211. Cousin
==============================
Things were definitely heading in a strange direction.
Not only did my mother think I was set for life with Chen Yao, but now she wanted to pull me into the bathroom to discuss some “biological questions.”
Speaking of which, I’m not really sure about the kids from other families, but at least I’ve never had the infamous “birds and bees” talk with my parents.
My curiosity about girls started back in elementary school with those anatomy textbooks, and then things really took a turn when I accidentally stumbled upon all sorts of “interesting” content at the internet café. That opened a whole new world for me!
But unlike some hot-blooded young men, I wasn’t really glued to that stuff out of passion; I mostly just checked it out out of curiosity and didn’t watch it much.
While I may not know much, I at least understood that boys and girls were different, how reproduction worked, and that now that I was a girl, I should probably take care of myself.
This train of thought reminded me of last night’s drunken escapade.
My memory wasn’t too clear, but I vaguely recalled trying to seduce Chen Yao.
I couldn’t quite grasp what I was thinking back then—maybe it was a mix of self-destructive abandon or maybe I thought, since he lusted after me, I should reciprocate his kindness…
Or maybe I was just doing it for the thrill…?
My face was now burning, and I couldn’t wrap my head around how past-me could pull off such a stunt while drunk.
Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to cool down my flushed face. Ever since Lilith took over, I seemed to have become a lot more sensitive, blushing at the drop of a hat.
Perhaps it’s because my past self had rarely faced really embarrassing situations—usually, my biggest shame was standing in class as punishment, failing to answer questions, or tripping during gym class. So maybe that’s why my newfound shyness was blooming just now?
Sitting on my bed with my phone, I chatted with Chen Yao online for a bit and finally felt relieved to hear that he hadn’t been kicked out by my mom.
But what if she brought up borrowing money for surgery? Then all my lies would come crashing down.
Ugh, thinking about the future was giving me a headache, so I decided to stop pondering. I figured I would cross that bridge when I came to it, and there would be a way to get through.
Dinner time was approaching, and I heard my mother’s voice calling from downstairs, urging me to come down. I slowly collected the bedding off the balcony and ambled down the stairs.
The most annoying part about staying at my grandfather’s house was the never-ending trips up and down the stairs, and while they had internet, it was as stable as a wobbly chair—buffering videos for ages.
I preferred a regular apartment; at least that would spare me the stair exercise!
As I reached the lobby on the first floor, I spotted a guy who was nearly six feet tall with coffee-colored hair.
I blinked for a moment, and upon recognizing the chubby face, it hit me: it was my cousin!
When did my cousin turn into a hipster? And why is he so ripped now?
Wu Jiaming noticed my footsteps on the stairs, turned around, and jokingly asked my grandfather, “Grandpa, which family has such a pretty girl?”
“Xiu Ying’s family.” Grandpa took a sip of baijiu and answered nonchalantly.
My mom’s name is Wu Xiu Ying, and she’s the third born among her siblings.
“I thought this was my uncle’s girlfriend. Hey, Uncle, you’re thirty and still single?” Wu Jiaming teased Wu Guodong, but suddenly he looked confused and asked my mother, “But I don’t think there’s a cousin here, right?”
Mom felt a bit awkward, pulled me to sit next to her, hesitated for a second, then decided to spill the beans: “It’s Nan Nan, your cousin.”
“???”
Wu Jiaming looked utterly bewildered, staring up at me as if I had just told him that aliens invaded. He scanned me from head to toe, and his gaze landed on my familiar yet unfamiliar face.
I definitely looked like Nan Nan, but seriously? How did a cousin suddenly sprout a chest?
Feeling awkward under his gaze, I lowered my head and focused on shoveling my rice, trying to ignore the attention.
Grandpa, eager to lighten the mood, tossed a piece of pork belly into my bowl and realizing neither my mother nor I would explain, straightforwardly stated, “Nan Nan had a rare condition when she was a kid, so we raised her as a boy. It was only recently, after feeling unwell, that we discovered she’s actually a girl.”
My cousin was still processing all this information.
“So you’re saying, my cousin was a girl all along?”
He started recalling those childhood memories of us bathing together in the tub or showering in the yard, but he couldn’t remember anything distinctly feminine about me.
Yet, perhaps due to the shock of the revelation, previous memories started to twist in his mind, and he vaguely recalled me being shy and quiet, maybe even cute back in the day.
He shot me a strange glance, feeling a bit weirded out.
The cousin I grew up with was actually my cousin-sister?
Wu Jiaming stared at me, and while it was hard to believe, it wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility.
Today’s usually lively dinner table felt oddly quiet. Grandma stood nearby, dispassionately tossing some dishes into her bowl before stepping out to play mahjong. Grandpa sipped some baijiu while directing his gaze at the TV.
Still in shock, Wu Jiaming finally sighed deeply, remarking that he had initially lamented how his cousin had turned out, only to be taken aback when I transformed into such a beauty in just a year.
“Want to hit the internet café after dinner?” Wu Guodong suddenly suggested, “Let’s squad up!”
This was his quick fix to smoothen out the awkward tension between me and Jiaming.
“Sounds good.” Wu Jiaming chuckled bitterly, realizing that now that I was a girl, I seemed to be getting spoiled quite a bit.
I mean, back then, Auntie hardly bothered with me, and now she was serving me food and whispering sweet nothings—it was clear our mother-daughter bond was better.
And Grandpa even passed me food!
I had never seen such hospitality before.
But it made sense; suddenly discovering I had the wrong gender would be hard to digest for anyone.
No wonder I seemed gloomier than before; I hadn’t smiled much lately.
“Jiaming, you’ve graduated, right? What are you doing now?” Mom suddenly asked.
“Sales, what else?” Jiaming’s face turned grim at the mention of work. “I’m considering going abroad to find my dad; making over a thousand bucks a month just isn’t cutting it.”
Mom rolled her eyes. “Your dad’s life over there is way rougher. He had offered you a chance to go before you entered community college, but you flat-out refused.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s all about chopping veggies and washing dishes…” Jiaming sulked, hesitating for a moment before shaking his head. “I found a girlfriend, so I need to make more money.”
I suddenly perked up, wide-eyed and curious about him.
So that’s why my cousin got so chubby! He has a girlfriend!
My mom and Wu Guodong, hearing this for the first time, immediately started pressing him for photos. Jiaming, being his extroverted self, had no shame and pulled out his phone to start showing off the pictures.
I took a peek.
Hmm, not as pretty as me, a bit ugly actually; she’s clearly not good enough for my cousin.
