During the National Day holiday, An Han already had his plans set.
He wouldn't be taking a part-time job or traveling for fun—instead, he'd stay put in his dorm room and hole up for all seven days.
Truthfully, An Han wasn't the type who could sit still for long. A short stay indoors could be relaxing, but staying cooped up too long made him anxious.
The problem was—he genuinely didn't dare go anywhere.
What if he accidentally triggered another system task?
If he picked an easy task, his stats would keep rising, making his appearance and body increasingly feminine.
If he chose a difficult one, not only would he fail to complete it, but it would also cause a cascade of new troubles.
And as for selecting a task then just ignoring it… leaving all those rewards unclaimed, taunting him from afar, felt even worse. It was better to simply avoid triggering anything at all.
These days, he also had to manage his online interactions with Long Xing carefully, while simultaneously trying to gain full control over that so-called "moe-like physical trait," so he wouldn't constantly get teased for acting "girly."
At 8 a.m., An Han still woke up right on schedule, just as he would on a regular school day.
The dorm building was unusually quiet—no longer filled with the usual morning bustle. Outside his window, only faint birdsong drifted in.
Stretching lazily, he twisted his body a few times on the bed before slowly sitting up.
He got out of bed but couldn't be bothered to wash up. Instead, he plopped down in front of his computer, propping his chin on one hand as he clicked aimlessly through web pages.
His mind always felt foggy right after waking up.
After drifting in this daze for a while, he finally remembered he had something important to do.
Long Xing had already added him on WeChat last night. With some trepidation, An Han opened the app—but Long Xing hadn't sent him a single message.
A slight weight lifted from his chest, yet he was still troubled, unsure what to say first.
Should he just come clean? After all, Long Xing had used his phone number to add him—so he must already understand the truth.
But how was he supposed to tell his roommate, "The girl you liked… was actually me"? That was just too mortifying…
"Ugh… at least we're talking over the internet."
An Han nervously patted his chest—only to smack right onto his small, soft chest.
His face darkened instantly. He glanced down, then let out a lifeless sigh.
"No more triggering the system."
"No more cross-dressing—ever!"
He stood up decisively and gathered all his feminine clothing into a bag, tossing it in with the trash.
The dorm's trash bins were located at the far end of the hallway, just around the corner. Less than two minutes later, An Han came rushing back.
He hoped no cleaning staff had spotted a bag of women's clothes dumped in a boys' dorm.
Even if it couldn't possibly be traced back to him, the mere thought filled him with embarrassment.
Muttering to himself, he returned to his desk, picked up his phone, and after some careful deliberation, sent Long Xing two words: "Are you there?"
He hated it when people messaged him like that—but in his nervous state, he couldn't think of anything else to say.
To his surprise, Long Xing seemed to be holding his phone. Almost instantly, a reply popped up: "Xiao Han?"
An Han's composure shattered.
Even though he was alone in the dorm, his face flushed crimson the moment his identity was revealed.
His head felt like a boiling kettle—scorching hot. Waves of shame surged through him, leaving him dizzy and unable to think of a proper reply.
"So… it really is you?"
Even though Long Xing hadn't sent any emojis or emoticons, An Han could vividly picture his devastated expression.
After all—this was Long Xing's first love.
Now overwhelmed by shame and guilt, An Han covered his face with one hand, convinced he'd never be able to show his face in class again after the holiday.
If Long Xing knew, did Chen Junjie know too?
Given Chen's personality—and the existing tension between them—the whole class would probably find out within a couple of days.
"Does Junjie know?" he typed.
"No."
An Han breathed a small sigh of relief. "How did you figure it out…?"
There was a brief pause before Long Xing replied, sounding resigned: "You never used to drink milk."
"…"
"And lately, you've just seemed… really weird."
"I tried adding your phone number on a hunch—and then…"
"I even tested your QQ, and it matched too."
If only I'd just made a new account back then…
An Han bitterly regretted his past carelessness.
[Notification: Long Xing's affection toward cross-dressed An Han has been transferred to An Han himself.]
The sudden system alert froze An Han in place.
Did this mean Long Xing, who originally liked his feminine persona, now liked him—even after learning his true identity?!
If that were true, it would be absolutely terrifying. An Han would rather get punched by Long Xing than face this.
Shame couldn't stop him from blurting out directly: "You don't actually like me, do you?!"
"?"
That single question mark somehow made him feel a little better.
"Are you… not mad?" he asked cautiously.
Long Xing had always been easygoing—An Han had rarely seen him angry. But precisely because of that, An Han feared his anger even more.
Everyone knew: when a quiet, gentle person finally snaps, it's serious—and Long Xing was not only gentle but also tall and muscular.
"No."
"I'm sorry!" An Han quickly apologized. "When you get back from break, I'll treat you to a good meal."
"No need. Let's just leave it in the past."
Only then did An Han truly relax. He muttered to himself, "Long Ge really is the most magnanimous person…"
He'd once worried that if his secret got out, Long Xing would beat him up. Clearly, he'd underestimated Long Xing's generosity.
"Finally, this mess is over."
"But… what about that affection level the system mentioned…?"
An Han recalled an earlier system warning: affection levels shouldn't exceed 80, and if they hit 100, unknown consequences would follow.
So… what was Long Xing's current affection level toward him?
Even if Long Xing claimed he didn't like him, his true feelings might be different if the number was too high.
"Check affection level."
"Hey! Check Long Xing's affection toward me!"
An Han spoke aloud to the empty air—but he already knew this dumb system wouldn't respond.
He'd tried this countless times before.
[Affection threshold met. System upgrade condition fulfilled: After upgrade, you may view stats, affection levels… and unlock additional tasks and rewards.]
"Huh?" An Han was stunned.
So someone's affection toward him had reached the threshold for a system upgrade?
It had to be Long Xing!
[Option 1: Confess to Long Xing while dressed in women's clothing. Reward: System upgrade, Luck Trait
Option 2: Increase Su Peng's affection toward you by 20. Reward: System upgrade, Casual Outfit Item
Option 3: Wear a women's swimsuit for one full day. Reward: System upgrade, +1 Attribute Point]
Yet again, the system had randomly triggered a new task.
An Han covered his face. Long Xing was already back home for the holiday, and his current feelings were unclear—confessing in women's clothes would be way too risky!
But the other two options weren't much better!