An Han had never imagined it—not in a million years. Ren Chi, his usually composed, slightly intimidating counselor with that ever-present polite smile and an air of hidden depth… was not only an anime fan but actually a cross-dresser!
Staring at the set of women's clothing tucked in the corner, An Han's expression shifted from shock to delight.
So we really are fellow travelers! No wonder Ren Chi wanted to move out of the dorm—renting an off-campus apartment would definitely offer better privacy.
And no wonder he'd asked me to help him move… maybe he'd even covered for me that time I was hiding girls' clothes under my blanket…
Wait—hold on! How am I his "fellow traveler"? He's a real cross-dresser! I'm just… forced into it!
"This is my girlfriend's clothes," Ren Chi declared calmly, his tone firm and serious. "Don't go around slandering your counselor without proof, or I'll make your life miserable."
An Han studied Ren's perfectly serene, unwavering expression—no hint of nervousness, no flicker of guilt in his eyes at all. If anything, that too-confident denial only confirmed one thing:
Ren Chi was a seasoned cross-dresser! He wasn't the least bit ashamed—even when his secret was nearly exposed!
Could it really be his girlfriend's clothes?
"Oh… I see…" An Han murmured skeptically. "If you knew you were gonna ask me to help you move, couldn't you have packed up a bit first?"
"Two people clean faster."
Ren pulled out a massive suitcase from his closet. "I'll handle the clothes. You pack my other stuff into the boxes over there." He pointed toward the corner.
An Han turned and saw a stack of disassembled cardboard boxes. "The tape's on the desk."
"Somehow this just turned into a whole moving job," An Han grumbled.
He'd originally thought he'd just carry a few things—but judging by the chaotic mess inside Ren's room, several trips with multiple boxes were clearly unavoidable.
This was actually the first time An Han had interacted with a teacher so casually, without the usual barrier of formality or fear.
Normally respectful—almost fearful—of authority figures, he found himself treating Ren less like a teacher and more like… a friend.
Probably because they both loved the same anime… and both wore women's clothes.
After folding and taping a box together, An Han looked up and asked nonchalantly, "So… what does your girlfriend look like?"
"My personal life isn't your concern."
Oh, absolutely confirmed. Those are definitely your clothes!
An Han had been about to tease him further—but then he suddenly remembered that Ren had kept his secret too, never outright exposing him or making him uncomfortable. So he swallowed his urge to poke fun and silently focused on packing.
The desk was cluttered with work notes. He neatly stacked them at the bottom of a box, then asked again, "This box is just for notebooks and books, right?"
"Do I even have that many books?"
An Han opened the cabinet under the desk. "Uh, yeah? You've got a complete set of Naruto manga, plus Dragon Ball."
The manga looked quite old. Flipping through a volume, he realized some Dragon Ball issues dated back to the 90s—ancient, well-preserved single volumes that probably had collector's value now.
"You're not even that much older than me! These are from the 90s!"
"They're my brother's," Ren replied while folding clothes into his suitcase. "He gave them to me when I was a kid—I bugged him endlessly for them."
"Ah…"
Ren finally turned to check on An Han—and froze mid-motion.
His student was sitting on the floor in "duck sitting" posture—knees splayed wide, feet tucked under—completely absorbed in reading an old manga.
Ren's eye twitched. He genuinely couldn't understand how a guy could sit like that so effortlessly and naturally.
"The floor's dirty."
"Eh, I'm a guy—it's fine."
Yeah, right. Look at you—what about you even is a guy anymore?
It wasn't just the pose. The way An Han's hair fell softly over his cheek as he read with such quiet focus… he looked exactly like a girl.
Before, Ren had only thought this student was unusually delicate-looking. But now, after spending time together, it was clear: An Han carried a girl's heart inside.
Ren sensed something deeply "off" about him—but couldn't quite put it into words. Those feminine mannerisms just fit An Han too perfectly to feel unnatural.
So he gave up and resorted to acting like a grumpy boss: "Get up and work! Why are you just sitting there?"
"Relax~" An Han reluctantly placed the yellowed manga into the box, then beamed up at him. "Bro Ren~"
"Forget it. Not lending it."
The second An Han said "Bro Ren," Ren knew exactly what he wanted.
"Tch. So stingy! And here I am helping you move!"
An Han sprang up nimbly from the floor—completely unaware of how gracefully his movements appeared—and kept muttering as he packed: "My legs are killing me from running last night, and now I have to squat here helping you pack, and you won't even lend me one lousy manga? Man, you're so cheap."
If this were Wu Dongming's manga collection, he'd have grabbed it and run. But this was his counselor's. Too risky.
Ren simply ignored him, pretending he hadn't heard a word.
"I'll tell your classmates about your cross-dressing—everyone would love to see you in girls' clothes…"
That did it. Ren whirled around, glaring. "If you tell anyone, I'll expose you too!"
They locked eyes, neither backing down—until An Han suddenly burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. "Teacher, you're way too childish!"
"Respect your elders!"
"Fine, fine—I won't read them."
An Han had realized just how precious these manga sets were to Ren. He dropped the topic and quietly went back to helping pack.
Several hours later, three massive boxes were fully packed, plus two suitcases and a few backpacks—Ren's belongings were finally all neatly packed away.
An Han tried lifting one of the boxes. It was stuffed to the brim. No matter how hard he pushed or pulled, it barely budged more than two meters across the floor.
"Your physical strength is pathetic."
"It's because there's no place to grip!" An Han complained, quickly sticking a strip of tape to form a makeshift handle—but even then, the box refused to budge.
He sighed in resignation.
As a man, he'd always been lean and weak—but now that his body had seemingly "improved" in health, it had also grown… softer. More feminine. He wondered if that had somehow weakened him further.
Although… honestly, he'd never been strong enough to lift heavy things, even before.
Ren stepped forward, heaved one box onto his shoulder, and pointed at the luggage. "You take the suitcases."
"Okay."
As they wheeled the suitcases out of the dorm building, An Han couldn't help but ask again, "What kind of place did you rent? How much is rent around here, anyway?"
"Two-bedroom, one-living-room… just over a thousand a month."
"That's pretty cheap…"
An Han couldn't help but suspect—was Ren renting just so he could cross-dress more freely?
——————
Just woke up... Didn't sleep much the past couple days. Took a nap to catch up and accidentally slept half the day away.