After I Cross-Dressed, Even My Roommate Kissed Me - Chapter 12

The first thing Pei Yisheng did upon waking up was to bombard Su Yiyi with messages to wake him up. After successfully rousing him, Pei Yisheng hesitated for half an hour, nearly sending Su Yiyi back to sleep, before finally asking awkwardly and in a low voice about Fang Xin’s current situation.

He rarely gossiped, and his face turned slightly red as he took the initiative to ask about Fang Xin.

Su Yiyi grinned widely. “Aiya, why are you acting so shy with me? Fang Xin, right? You’ve come to the right person. A few days ago, he was plastered all over the forum’s front page. It’s just that you’ve been so busy with work and studies that you didn’t know. If the posts hadn’t been mostly deleted by now, you wouldn’t even have needed to ask me.”

Pei Yisheng took a posture of listening intently.

Su Yiyi proceeded to spill everything he knew.

“I don’t know how Fang Xin manages his interpersonal relationships, but from the start of the semester until now, hardly anyone has spoken up for him. There’s only one silly guy named Qi Min who’s been wrapped around his finger. They did group projects and went to class together, but they had a falling out two days ago.”

Pei Yisheng remembered that name; he seemed to be the boy who was buying takoyaki with Fang Xin at the snack street.

“The reason is simple: Fang Xin and Song Wen got mixed up together.”

Su Yiyi was still a bit angry as he spoke, because he had once advised Pei Yisheng to choose one of his roommates someone wealthy, handsome, and gentle toward him. Su Yiyi himself wouldn’t have been able to refuse.

Moreover, he truly felt that Pei Yisheng’s life was too hard. He had to balance his studies while earning money, when clearly Song Wen or Wen Xiuyun could have solved those problems for him. Even if they couldn’t solve everything, they could have alleviated a significant portion of the pressure.

But as soon as he had suggested it, Pei Yisheng had refused.

Looking at it now, it was good that he refused. People like them had no hearts. No matter how well they pretended or how clean they acted at first, didn’t Song Wen still find Fang Xin as a distraction?

Pei Yisheng was already exhausted; if he lost the one thing he could control his feelings what hope would be left in his life?

He said with a look of disgust, “Everyone knows what kind of person Song Wen is. I even kindly advised him in the forum posts not to take it too seriously, but he went straight to the front lines to argue back. He said we all misunderstood Song Wen, that Song Wen is actually a very good person, and hinted that Song Wen treats him specially. He claimed everyone was just jealous of him.”

“Please, who would be jealous of him? It’s more like people are laughing at him.”

“Thinking about it now still makes me a bit angry. He spoke in such a ‘green tea’ manipulative way; I can’t even replicate it. His friend was blacklisted by Fang Xin just for advising him to think things through. Later, a classmate said the two had a huge fight in the classroom, and now Qi Min isn’t bothering with him anymore.”

Su Yiyi worked himself up into a huff, rolling up his sleeves as if he wanted to engage in a physical brawl.

Pei Yisheng hurried to soothe him, saying, “What if… the person involved knows the inner details best? Maybe Song Wen has really had a change of heart.”

Su Yiyi didn’t know the plot of the original novel or the allure Fang Xin held over these people, but Pei Yisheng felt it made sense. Without creating a sense of contrast, how could one prove Fang Xin’s charm? Song Wen was bound to be the “prodigal son” who returns.

It had to be said that this news was like a timely rain, dousing the burning anxiety in Pei Yisheng’s heart. Song Wen’s reaction being consistent with the original novel meant that everything was still on the right track.

Su Yiyi curled his lip. “Only a kind soul like you would think that. The forum is full of people predicting his downfall, just waiting to see Fang Xin get what’s coming to him.”

Originally, not many people were rooting for his downfall, but Fang Xin’s replies had triggered a rebellious streak in everyone.

Pei Yisheng sighed. “Respect and blessings.”

As time went on, Pei Yisheng felt increasingly uncomfortable with the original plot. But he was just a small fry; before the semester started, he couldn’t even speak or go out freely. Even his current level of freedom felt like it could vanish at any moment. He truly couldn’t do much.

Back in the dormitory, Pei Yisheng dazed off while staring at the injury medicine that had been delivered in the early hours of the morning.

There was no need to guess who sent this.

He looked through the types of medicine they were all for promoting blood circulation and removing stasis. He then looked at his finger; only a slight red mark remained. Even without the medicine, it would have disappeared in two or three days.

Pei Yisheng remained silent for a long time before typing Qin Zhou’s phone number into the WeChat search bar. When submitting the friend request, he sent a simple “Thank you.”

Regardless of whether Qin Zhou accepted, the sentiment was delivered.

Pei Yisheng didn’t expect Qin Zhou to accept within seconds. Flustered, he expanded on the message he had just written.

Qin Zhou stared at the message “I’m already better, thank you for the medicine” for a moment. He tapped his fingers twice, then put the phone aside to continue sleeping.

Looking at the other party’s cold reply, Pei Yisheng could almost imagine Qin Zhou’s expressionless face as he typed the single character: “Mn.”

He decided not to reply further and went to send a courier package instead.

Traveling to Meng Zihua’s studio was a bit far, so sending a local courier was simple and convenient. Keeping those women’s clothes with him felt like holding a landmine; it kept him on edge.

He carried his lunch back to the dorm, where Wen Xiuyun was also present.

“Shengsheng,” Wen Xiuyun smiled gently. “Didn’t we say we’d have lunch together today? Since you weren’t here, I thought you forgot.”

Wen Xiuyun stood there with poise, his eyes fixed on Pei Yisheng. His gaze was like an X-ray, constantly scanning Pei Yisheng’s body, making him extremely uncomfortable.

In his memory, Wen Xiuyun had always been a calm, “good guy,” a shield against Song Wen when he crossed the line, and a good roommate who provided a shred of security.

Pei Yisheng had always thought their platonic relationship could be maintained until the end of the original plot. Who would have known that from the moment Wen Xiuyun returned this time, the whole person had changed, becoming someone he felt was a stranger.

The fingers holding the plastic bag twitched. Pei Yisheng turned slightly to avoid Wen Xiuyun’s intense gaze, pretending to put things away with his back turned. Even so, he felt like there were needles in his back.

“I didn’t forget. I just happened to pass by and bought a little something. It’s not much; I can finish it myself.”

Hearing this, Wen Xiuyun laughed and approached Pei Yisheng, almost standing shoulder to shoulder. He was so close that Pei Yisheng could almost hear Wen Xiuyun’s heartbeat.

“Is that so? Then let’s eat together. Whatever Shengsheng buys must be delicious.”

Pei Yisheng’s skin crawled, and the hair on his arms stood up. He turned around, pretending to lose his balance, and intentionally pushed Wen Xiuyun a bit further away. “Sorry, I think I tripped on something.”

“It’s okay. If you fall, I’ll be there to catch you.” Wen Xiuyun said with a beaming smile, thoroughly enjoying Pei Yisheng’s reaction. He looked no different from someone watching a restless, helpless kitten.

Thinking he shouldn’t push the kitten too hard, Wen Xiuyun finally took a step back and walked to the small dining table first. “The food has been out for a while. Come eat quickly; if it gets cold, your stomach will be uncomfortable.”

Pei Yisheng finished the meal as if he were chewing wax. It wasn’t that the food was bad, but Wen Xiuyun made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

This couldn’t go on. Pei Yisheng put down his chopsticks. “Um, starting tomorrow, it won’t be convenient for me to eat with you. Thank you for your hospitality lately.”

“In what way is it inconvenient? Can I help you?” Wen Xiuyun seemed unable to hear the underlying meaning and continued to press with a composed expression.

Pei Yisheng had already thought of an excuse. “I’m going to do a part-time job off-campus.”

“Is that so? Then let’s eat dinner together.”

“The schedule is tight and the workload is heavy. I have to go to the library after the job. I’ll just grab a quick bite on the way.”

Wen Xiuyun said disapprovingly, “Your body won’t be able to handle that.”

Pei Yisheng grumbled inwardly: If I keep eating with you, my body really won’t be able to handle it.

He was determined to stay away from Wen Xiuyun. No matter what was said, he avoided discussing “doing things together.” After being rejected several times, Wen Xiuyun’s face finally turned cold.

The atmosphere began to stagnate. Pei Yisheng silently cleared the table. When he returned from throwing out the trash, Wen Xiuyun was no longer in the dorm.

Pei Yisheng breathed a sigh of relief.

Actually, he wasn’t just making up excuses. Since the work with the Senior sister had gotten on track, riding the wave of internet traffic, he really did have a lot more work, and his wallet was becoming plump.

Just now, he had even scrolled through local housing information and spotted several short-term rentals. He planned to find a time to go check them out with Su Yiyi. Once final exams were over, he would be able to move out.

During a break between classes that day, the class monitor stood on the podium to announce some news.

The school had a tradition of holding a New Year’s Eve gala every year, and this year was no exception. The department required two major programs. Since everyone was in the Science and Engineering department and lacked “artistic cells,” the department took the initiative to collaborate with the Arts Academy to ensure the event was done beautifully.

“One of the programs has been decided: a cross-dressing stage play with an original script. Students who participate will receive ten credit points. Those interested, come to me to sign up. Auditions will be held this weekend.”

“That much?”

“They’ve really gone all out.”

“For the sake of our eyes, Yisheng, you should sign up quickly!”

“Exactly, I don’t want to see someone burly wearing a skirt.”

Pei Yisheng’s entire attention was on those ten credit points. Good heavens, he worked hard for a whole semester just to get a few. Getting ten at once even if he didn’t use them to apply for off-campus housing, he could use them to compete for scholarships.

Many people had the same idea, but after learning that the ten points wouldn’t be counted toward the scholarship calculation, the crowd thinned out significantly.

Fortunately, there were many people in the department. By gathering people from different classes, the auditions wouldn’t look too bad.

Meeting everyone’s expectations, Pei Yisheng signed up. To escape the dormitory, he could handle cross-dressing!

Su Yiyi also got the news. He was so afraid Pei Yisheng wouldn’t sign up that he had prepared a whole speech to persuade him, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

“Bro, you’re truly reliable. When there’s something to be done, you really step up.”

Pei Yisheng’s eyes curved into crescents. “With these ten points, our plan to move out is set.”

“Good! Let’s work hard!”

The audition was simple. Someone as good-looking as Pei Yisheng was the most popular choice; there would be no flaws in his cross-dressing. For the comedic effect of the script, a few very enthusiastic and sturdy male students were also kept.

During the break of the first rehearsal, a row of small food carts was pushed in through the side door of the auditorium. Just as everyone was surprised by the department’s generosity, Song Wen followed in at the very end.

“Shengsheng, I heard your rehearsals are exhausting, so I specifically ordered milk tea and cakes for everyone. Don’t be polite, help yourselves, there’s enough for everyone.”

Song Wen arrived with high visibility, and his intimacy with Pei Yisheng didn’t seem fake. Almost immediately, people began to whisper and gossip.

“What does Song Wen mean by this?”

“Isn’t he hitting it off with you-know-who? I saw them together just a couple of days ago.”

“I really thought Song Wen had changed his ways, tsk tsk. Turns out he just hadn’t met the next one yet.”

“But I heard Pei Yisheng is in the same dorm as him. Maybe it’s not the kind of relationship we think it is.”

Pei Yisheng was also pondering: What is Song Wen trying to do? What kind of relationship do we have that would warrant him putting on this show?

Support After I Cross-Dressed, Even My Roommate Kissed Me