Chapter Vol. 1 Ch. 95

As her blurred vision gradually cleared, Ning Chu found herself staring up at a stark white ceiling.

“Hyperventilation.”

“Hyperventilation?”

“A syndrome caused by over-breathing due to excessive anxiety or stress, leading to a physiological and psychological reaction.”

She could hear Wen Yang’s voice, alongside an unfamiliar one, their conversation muffled yet clear enough.

So, I’m out of the bathroom now?

Thank goodness I had the sense to pull up my pants in time...

Ning Chu silently congratulated herself on her quick thinking and awareness, grateful that she hadn’t been completely exposed.

She tried to push herself up, but the moment she lifted her upper body, her arms gave out, causing her to collapse back onto the bed.

The sound of her body hitting the mattress startled those outside the room. Wen Yang quickly rushed in, his face filled with concern as he knelt beside the bed. “You’re awake? Are you okay?”

“Maybe,” Ning Chu muttered, still a bit disoriented. “What happened to me?”

“The doctor said you had hyperventilation syndrome...”

“What’s that?”

Ning Chu asked, confused, as she wriggled slightly, trying to sit up again. Eventually, she had to rely on Wen Yang’s support to finally get upright.

She looked up at Wen Yang’s worried face. “Shaoqing and Wang Jie didn’t come?”

“They went to handle the payment,” Wen Yang replied. “You really scared me. I thought something serious had happened.”

Wen Yang couldn’t hide his relief. The sight of Ning Chu lying on the bathroom floor, her pants stained with blood, had terrified him. It looked like a scene from a murder mystery, reminding him of the first chapter of Danganronpa.

Ning Chu gave Wen Yang a sidelong glance and then looked around the small hospital room, her eyes eventually landing on the crisp white bedsheets.

She felt like she was forgetting something.

What was it?

“Feeling better now?”

“Yeah, just no strength.” Ning Chu weakly held her head, asking, “What time is it?”

“Just past ten. We hadn’t been at the hospital long when you woke up.”

“Oh...” She shifted her legs out from under the blanket, pulling back the white covers. Just as she was about to stand, both her gaze and her body froze.

There, spreading across her thighs, was a deep crimson stain, soaking through her shorts.

That’s what I forgot... I didn’t put on a sanitary pad...

Why couldn’t I have fainted after putting one on?

Ning Chu’s face turned as white as a sheet. She instinctively pulled the blanket back over her legs, clutching it tightly against her thighs as her body stiffened.

Her breathing quickened uncontrollably, and she looked up, eyes wide and locked onto Wen Yang’s face.

“I’ve suspected you were a girl for a while, so don’t worry.” Wen Yang shook his head helplessly, his tone gentle and soothing. “Take it easy. Don’t get too worked up; your breathing’s getting too fast...”

“And them?”

“They don’t know. I kept it from them,” Wen Yang explained. “I grabbed a taxi as soon as we left the school, so they didn’t have time to catch on.”

Ning Chu finally let out a sigh of relief.

She had long known that Wen Yang was trying to figure out her gender. When she asked him to buy sanitary pads, she hadn’t planned on keeping up the pretense any longer.

Outside, she could hear Zhang Shaoqing and Wang Jie talking—they had returned from paying the hospital fees.

Wen Yang handed a bag to Ning Chu and turned to leave. “You should change your clothes.”

The door to the hospital room closed, and Zhang Shaoqing’s voice echoed from outside. “Hey! How’s Ning Chu? She’s not dead, is she?”

“Can’t you say something nicer?”

“I thought the whole dorm was going to end up in grad school...”

This rich kid never has anything good to say.@@novelbin@@

“Ning Chu’s doing better, right?”

“She should be fine. Just give her some time.”

“That’s good.” Wang Jie sighed in relief. “You should’ve called out to us. We didn’t even have time to react before you carried her off to the hospital.”

“I was in a hurry. What if something had happened?”

Hearing how Wen Yang had handled everything, Ning Chu finally relaxed completely. She rubbed her temples, trying to soothe the headache, and glanced around. The room was a small, single-bed hospital room, with a tiny bathroom in the corner.

“I’m getting closer and closer to my storyline...”

Ning Chu murmured to herself as she got up from the bed and opened the bag Wen Yang had given her. Inside, she found sanitary pads along with her underwear and pants.

Wen Yang had been thoughtful.

But the more attentive he was, the more worried she became.

Putting aside her chaotic thoughts for now, Ning Chu headed to the bathroom, looking down at the package of sanitary pads in her hand.

How do you even use these things?

Do I just stick it on...?

She stared at the pads for a while before pulling out her phone to look up instructions online.

Turns out, you stick it to your underwear.

Seeing the new feature again, Ning Chu was reminded that what had happened wasn’t a dream.

She really had completely turned into a girl.

A girl with periods, capable of having children, fully functional in every way.

Thinking back on her life up to this point, she felt an overwhelming sense of unreality, as if her life had now been split into two parts.

One was the introverted, nerdy boy, and the other was the novice girl she was now.

“Don’t think too much about it. Just run away...”

The conditions for her storyline had been met. She had become a girl, was still living in the boys’ dormitory, and Wen Yang now knew her true gender—and he had feelings for her.

It wouldn’t be long before something happened!

Ugh...

Even though running away meant facing unknown and possibly even more terrifying dangers, she still believed it was a better option than the imminent, visible danger.

As for... harming Wen Yang in any way... That was something she could only imagine in her dreams. She couldn’t even bring herself to kill a chicken, let alone anything more serious.

After hastily getting herself sorted, Ning Chu changed into clean pants and stood up, still feeling dazed.

As she stepped out of the hospital room, her three dorm mates quickly gathered around her. She looked up at them, her mood gloomy, but managed to force a small smile. “Let’s go back.”

Wen Yang looked at her troubled smile, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. “Maybe you should stay and rest?”

“No, I want to go back.”

The doctor approached and performed a quick checkup on Ning Chu. Once satisfied that she was fine, he allowed her to leave.

The four of them walked out of the hospital, still chattering noisily.

“Damn it! I lost the game!” Zhang Shaoqing cursed, full of regret. “It was a comeback game! We played for over fifty minutes, and we were just one team fight away from winning!”

“Yeah, it’s a real shame,” Wang Jie added, equally dejected. “We’ll probably get reported now.”

Wen Yang frowned in disapproval. “How can you still be talking about this? You didn’t have to come.”

“And who would’ve paid if I didn’t?” Zhang Shaoqing shot back, then turned to Ning Chu. “Want to order some food to help you recover? You look so weak.”

“How much? I’ll pay you back.”

“What, you think I’m broke? I don’t need your money.”

“...”

Ning Chu didn’t say anything, falling a bit behind as she tossed her blood-stained pants into a nearby trash can.

“Hey, what did you just throw away?”

“Nothing.”

She looked ahead at the three of them, laughing and chatting under the streetlights, their shadows long and distorted. Her mood sank even further.

I really should leave, but... I’m starting to feel a bit reluctant.