Being a woman, is it happy?

  "That's me! I'm a hero with both brains and bravery... Ah? Hey! Older cousin, it's me!"

  Leng Xiao Xi, who was just rejoicing in her own success, suddenly picked up the phone and revealed a look of urgency and delight. Xue saw this and held her breath, waiting quietly by his side.

  "Huh? Big sister, that... wild vegetable, can't find it." Her big brother started complaining as soon as he picked up the phone.

  Leng Xiao Ya snorted in annoyance and reluctantly asked kindly: "Where are you now?"

  "Hey, at home, so comfortable..."

  Leng Xiao Ya was taken aback and muttered: "What's for dinner?"

  "Heh heh, fatty."

  "Come on, hurry up and get over here, I'm waiting for you at the entrance of No. 2 Middle School, I have something to talk to you about." Leng Xiaoyu ordered.

  "Are you coming over? Okay, I'll be there soon. Ah, by the way... is that little gift with you?"

  Leng Xiao Ya scrunched up her nose and bared her teeth, mumbling a few words before saying: "You're here now, so that's it! Why ask so many questions..."

  "Ah, okay, we'll talk about it later."

  She hung up the phone and Xiao Xue hurried over to ask: "How was it? What did your brother say?"

  Leng Xiao Ya frowned and shook her head slightly, saying: "Not yet..."

  She half-turned around, picked up the black windbreaker on her bedside, put it on and nodded at Xiao Xue: "Let's go, you should also go to class."

  Xiao Xue followed beside her and said: "Then what about you? Are you going to meet your cousin?"

  "Hmm, I think it's almost the last step."

  Locking the door, Leng Xiaoyao turned around and handed the key to Xiao Xue, sincerely saying: "Thank you for taking care of me recently."

  After taking the key, Xiao Xue seemed to be in a daze. She turned her head and looked at the back of Leng Xiaoyu's figure in the corridor, muttering: "Is it over just like that?"

  Leng Xiao stopped in her tracks, turned around, and a hint of self-satisfaction and playfulness flashed across her face. "That pack of cigarettes is something that can't be seen in the light of day, Xiaoyi's fate is destined to lose to me..."

  What's wrong?

  Xiao Xue couldn't help but be shocked. Did Qing Leng Xiao actually think this was a gamble? A game? This Qing Leng Xiao, really isn't a thrifty lamp, is she?

  They parted ways in front of the school gate of Luoshui Middle School, and Xiao Xue returned to the campus while Leng Xiaoyao hid in a hidden location, waiting for her older brother's arrival.

  The sun slowly set, and Leng Xiaoyu was bored to death. It wasn't until about half an hour later that several motorcycles roared in.

  When Leng Xiao Ya gazed at her brother's face from the shadows, he seemed to sense something and his eyes shifted, seeing her small face, suddenly having a strange feeling.

  The two of them were strangers in a sense, yet without even exchanging greetings, her brother stopped his motorcycle, jumped off quickly and stared at her with a strong intuition.

  Leng Xiao Ya lowered her head in shame and guilt, about ten meters away, she stuttered: "Brother-in-law..."

  The faint cry was like the hum of a mosquito, lingering in the autumn wind. However, her older cousin seemed to have heard some kind of inner voice, his expression shook, and he hastily ran to her side, trying to help her up while looking at her face, but under a few moments of awkwardness, he did not touch her skin, and anxiously asked: "You, you are Xiaoli? What you said that day was true?"

  Leng Xiao Ya nodded lightly and said: "It's true... I've already gotten used to it."

  Her elder male cousin seemed at a loss for words to express his feelings at that moment, and furrowed his brow with an awkward smile, several times wanting to speak but stopping himself.

  Taking a deep breath, Leng Xiao said: "It's very simple, I just turned into a girl last week and now I'm working at a restaurant, life is pretty good..."

  Her older cousin forced a smile, unsure of how to communicate with her who was smiling calmly.

  "But I have a girlfriend now, it's the one I told you about, Ye Cai. She's, uh, how should I put it... anyway, I need your help with something." Leng Xiao said with a serious face.

  "Huh?" Her brother was taken aback, then grinned wildly and said: "You go ahead and say it, I'll definitely help you."

  Leng Xiao Ya pursed her lips and nodded slightly, casting a gentle and grateful glance at her brother, recounting the specific situation in detail without reservation.

  After a moment of astonishment, her elder male cousin more or less understood the horror of "transforming into cigarettes" and the hidden harm it had caused to Leng Xiaoyu's body and mind, and was warned by Leng Xiaoyu not to spread this matter outside.

  In the end, Brother agreed to her request and claimed that he would ambush Ye Cai tonight and eliminate the hidden danger. Leng Xiaoyu had nowhere to go, so she might as well join forces with Brother to ambush Ye Cai together.

  ……

  Three hours later.

  Luoshui No. 2 Middle School, Class 22.

  The evening self-study bell rang, and Ye Cai, who was making up for lost sleep, was woken up by Su Xiaoqiu. When she woke up, she found that Liu Youyou had been waiting at the door.

  She gathered her bag and, under Su Xiaoqiu's quiet escort, walked to the classroom door and softly told Liu Youyou: "Sister Youyou, you go back first, I have something to say to Xiaoqiu..."

  With a stunned slanting gaze, only Su Xiaoqiu and Ye Cai simultaneously revealed warm and kind smiles, just like two intimate sisters. This made Liu Youyou feel discontented, forcing a smile: "What do you want to say to her? Even specially waiting until the evening self-study..."

  "There isn't, just that there are some circumstances you understand but she doesn't... after all, she's also our friend." Ye Cai forced a smile, his eyes filled with a hint of helplessness and bitterness.

  Pouting, Liu Yuoyou turned around and glanced at Su Xiaochun a few more times before looking at Ye Cai and saying, "Don't chat too late, come back early."

  They watched as Liu Yuoyou walked away with an air of pride, and only then did Ye Cai lead Su Xiaoqiu down from the other side of the stairs. They strolled slowly to a flowerbed downstairs and sat down together.

  The inky night envelops around, an unspoken stillness everywhere.

  Su Xiaoqiu knew that Ye Cai's mind was not simple, but she didn't rashly speak out to disturb her. Instead, she quietly waited for Ye Cai to consider everything thoroughly before telling her as much as possible.

  "You...do you think being a woman is happy?" Ye Cai asked sincerely.

  Su Xiao looked dazed and blinked her eyes, saying: "What's called happiness? Hehe, I only know what's called cool, carefree."

  Ye Cai couldn't help but smile awkwardly, and after a moment of contemplation, she asked again: "So do you think that now, you are at ease?"

  Su Xiaoqiu was taken aback, silently pondering the aftertaste, then glanced at Ye Cai and suddenly smiled, saying: "It's great, I think."

  "Hehe..."

  She forced a smile, and Ye Cai lowered her head with a look of difficulty on her face. She always felt that Su Xiaoqiu was comforting her, which made her feel even more guilty and self-reproachful.

  At this time, Su Xiaoqiu gazed at her profile, which seemed to be shrouded in a sorrowful color, calmly hooked the corner of her mouth, took a deep breath, and looked up at the night sky: "I think, actually, there's no need to care about how others look at you, the key is that you're living comfortably, without constraints, look at me, I'm like a fool all day, haha, but in my heart, I know more clearly than anyone else what's going on, but I still live comfortably, this isn't fake. Hmm...how to say it, just learn to comfort yourself, if you think you're an outcast and can't face people, and you admit it yourself, then that won't do, right?"

  After a long silence, Ye Cai suddenly raised a pair of dim eyes from under his bangs and said, "Do you resent me? I turned you into a girl..."

  Su Xiaoqiu was speechless and lost her smile, quietly tidying herself up, thinking to herself: "How can I say that I resent them? Hmm... no matter what others do or think, I won't hate them, because there must be a very difficult reason for it. I feel that whether it's family or friends, you can't just rely on others, hmm... should say, there's no absolute trust, because everyone has their own thoughts and things they want to do, humph, even I don't know what I'm saying myself..."

  Ye Cai forced a smile in return, lowering her eyes, secretly guessing the other person's true feelings.

  Su Xiaoqiu saw her gloomy and hurt expression, smiled gently, and said: "I think you're thinking too much, right? Even if you want to put yourself in others' shoes, this is a bit excessive. This way, carrying so many burdens will make you very tired... Hmm, let me tell you about myself, I'm actually quite carefree, they all say that... My dad, I heard he's a high-level national agent, I haven't seen him since I was little, probably executing some mission somewhere now? How's that, isn't it cool? Hehe..."

  Ye Cai raised her eyes, thinking as if she was recalling something, with a bitter smile hanging on the corner of her mouth, seemingly having some bad guesses about Su Xiaoqiu's father's story.

  Su Xiaoqiu gazed up at the night sky with a serene smile on her face, as if she saw the kindly smiles of her parents.

  "Hmm, my mom, when I was 14, said she wanted to follow him, do his laundry and cook for him. Hehe, both my mom and I liked my dad a lot, we really admired him. After that, my mom left and put me in my uncle's house, until now, they haven't come back, just occasionally gathering online, but I don't blame them, because I believe my dad and mom must be thinking of me, and I miss them too... but there must be some reason why they can't come back. Hmm... Ye Cai, in this world, there are no truly bad people, behind every thing, there must be a reason, you shouldn't always be so cold to those classmates, if you don't give them a good face, they won't give you a good face either, right?"

  Taking a deep breath, Ye Cai smiled and said: "Your uncle, how is he treating you?"

  Su Xiaoqiu was taken aback by his words, then smiled sweetly and shrugged her shoulders, rolling her eyes at the night sky, saying: "Well, it's like that, good or bad, it's not too much of a difference, actually, it's pretty good for me, hehe... Chinese people aren't good at expressing their emotions..."

  "Is that so..."

  Smiling calmly, Ye Cai slightly narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, revealing a hint of contemplation.

  （……）