I never expected the old man to grit his teeth and actually go dance with Wu Qinglan.

Her thinking wasn’t wrong. If she could spend a bit more time with him while dressed as a woman, then when the truth finally came out, at least there’d be some psychological buffer.

But dancing—this was really her asking for suffering.

Wearing that dog-headed mascot suit, my dad became a spinning human top the moment he entered the dance floor. He couldn’t hear the music, so there was no rhythm to speak of. He couldn’t see either, which meant every few steps he’d stomp squarely on Wu Qinglan’s foot. His movements were so clumsy that everyone else instinctively gave them a wide berth.

So embarrassing… forget them.

I wanted to dance with a cute girl too, but with my right leg fractured, all I could do was sit and watch. Thankfully, the costume ball had a high-end buffet, which kept me from dying of boredom.

That was when someone in a silver-white evening gown and a white ballroom mask sat down across from me, a bottle of wine in hand.

“May I sit here?” she asked.

“You already sat down—what’s the point of asking now?!”

“I’m just being polite. Why are you sitting here alone, drinking your sorrows away?”

“This is juice. I don’t drink.”

“Then have some. This peach wine is really good, you know.”

“Teacher, shouldn’t you at least pretend to have professional ethics? You’re encouraging a student to drink!”

The person chatting me up was none other than Takagi-sensei. This woman, who always radiated an aura of lethargy, was squinting lazily. If

I didn’t know her eyes were naturally small, I’d have thought she was already drunk.

“Sorry for outing your secret earlier. How about I apologize again, as your teacher?”

She was properly dressed for the ball and even had light makeup on. Honestly, she looked a lot prettier than usual. Men generally don’t stay mad at beautiful women, and I didn’t have the energy to nitpick anymore.

“No need. Just… please don’t spread it around school.”

“Of course not, my lips are sealed. But more importantly—what you said earlier, about splitting into two bodies… were you serious?”

“So you still don’t believe me?!”

Thinking about it, Wu Qinglan being the one who believed so easily was the strange part.

I snapped back, “I’ve already told you everything I can. Believe it or not. Worst case, just see for yourself when you come to school tomorrow. Look—my chest is flat right now, isn’t it?”

She poured herself a small glass of peach wine and downed it in one go.

“You little girle—ah, right, you’re a boy now. Fine, I won’t ask anymore.”

“Then stop bothering me and go dance. You’re a pro, aren’t you?”

“Too much trouble. I’ll just sit here with you.”

“Suit yourself.”

I knew she was trying to comfort me, but I still ignored her, turning my head toward the dance floor instead.

It was pure chaos. An inflatable T-rex dancing with a girl in ancient Chinese costume—this level of surrealism was really something else.

After stepping on Wu Qinglan’s feet an uncountable number of times, my dad finally caught her rhythm. His steps started to look somewhat decent, though watching someone dance in a mascot suit was still inherently ridiculous.

Wu Qinglan looked genuinely happy. She was usually carefree and giggly, but the bliss on her face right now was the most feminine expression I’d ever seen on her.

She really did like my dad.

But why?

Unable to endure the silence, Takagi-sensei spoke again.

“I heard from Ah Mian—you know, that your dad has severe gynophobia, and that Miss Wu Qinglan has feelings for him. Disguising herself as a man and staying by his side for months just to build affection and win him over… that’s insane. Even TV dramas wouldn’t dare write something like that.”

“Sensei, you’re really way too nosy.”

I complained, then continued.

“At least TV dramas get happy endings. But for Qinglan-jie… it probably won’t be that smooth. I know my dad’s condition better than anyone. It’s serious. I’ve lived with him for over a decade, and even now he can’t bring himself to look directly at his own son’s face. She’s only been with him for a few months, it might not be enough.”

“Psychological disorders are tricky,” she said seriously. “Therapy can only guide, medication can only suppress. Whether someone escapes their shadow depends on themselves. But sometimes, all it takes is a single trigger.”

I glanced sideways at Takagi-sensei. “Oh? Now you’re a psychologist too?”

Her nose practically tilted upward.

“Hey, don’t underestimate me. Psychology is a required subject for educators.”

“Then tell me—what am I thinking right now?”

“Psychology isn’t mind-reading… but I know you think I’m annoying and want me gone.”

“Bullseye. Guess you really do know psychology.”

The atmosphere of the ball was heating up. More and more people filled the dance floor. Wu Qinglan, however, chose that moment to lead my dad away.

“Well then,” Takagi-sensei said, standing up, “your dad’s back. I’ll stop bothering you then.”

Before leaving, she patted Wu Qinglan on the shoulder.

“Go for it. I’m rooting for you.”

Which left Wu Qinglan utterly bewildered.

“Huh?”

My dad collapsed into a chair, panting heavily.

Sitting still, two electric fans were barely enough to keep him from overheating. Dancing had completely overwhelmed the suit’s ventilation.

He tugged at the seal under the mascot head, releasing a wave of hot, damp air.

“It’s too hot,” he said. “Let’s find somewhere quiet so I can drink some water and eat.”

I thought for a moment. “Somewhere with no people? Then the men’s restroom. Definitely no women there.”

“…………”

From inside the dog mascot suit came a terrifying silence.

Wu Qinglan hurriedly interjected, “It’s not that bad! There’s a men’s changing room prepared. Much better than a restroom.”

“…Then the changing room,” my dad agreed at last, audibly relieved.

“Xiao Kai, you take your dad there first. I’ll grab some food and drinks.”

“Okay.”

Leaning on my crutch, I stood up.

To eat or drink, my dad would have to remove the mascot head. This was Wu Qinglan’s chance. I knew it—this was her final charge against an impregnable fortress.

Still, a limping kid with a crutch guiding a blind, deaf mascot wasn’t exactly fast. By the time we reached the changing room, Wu Qinglan had already caught up, carrying a tray loaded with food and drinks.

“You guys really are slow.”

The changing room was originally a large private room, just temporarily repurposed for the ball. Besides mirrors, it had tables and chairs—perfectly usable for eating.

Wu Qinglan set the tray down and stood silently to the side, hands twisting the hem of her dress without meaning.

She looked nervous.

No—she’d been nervous all along. But now, she couldn’t even muster the pretense of ease.

My dad reached up to remove the mascot head, but I pressed a hand down on the dog’s skull.

“Huh?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”

I gave him one final warning.

“Dad, before you take that off, you’d better be mentally prepared.”

“What is it now? You’re making me nervous.”

Even so, he removed the head.

Wu Qinglan made a tiny movement as if to bolt, then froze by the doorway.

My dad exhaled deeply. His hair was soaked with sweat. He noticed the drinks on the table first, grabbed one, and chugged it down. He really was parched. As he drank, he glanced my way—and naturally saw Wu Qinglan.

“PFF—!”

“Damn it, you’re disgusting!”

He sprayed juice all over me. Great. Dry cleaning a suit is gonna be a pain.

“Wo… wo… w-om—” He trembled, pointing at Wu Qinglan, the words jamming in his throat.

“Look carefully! That’s Qinglan-ge!”

Seeing he was about to pass out, Wu Qinglan hurriedly stepped back three paces, retreating to the doorway and calling out carefully.

“Uncle Chang. It’s me.”

The familiar voice restored a bit of his composure.

“Xiao Wu? Why are you dressed like that?”

…Ah. So that’s how his brain worked.

Right now, he thought she was simply cross-dressing—still fundamentally male.

“That’s not quite right, Uncle Chang,” Wu Qinglan said calmly. “I lied to you. I’m actually a woman. I’ve just been cross-dressing as a man all this time.”

She said it.

No detours. Straight truth.

She even stepped forward as she spoke.

“……”

The sheer impact of it struck my dad dumb. His face went deathly pale. His body began to twitch, pupils drifting erratically.

This was bad—his brain was about to crash!

“Dad, hang in there! This is part of the therapy!”

I rushed forward, gripping his shoulders.

“Think about how Qinglan-jie has taken care of you these past months! Does her gender really matter?!”

My dad went rigid.

Wu Qinglan stood frozen, lips pressed tight in anxiety.

“Dad, get a grip already!”

He didn’t move.

His brain had crashed.

Wu Qinglan’s operation…

Had failed.