Xu Yecheng let her hook her arm around his as they walked out of the café. Her gaze fell on the roadway, a hint of hesitation appearing on her face.

“Is Yuwei from S University?” he asked.

Dou Yuwei shook her head. “I’m from the one next door. How could I possibly get into a university like S University...?”

Thinking about it, Xu Yecheng felt that made sense. Not to mention whether there were any handsome guys at her school—both the number and quality of girls there were rather worrying.

“And also, why does Ningning call me Yuwei?” Dou Yuwei frowned, a trace of dissatisfaction showing on her face.

Xu Yecheng was a little surprised.
“Then what should I call you?”

“Just call me Doudou. Much friendlier.” As she spoke, Dou Yuwei smiled again.

Xu Yecheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, Doudou.”

Unfortunately, Xu Yecheng was a guy at heart. Even with this appearance, when the word “Doudou” came out of his mouth, it sounded stiff and mechanical, like it had been read by a robot.

Doudou’s entire face scrunched up instantly.

Seeing her expression, Xu Yecheng became confused as well.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, puzzled.

“It feels like Ningning is a bit strange,” Doudou thought for a moment before saying. “Maybe it’s because you’re an engineering-type girl?”

Xu Yecheng immediately panicked. “Huh? What’s strange about me?”

“You’re the first girl who’s ever said my nickname so officially...” Doudou coughed lightly. “Everyone else goes ‘Dou,’ but you went ‘Dou-dou.’”

Xu Yecheng rubbed his forehead. Why care about such details? Still, he cleared his throat and, imitating Doudou’s intonation, said, “Doudou~”

Hearing his own soft, delicate voice made his scalp tingle. Thinking about a grown man like himself making such a gentle, cutesy sound gave Xu Yecheng a huge mental shock.

That feeling… was kind of like finding out Guanyin Bodhisattva is actually male—absurd and mind-blowing.

Doudou, however, nodded in satisfaction.
“That’s more like it. Ningning is clearly so cute, so your personality should match your looks too. That way, boys will like you,” she said earnestly.

Xu Yecheng’s expression immediately darkened.

What was that supposed to mean—matching his personality to his looks so boys would like him?

A strong sense of disgust rose in his heart.

Uncontrollably, some images surfaced in his mind.

Zheng Wenxuan, with cheap hair gel making his hair slick and shiny, holding a bouquet of roses, throwing him a flirtatious wink.
“Xu Yecheng, I like you.”

It was way too shocking...

Xu Yecheng’s vision went dark. He couldn’t understand why his brain would conjure up something so horrifying.

Seeing his face stiffen, Doudou’s expression turned worried.
Had she said something wrong...?

She grew a little nervous.
“Ningning?” she asked softly.

“Huh? What’s up?” Xu Yecheng snapped back to reality, looking a bit awkward.

“You’re not angry, are you?”

“Of course not. Why would I be angry?” Xu Yecheng replied casually, putting Doudou at ease.

Sure enough, his personality still needed some work...

Xu Yecheng felt that if this continued, he’d eventually give himself away. At the very least, he needed to know how a normal girl would respond to things like this.

“I thought you were angry, since commenting on others like that does seem a bit inappropriate,” Doudou said apologetically.

Xu Yecheng was instantly touched. Doudou really was a good girl!

“Yeah, I think there are some things about me that really do need changing...”

Seeing the troubled look on his face, Doudou immediately understood.
“Oh, I see. Don’t worry, Ningning—I’ll definitely help you!”

Looking at her brimming with determination, Xu Yecheng couldn’t help but smile.

What a hassle...

He sighed inwardly. Just trying to make a living, and he had to figure out how to act like a girl too.

After all, he really didn’t want to blow his cover. This kind of lucrative opportunity wasn’t something he wanted to lose just because his identity got exposed.

“Um... Ningning, were you raised like a boy before?” Doudou asked softly, testing the waters.

That question made Xu Yecheng panic.

It wasn’t quite right, but she’d guessed more than half of it.

“Uh, why do you think that?” he asked calmly after a moment’s thought.

“I had a classmate before who was raised like a boy—kind of a tomboy type,” Doudou said, her gaze returning to Xu Yecheng. “But I feel like Ningning isn’t quite like that.”

“I feel like you’re more girly than that classmate, and you even have long hair.”

Xu Yecheng suddenly felt his male pride being trampled on.

What did that mean—was she saying he wasn’t even as manly as a tomboy?

He felt a bit dejected.

Hey, this long hair wasn’t even his choice. It was part of the starter package, okay? He didn’t want it either.

“And your name, Ningning, sounds really nice too—gentle and peaceful. It really suits how you look.”

Even though she wasn’t praising his real self, Xu Yecheng still felt a little pleased.

But along with that flutter of happiness, some corner of his heart felt like it was quietly collapsing...

“Thank you,” Xu Yecheng said softly, his voice clear and gentle, unexpectedly pleasant.

“By the way, where are we going?” Doudou asked softly as she followed him across the intersection.

Xu Yecheng had originally planned to go back to campus, but suddenly remembered that he should probably change out of this dress.

With Doudou along, it would probably be better...

After all, going into a women’s clothing store alone still made him uneasy.

“I want to buy some clothes. What about you, Dou... Doudou?” Xu Yecheng said, deliberately adding some intonation when saying her name.

Doudou frowned again, then demonstrated it for him once more.

Xu Yecheng followed along.

But seeing that Doudou still didn’t look quite right, he asked, “Is there a problem...?”

Doudou shook her head. “No. It’s just... I feel like being taught by a girl who’s prettier than me is a huge irony.”

Xu Yecheng smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say. “Is that so...?”

Doudou let out a breath. “Forget it, it’s fine. Let’s go. I don’t have anything else to do anyway. Walk a bit further and there’s a clothing store. Their styles are nice, and the prices are affordable.”

Xu Yecheng smiled in relief. What Doudou didn’t know was that what pleased him wasn’t the style or design, but the words “affordable prices.”

Xu Yecheng had never had high standards for clothes.

Durable, not ugly, not overly flashy—that was all he really needed.