Many boys use their beards to mask their youthful appearance, trying to blend into the adult world. Recently, there have been cases of men with thick body hair using the mustache area on their upper lip to disguise themselves as men, successfully infiltrating the gay community to deceive others and make money. In any case, for most people, a beard symbolizes masculinity itself.
Lin Xin, now an 18-year-old adult, spent 17 years of his life as a woman. However, due to an unexpected turn of events, he was forced into a second, or perhaps a third, phase of development. He was experiencing the changes associated with being male over the past few months.
Lin Xin was like a boy just entering puberty; all the changes were sudden and overwhelming. Even with a health teacher’s guidance, it was hard to cope, and Lin Xin had only self-studied a little, unsure if the information he found online was even correct.
Of course, Lin Xin was not a real adolescent boy, and all the possible changes were neatly recorded in his notebook. He shouldn’t have been so panicked. Although, that notebook was probably thrown into the trash by the fake landlord by now.
Lin Xin had indeed been careless.
Since parting with Cheng Shiyin, Lin Xin went through a long period of decadence. After his slump lasted for months, he finally measured his height and weight again. To his surprise, he found that his body had stopped growing, and he thought that this must be his final appearance as a male—just a handsome, short guy.
So, the sudden appearance of a beard was a painful blow, reminding him that fate’s trickery wasn’t over yet.
Fortunately, the so-called “beard” was just two small black dots. Whether Cheng Shiyin noticed them was still up in the air, and he could easily pass them off as two moles.
Lin Xin stared at the two black dots on his chin in the mirror, and his mind replayed a wish that had only appeared in his fantasies: “You cook the food, and I’ll shave my beard.”
Suddenly, he slapped himself twice on both cheeks and cursed in his mind, “I told you to stop talking nonsense all the time. Now look what’s happened, even the heavens are listening!” After cursing, Lin Xin pressed his hands together and whispered a small wish, “I want to win the lottery, nothing too big, just 5 million would be enough.” After saying that, he carefully opened his eyes and looked around, of course, no lottery ticket magically appeared. Lin Xin could only mutter to himself, “Well, at least I’d have to buy the ticket myself.” With that, his daydream ended. Now, Lin Xin had to face the reality of dealing with this beard issue.
Although it seemed like just two insignificant black dots, they would inevitably grow thicker and longer. Even if they were only two delicate patches of a mustache, to anyone who knew Lin Xin, this change would be just as shocking as if Lin Xin had suddenly transformed into the character played by Xu Jinjian in “The Duke of Zhou.”
Faced with such a perplexing problem, Lin Xin first thought of Shao Xiaoxia, the one with the most creative solutions, since she was the only person who knew his secret. His finger was already on the dial button when he suddenly remembered that he had completely cut ties with her. He hastily long-pressed the power button to cancel the call.
This time, the only person who could help Lin Xin was his almost brand-new brain.
“Can I just scrape it off?” Lin Xin blurted out an answer that wouldn’t solve the problem, but his finger instinctively ran across his chin. When he realized that even if he scraped it off, it would still grow back, the two black dots had already turned into red spots. Unable to think of any way to fix it, Lin Xin had no choice but to leave the house with the blood on his chin and meet Cheng Shiyin.
After the blood platelets sealed the wounds, two conspicuous and glaring red marks remained on Lin Xin’s chin. They were far more noticeable than before he had scraped at them. Of course, they looked exactly like pimples that had been forced out of his skin prematurely.
When Cheng Shiyin saw the red blood on Lin Xin’s chin, she immediately put down the knife she was holding and grabbed a sheet of kitchen paper to clean it up, saying, “You shouldn’t squeeze pimples on your face; it’ll leave scars. How can a girl be so careless with her face?” There was a trace of an unspoken reproach in her tone.
Choosing to ignore the “girl” part of Cheng Shiyin’s words, Lin Xin enjoyed her concern, his face hidden behind the kitchen paper, smiling contentedly.
However, Lin Xin, please forgive the overly excellent absorbency of the kitchen paper. By the time Cheng Shiyin picked it up with her wet hand, it had become so transparent and thin that Lin Xin’s smile, which he thought he was hiding, was completely exposed to her.
Noticing Lin Xin’s thoughts, Cheng Shiyin immediately shoved the paper into his hands and pushed him out of the kitchen, urging him to leave.
Once Lin Xin had seated himself at the dining table, Cheng Shiyin looked down at the hand she had just touched, and quietly chuckled, “I don’t know what’s so funny…”
After a not-so-long wait, Cheng Shiyin finally sat down, signaling that all the dishes were ready and it was time for their brunch.
Yes, it was indeed brunch. Their first meal of the day hadn’t been until 11:30 AM. The two of them seemed like magicians, with their bellies secretly hiding a few hungry pigeons, starving to the point where they were eating their very organs. Anyone could see that they’d lost a bit of weight, with their cheeks noticeably hollowed out. This could very well be the physique many girls long for.
“Thank you, heavens, for granting me this delicious meal,” Lin Xin said, bowing his head in prayer before the meal, offering his thanks to the heavens for this hard-earned opportunity to have lunch alone with Cheng Shiyin.
Cheng Shiyin had no idea what had transpired between Lin Xin and the heavens, but she couldn’t help but pout, muttering quietly, “Isn’t the meal made by me?” Why not thank me…
Once the prayer was over, Lin Xin finally picked up his chopsticks and reached for the first dish in front of him. He didn’t take much, just one strip of potato, a slice of red chili, and a slice of green pepper.
The benefit of doing this was:
As soon as he put it in his mouth, he could savor all the flavors in the shortest amount of time and instantly empty his mouth, launching into a long-winded monologue: “The thickness of the potato strips is 2.66mm, the perfect thickness for making sour and spicy shredded potatoes. The outer skin is crispy but not burnt, filled with a tangy sourness that makes your mouth water, yet it’s also sweet with a touch of white sugar. It’s not too sour, and it’s certainly not too sweet. The moment the chili hits the throat, it adds a more intense kick to the dish. The green pepper balances the spice of the chili, keeping it refreshing. Each flavor is distinct but harmonious, perfectly blended without losing the unique taste of each ingredient. Harmony, truly harmonious!”
Cheng Shiyin was stunned by Lin Xin’s non-stop, machine-gun-like speech and the unbelievable praise coming out of his mouth. She stared at the plate of the most ordinary shredded potatoes she had just tried herself, and the chopsticks hanging in mid-air were at a loss. She swallowed, wondering if she should just not eat it at all.
If the sour and spicy shredded potatoes were a proper lunch dish, then other items on the table were far less conventional for lunch. But considering they hadn’t had breakfast, it made a lot more sense.
Lin Xin picked up a slice of hot toasted bread, spread peanut butter evenly on it, and paired it with a bite of fried egg, only managing to let out a sound that was almost a moan, “Mmm…”
Compared to his earlier over-the-top expression, this time his reaction seemed even more appreciative. Cheng Shiyin could picture Lin Xin sitting in an elegant suit at a small ivory-colored round table. He was crossing his legs, lightly rotating the tip of his right foot, sipping red tea, nibbling on macarons, and watching the vibrant sunset. Gone were the humble dishes she’d casually prepared; it was as if he were dining in a high-end restaurant. By the way, the suit was based on the butler uniform worn at the school festival, minus the tailcoat, and made a bit taller and more robust.
The final dish was scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and Lin Xin had already come up with enough praise to fill an entire essay. However, just as he opened his mouth to speak, Cheng Shiyin seized the moment and shoved a steamed bun filled with fermented tofu and red oil into his mouth. Lin Xin was truly speechless this time, not because his mouth was occupied, but because…
It was salty. Really salty.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152