only blame herself. Don't put that weight on her. She's done enough raising us already."
Ji Yu's eyes grew wet, her chest tightening. But she smiled bravely.
"I know. That's why I'm trying to adapt, right?"
A tear slipped down, lost in the water's flow. She laughed through it, blue eyes glowing again.
"You brat," her sister teased, glaring at her chest. "How is it that after becoming a girl, your boobs are bigger than mine?! Ugh, unfair!"
The sisters' playful quarrel, their mother's steaming bowls of tomato-egg noodles, the soft yellow lamplight, the warmth in their eyes—
Together, they formed the picture of an ordinary three-person family.
Ordinary. Warm. And shining.