After I Cross-Dressed, Even My Roommate Kissed Me - Chapter 9

“Senior, stop teasing me,” Pei Yisheng’s eyes flickered. “You’re clearly the more beautiful one.”

Meng Zihua had been into cosplay since primary school. Her family wasn’t short on money, and since she had a passion for it, she had started her own club in junior high. By the time she reached university, she had gained significant management experience and disposable capital, leading her to officially register her own studio.

After years of work, while she might not have fans across the entire internet, at least half the community liked her studio’s cosplayers. When she offered Pei Yisheng a job, she certainly wasn’t kidding.

Meng Zihua laughed heartily. “We’re beautiful in different ways! Shengsheng, you’re too cute. Have you really not considered dating someone in university?”

Pei Yisheng shook his head. “I don’t have any plans for that yet. Senior, look here is this seam coming apart a bit?”

“Let me see. Linda! Come re-stitch this area, and while you’re at it, check the whole outfit.”

Meng Zihua was decisive and efficient when she worked. Pei Yisheng let out a quiet sigh of relief. Matters of the heart felt far too distant for him; he just wanted to focus on living each day well for now.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the convention arrived. Pei Yisheng woke up early and went to find Meng Zihua with Su Yiyi. When they reached the studio, the place was already a hive of activity.

Pei Yisheng quickly changed into his costume and sat obediently in a chair, waiting for his makeup to be applied. Su Yiyi sat beside him, feeling the fabric of his outfit, and sighed, “Shengsheng, this outfit suits you so perfectly.”

Meng Zihua walked over to greet them. “Once the wig is on and the makeup is done, it’ll suit him even better.”

Su Yiyi nodded vigorously. “If I had known, I would’ve brought my sketchbook. I’m bursting with inspiration right now.”

“Just draw on your phone. The makeup is going to take a long time anyway.”

Pei Yisheng’s previous two makeup trials had taken nearly two hours each; sitting still for that long was quite tedious. However, since the look was already finalized this time, the detailed application only took an hour.

Afterward, the group of fully costumed cosplayers piled into a car and entered the convention center through the back entrance.

The scale of this convention was unprecedented. The approved venue was as large as five football fields and five stories high, covering anime, novels, games, and movies. No matter how niche a “CP” (character pairing) was, it was likely to appear here. Famous creators from the circle had gathered, bringing so much merchandise and “doujin” books that suitcases couldn’t hold them all. Crowds swarmed popular booths, and the aisles were packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

Their game characters were located on the third floor. Meng Zihua had taken a contract for an official game company, requiring twelve popular characters chosen by an online vote. Their designated activity area was large and situated near the center, a testament to the game’s massive popularity.

Pei Yisheng was cosplaying a highly popular character. As he walked from the backstage to the venue, the sounds of praise nearly drowned him out.

“So beautiful!”

“This cosplayer is so tall! The skirt drapes beautifully, and the costume and styling are so meticulous. Can I take a photo with him later?”

“I wonder if the ‘teacher’ [cosplayer] will give out fan service? I’m staying right here today; I can’t miss out on such an excellent teacher’s fan service!”

“My god, the teacher’s skin is so good. It feels like his face is literally glowing.”

“Of all the ‘Madams’ on the internet, this Madam is the most beautiful!”

“O beautiful, melancholy Madam, please step on me! Hehehe~”

“Wow, you’re a creep!”

“When the Madam’s hand fanned past, the first thing I smelled was the Madam’s fragrance~”

“Ahhh, you’re a creep too!”

Pei Yisheng kept a faint smile on his face, doing his best to portray the character of the “Madam.” He even maintained the character’s specific gestures. The dense, constant clicking of camera shutters effectively drowned out his nervousness, even though a “groundhog” was screaming at the top of its lungs inside his head.

He knew people would be enthusiastic, but he hadn’t expected this level of passion!

Faces full of joy were turned toward him, shouting “Wife,” “Madam,” “Baby,” or “Teacher, look at me!” People held up colorful, exquisitely made hand-banners and merchandise. During his hour-long work session, Pei Yisheng truly felt the pure passion of the fans.

When it was time to head backstage to change into a new set of clothes, Su Yiyi ran over and asked, “How is it? Isn’t it super fun?”

Although he had come up with Pei Yisheng, he could only wait outside the cordoned area. Later, as the crowd grew, he had been pushed to the edge. Su Yiyi had signaled to Pei Yisheng that he was going to check on Chengcheng, and he had only just returned. He had snapped photos of everyone he met along the way; his camera shutter was practically smoking from use.

Pei Yisheng nodded. “It’s fun. Everyone is very nice.”

“They’re nice to you, but they nearly squeezed my shoes off! This is definitely a day to remember. I have to edit a vlog when I get back.”

Pei Yisheng knew Su Yiyi had a social media account with tens of thousands of followers. Hearing this, he smiled and said, “Then the organizers should pay you for the advertising.”

“Maybe next time. Who told me I’m so kind-hearted?” Su Yiyi said, wagging his head playfully.

After changing clothes and working another hour, Pei Yisheng’s morning shift ended. After Meng Zihua spoke with the organizers, they reserved half an hour for photos and autographs. Pei Yisheng didn’t know what he should sign. He had never been a public figure, and his own name was quite ordinary.

Ultimately, at Su Yiyi’s suggestion, he signed “Fei Yi”. It was a very novel experience.

The next day, Meng Zihua’s studio still had work, but the regular staff could handle it, so Pei Yisheng didn’t need to fill in. Having unexpectedly earned a high income, Pei Yisheng gave himself a day off to lounge in his dorm, eating fruit and zoning out.

Su Yiyi had had enough fun after one day. Knowing Pei Yisheng was alone in his dorm, he came over to edit his video.

Perhaps Su Yiyi truly had a talent for directing and an eye for beauty, because once the video was posted, the response was incredibly positive. Upon learning of this, the organizers contacted him to give the post another push. Combined with various platforms and major influencers, the convention became a massive viral hit, causing official merchandise to sell like wildfire.

Meng Zihua’s studio also became famous beyond the circle. That evening, she called Pei Yisheng. At the time, he and Su Yiyi were picking a restaurant. They had agreed that Pei Yisheng would treat, but since Su Yiyi’s video had gone viral and earned a decent profit, he was also fighting to pay.

“Shengsheng, please consider it. This job is really simple. I’m your senior; would I ever cheat you? All the prep work is handled by the staff. You just need to show up as a beautiful female character. Once the wig and makeup are on, no one is going to ask if you’re the same person who played the Madam, right?”

Pei Yisheng knew his senior was trying to help him out of kindness. Precisely because of that, he felt embarrassed to accept it all so easily. Seeing his hesitation, Su Yiyi frantically mouthed from the side: “Agree! Agree! I’ll help you manage the account!” He pointed to the social media app on his phone.

Pei Yisheng blinked and took a deep breath. “Thank you, Senior. I’ll work hard.”

Meng Zihua was delighted. “That’s the spirit! I believe in your ability, and you should believe in yourself too. Shengsheng, you have much more energy than you realize. Don’t limit yourself, don’t overthink it, and everything will get better.”

“I’ve picked the restaurant! My treat, to celebrate your new job!” Su Yiyi exclaimed immediately after Pei Yisheng hung up.

Meng Zihua moved quickly. Taking advantage of the current traffic and hype, she registered the “Fei Yi” account for Pei Yisheng and immediately started operating it using the character videos from the CP convention. Her thoughts coincided perfectly with Su Yiyi’s.

Since they were going to do it, they would do it right.

With a steady job and a base salary, Pei Yisheng reduced the frequency of his part-time shifts at the bar. The bar owner was quite regretful but, after several failed attempts to get him to stay, managed to negotiate for Pei Yisheng to come in once a week. After all, Pei Yisheng was good-looking and never caused trouble. Although the owner didn’t know why Cao Qing was protecting the boy behind the scenes, having fewer fights in the bar made his business easier to run.

Late Saturday night, Pei Yisheng had just finished work. Carrying a bag of snacks gifted by the owner, he reached the dormitory building and noticed that the lights in his room were on. He was a bit confused had he forgotten to turn them off before leaving?

It wasn’t until he reached the door that he realized it wasn’t even locked.

Wen Xiuyun was back, and he was waiting for him.

The trip was supposed to last half a month, but the lead tutor had some last-minute business, so they stayed an extra week. Although Wen Xiuyun was dissatisfied with the arrangement, he wasn’t so eccentric as to return alone. He used the extra free time to pick out many gifts for Pei Yisheng.

After getting off the plane, he headed straight for the dorm, and as expected, he found it empty.

Someone had already told him that Pei Yisheng was working part-time at a bar, so Wen Xiuyun wanted to see just how late Pei Yisheng worked. It was past 2:00 AM, and there was still no sign of Pei Yisheng downstairs.

Wen Xiuyun tapped his fingers on the desk, contemplating the likelihood of Pei Yisheng accepting an olive branch if he offered one now. To him and Song Wen, money and jobs were things easily obtained; giving them away wasn’t a big deal. It was just that Pei Yisheng’s high moral standards made it difficult for both him and Song Wen to speak up.

But how much time can a person afford to waste?

Pei Yisheng had to balance his studies while earning money to support a household. He wasn’t made of iron; he would eventually wear himself out at this rate.

Wen Xiuyun stubbornly refused to admit he felt any pity. He simply felt that Pei Yisheng was wasting his face and physique he clearly had a shortcut, yet he refused to take it.

He stared at the person walking through the door. In the early autumn weather, the mornings and evenings were already quite cold. Pei Yisheng was wearing a windbreaker and carrying a glass pot filled with steaming white fungus and pear soup. His breathing was a bit labored, likely from rushing up the stairs.

His face was flushed it was unclear if it was from the night wind or if his complexion was naturally that good. His eyes were still as bright as ever large, almond-shaped eyes that were clean and transparent.

“You’re back? Are you tired? I brought some white fungus and pear soup. Do you want some?”

Wen Xiuyun waved a hand. “No, you have it. I just finished washing up.”

Pei Yisheng knew these young masters wouldn’t just eat or drink anything randomly. Although he knew the answer before asking, he still went through the motions. Hearing that Wen Xiuyun wouldn’t have any, he didn’t even bother grabbing a small bowl; he just took a large ladle and drank it himself.

The white fungus was thick, and the pear was sweet. Drinking a bowl in the cold night warmed him from head to toe.

“Shengsheng, do you want to come work for my family’s company?”

The words Wen Xiuyun had been preparing for a long time were covered by the sound of a ringing phone.

Pei Yisheng picked up his phone. The caller was Cao Qing.

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