Chapter 9 Chapter 9: The Difference Between Men and Women
From Ji Yehan’s speakers came a deep melancholic song. Su Yuan paused, slowly drawn into its lyrics. She nudged him. “Hey, what is this song. It is pretty good”
“The great thinker awakens” Ji Yehan teased. “It is called Autumn of Farewell. There are a few versions online. This one is by Gao Hang, the male version. I like this one best”
“Is there a female version too. How is that one”
Ji Yehan frowned slightly. “The emotion is similar, but the male version feels firmer, while the female one sounds more sorrowful”
“I see”
Since she had not heard it, Su Yuan did not know how to respond.
Noticing his phone screen, she asked, “By the way, you were watching the stock market earlier. Which stock caught your eye”
“Huaxin Tech” Ji Yehan said. “I have been tracking it for months. My analysis shows it is under big player control. A price surge should be coming soon”
“So it is a good buy”
He nodded. “Stocks controlled by big players follow patterns. They have so much capital they can manipulate prices. Retail investors usually end up losing. But if you get insider info and sell before they drive the price down, you can make serious profit. I heard major good news is coming soon”
Su Yuan leaned closer, smiling. “But the price on your screen keeps falling”
“That is just smoke and mirrors” Ji Yehan explained. “They are spreading bad news to lower the price and quietly buy up shares. Look, it has dropped for days straight. That is unnatural”
Su Yuan scoffed. “So the big players are total crooks”
Ji Yehan chuckled. “That is how capital markets work. Big fish eat small fish, small fish eat shrimp. In the end, it is always the retail investors who pay”
Su Yuan made a sound of disbelief, but after a moment admitted it made sense.
“Let us sleep. Class starts tomorrow”
“Yeah, it is late”
Lying in bed, Su Yuan could not fall asleep. The air conditioner hummed. Drowsiness crept in, then a wave of weakness. Her consciousness drifted away. She felt her body pinned heavily to the mattress, her own weight pressing her down.
Just like last night, heat surged through her again.
She slipped into a long tangled dream.
Faintly, she heard voices calling her name, Ji Yehan and Gao Jun urging her to class. She tried to move, but her body would not obey. Eyes wide open, she could only watch them grab their books and leave the dorm.
Sleep paralysis. Panic gripped her.
Silence fell, thick and eerie. Then cracks split the air, jagged lines tearing through reality. The world shattered.
“Ahh”
She jolted awake, gasping. Her body responded again. The thin blanket was soaked with sweat, her clothes clinging damply. She was not sure if that scream had been real or in the dream. Since Ji Yehan and Gao Jun showed no reaction, it must have been in her head.
Calm now, she looked around. She lay on her side, covered by the damp sheet. Outside, the sky was overcast. Checking the time, 5:30 p.m.
She had slept the whole day away.
“Hey. Why did you not wake me this morning” she called down to Ji Yehan and Gao Jun, who were busy at their desks.
“Awake” Gao Jun said. “We tried. You were dead asleep. Called you several times. When you did not stir, we went without you”
“Oh” Su Yuan gave a sheepish smile. Of course, she had missed her first class of the semester.
What a waste.
Now that she thought about it, she did recall hearing them. So she could not blame them. Feeling guilty, she dropped the subject, climbed down, grabbed fresh clothes, and headed to the bathroom for a shower.
Cool water streamed over her skin, washing away the sticky discomfort. As she scrubbed, she pinched her skin, softer, smoother than before. After just one night, her body seemed even more feminine.
Could the estrogen already be working. She startled herself.
It should not act this fast. Maybe the aliens really had rewired her.
Men and women differed not just physically, but mentally too. Yet Su Yuan felt her mind unchanged, still the same as before. Would that shift over time. Would she gradually become someone else.
As a biology student, she knew physiology shaped psychology. The mind was not magic, it was chemistry, neurons firing in response to physical conditions. Male and female brains developed differently due to distinct hormonal environments. If her body became female, her thoughts would inevitably drift from pure masculinity. Insisting she still thought like a man was, frankly, self deception.
That terrified her. What if she lost herself entirely.
Yet philosophy offered no clear answer. Biology pushed the mind in one direction, but identity also held power. Take homosexuality, was that not largely shaped by the spirit.
After her shower, droplets glistened on her skin. Ji Yehan glanced up as she towel dried her face and froze.
“Su Yuan, at first glance, you really look like a girl now”
Su Yuan stiffened mid motion, putting away her toiletries. “What nonsense”
Ji Yehan quickly backtracked. “Just kidding. Do not take it seriously”
How could she not. Anxiety spiked. Her secret might slip out any day, especially with sharp eyed Yehan around.
Gao Jun turned from his keyboard, grinning. “Our Su Su just has a slight frame and light build. He will bulk up later”
“Now that is what I call tact” Su Yuan beamed, tossing him an appreciative look.
“Of course” Gao Jun puffed up proudly, then squinted, eyes widening as if spotting treasure. “But honestly, if someone gifted me a cute boy like Su Yuan, I would happily accept”
“Your mouth spits nothing but filth. And here I thought you were decent” Su Yuan shot back lightly.
“No more calling me decent” Gao Jun protested. “It is bad luck”
“Hehe, you are such a good person” Su Yuan loved teasing him with that phrase.
Gao Jun shook his head, sighing about poor friendship choices.
“Hey, hungry yet”
“Starving” Su Yuan rolled her eyes.
“Then let us go. Yehan, food time”
Ji Yehan hummed in agreement, tidied his desk, and followed Su Yuan and Gao Jun toward the cafeteria.
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