Cheng Yue, fuming with anger, grabbed his keys and dashed downstairs, wondering what kind of mess this was turning into.
“Hurry up, hurry up!” Chen Zong called out from the car, waving at Cheng Yue as he exited the neighborhood. “Gezi and the others are already there!”
Cheng Yue glanced at the small electric scooter Chen Zong was sitting on and then at Chen Zong’s 183 cm height, thinking that if Chen Zong sat on it, the wheels and handlebars might just fall off while driving.
“Why does it feel like I can’t fit?” Cheng Yue noted how Chen Zong had taken up most of the seat.
“Just squeeze in,” Chen Zong said, shuffling forward a bit and patting the empty space behind him. “Hurry up, man.”
Cheng Yue took his phone and keys out of his pocket and managed to squeeze onto the seat with some effort.
To Cheng Yue’s surprise, although the scooter looked flimsy and weak, it actually moved pretty fast.
Soon, they arrived at the venue chosen by Jiang Gezi.
What they called a “venue” was actually a busy street with a few makeshift sunshades set up.
There was also a large rectangular sign with cute cartoon characters and the prominent words:
“Donate Your Love to Nanshan Welfare Home.”
Even though the performances hadn’t started yet, there was already a crowd gathered outside.
Chen Zong nearly got blocked off by the crowd with his scooter.
After Cheng Yue and Chen Zong squeezed their way in, they finally reached the spot.
“Why are there so many people?” Cheng Yue asked, surprised by the large number of people donating to the big red donation box. They hadn’t even started yet; how did so many people show up?
“Don’t you know?” Chen Zong asked, surprised.
“Haven’t you heard about the disgusting stuff those businesspeople did to the disabled children at Nanshan Welfare Home? I heard the head of the welfare home made a huge amount of money from it.”
“What?” Cheng Yue frowned. He hadn’t updated some of his news apps, so he was unaware of the latest domestic news.
“You don’t know this?” Chen Zong was angry at the thought of the news.
“Those idiots treated the welfare home like their private playground, coming and going as they pleased, and even taking some of the children out for transactions. I was so furious. Nanshan is quite close to my place. I went there right after seeing the news, but it was already sealed off.”
Cheng Yue suddenly recalled something. It seemed that Ji Xu had mentioned some related matters when they went to Mu Jia’s house. He had heard bits and pieces, but Ji Xu and Mu Jia had discussed things vaguely, so he didn’t fully understand. Now it seemed like the situation Chen Zong described was related to what Ji Xu and Mu Jia had been busy with recently.
Chen Zong led him towards their classmates, sighing as he spoke. “Luckily, a female reporter exposed the issue, and some top-notch lawyers in the industry took legal action against them! The court session is today, so we should have results by the afternoon. But it seems those businessmen hired some famous lawyers as well. It’s disgusting that they have the nerve to hire lawyers.”
Cheng Yue was almost certain that this issue was related to what Ji Xu and the others were dealing with.
The reporting female journalist was likely Mu Jia, and the lawyers were probably Ji Xu and Tang Jing.
“Well, don’t worry. Those scumbags will definitely be jailed. I’d say they should be sentenced to death,” Chen Zong said, filled with righteous indignation, as he led Cheng Yue into a large milk tea shop by the roadside.
Inside, Cheng Yue discovered that their entire class was already seated.
Jiang Gezi greeted them when they arrived and made space for them to sit.
Once everyone had gathered, Jiang Gezi began explaining the schedule for each performance.
After the briefing, some people went outside to set up the venue.
Cheng Yue found a moment to send Ji Xu the address of their location.
Ji Xu didn’t reply.
Just as Cheng Yue was about to send another message, Chen Zong hurriedly came over with several paper bags, throwing one at Cheng Yue. “Hurry up and change. We still need a few girls to do our makeup.”
“Makeup?” Cheng Yue was puzzled. “Why do we need makeup for a martial arts performance? Aren’t we just doing a nunchaku demonstration?”
“Exactly!” Chen Zong answered.
“Then why makeup?” Cheng Yue asked, still confused.
“Because it doesn’t look good if we don’t wear makeup with skirts!” Chen Zong shouted.
Cheng Yue, hearing the term, thought he must have misheard.
He asked again, “What did you say we’re wearing?”
“Skirts!” Chen Zong repeated.
Cheng Yue was completely stunned.
Chen Zong adopted a “been there, done that” attitude, trying to brainwash Cheng Yue and himself. “What’s there to be surprised about? I thought it was normal, didn’t you say it was normal last time? Now you’re backing out?”
“When did I say it was normal?” Cheng Yue shouted, opening the paper bag and seeing what was inside. He was shocked to find out it was indeed a skirt.
“Of course! Hurry up! We need to perform soon!” Chen Zong said, swiftly turning around and distributing a set of skirts to each male student.
Cheng Yue, holding the bag, slowly pulled out his phone to check the address message he sent to Ji Xu.
Is it still possible to retract it?
Cheng Yue hesitated for a moment, then thought Ji Xu would be in court today and might not see it in time, which slightly relieved him.
If Ji Xu saw him wearing a skirt, the label of “pervert” could end up on someone else.
He had just watched a video of Ji Xu in the morning, and now he was about to perform nunchaku in a skirt on the street.
If he’s not the pervert, then who is?
Outside, Jiang Gezi was already on stage with a microphone.
Their classmates who played instruments were dressed and waiting, with the boys in skirts and the girls in pants.
Cheng Yue glanced at the skirt and sighed with relief that it was a long one.
“Change quickly!” Chen Zong yelled, noticing Cheng Yue still standing in place.
“There’s a bathroom inside!”
Cheng Yue sighed, grabbed the bag, and went to the bathroom.
After struggling to remove his clothes, Cheng Yue opened the paper bag and pulled out the pieces of fabric. He was dismayed to find that there was indeed not enough fabric.
Someone was definitely playing a prank on him.
How did the long skirt end up as just these few pieces of fabric?
Just as Cheng Yue was about to put his own clothes back on, someone knocked on the bathroom door.
“Come on! Everyone’s waiting to change!”
Cheng Yue stared at the door, reluctantly released his grip on the handle, and, with a deep breath, put on the skirt as best as he could.
When the crowd outside urged him again, Cheng Yue, blushing, tried to pull the skirt down. It was too short, and he felt a draft.
“Cheng Yue?” Chen Zong knocked on the door. “Why are you still not done? We’re all ready; come out for makeup.”
“Wait a minute.” Cheng Yue struggled to pull the skirt down further. The outfit was fine on top, but the skirt…
After holding his clothes carefully, Cheng Yue opened the bathroom door, his face red with embarrassment.
As soon as the door opened, the group of chattering boys outside stopped and stared in shock.
“Damn…”
Chen Zong stood frozen, his mouth involuntarily muttering, “Those legs… unbelievable…”
Cheng Yue walked out, his whole body tense and awkward.
“You…”
Chen Zong finally reacted when Cheng Yue walked over. He slapped him and then realized he didn’t know what to say. He could only stare in surprise.
Jiang Gezi squeezed through the crowd of boys, saw Cheng Yue in his costume, and with bright eyes, grabbed him and dragged him to their temporary makeup station.
“Hey!” Chen Zong shouted, following them. “Take me with you!”
Jiang Gezi pushed Cheng Yue into a chair and, looking at the strange assortment of makeup bottles and jars on the table, Cheng Yue felt a shiver run down his spine. “I don’t want makeup.”
“It’s fine, just a quick touch-up,” Jiang Gezi said with a strangely gleaming look in his eyes.
“Why don’t you have any leg hair?” Chen Zong asked with curiosity while reaching out to touch Cheng Yue.
Cheng Yue rolled his eyes and kicked him away. Besides his head, he barely had any body hair, a trait inherited from his mother.
In middle school, he felt self-conscious compared to the hairier foreign boys in his class. He even tried using hair growth products on his legs, but to no avail.
“It would have been better if you were a girl,” Chen Zong said with a hint of regret.
Cheng Yue sighed, closed his eyes, and let Jiang Gezi apply the makeup. Before closing his eyes, he reminded, “Don’t put on too much.”
When Cheng Yue was almost dozing off, Jiang Gezi finally finished.
When Cheng Yue opened his eyes and looked in the mirror, he swallowed nervously and touched the wig on his head in disbelief.
“Why do I look like this?” Chen Zong looked at his own face in the mirror, then at Cheng Yue, feeling it was unfair.
“This wig is totally different from the one in the photos…”
“Alright, the next performance is your nunchaku routine,” Jiang Gezi said, pointing to the classmates with instruments nearby.
“Hurry up and get ready!”
Feeling dazed, Cheng Yue followed Chen Zong and the other ten boys out of the milk tea shop.
As the music started, he had to focus on his movements while trying to keep his skirt from flying up. Luckily, they had rehearsed the routine several times before.
By the end of the performance, Cheng Yue was drenched in sweat and couldn’t pay attention to the crowd.
After finishing the routine, he looked at the people putting money into the large red donation box and felt it was worth it.
Just by wearing a skirt, he was able to contribute so much to the welfare home’s children. He felt quite happy about it.
“Hey!” Chen Zong laughed, panting. He elbowed Cheng Yue and said, “Gezi’s idea was great! I see we need to bring out a second box. Quickly bow and go back to the shop to change. This outfit is too tight, it’s hurting my chest. Come on, I’ll count to three!”
The group of young men, standing under the sun in mismatched outfits with silly grins, sincerely bowed to thank the crowd.
Onlookers filmed and took photos.
Only a tall man stood aside, his face dark and exuding coldness.
A few girls who were thinking of approaching him were scared away by his grim expression.
Ji Xu, watching from the side, looked at Cheng Yue’s short skirt with icy eyes.
He had let Cheng Yue slip away to a bar last time. Now, Cheng Yue had come out wearing such a short skirt.
Ji Xu narrowed his eyes, feeling that Cheng Yue still needed a lesson.
With a stern expression, Ji Xu followed the group into the milk tea shop.
After Cheng Yue followed the other boys downstairs, he wiped the sweat off his face and was taken to the bathroom by Chen Zong to change clothes.
Cheng Yue didn’t pay much attention to the footsteps behind him until he opened the bathroom door and realized someone had entered the same stall with him.
At first, Cheng Yue thought it was a classmate coming to change clothes. But as he turned around, he was suddenly pinned against the wall.
“Who’s there!”
Cheng Yue shouted, but his hands were quickly bound behind him. He struggled to free his hands but couldn’t, and he started cursing, “You bastard!”
The person holding him down soon covered his eyes with a black cloth and tied it behind his head.
“Damn it…” Cheng Yue blinked in the sudden darkness, starting to panic. “I don’t have any money! Don’t—mmph… mmph…”
As he spoke, a soft cloth was stuffed into his mouth, and he couldn’t push it out with his tongue.
Cheng Yue was terrified and tried to make noise by banging his head against the partition, but when he felt hands moving up his thighs to his buttocks, he was completely stunned.
What the hell!
Cheng Yue was furious, trying desperately to shake off the person behind him. When a hand slapped his buttocks hard, it stung so badly that tears welled up in his eyes.
As he was about to black out from anger, the weight on him suddenly disappeared.
He froze for a moment, then tried to move his wrists. The bindings had been loosened without him realizing it.
Overjoyed, Cheng Yue hurriedly untied the cloth around his eyes and pulled the gag from his mouth.
With his eyes wide open, he rushed out of the bathroom, determined to catch the person responsible.
As Cheng Yue hurried over, he collided with Ji Xu, who was walking in the same direction, and stumbled into Ji Xu’s arms.
“What’s wrong?” Ji Xu steadied him.
“I…”
Cheng Yue, still flushed, wiped his face with his hand.
“Just now…”
Before he could finish, Ji Xu, with a dark expression, interrupted.
“Why are you dressed like this?” Ji Xu frowned and took off his suit jacket, tying it around Cheng Yue’s waist.
“Why are you here… weren’t you supposed to…” Cheng Yue was confused, his thoughts muddled.
“We… we were just…”
“What happened?” Ji Xu patted his back. “Calm down and explain.”
“There was a lunatic!” Cheng Yue’s anger flared up again. “I went to the bathroom to change clothes, and suddenly someone came in! They mistook me for a woman and started touching me! Even pinched my flesh! Pervert!”
Ji Xu: …
“Just now, he was right outside!” Cheng Yue looked around anxiously. “He should be quite tall! You…”
“Not seen.”
Ji Xu said, turning to look. Seeing a few people looking in their direction because of Cheng Yue’s shouting, he quickly blocked Cheng Yue from view.
“Crazy! Pinching my butt!” Cheng Yue didn’t notice Ji Xu’s strange reaction and kept shouting.
“I’ll beat him up if I catch him!”
“Is that so?” Ji Xu’s expression was unreadable, and his voice sounded oddly hoarse.
“Maybe if you wear it again, you can catch him.”
“Huh?”
Cheng Yue felt something was off and scratched his head.
“Really?”
Author’s Note:
Ji Xu: It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it, I don’t know anything.
