[You b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲, Chang Kai! You’re not even human!]

By the time I got Zhao Zhao’s tragic, rage-filled message, I was already lying in bed about to fall asleep. That’s when it finally hit me—he was the one we forgot.

The next day was Monday, and rumor had it that despite his, um, injury, Zhao Zhao had still been dragged from his chilly home (a refreshing 26°C) to the inferno which is school (a scorching 40°C) to attend his brutal summer remedial classes. Such heartfelt camaraderie between classmates! I cried.

Honestly, getting beat up by Lei Laohu might’ve been less cruel.

Meanwhile, I was back to my stay-at-home life—wasting away my youth on video games and the internet. I know it isn’t good, but man, living like this was addictive. Too good to stop.

On a side note, thanks to Yuanyue Entertainment's promotional efforts, Lei Meow Meow’s surprise performance at the swimsuit contest went viral. Her popularity skyrocketed, and she even gained her own fanbase.

Of course, there were some… questionable comments, which were probably best ignored.

“Why’s she called Meow Meow? She doesn’t even have a tail! LMAO, trash!”
“Honestly, her manager Tian Xi’s way cuter. She should debut instead.”
“Big bro will always be my big bro!”

If there was any real change in my life lately, it was that the peaceful days were now overshadowed by the ominous presence of our new neighbor.

Every day, luxury cars pulled up in front of our house, and men in suits and sunglasses went in and out of the courtyard next door. I even heard them refer to Uncle Zhu Beihai as “Young Master.” Wait, what?! I thought he was just some high-ranking gangster—turns out he’s the heir?

Worse yet, he totally noticed me spying on him. The second those black cars left, he came knocking on my door again—with another gift box of Nancheng Ji pastries. Seriously, how many of those things does he have?

“Sorry, kid. Did I scare you just now?”

If you just looked at his face, he seemed like your friendly neighborhood uncle. But the tattoo peeking through his white shirt said otherwise.

“N-no-no, not at all.”

“You’re definitely nervous. Want me to give you something to help you relax? I’ve got stuff at home that’ll calm you right down.”

STOP. This kind of book does not allow that kind of stuff!

“Actually, I’m just practicing for my appearance on Kasou Taishou. I’m doing a broken tape recorder impression.”

“Haha! Not bad at all. But really, don’t worry—they’re just my business associates. Nothing shady going on, got it?”

“Got it. Please don’t kill me.”

“Aiya, you definitely like joking, young man. Nowadays , it’s a law-abiding society, why would I kill anyone~?”

After that, I didn’t even dare step out onto my balcony. I didn’t want to accidentally bump into Uncle Zhu again.

Business partners and subordinates, huh? If it weren’t for the tattoos, I might actually believe him.

Technically, I should’ve been out scouting for misfortune—looking for someone who looked unlucky enough to qualify. Sure, I had Rinka as backup, but I hadn’t met my monthly quota. Still, August’s sun had gone from “hot” to “absolute insanity,” peaking at 42°C. It had been a heatwave from day one.

For the record, ideal human comfort temp? 25°C.

In this weather, if someone collapsed on the roadside, they’d be barbecue-ready in ten minutes—all that’s missing is the cumin seasoning.

Besides Rinka, there were a few other potential candidates. Not Old Feng, who’d disappeared, but Li Jianlian—the human workhorse.

His family was in deep trouble after having seven kids, and he couldn’t afford to go for further studies. Unlike Old Feng who is half blind and had his face disfigured, Li Jianlian’s issues couldn’t just be solved with a magical gender swap. Unless he planned to pull a Tian Xi and run away from home, there wasn’t much I could do for him.

Lately, I've been monster-hunting with my trusty shield-axe and my cat. Even the proud Kirin of the Coral Highlands had fallen to my superior tactics. Just when I thought I was invincible, the heavens sent me a punishment in the form of a golden pickle—Gold Rathian. That overgrown monster hit like a truck and was built like a brick wall.

So yeah, I was living the dream. Chilling with chips and iced cola, until Wednesday rolled around and I got a message from Rinka:

[Let’s go on our date tomorrow.]

Short and to the point. If a girl had sent that to me, I would’ve jumped so hard I’d hit the ceiling.

[Sure, where do you want to go?] [Let's meet at the metro station at 10. I’ve got a place I want to show you.]

Probably a place full of memories or something.

[No problem.] [About the moonstones we mentioned?]

[Still got plenty. Don’t worry.]

[Thanks, Kai-chan.]

I still couldn’t believe Rinka was the granddaughter—er, grandson—of that terrifying Principal Huangfu.

If that old woman ever found out her precious grandson had become a granddaughter, she’d probably be terrifyingly overjoyed. Rinka didn’t say it outright, but in a family like his, men probably ranked a lot lower than women.

The next day, I arrived at the station an hour early—not for any sentimental reason, but because I didn’t want to die in the 40°C heat.

Honestly, if it weren’t for Rinka, there’s no way I’d have left the house in this weather. Please let it not be an outdoor amusement park. At this temperature, even a merry-go-round sounds like a torture device for your butt.

Inside the station, the A/C was blasting. I leaned against the wall, scrolling Weibo out of boredom, occasionally glancing at the flow of commuters.

Eventually, I saw Rinka coming down the escalator. I checked my phone—9:40. He was twenty minutes early too.

He was dressed in full girl mode today. A light, scallion-green women’s T-shirt with satin trim that suited his complexion, and a high-waisted, pastel-pink miniskirt that didn’t even reach his knees—showing off his long, fair legs.

His makeup was still top-tier, but ever since I saw his bare face at Aqua World, it had left too deep an impression. Even with makeup, I could still spot the hints of masculinity in his features… His illusion magic no longer worked on me.

He looked surprised I was already there.

“Whoa, Kai-chan! You’re here early today!”

“It’s hot out, so I came early.”

“You could’ve come upstairs to wait.”

“The A/C down here’s great.”

“Still, you could’ve texted me so I’d come down early too. Don’t be such a stranger!”

“I didn’t want to interrupt your makeup time.”

He crossed his arms, looking mildly annoyed. His place was less than five minutes from the station—I just didn’t want to trouble him.
Before he could say anything else, I pulled out a large moonstone from my pocket. It wasn’t the most flawless one from the stash, but it was definitely the biggest.

“The divine stone! You really brought it!” His eyes sparkled with excitement.

“We had a deal, didn’t we? Now hurry up and get to the women’s restroom. If you transform out here, you’ll be trending news before noon.”

“O-okay!”

He took the moonstone with great care, holding it like it was some rare treasure. I felt a little guilty… that thing only cost like a hundred yuan for a whole bag.

The first time when I went into the ladies’ restroom at Lose Moonlit, I was already wracked with guilt. Rinka, though, strolled in like it was completely normal. He must’ve already fully embraced being a woman inside.

I waited by the bathroom door for the length of a pop song, then casually pulled out my notebook and jotted down his name—just like before. Then I leaned against the wall again and kept scrolling.

Wait—Lei Meow Meow was exposed as the daughter of Yuanyue Group’s chairman?!

Soon after, Rinka peeked out from the restroom, scanning the corridor for me. Once he spotted me, she jogged over, clutching her chest and wobbling slightly. Looked like her sandals were too big after the transformation shrunk her feet.

“Kai-chan! This is bad—I’ve gotta head back!”

Her face was a little red. I could already guess why.

“What happened?”

“This outfit was already kinda tight, and now…”

“Say no more. I get it.”