Crossdress Ch5

The person on the boxing ring only glanced over before withdrawing his gaze, stepping down and disappearing around a corner.

Shang Jia nudged Xu Yan’s arm and asked directly, “Isn’t that your roommate?”

The gym manager overheard and seemed surprised. “Roommate? What a coincidence—so you all know each other.”

Xu Yan gave a polite smile. “Actually, Senior Wen doesn’t live in the dorm.”

In other words, they weren’t that close.

He hadn’t expected Ares to be the gym Wen Sinian frequented, so he quietly asked, “Senior, do you know what the pay is like for this job?”

As he spoke, he reached into his bag—he’d brought the lighter today and figured this was a good chance to return it.

Shang Jia secretly held up three fingers behind the manager’s back.

Xu Yan was shocked—3,000 yuan? That’s a lot.

Noticing their sneaky exchange, the manager looked a little confused. “Is there a problem?”

Xu Yan responded with a polite smile. “Not at all. I’m very confident in taking this job.”

The manager smiled as well and continued the tour.

Xu Yan took the opportunity to ask, “Do you know where Senior Wen went?”

He wasn’t familiar with the gym and was afraid of getting lost while looking.

The manager seemed to know Wen Sinian’s habits well. “Unless something unexpected came up, we should run into him when we tour the lounge and changing rooms. Let’s go.”

The three of them walked around the ring toward the interior.

As they walked, Shang Jia pulled out her phone and showed Xu Yan. “Oh right, I designed a new outfit recently. It’s a bit different from my usual style—take a look.”

She handed over her phone. Xu Yan nodded approvingly. “It’s really pretty.”

Shang Jia beamed. “When the final version is done, how about modeling it for me? I’ve had a wave of inspiration and came up with a bunch of ideas—I feel like only you can bring out the vibe I’m going for.”

Before Xu Yan could reply, Shang Jia added, “I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll pay you more this time too. And you haven’t updated your account in ages—your fans must be running off with other influencers by now.”

Xu Yan replied a bit sheepishly, “I should be able to update soon.”

He had just gotten a text—his package, delayed for five days, had finally arrived.

Shang Jia lit up. “Great! I’ll be the first to like your post!”

The manager finished showing them around the pro zone and brought them to the lounge area.

“There are snacks and food over here, all healthy gym meals—very low calorie. The drinks are all sugar-free or low sugar.”

He handed each of them a cup of vegetable juice. Xu Yan took a sip—bitter, and honestly not very tasty.

“You can look around freely. This whole area is open to visitors,” the manager said. “I’ve got to return to the office. Come find me when you’re done—or call if you get lost.”

Before leaving, he added to Xu Yan, “Oh, and your senior is by the changing rooms. You can just go find him directly.”

Xu Yan nodded. “Okay.”

The manager left, and Shang Jia and Xu Yan headed toward the changing rooms.

The men’s and women’s areas were separated and included bathrooms and showers. The area was spacious and luxuriously decorated.

No one else was around at the moment. Shang Jia went to use the restroom in the women’s area, while Xu Yan headed to the men’s side.

He wandered around the large space, mentally planning some shot compositions for the video—but didn’t see any sign of Wen Sinian.

There were seats in front of the lockers, so he texted Shang Jia and sat down to wait.

During the downtime, he opened his content app and checked the backend.

He hadn’t updated anything or even logged in for a few days, and it showed—likes and comments had dropped, views had plummeted. But strangely, his balance had increased. He’d accumulated over 500 yuan.

Curious, Xu Yan discovered that someone had gifted him two “deepwater pearls” and even sent him private messages.

[Star]: Goddess, can I get to know you?

[Star]: Sorry, I didn’t realize you were a guy.

[Star]: I’m not a creep! I just wanted to ask if you’d be willing to model for a figure drawing? I’m a fine arts student at North City University—I can show you my student ID.

[Star]: I saw your photos and thought you were perfect—like goddess-level beauty!

[Star]: I swear I’m not a scammer. Really hope you reply.

Xu Yan’s eyelid twitched. He opened that “Star” account’s profile—low follower count, maybe 50–60k, looked like a personal account, not managed professionally.

Most posts were artwork or drawing process videos. Scrolling far down, he found a blurry half-face photo.

It was Lin Xingxian.

Xu Yan’s heart thumped. He felt a wave of panic, like he’d been exposed. In a hurry, he refunded the gifts—losing 5% in processing fees—and then blocked the “Star” account.

He quickly began combing through his followers, afraid other acquaintances might be lurking there too. If he spotted anyone with an IP also in North City, he removed them without mercy.

After unfollowing dozens of people, Xu Yan finally calmed down.

If Lin Xingxian was DMing him through the app, it meant he had no clue who he actually was. And judging from the half-finished drawing in Lin Xingxian’s latest post, he was clearly copying Xu Yan’s mermaid photo.

Xu Yan suddenly understood why Lin Xingxian had asked for Song Ning’s WeChat—but he had no plans of unblocking him.

Still scrolling on his phone, the quiet of the changing room was suddenly broken by a soft click.

Xu Yan jumped, looking up in alarm. The large, empty room felt eerie all of a sudden, and his mind conjured up all kinds of horror scenarios.

He was supposed to be alone here. Where was the sound coming from?

Wearing his backpack, he stood up. The click grew louder, followed by a faint clunk.

This time, he heard it clearly—it came from around the corner ahead.

Xu Yan tiptoed forward. Just as he turned the corner, a wave of warm, misty air hit his face.

A tall figure appeared right in front of him, blocking his entire view.

The two were suddenly standing very close. Xu Yan looked up—his gaze landed right on an exposed collarbone, bare in the open air.

The sharp, curved line of the collarbone cut through the lingering mist, slipping beneath the neckline. Water droplets clung to the skin, pooling into a tiny puddle in the hollow of the collarbone.

Xu Yan gasped sharply as if startled, inhaling the warm mist radiating from the person in front of him into his lungs.

He froze for two seconds, then looked up.

Wen Sinian’s soaked black hair was still dripping, water streaks trailing down his aloof features. The shadows cast by the wet strands broke across his high nose bridge. His thin lips were lightly pressed together as he looked down at Xu Yan.

Xu Yan clamped his jaw shut, realizing Wen Sinian had just come from the shower area.

“Sorry…” He had nearly crashed into him. Clutching his backpack tightly, Xu Yan stepped aside with a sincere expression to make room.

His brows furrowed slightly, eyes misty, and a faint blush spread across his pale cheeks—like it had been steamed out by the heat—reaching all the way to his ears.

But the floor was slick with condensation. As he shifted sideways, he nearly slipped. His body tilted, and he instinctively reached out for support, a soft gasp escaping his throat.

Fortunately, a hand quickly appeared behind him, pressing against his slender back and steadying him with gentle strength.

Xu Yan’s legs nearly tangled beneath him. Gripping Wen Sinian’s sleeve for balance, his heart thudded wildly in his chest.

“Thank you…” he murmured.

“Let go.” The voice was cool and distant.

Through the thin fabric, Xu Yan felt the muscle under his fingers subtly tense.

Uh-oh.

Did I just make him mad? Xu Yan vaguely remembered Wen Sinian didn’t like being touched by other guys.

“Sorry.”

Xu Yan let go immediately. He noticed the small wrinkle his grip had left on Wen Sinian’s sleeve. As he turned his head, he caught sight of Wen Sinian’s strong forearm.

Pale veins branched upward like tree roots, disappearing into powerful muscles that seemed to hum with restrained strength.

If Wen Sinian really got mad and punched him, would he break his nose and turn him into Squidward?

Xu Yan imagined himself with bandages on his nose and looked ridiculous in his mind.

Wen Sinian walked toward the locker, answering a call as he opened it.

Xu Yan followed quickly, rummaging through his bag.

Standing beside him, he took out the lighter, placing it carefully in his palm and holding it out.

“Mhm,” Wen Sinian said to whoever was on the other end of the line. He glanced over. “I’ll be out soon.”

The black metal lighter lay in his pale hand, making the skin underneath look even whiter.

Wen Sinian’s gaze shifted sideways.

He was wearing long pants today.

But he didn’t reach for the lighter. Instead, he paused for a moment and said, “I didn’t bring a bag today, and I’ve got some things to do later.”

Xu Yan looked up at him in confusion. “Uh-huh?”

Then why not just take it?

Wen Sinian shut the locker. “So just hold onto it a bit longer.”

Xu Yan: “Uh-huh?”

Wen Sinian had already walked off mid-call: “Give it to me next time. Thanks.”

His figure disappeared out the changing room door.

Shang Jia had already come out and hadn’t seen Xu Yan outside, but after a while, spotted him exiting the men’s changing area.

“Yanyan, did you see Wen Sinian?”

Xu Yan: “Yeah, but he told me to give it to him next time.”

“So troublesome—why wouldn’t he just take it?” Shang Jia blinked. “Don’t tell me he’s just trying to find an excuse to see you again?”

Xu Yan shook his head. “No way. He probably really had something urgent.”

The two then went to the manager’s office. The manager reviewed the videos Xu Yan had brought—some student projects, others freelance work.

Though the editing and aesthetic quality were obvious, the manager hesitated since Xu Yan was only a junior and lacked extensive commercial experience.

The manager stepped out to take a call, and Xu Yan figured his chances weren’t looking good.

But surprisingly, after the call, the manager agreed to give him a chance—letting him film a 20-second sample first, and if it looked good, they’d proceed with the full project.

Xu Yan immediately shared the good news with Shen Nanli. Since filming wasn’t a one-man job, he planned to ask one more person to help besides Nanli.

The two took the bus back to campus and split up at the school gate. Xu Yan went to pick up a package from the delivery station.

Back in the dorm, he had learned from past mistakes.

He first asked Li Huaiche and Zhao Qingji when they’d be back—they both said later in the evening. And he was sure Wen Sinian was out with friends.

He locked the door.

Only then did he open the package on his desk.

Inside was a tight-fitting pure white pencil skirt with a pearl buckle at the waist and a slit on the side.

Xu Yan looked at the skirt spread out on the desk and tugged at the cheap fabric.

No wonder they say cheap stuff isn’t good. Even the skirt was so shoddily made—it was ridiculously short.