“Haaah—!” Ye Qingyi let out a long exhale, feeling refreshed.
“Could you not be so creepy? I have some dignity too, you know,” Su Mo snapped irritably.
“This body is mine now. I’ll do whatever I want with it.” Her face flushed as she recalled the scene in the bathroom earlier—she distinctly remembered that in her panic, that thing had…
Ahhhh!
“Ahem! Ahem!”
Su Mo’s coughing snapped her back to reality. She blinked in confusion. “What?”
“Miss, have some self-respect. Your expression just now was highly misleading. Could you at least save me some face?” he said through gritted teeth.
“Oh~”
Seeing her indifferent reaction, Su Mo’s expression darkened. “I’m not joking. If you keep this up, I can’t guarantee I won’t do something to this body.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” she retorted angrily. But when she saw Su Mo’s unyielding glare, she reluctantly backed down. “Fine. But you—”
She wanted to say more but stopped herself. After all, her own body wasn’t under her control anymore.
“Hmph!” She gave up arguing and sat sulking at the table.
“Also, watch your mannerisms from now on. You’re acting way too girly.”
“You can lecture me about that once you start behaving like a proper lady.” Seizing the opportunity to counterattack, she left Su Mo speechless.
Hah! Try and beat me.
Su Mo left Ye Qingyi behind and headed toward the girls’ dormitory alone, though not before the two exchanged a few more warnings.
Standing in front of Building No. 8, he took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.
Just then, a petite girl walked toward him. She had a sweet face and a small frame—probably around 155 cm, looking almost like an elementary schooler next to Su Mo (in Ye Qingyi’s 170 cm body).
“Wow, you’re even prettier than in your photos!” Her eyes sparkled like stars.
“Hahaha, you’re cute too.” It was Su Mo’s first time being called “pretty,” and he wasn’t sure how to react, so he responded awkwardly.
He recognized her from Ye Qingyi’s roommate group chat—Xia Qingqing, cheerful, loves food, official height: 160 cm.
“Let me help you with your luggage!”
Seeing how tiny she was, Su Mo initially wanted to refuse, but she insisted, leaving him no choice.
Xia Qingqing struggled, her face turning red from exertion, but she refused to admit defeat—small body, big stubbornness.
Luckily, they only had to climb to the third floor.
Dorm 307.
Xia Qingqing opened the door and ushered Su Mo inside. The small four-person room was spotless, clearly thanks to her efforts since the other two roommates hadn’t arrived yet (they were coming tomorrow).
Her “praise me” expression made Su Mo stifle a laugh. He quickly feigned surprise. “Qingqing, you’re amazing!”
Even though his tone was half-hearted, Xia Qingqing didn’t mind. She seemed thrilled by his compliment, grinning widely.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed—a message from Ye Qingyi on WeChat.
Ye Qingyi: “Qingqing’s there, right? Isn’t she adorable? (♡˃ꇴ˂♡)”
Su Mo: “Yeah, she is.”
Ye Qingyi: “Listen, you’d better not bully my roommates. They’re my besties.”
Su Mo: “Your besties are my besties. Of course I won’t bully them. [Dog emoji]”
Ye Qingyi: “Hmph, better not.”
Su Mo’s expression turned strange. While he could promise not to bully them, what if they decided to bully him…
Of course, “bullying” here wasn’t literal—girls tended to be much more physically affectionate with each other than guys. Ugh… terrifying.
After a moment, he typed another message.
Su Mo: “What about my buddies?”
Soon, Ye Qingyi replied.
Ye Qingyi: “They’re all here, bragging in a group. It’s almost my turn—I’m so nervous! [Sweating profusely]”
Su Mo: “What’s there to be nervous about? Just say whatever comes to mind. [Eye roll]”
Ye Qingyi: “Gotta go, it’s my turn now.”
Putting his phone away, Su Mo noticed Xia Qingqing staring at him and awkwardly smiled.
“You get settled in. I’ll go buy some daily necessities.”
“Okay.”
An hour later…
Su Mo finally finished arranging his bed and changed into a more gender-neutral outfit before heading out for dinner.
Then, his phone rang.
Caller ID: Dad.
Well, here comes the test.
He answered. A deep, authoritative middle-aged voice spoke on the other end. “All settled in?”
“Yeah, Dad. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of myself.”
There was a long pause. Su Mo wondered if he’d said something wrong, but then the man spoke again, his tone noticeably softer. “You haven’t called me ‘Dad’ in a long time.”
Su Mo broke out in a cold sweat.
“Oh.” He replied flatly.
Another silence. Then—click—the call ended.
Su Mo: “???”
Seriously? You two play these games, and I’m the one suffering?
He immediately called Ye Qingyi. “What are you doing?”
“About to grab dinner.”
“Meet me at Cafeteria 3. I need to ask you something.”
“What happened? Did my sister call you?” Her voice tensed.
“No, your dad did.”
A two-second pause. Then—“Got it. See you soon.”
Click.
Like father, like daughter—even their phone-hanging-up styles match.
Ten minutes later…
Su Mo and Ye Qingyi sat across from each other in Cafeteria 3, chatting about their roommates while eating. Since she didn’t bring up her dad, he didn’t press the issue.
It was peak dining hours, and the crowd quickly noticed the two good-looking students. Su Mo (in Ye Qingyi’s body) even got approached by a student team conducting interviews for the upcoming “School Beauty Pageant.”
Yeah… awkward.
Several people also asked for his WeChat, but he turned them all down.
“Maybe I should pretend to be your girlfriend to stop the harassment. This is so annoying.”
Ye Qingyi smirked, clearly enjoying his discomfort. “Do I look like that kind of man? You floozy!”
Su Mo: “???”
……
By the time he returned to the dorm, over an hour had passed. After Ye Qingyi’s explanation, he finally understood—she and her father had been estranged ever since he remarried shortly after her mother’s death, before the mourning period had even ended.
Turns out even rich girls have their own struggles. The only thing she doesn’t worry about is money.
That said, Su Mo didn’t feel right spending what wasn’t his. He only used an amount equivalent to his usual allowance, transferring the rest to Ye Qingyi.
But she sent him extra money anyway, saying, “Take good care of my body.”
Night fell over Jing City. Su Mo went to bed early—tomorrow was military training prep day.
Suddenly, his blanket was yanked off. He instinctively raised his leg to kick—until he heard Xia Qingqing’s pitiful voice:
“Qingyi… I’m scared sleeping alone. Can I stay with you?”
Before he could refuse, she crawled into his bed and snuggled against him.
Xia Qingqing, tiny as a child, curled up in Su Mo’s arms and nuzzled against “her” ample chest.
“Whoaa…” she gasped in awe.