It was math class. The thin, rigid old man at the podium droned on, his voice carrying a strange hypnotic quality that made people drowsy.
But he was also the head of the academic office—someone not to be trifled with.
Chen Cheng, looking utterly lifeless, propped her chin up with one hand. To avoid boredom at school, she forced herself to focus on the lesson, hoping that immersing herself in something would make time pass faster.
It had been a long time since she had seriously thought through complex problems. Her brain felt sluggish, like gears that hadn't been oiled in ages. She struggled to maintain high levels of concentration for long and kept getting distracted by the discomfort deep in her lower abdomen. Every now and then, she would stealthily reach behind her and tug at her underwear through her school pants.
It felt sweaty and itchy...
Using a sanitary pad for the first time was proving difficult. The extra layer of material against her skin was hard to ignore. And with no air conditioning in the classroom—just an old ceiling fan creaking above them—she couldn't shake the feeling that the thing might fall and take off some poor student's head.
She was pretty sure she'd seen a news story like that in her past life… though, if she remembered correctly, the student only got knocked senseless instead of decapitated.
Speaking of which, just a year after she graduated, the school finally installed air conditioners in every classroom. Too bad she had missed out.
Wait—there she was, zoning out again…
The bell rang, signaling the end of class, but the math teacher kept going for another three minutes before finally dismissing them.
Chen Cheng stretched, then cautiously reached into her desk drawer. She quickly grabbed a sanitary pad and stuffed it into her pocket.
Time to change.
She turned toward An Yuan, hesitating. She wanted to ask him to go to the restroom with her—not that a brother could actually help with this kind of thing, but having someone familiar around made unfamiliar situations a little less nerve-wracking.
"Cheng Cheng~ want to go to the bathroom together?"
As soon as class ended, Chen Shuting came over with a bright smile.
Seeing that An Yuan had already gone downstairs, dribbling a basketball with his friends, Chen Cheng reluctantly muttered, "I guess… sure."
Before she could react, Chen Shuting had already looped an arm around hers, making her entire body stiffen.
"Hu Wei! Let's go~"
Chen Cheng turned her head and saw a petite girl with twin ponytails standing up.
She was exactly Chen Cheng's type—small and adorable. She had never been into the busty, mature type. According to An Yuan, that was just "virgin taste"—once she actually experienced being with a woman, she'd realize the appeal of big-chested girls.
And yet, even after transmigrating into a girl herself, she still didn't get it. In fact, now she found large chests even more of a nuisance! They were nothing but extra baggage!
Hu Wei bounced over cheerfully and also grabbed onto Chen Cheng's arm. Now sandwiched between two girls, Chen Cheng wasn't just physically stiff—her face was heating up too. She was so flustered she could barely walk straight.
Wait a second! Why had this never happened to her back when she was a guy?!
Girls' hands were so soft…
Not wanting to embarrass herself, Chen Cheng straightened her posture, kept her face blank, and tried her best to exude manly charm.
Unfortunately, to everyone else, she just looked cold and aloof.
"Cheng Cheng~" Hu Wei swayed Chen Cheng's hand back and forth, her voice dripping with curiosity. "You and An Yuan…?"
"Just friends!"
Chen Cheng cut her off with a sharp, no-nonsense tone.
Why was everyone so nosy?! They were in their final year of high school—couldn't they just focus on studying? Their parents sent them to school to learn, not to gossip!
But since they were into gossip, Chen Cheng figured she might as well get something out of it. Her eyes flickered with interest as she lowered her voice.
"Hey, do you guys know anything about Li Wanyi?"
"Wanyi?"
"Yeah. Shuting, you're in the same dorm as her, right?"
Chen Cheng was eagerly anticipating hearing some juicy gossip about Li Wanyi—how she changed men like changing clothes, how she was promiscuous, or how she juggled multiple relationships at once.
"She doesn't really have anything going on?" Chen Shuting tilted her head in confusion. "Wait, do you mean that thing?"
"What thing?!"
"Last week, during a dorm inspection, the principal got driven out by the smell of her stinky socks. Is that what you're talking about?"
Hu Wei immediately perked up with interest. "No way, is that true?"
"For real! She looks all clean and put-together on the outside, but in the dorm, she's actually a total slob."
Chen Cheng pouted in disappointment. Of course, she already knew Li Wanyi was a lazy slob. In the future, when she moved in with An Yuan, he would not only have to work and earn money but also take care of all the household chores, practically worshipping this woman for who knows what reason.
Granted, Chen Cheng was also a bit of a slob, but at least she cleaned up after herself—just not very often, about once a week.
<+>
The restroom was located at the far end of the hallway on each floor. The tiled floors were old, yellowing, and the grout between them was stained with years of grime that no amount of scrubbing could remove.
If she could avoid it, Chen Cheng generally preferred not to use public restrooms.
Following the two girls inside, she waited in line before entering the stall at the very back.
She was on edge, feeling like a thief about to commit a crime. First, she made sure the door was completely locked, then glanced around cautiously before finally squatting down hesitantly.
For most girls, their period was just a natural biological process. But for her, it felt like stepping into a secret, intimate world she wasn't meant to be a part of. Even something as simple as changing a pad made her cheeks burn with embarrassment and discomfort.
The faint metallic scent spread in the air. Chen Cheng hurried her movements, terrified that someone would notice the smell and realize it was coming from her.
"Ugh, it's all blood, so gross."
"This happens every month? Being a woman sucks."
"I want an ice-cold Coke..."
In her past life, she never had to deal with this! Men didn't have a maintenance period!
"It's all An Yuan's fault! I keep thinking about him, but he's off playing games and basketball, completely ignoring me."
Muttering under her breath, Chen Cheng felt her nose sting slightly. She sniffled, feeling wronged and pitiful.
But no matter how much she complained, it wouldn't change reality. She had no hope of returning to her old life and could only try to accept everything as it was.
Forced to accept it against her will… just thinking about it made her even more miserable.
By the time she stepped out of the restroom, her two friends had been waiting for a while at the sinks.
"What took you so long?" Chen Shuting approached her. "Your eyes look a little red."
Chen Cheng's lips drooped as she sighed, exhaustion and hopelessness weighing her down. "My stomach hurts…"
"Oh~ You always seem to get really bad cramps."
"I have a heat patch in my bag," Hu Wei offered warmly.
"Mm, thanks."
As they walked back to the hallway, Chen Cheng glanced toward the basketball court below. From a distance, she could see An Yuan drenched in sweat, playing basketball with his friends. His laughter faintly carried over.
Idiot! There's only like ten minutes between classes, and you still run off to play? Let's see if you can even make it back in time!
Rolling her eyes, she was about to head back to the classroom with her friends when—
Out of nowhere, a guy rushed up to her and shoved something into her arms.
"???"
Before she could react, the guy had already darted into the neighboring classroom. Immediately, the entire hallway erupted in loud cheers and whistles.
Surrounded by the noise, Chen Cheng couldn't even make out what people were yelling. It felt like standing at the shore, hit by wave after wave of crashing water, leaving her mind blank and disoriented.
Looking down, she saw that the object in her hands was a red, heart-shaped gift box with a yellow sticky note attached.
Wait… did I just get confessed to?
A sudden rush of emotions—anger, shock, disgust, and grievance—all surged through her at once. With her period amplifying everything, her brain felt like it was buzzing, and even her breathing became erratic.
Dizzy and overwhelmed, she instinctively flung the gift box away and bolted back to the classroom, leaving it to crash onto the ground, spilling chocolates everywhere.
<+>
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Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 57: Breaktime Exercise[2]
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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