Compared to Xia Keneng’s frantic panic on the other end of the line, Song Yunshen appeared much calmer. After all, over the past half-month or so, he had already experienced two distinct supernatural events.
But compared to things like the *Future Diary* and hearing inner thoughts, this current situation of soul-swapping gave him quite a headache. He even had a faint, ominous premonition, because he wasn’t sure if this swap was only temporary or if it would be permanent. He certainly didn’t want to live the rest of his life as a girl. But if it was just for a short time, it wouldn’t be completely unacceptable.
Song Yunshen glanced down at his currently bulging chest, then immediately looked away. "Forget it, I should respect her body," he thought. If he offended her and she used his body to cause trouble everywhere, that would be really bad.
"Hurry up and teach me," Song Yunshen urged, seeing Xia Keneng still in a daze on the other side of the video call. "I’m still hiding at the end of your dorm’s hallway. Be quick."
"Can... can you just not wear it?" Xia Keneng stammered.
"With this size, do you think I can?" Song Yunshen aimed his phone camera at his chest, looking speechless. "It’ll be too obvious if I don’t. You wouldn’t want other guys to see it, right?"
"Y-You don’t need to show me!" Xia Keneng said. "It’s not like I don’t know!"
"I just want you to face reality as soon as possible," Song Yunshen said helplessly. "So hurry up and teach me."
"It’s not that hard. You can put it on with your eyes closed," Xia Keneng muttered softly. "First, lean forward slightly, press the bra against your chest, and hook the two straps over your arms.
"Then reach behind your back to fasten the clasps, and pull the straps up onto your shoulders.
"After that... after that, you have to reach into the sides and scoop the exposed parts in. Otherwise, it’ll be uncomfortable to wear, and it will affect the breast shape..."
Xia Keneng’s voice grew quieter and quieter. Song Yunshen had to lean close to the phone’s speaker to barely make out what she was saying. "Anything else I should pay attention to?"
"Once it’s on, stand up straight and adjust the straps," Xia Keneng said, closing her eyes in resignation. "Is that enough?"
"Yeah, I’ll give it a try in a bit," Song Yunshen nodded. "I’ll try my best to keep my eyes closed."
"...Thanks." Xia Keneng took a deep breath. Perhaps infected by Song Yunshen’s calmness, her emotions gradually stabilized, and her mind cleared up considerably.
"Speaking of which, there’s something I want to ask you, too," Xia Keneng said after collecting her thoughts, trying hard to put the bra issue to the back of her mind.
"Ask away."
"It feels really swollen down in my underwear," Xia Keneng asked in a small voice. "Am I sick?"
Hearing this, Song Yunshen’s face instantly darkened. "...That’s just a normal morning physiological reaction. Just go to the bathroom and you’ll be fine."
"How do boys go to the bathroom?"
"Hold it with your hand."
"Huh?"
"Go to the bathroom right now, it’s right opposite the bedroom." Song Yunshen let out a deep sigh, feeling that this entire situation was absurdly surreal. "I’ll teach you."
"Is... is this really okay? I’m a bit shy."
"That’s my damn body! Hurry up and go!"
"Don’t hold it in and give me prostatitis!" he thought.
A little while later.
After some fumbling around, a blushing Xia Keneng returned to the bedroom. Under Song Yunshen’s guidance, she changed into a school uniform and slung on the backpack.
Taking advantage of this time, Song Yunshen verbally briefed Xia Keneng on his situation at school while typing out more detailed information on his phone to send to her.
"The rest of the class is fine, but my desk-mate knows me extremely well. If you act out of character, he’ll definitely notice immediately," Song Yunshen instructed. "You absolutely cannot blow our cover."
"Mhm, I’ll be fine." Xia Keneng nodded vigorously. At the thought of attending high school in a boy’s body, for some inexplicable reason, she actually felt a little excited.
"Then let me ask you: if my bro greets you by saying, ’My son, aren’t you going to kneel and pay your respects?’, how do you reply?" Song Yunshen tested her.
"Huh?" Xia Keneng froze. She wondered what kind of greeting that was. "Then I’d... I’d say... ’Good morning, Imperial Father’?"
She figured that would be polite enough. It could also be considered playing along with his friend’s joke.
"Bullshit!" Song Yunshen looked at her in exasperation. "Just reply with ’dumbass’!"
Xia Keneng was speechless.
"Sigh... Forget it. I can’t expect too much from you." Song Yunshen waved his hand. "Just pretend to be sick. Say you aren’t feeling well and don’t want to talk."
"Mhm..." Xia Keneng, whose worldview had just suffered a massive shock, still hadn’t completely recovered. "Won’t your friend get mad if you curse at him like that?"
"No, he loves it when I call him a dumbass," Song Yunshen said. "Anyway, if you run into anything you don’t know how to answer, just call him a dumbass. I guarantee it won’t blow your cover."
"What kind of weird fetish is that?" she wondered.
Xia Keneng was highly skeptical but reluctantly memorized the advice.
"Now it’s my turn to ask you questions," Song Yunshen continued while guiding her out of his house over the phone.
"Okay, go ahead." Xia Keneng took the elevator down and exited the doors of Building 24. Following the neighborhood signs, she left the complex and walked along the street toward Ningjiang Middle School, relying on his memories.
"Do you have any close friends in your class?"
"I do," Xia Keneng nodded. "All the girls in the class are my good friends."
"I mean the closest kind."
"Oh, Kong Xi, Yang Wan, Xiao Mengdie..." Xia Keneng began counting on her fingers.
"Why are there so many?"
"We’re all the best of friends."
"Just tell me who you usually eat with."
"Oh, then the three I just mentioned."
"Their exact seats."
"Kong Xi is my desk-mate, Yang Wan sits in front of me, and Xiao Mengdie is across the aisle to my left."
"What’s your personality usually like? Do you talk a lot?"
"I have a great personality. Everyone really likes me."
"Really?" Song Yunshen was a bit skeptical.
During breakfast the other day, his aunt, Ruan Zheng, had mentioned that this girl Xia Keneng was quite competitive and even argued with boys. He wondered how that was a great personality in any way.
"At most, I just can’t control my mouth sometimes," Xia Keneng muttered softly. "But that’s their problem. I never bully anyone unprovoked."
"So you’ve bullied people defensively?"
"Uh..." Xia Keneng showed a hesitant and guilty expression. "Not exactly. I just... made a boy cry by beating him up."
"Holy shit? She’s that fierce?" he thought.
Song Yunshen looked shocked, then hurriedly asked, "Which boy did you beat to tears?"
"Xu Lingcheng, the guy sitting behind Kong Xi," Xia Keneng confessed honestly. "He was always playing with Kong Xi’s hair and secretly stuffing pencil leads down her shirt. He made Kong Xi cry.
"I argued with him, but he refused to admit he was wrong. He thought he was just joking and that Kong Xi couldn’t take a joke.
"So, I beat him up. I didn’t expect him to start crying after just one punch to the face."
Song Yunshen fell silent.
After a long while, he said slowly, "Ningning..."
"Please call me by my full name," Xia Keneng corrected with a straight face. "We aren’t that close yet."
"Alright." Song Yunshen spoke in an earnest, heartfelt tone. "Xia Keneng, my bro might have a filthy mouth, but he’s actually a decent guy.
"If he offends you with his words, be the bigger person and let him off the hook for now.
"Please, whatever you do, do not resort to violence."
Hearing this, Xia Keneng immediately retorted in exasperation, "It’s not like I enjoy fighting!"