Crossdress Ch4

 

He didn’t know how many times it had been now.

Wen Sinian looked up, expressionless, and glanced over.

The dorm, the convenience store, now the same elective course, offering drinks, making excuses to see him more often…

All cheap tricks used by past admirers.

Xu Yan could feel the stares from everyone around him, and he could hear them whispering.

He was standing very close—close enough to see that the cut at the corner of Wen Sinian’s mouth had already healed.

But maybe a little too close. He was practically touching Wen Sinian’s legs. Xu Yan quickly took a step back, pulling his calves out of view under the desk.

Wen Sinian spoke coldly, “I don’t drink beverages.”

“Ah…” Xu Yan’s arm froze awkwardly. He looked down at the logo on the glass bottle—he remembered clearly that Wen Sinian had bought this brand last time.

Why wouldn’t he drink it? It was so expensive, it had to taste good.

Sitting nearby, Lin Xingxian had been asleep since class started. Now he finally woke up, yawned, and sat up.

Noticing the slightly awkward atmosphere between the two, he took the opportunity to break the tension. With a grin, he took the mango juice and said, “Thanks!”

Xu Yan retracted his hand. “You’re welcome.”

“Hey, junior,” Lin Xingxian asked cheerfully, “which department are you in?”

Xu Yan obediently replied, “Directing.”

Lin Xingxian’s eyes lit up. “There’s a girl in your department named Song Ning—do you know her?”

Xu Yan nodded. “She’s in my class.”

He glanced around the classroom but didn’t see her, then added, “She also takes this class, but it looks like she didn’t come tonight.”

“Ah, what a pity. I thought I’d run into her tonight,” Lin Xingxian explained. “Actually, I’ve already completed my elective credits—I didn’t even sign up for this class.”

As he spoke, he looked teasingly at Wen Sinian. “Unlike someone, who’s already a senior and still has to take classes with juniors.”

Wen Sinian hadn’t taken many electives in his junior year, having devoted most of his energy to building his own studio. He still needed a few credits—otherwise, he wouldn’t be here tonight.

At Lin Xingxian’s words, Wen Sinian didn’t even lift his eyes. Still looking at his computer, he said, “Then leave.”

Lin Xingxian cried out in mock offense, “I sacrificed my precious nightlife to accompany you to class, and you’re not even grateful? I had multiple parties tonight!”

Wen Sinian: “Did I ask you to come?”

Lin Xingxian: “…”

Well, that was true. He had come entirely on his own insistence.

Feeling a little guilty, Lin Xingxian muttered, “Still, how can you say that? Aren’t I your good buddy? I didn’t want you to be lonely in class. I came all this way to keep you company. Aren’t I more thoughtful than Chen Xun?”

Wen Sinian replied mercilessly, “You’re louder than him.”

Lin Xingxian barely resisted the urge to smash Wen Sinian’s laptop—mostly because he knew Wen Sinian could smash his head just as easily.

With an even quieter guy still standing in front of them, Lin Xingxian decided to swallow his frustration and get to the point.

Turning to Xu Yan, he smiled again. “Junior, can you check if this is the Song Ning you mentioned?”

He pulled up a video on his phone. Xu Yan took one look—and froze.

It was the exact same video Shen Nanli had just shown him: Song Ning imitating the mermaid photo he had taken.

Lin Xingxian asked, “Is that her?”

Xu Yan felt a little guilty. If they found Song Ning’s version, there was a good chance they’d seen his, too…

“Yes,” he answered.

Lin Xingxian lit up. “Great! Can I add your WeChat? Could you reach out to her for me? If possible, send me her contact—I have something really important to discuss with her.”

Xu Yan actually had all of his classmates’ WeChats—they had all added each other in freshman year. He scanned Lin Xingxian’s QR code and replied, “I’ll ask her first.”

With a bright smile in his peach blossom eyes, Lin Xingxian said, “You’ve really done me a huge favor. If this works out, I’ll treat you to a meal, junior.”

“No need, Senior Lin.”

The two of them kept exchanging “senior” and “junior” so naturally it sounded almost like a comedy routine.

Xu Yan glanced at Wen Sinian, who seemed fully focused on the laptop again. The screen was filled with dense lines of code, enough to make Xu Yan dizzy.

He added, “Senior, should I just leave your lighter on your dorm desk, so you can grab it whenever you’re back?”

Suddenly, Wen Sinian stood up and snapped his laptop shut.

“Keep it.”

Without sparing Xu Yan a glance, he walked to the front of the classroom.

No one knew what he said to the professor, but the teacher smiled and nodded. Then Wen Sinian walked right out.

Lin Xingxian quickly followed him out of the room.

Only Xu Yan remained, watching them disappear through the door. After a pause, he slowly licked his lips.

The bell rang right then, and with everyone still watching him, Xu Yan returned to his seat.

He messaged Song Ning on WeChat, who readily agreed to add Lin Xingxian. After connecting them, Xu Yan slumped over his desk in mild defeat.

Shen Nanli patted his shoulder to comfort him. “It’s okay. Just hang onto it for now—give it to him next time.”

Xu Yan mumbled, “So expensive…”

Shen Nanli said, “I know, I looked that brand up online. The one you’re holding is a limited edition. Crazy expensive.”

Xu Yan blinked. “I meant the mango juice.”

Shen Nanli: “…”

Just then, a message notification popped up. Xu Yan opened it.

[Lin Xingxian]: Thanks~ 

[Lin Xingxian]: Oh, and next time, no more drinks or juices. Our young master doesn’t drink those. He prefers Icelandic.

After sending the message, Lin Xingxian was beaming. He saw the person in front of him had already put on their helmet and straddled the motorcycle, so he hurried over and grabbed Wen Sinian’s laptop bag.

“Where are you going?” Lin Xingxian asked.

Wen Sinian had one foot on the ground. “Ares.”

Lin Xingxian looked surprised. “Seriously? Going to the boxing gym this late? Don’t be too disciplined, man.”

Then, as if remembering something, he cautiously asked, “You didn’t take your meds?”

Long fingers adjusted the dark visor, concealing the narrow, cold eyes beneath. “Don’t ask.”

Realizing that Wen Sinian was indeed in a foul mood, Lin Xingxian let go and raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I’m the bigger person—I won’t argue with a sick guy.”

As he was saying that, a message came in.

[Xu Yan]: Got it, thank you, senior.

Lin Xingxian laughed and showed the chat to Wen Sinian. “This kid’s really something. I drank the juice he brought and he didn’t even get mad. He even said he’d bring you water next time. And just now he passed me Song Ning’s WeChat—saved my life, seriously. Otherwise I’d never finish that sketch.”

Wen Sinian said, “Sketch?”

“Yeah,” Lin Xingxian replied as if it was obvious. “Why else would I go out of my way to chase down a junior girl from another major?”

Wen Sinian responded just as plainly, “Thought you were trying to hit on her.”

Lin Xingxian: “???”

He realized Wen Sinian probably hadn’t been reading the group chat, and explained, “I’m drawing figure studies lately, remember that mermaid photo I sent you guys? It totally inspired me. But halfway through the sketch, I just couldn’t get it right, so I tried DMing the original poster to see if I could meet up and ask them to model in person. But they didn’t respond, so I had to find a substitute—and luckily I found someone decent, happens to be in the directing department…”

Wen Sinian had reached the end of his patience. He twisted the throttle, and the motorcycle roared to life.

He wasn’t interested in the rest. He just reminded coldly, “Don’t go telling people my business.”

***

Because of that one bottle of mango juice, Xu Yan had to scrimp on meals.

At lunch, Shang Jia and Shen Nanli saw he only got one vegetable dish with a big bowl of rice, nibbling away like a little hamster—somehow still looking happy, not even bothered by how dry it was.

The two of them flanked him on either side, scooping dish after dish onto his rice.

Shang Jia had also heard about Xu Yan’s terrible experience at his last part-time job in a convenience store. She’d cursed out the boss on Xu Yan’s behalf and promised to help him find a better gig.

A couple of days later, she came back with good news: a combat gym was about to open a new branch and wanted someone to make a professional promo video. She happened to know the gym owner and directly recommended Xu Yan.

Xu Yan already worked part-time at a café on weekends, so they scheduled a weekday meeting at the gym, when Xu Yan didn’t have class. He even brought a flash drive with his previous video work.

Outside the gym, a huge logo stamped in black and gold glimmered on the exterior wall—ARES.

“Ares Combat Club,” the gym owner greeted them at the office and explained, “Ares is the Greek god of war. Our boss picked the name. Pretty cool, right?”

Xu Yan curiously asked, “You’re not the boss?”

The owner laughed. “I’m just an employee. Our boss is really young and doesn’t come in often.”

He led them on a tour around the facility. Even on a weekday, the place was bustling. Before they reached the equipment area, Xu Yan could already hear the faint sound of fighting.

As they walked, the owner gave a quick overview of the gym’s layout. “This is a pretty professional setup. We’ve got some serious athletes training and recovering here. Of course, there’s also a public zone where ordinary folks can come learn. The pro and public areas are usually separate…”

The further they walked, the louder the combat sounds became.

Suddenly, Shang Jia nudged Xu Yan and gestured for him to look ahead.

At the center of the training area stood a massive octagonal cage. The titanium poles gleamed like liquid metal under the lights—like a cold, imposing prison that gave people chills just by looking at it.

The owner smiled. “That’s the pro zone. Want to take a look inside?”

The atmosphere there was a bit intimidating, but Xu Yan, thinking from a professional perspective, nodded. “Sure.”

The owner led them toward the cage.

Rows of punching bags neatly divided the space. The pro area had fewer machines, mostly consisting of several fighting rings and the central octagon, exuding a raw energy. The matte black industrial decor of the floors and walls sparked a real sense of combat.

There weren’t many people inside. On one of the rings, someone appeared to be sparring with a coach, though the session seemed to be wrapping up as they approached. The coach took off his gloves and waved toward them.

The owner waved back and said, “That guy waving is our star coach—world champion, retired just two years ago.”

Xu Yan looked up—but his gaze landed instead on a tall, broad-shouldered figure still standing on the ring.

The man was only wearing a simple black T-shirt and loose gray sweatpants, unwrapping the bandages from his wrist with one hand. When he heard movement from their side, he tilted his head slightly, damp hair falling over the corner of his eye.

Xu Yan’s breath caught.

Then the owner added, “That’s a friend of our boss. A regular. He goes to your school too—do you know him?”

Xu Yan thought silently: Know him?

‘He’s my roommate.’

…Although, to be fair, they hadn’t actually lived together yet.