A Young Woman's Heart

"So I was wondering, are there any girls who turned into boys? Unfortunately, I haven't found any yet. If you know anyone like that, please contact me, I'd like to get to know you~"

Shen Kelin's tone was playful, and it sounded like a complete joke.

Did she say that on purpose, or did she accidentally let it slip?

Mo Xueyao had no idea, only that her heart almost skipped a beat just now.

"Oh—maybe Xiaoxi was a girl before, and then something happened and she suddenly became a boy!"

As it turned out, Hua Yinyin didn't talk about Mo Xueyao at all, as if she had completely ignored it.

"Huh, is that possible?" Wang Jiale, whose headphones weren't turned up very loud, naturally heard the broadcast earlier and excitedly came to join in the fun.

"So how does it happen? Is it magic? Or some kind of divine art? Or perhaps, Huang Yuxi, the girl, has entered a mirror world where the boy inside has replaced her?"

When it came to horror stories, Wang Jiale immediately perked up. She took off her headphones, excitedly leaned on the table, and took a sip of Hua Yinyin's tea: "Maybe that day, at midnight, she was peeling an apple in front of the mirror, then cut her finger, and a drop of blood fell on the mirror, and the boy in the mirror crawled out—oh, that explains why Xiaoxi looks so much like a girl!"

"I also want to try what it's like to be a boy. How about I peel an apple in front of the mirror tonight?" Hua Yinyin asked with a teasing smile.

"what……"

"What's wrong with Xiaoyao?"

"It's nothing, Shen Kelin is just talking nonsense again. I'll have to settle the score with her later!" Mo Xueyao deliberately pretended to be angry.

"Pfft, oh dear, isn't that just how she is? She even joked about herself last time."

"Last time?"

"Yes, she said she was a male cat transformed into a cat demon."

"...This guy."

……

Chapter Forty-Five: School Sports Meet and Rain

2001 10 Month 11 Day.

Thursday.

For senior high school students, this is their last school sports meet in high school.

The transition from summer to autumn in Hangzhou is always very abrupt.

The sun was shining so brightly just before, and the weather was so hot that people were sweating profusely, but a sudden rain last night caused the temperature to drop by more than ten degrees.

The temperature dropped from nearly forty degrees Celsius to the twenties. At this time, the rain had lessened considerably, but it had not stopped. It pattered sparsely on the yellowing leaves, and many had already fallen in the flower beds and along the paths at the base of the trees, like a carpet of yellow and green.

A few glistening raindrops clung to the open window, blown in by the wind, now slowly trickling down the glass, one drop at a time.

The occasional gust of wind blowing into the band room could make people shiver.

Mo Xueyao brewed a cup of strong tea, held it in her hands and sipped it slowly, with most of her small hands tucked into her sleeves, only a few fair and delicate fingers showing.

A red long-sleeved autumn jacket seems insufficient to keep out the cold, perhaps because the temperature has dropped too quickly, making it difficult to adjust.

Moreover, she came out with bare legs today because her mother forgot to put her clothes by the bed yesterday. She didn't seem to feel very cold when she first came out. When she got to the bus stop, she wanted to go back to get them, but she thought it was too much trouble. And just then, the bus arrived, so she just got on the bus.

This autumn school uniform still belongs to Li Wanyan. She always keeps some spare items in her schoolbag in case of emergencies.

Although it was her old school uniform from her first year of high school, it still looked a bit loose on Mo Xueyao, probably because the school's jackets were generally made to be quite large.

Ultimately, my family is now wealthy. I remember in junior high, I kept wearing my school uniform even though it was getting too small, until it was completely unwearable before we bought a new one. Now, we buy a new school uniform every school year, even if it's the same style and size.

In her mother's words, "We're not short of money now, and school uniforms are worn out frequently, so it's only right to replace them every year."

Besides, old school uniforms aren't useless; they can still be used if it rains continuously and the clothes don't dry.

Aside from the skirt providing a negligible amount of warmth to the thighs, the entire leg was bare, and a gust of wind felt like soaking one's feet in ice water.

She couldn't help but stomp her feet hard to get some warmth.

"Good morning, Xiaoyao." The second person to walk in today was Yu Shu. Her hair was tied up in a pretty and full bun. She was wearing a school uniform that looked like it had been ironed, and her white over-the-knee socks also looked new, making her look very formal.

"Huh, you're dressed like you're on your first day of school." Mo Xueyao kept her legs tightly together to reduce heat loss. "It's really cold today."

"Yeah, it's gotten more than ten degrees colder. It's also raining today. I wonder if the school sports meet will even take place..."

"High jump and long jump events can probably be held in indoor stadiums, right..." Mo Xueyao took another sip of hot tea. "Phew, I should have worn socks..."

"Huh, isn't Haruka wearing socks?"

"Yes."

"Hmm... here's a spare one, do you want it?"

"Huh, do girls like to put spare clothes in their backpacks?" Mo Xueyao clicked her tongue curiously.

Yu Shu nodded naturally at first, then couldn't help but lower her head and laugh, "What? Isn't Xiao Yao a girl too?"

"Ah, cough..."

Perhaps because the other person was Yu Shu, Mo Xueyao always felt like a boy when facing her.

Yu Shu first put down the shoulder keyboard, then placed her schoolbag on the chair, unzipped it, and carefully searched for something.

"Wow, you've got so many snacks in your bag!" Mo Xueyao craned her neck excitedly. "Any of them spicy? I'm freezing! I need something spicy to warm my stomach!"

"Spicy strips? Hmm, no, there's only one spicy chicken leg..." Yu Shu muttered shyly, "How can I not eat snacks at the school sports meet..."

Mo Xueyao nodded while leaning on the table. Perhaps because Yi's gaze was fixed on her thighs, at the junction of her over-the-knee socks and the hem of her skirt, her face flushed slightly.

"Xiaoyao...hey, those socks...what are you looking at...?"

"Huh? What are you looking at? I'm not looking at anything." Mo Xueyao looked blank. "I'm waiting for you to turn over the spicy chicken leg..."

Yu Shu gave her a pair of flesh-colored pantyhose. Since there was no one in the classroom, Mo Xueyao simply took off her shoes and put the pantyhose on as if she were wearing pants.

The socks were very elastic, tightly wrapping around her legs, instantly warming her cold thighs.

"Hey, spicy chicken leg."

"Sichuan spicy flavor..." Mo Xueyao looked at the big words on it. The red chicken leg looked very appetizing. As soon as she took it, she couldn't wait to tear open the packaging and take a big bite.

Well, the meat was rather tough...

However, you can't expect too much from chicken legs packaged like this; as long as the taste is acceptable, it's fine.

"Hoo hoo..." The spicy aroma made Mo Xueyao exhale hot breath, and her lips were much redder than when she first arrived at the classroom, as if she had applied lipstick.

"Oh no, oh no, Xiao Yaoyao!" She had just picked up the teacup and was blowing on it to cool it down a bit when Hua Yinyin suddenly pushed open the door and rushed in.

"What?" Mo Xueyao felt she could already guess what she was going to say next. "The school sports meet is canceled? Because of the rain?"

"Huh—Little Yao Yao stole my lines!"

"...Although the rain wasn't heavy, the ground is so slippery, it's impossible to run on it." Mo Xueyao drooped her eyelids and took a big gulp of hot tea, immediately sticking out her pink tongue from the heat. Eating something very spicy and drinking very hot water made her feel like her tongue was about to peel off.

"Hey, it's still open, it's just not open at the school anymore."

"Where will it be located?" Mo Xueyao asked curiously.

"Awen said to go to the city stadium. There is a fully enclosed venue there, so the rain can't get in. There is a large playground inside, big enough to hold a school sports meet."

"Go now?"

"No, we're waiting for the bus. Apparently, we're going directly to the city stadium tomorrow; we don't need to come to school to assemble." Hua Yinyin puffed out her chest proudly. "Hehe, I have plenty of information, right!"

"When did you become as gossipy as Lele... Shall we go back to the classroom and wait?"

"Well, I came here to call you back to the classroom to wait. Um, you can leave your instruments in the classroom, especially your electronic keyboard, Xiaoyao."

"I never intended to bring it with me..."

"I'll still bring my pipa; it won't get in the way anyway."

Mo Xueyao then noticed that Hua Yinyin hadn't even brought her schoolbag today, only a pipa bag. She probably carried two bags normally, so having one less made her steps seem much lighter.

"It's much colder outside than in the classroom..." Although she was wearing the flesh-colored pantyhose Yu Shu had given her, Mo Xueyao still couldn't help but hug her chest and shrink her neck when she went outside. "Hangzhou really doesn't have autumn or spring, only summer and winter..."

"Yeah, it always feels like I can only wear my autumn clothes for a few days before I have to switch to winter clothes. Tsk, I have so many nice autumn clothes, and the red autumn coat is the best-looking one in my school uniform." Hua Yinyin said, swinging her two braids, deeply agreeing.

The three of them walked downstairs together, their footsteps echoing in the empty stairwell.

When they went outside, the rain had intensified. The three of them, holding umbrellas, jumped over one small puddle after another and ran quickly toward the main teaching building.

The security guard with a scar on his face squatted down at the entrance, looking at them with a nostalgic expression, probably thinking about his own school days.

No one can stay young forever, but there will always be someone who is young.

The vines that climbed all over the teaching building had withered and turned yellow, as had the green plants in the flower beds.

Autumn rain is like the dye of autumn maiden, coloring everything with the gold of autumn.

But some flowers are still blooming, completely unaffected.

The classroom was already packed. Normally, when there are regular classes, many people like to arrive at the classroom right on time, but when there are no classes, everyone arrives very early.

They chattered excitedly in the classroom, like a flock of cheerful sparrows.

Even though I've experienced so many school sports meets since I was a child, I'm still so excited.

However... it could also be related to the fact that this year's event is being held in a very large stadium instead of a school.

This gives people the illusion of an autumn outing.

Yu Shu wasn't alone in bringing snacks; Gao Yuan was another example. He even carried a hiking backpack, which was overflowing with all sorts of snacks. The zipper was open, and he proudly showed it off to everyone, already holding a large bag of potato chips.

Everyone passing by could reach into the bag, grab a few pieces, and pop them into their mouths.

The crisp sound of potato chips is a perfect match for autumn.

The school bell rang, silencing the students briefly. Then, remembering they didn't have class today, they started talking even louder than before.

"Quiet—" Ye Wen hurriedly walked into the classroom from outside. "Alright, the bus will be here soon. Everyone, line up in the hallway and board the bus in order. Line up, okay? Li Hongran, keep order. Class monitor, count the number of students. Mo Xueyao—"

"Huh? Is there something I need?" Mo Xueyao asked, somewhat puzzled.

"You're in charge of holding this flag, right? Come to the front so that no one gets lost."

"It's just like a primary school field trip, but why am I the one carrying it...?"

"Because when you enter, you'll be the one standing at the front holding the sign."