"Why did you go out of your way to find me for drinks?"
In a second-tier city along the southern coast, inside a barbecue restaurant, the sizzling grilled fish on the table crackled, and the smoky aroma of barbecue filled the entire room. After six months apart, the two friends met again.
Chen Cheng held a chicken skewer in his left hand and a lamb skewer in his right, his mouth glistening with oil. Though already twenty-seven or twenty-eight, he still looked like a college student. Beneath his glasses were a pair of clear yet naive eyes, making it obvious that he was inexperienced in the real world.
Sitting across from him was a young man whose face was full of exhaustion, his posture slightly hunched. This was An Yuan, his childhood friend. Though they were the same age, An Yuan's hairline had visibly receded, dark circles hung heavy under his eyes, and he had put on a noticeable amount of weight.
"Just look at yourself. I told you not to rush into love and marriage," Chen Cheng teased with a mix of jealousy and relief. "You used to be just a little worse than me—barely qualified as a handsome guy. But now? You're a full-on greasy middle-aged man."
For once, An Yuan didn't argue back. Instead, he picked up a beer bottle and chugged half of it in one go.
"Looking at your face, I'm honestly scared you'll drop dead any second. Now look at me! My complexion is amazing! The taxi driver even asked me which university I go to just now!"
Chen Cheng straightened his back proudly. This was probably the only time he could feel a sense of superiority over An Yuan.
After all, An Yuan was still young but already earning tens of thousands a month. He owned a house, a car, and had a beautiful fiancée. They were the perfect couple. No matter how much Chen Cheng liked to act tough, deep down, he was envious.
Meanwhile, Chen Cheng was just a struggling web novelist renting a small apartment. His books were neither popular nor completely obscure—just mediocre. His earnings barely covered his expenses. Forget about dating—there wasn't anyone in his life besides himself.
"Being alone isn't so bad…"
An Yuan let out a long sigh. He barely touched the food but kept drinking one beer after another.
"What's wrong?"
Chen Cheng noticed something was off with his friend.
Back in the day, whenever they met up, An Yuan would nag him about going out more, socializing, and finding a girlfriend. He'd tell him to stop staying up late. But today, something felt different.
Chen Cheng raised his beer bottle for a toast and joked, "Come on, tell me what's up—maybe it'll cheer me up?"
"My apartment project was abandoned halfway."
"Whoa! Didn't I tell you not to buy a pre-sale house?"
"I got laid off, but I still have to pay my mortgage and car loan."
"The economy's bad right now, but if you hold on for a couple of years, it'll pass. Don't panic!" Chen Cheng grinned, trying to comfort him. "Honestly, your job isn't even as stable as me writing novels! You should just join me—only downside is no benefits or insurance."
"Wanyi cheated on me. We had a huge fight, and she ran off."
"..."
For a moment, Chen Cheng didn't know what to say.
Sure, he used to be jealous when his friend was living the good life, driving a fancy car. But seeing him suffer like this now… that didn't feel great either.
"You're kidding, right? Weren't you supposed to get married in two months?"
An Yuan lifted his head, his eyes void of any hope. "Does it look like a joke? The wedding's off. She doesn't even want to return the bride price."
"Uh… Damn. Drink up! Drink up!" Chen Cheng forced a smile and quickly passed him a few skewers, even picking out a big piece of grilled fish for him. "Don't just drink—eat some food too."
He wasn't great at comforting people with words, so the best he could do was drink alongside An Yuan.
Trying to lighten the mood, he started talking about his own misfortunes: "Just a few days ago, my mom called and told me to go home for a blind date. When I refused, she threatened to report me missing to the police. Do you think the cops would actually waste their time helping her find me?"
"Look at me—no house, no car, just an old, tiny apartment in my hometown without an elevator. Who would even want me?"
"I did date before, but damn, I was the one taking care of her all the time. It was exhausting, and she spent my money too. Honestly, being single is way better—I get to spend everything on myself."
"I'm just a lousy web novelist. I can't do anything else. Almost thirty years old, with nothing to show for it. I'm not even good-looking, and I have no future at all..."
As the alcohol took over, Chen Cheng propped his face up with one hand, half-slumped over the table, mumbling in a low voice, "If only I were a girl... At least I wouldn't have to worry about all this stuff when getting married. And if I were a little prettier, people would love me..."
With a thud, Chen Cheng collapsed onto the table, sound asleep.
An Yuan looked at him, sighed, and muttered, "I came to drink with you, and yet you got drunk faster than me."
<+>
That night, it was rainy and overcast.
The soft patter of rain came from outside the window, and the curtains rustled as the wind blew through.
Chen Cheng groggily opened his eyes, feeling a burning sensation in his throat. His head was heavy, and his eyelids ached so much that he could barely keep them open.
With some effort, he reached for his phone, glancing at the time—7:30.
"Only seven… wait, seven in the morning?"
As a web novelist, his sleep schedule was completely flipped. Waking up like this, he couldn't tell if it was day or night.
His head drooped as he prepared to go back to sleep. But suddenly, his eyelid twitched twice.
Wait, was that an iPhone 6 just now?
Had he gone on some drunken rampage last night and dug up that old relic?
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the room. The next second, the door was pounded on violently, shaking the entire room.
"Are you kidding me?!"
Ever since graduating college, he had never been woken up against his will! Who the hell had the guts?!
Chen Cheng rolled over, yanked the blanket over his head, and pretended not to hear.
The door burst open.
An Yuan stormed in, rushed to the bedside, and yanked the blanket away. "Brother Chen! Something's wrong!"
"Huh?"
"AHHHHHHHH!!!"
An Yuan froze.
Lying under the covers was a girl wearing only a camisole nightdress. Her skirt had ridden up to her waist, revealing white cotton underwear and smooth, fair thighs. The straps of her nightdress had slipped off her shoulders, exposing the soft curves of her chest.
She had short, ear-length hair, the kind common among middle school girls. Her face was delicate and pure, with big, clear eyes filled with confusion and drowsy irritation as she hastily grabbed her glasses from the nightstand and put them on.
"S-Sorry…" An Yuan instinctively stepped back, hurriedly pulling the blanket back over her. "Wrong room."
But… wait. That didn't seem right either?!
Before he could think further, the girl angrily threw the blanket off again and jumped to her feet, jabbing a finger in his face. "An Yuan, are you out of your mind?! What time is it for you to be yelling like that?! You have work, but I don't!
"I drank so much with you last night, and you can't even let me sleep a little longer?! You—"
An Yuan stared at the furious girl standing at the bedside, his mind completely blank.
This voice… this tone…
"…It's nighttime," he finally said.
"Nighttime? I slept an entire day?!"
Chen Cheng's expression shifted to horror as he instinctively stepped back.
"HOLY—Why the hell are you suddenly so handsome?! No bald spot? Where's your beer belly?!"
"…"
An Yuan fell silent, staring at the girl in the flimsy nightdress. An even more ridiculous thought was taking shape in his mind.
Could it be… that this girl was actually Chen Cheng?!
A heavy silence fell over the room.
The two of them stared at each other. Then, right in front of An Yuan, the girl lowered her gaze, lifted her hands, and curiously squeezed her own chest.
An Yuan reflexively wanted to look away, but then he thought—if he acted embarrassed in front of his bro, wouldn't he just get mocked? So instead, he kept a straight face and stared right at her face.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!"
A scream so piercing it nearly shattered the windows exploded in the room, almost bursting An Yuan's eardrums.
"WHAT THE HELL?! WHY AM I A WOMAN?!"
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 monthly to see till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 57: Breaktime Exercise[2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/128679946?collection=1362427[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/1362427?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1362427?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/128679946?collection=1362427
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/128679946?collection=1362427
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1362427?view=condensed