An Yuan's home was in the same apartment building as Chen Cheng's, with the same floor area and identical layout.
A two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment of about 80 to 90 square meters. Chen Cheng's home had a minimalist design, with tiled flooring throughout except for the bedrooms, which had warm wooden floors. In contrast, An Yuan's home was thoroughly traditional Chinese style, with mostly wooden furniture and a "Year After Year, Abundance of Fish" painting hanging on the TV wall.
After carrying Chen Cheng up to the seventh floor and then turning back to his own apartment on the fourth floor, even An Yuan, in his peak physical condition, couldn't help but feel exhausted. As soon as he stepped through the door, he collapsed onto the wooden sofa, throwing his legs up on the coffee table.
"Back so early?"
"Yeah, I didn't go out with my classmates."
An Yuan's mother brought over a plate of freshly washed strawberries. Leaning against the armrest of the sofa, she popped one into his mouth and curiously asked, "Have you been hanging out with Chengcheng these past few days?"
"Not really, just walking to and from school together."
"Really? Nothing more?"
"???"
An Yuan was full of question marks. He rolled his eyes. "Mom, your son is a senior in high school, okay?"
"That won't do! What if you two don't get into the same university? Then for four years in college, Chengcheng is bound to be taken by someone else." An Yuan's mom knocked his head in exasperation. "Are you stupid? Such a beautiful girl, who you've known since childhood, and you're not even trying? What's going on in that brain of yours?"
"I'm thinking about studying!"
"Then work harder and get into Tsinghua or Peking University."
"Spare me, please~" An Yuan laughed bitterly. "She and I grew up together. I can't see her that way. I think of her as a brother—no, a little sister."
His mom squinted at him suspiciously. "Really?"
"Really!"
"You are not interested even a little bit?"
Suddenly, An Yuan's mind flashed back to the sensation of carrying Chen Cheng on his back earlier. The weight pressing down on him like a soup-filled dumpling, the soft and springy curves that could be felt even through several layers of fabric—larger than they appeared visually. And those delicate, smooth thighs, almost as if they could be squeezed to release juice, with a faint, sweet girlish fragrance…
"Nope!"
He shot up from the sofa. Before his mom could press him further, he bolted towards the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower and going to bed!"
Once inside, he shut the door, standing in front of the sink. He let out a sigh and looked at his own reflection—his flushed face staring back at him in the mirror. Grabbing a towel from the side, he rubbed his face forcefully.
He had actually hesitated for a split second!
That was practically an insult to his brotherly bond with Chen Cheng!
The guilt weighed on him.
An Yuan wasn't sure if his brain had short-circuited or if his lower half had hijacked his thoughts.
Being attracted to his own childhood friend was already twisted enough, but he had even lingered on the feeling, as if his palm could still recall the softness of her thigh.
And that was through clothing.
What if he touched directly…
Shaking his head vigorously, he tried to cast away those improper thoughts about his "brother."
This youthful, vigorous body was great and all, but it was just too sensitive. A single careless thought and he'd be engulfed in fire. He had to release some tension.
His previous life had been different.
Working overtime every day, he was so busy surviving that by the time he got home, he often had to sit in his car for a while just to decompress.
He could go ten days or even half a month without thinking about women at all.
A cold shower should do the trick.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Chen Cheng sat on the countertop, waiting for the kettle to boil.
She clutched her lower abdomen, tilting her head slightly, her eyes lifeless, her expression one of sheer misery, as if she might drop dead at any moment.
Suffering from menstrual cramps, she had no such troubles as An Yuan. Besides, she had once been a man herself—she might even understand the workings of a male body better than An Yuan did.
But! It's so embarrassing—she actually got carried upstairs by An Yuan…
It's not manly at all!
Though, to be honest, not having to climb the stairs herself was pretty nice.
"Mom! Where did you put the ibuprofen? It's hurting again!"
"…Mom?"
The water was about to boil. Chen Cheng called out twice toward the master bedroom, then walked in to check—only to find the room empty.
Nice! Her mom had gone out for an all-night mahjong session again.
Even in the middle of her period cramps, Chen Cheng couldn't help but smile in delight.
Tonight, she could do whatever she wanted, completely unrestrained!
No hair-washing!
With her long hair, just washing and drying it took twenty minutes—that was enough time to finish a whole game!
She rummaged through the drawers, found the ibuprofen, popped a pill into her mouth, then went back to the kitchen.
She mixed the freshly boiled water with some cool water and downed a whole glass in one go.
The warmth in her stomach soothed her body, dulling the pain from her cramps slightly.
Then she grabbed her phone and excitedly called An Yuan.
An Yuan was still in the shower. Dripping wet, he stepped out of the stall and picked up his phone from the toilet lid.
As soon as he brought it to his ear, a piercing voice nearly shattered his eardrums.
"An Yuan! My mom went to play mahjong! Come up and play!"
He rubbed his ear and snapped back, annoyed, "Are you crazy? I'm in the middle of a shower! I don't have time."
"Then come up after you finish."
"It's already late. Do I not need to sleep?"
"Sleep at my place!"
Wait— Oh. Right. Before college, they often hung out at each other's homes. If they got tired, they'd just crash together.
An Yuan suddenly realized that his cold shower had done absolutely nothing to put out his fire—otherwise, why would his thoughts go in that direction?
"If your mom finds me at your place in the morning, she'll break my legs." He tactfully declined. "How about this? Let's just voice chat while we game later?"
"Voice chat is boring~"
"I'll take you to an internet café this weekend for a five-man squad."
"Ugh! It feels like you're deliberately avoiding me."
An Yuan sighed, helpless. "How could I be? You're just overthinking."
Though, in truth, he was indeed trying to avoid Chen Cheng.
He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of his 'brother' and end up being laughed at.
Worse, he didn't want Chen Cheng to misunderstand and ruin their friendship altogether.
"Really?"
The voice on the other end softened, turning husky and dejected—it tugged at his heartstrings.
"You're on your period, so your emotions are more sensitive and unstable right now. That's normal. You'll feel better in a few days."
"…Always the period talk… I'm hanging up!"
An Yuan frowned as he set his phone down and turned back to his shower.
But just a few minutes later, he uneasily shut off the water, wiped himself down hastily, threw on a T-shirt and shorts, and rushed out the door.
"Where are you going?"
"Going to check on Chengcheng. She's in a bad mood—I'm worried about her."
Chen Cheng had always been emotionally fragile. Otherwise, she wouldn't have ended up holed up in a rented apartment right after graduating college.
Now, having lost the quiet, reclusive life of a homebody due to this sudden transmigration—having lived as a man for twenty-seven years only to become a woman, and on top of that, dealing with her period and cramps—her already fragile emotions were even more unstable due to fluctuating hormones.
An Yuan's mother looked at him with approval. "Wait a sec. Take some food up with you. Make her a late-night snack."
"How about meat swallow dumplings? She's been craving those for a while."
Before their time travel, Chen Cheng had lived alone in a different city, always complaining to An Yuan about missing the taste of hometown food—including these dumplings.
"Perfect. We've got some at home. Give me a minute."
<+>
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