Zheng Wenxuan was still puzzled.
That fleeting glimpse through the door crack—Xu Yecheng's eyes really had looked different. Softer… brighter… almost… *dewy*.
Though it lasted only a split second, it felt *off*.
"You're still not gone?!" Xu Yecheng called from inside the bathroom, voice tight with urgency.
"The infirmary's closed today. I'll take my ID and buy medicine from a pharmacy outside," Zheng Wenxuan replied.
"Go already!" Xu Yecheng urged again.
"I'll be back," Zheng Wenxuan said, grabbing his ID and heading out.
As he walked, his mind kept circling back to that strange, shimmering glance.
*Ugh… I've been single too long. Now I'm seeing my own roommate as "delicate and handsome"!*
He quickened his pace.
*Gotta find a girlfriend—fast. Or I'm gonna start questioning my sexuality.*
---
Back in the dorm, Xu Yecheng tapped lightly on the bathroom door.
"Xuan? You still there?"
He waited a few seconds. Hearing nothing, he cautiously cracked the door open. The room was empty. He finally exhaled in relief and stepped out.
Judging by Zheng Wenxuan's reaction, he probably hadn't noticed anything… right?
Still, Xu Yecheng felt a twinge of guilt.
He'd gotten this absurdly powerful artifact—one that could completely transform his appearance—but had zero instructions. It just fell from the sky during a random explosion. How was he supposed to use it?
What now…?
He tried to recall every detail from when the mask fell off earlier.
Nothing special happened… or did it?
He thought and thought—but drew a blank. Meanwhile, the pain in his ankle flared up again.
After quickly treating the wound, he kept racking his brain.
"Could it… fall off automatically after a set time?" he muttered. But he hadn't worn it long enough for that—so why hadn't it come off yet?
He rubbed his temples—and the smooth, supple texture beneath his fingertips made his stomach twist again.
Desperate, he scanned the room for anything useful.
His eyes landed on a strip of tape on the floor—leftover from Zheng's package.
Then a wild idea struck: *What if I cut it off?*
He opened the drawer, pulled out the utility knife, and stared at it. He pinched his cheek—soft, pliable, almost unnervingly real. His mood grew even more conflicted.
He extended the blade… slowly brought it toward his face…
—and froze just before contact.
*Okay, I'm kinda scared of pain…*
He sighed in defeat and put the knife away.
Just then—his phone rang.
He jumped, saw an unknown number, set down the knife, and answered.
"Hello, is this Mr. Xu Yecheng?" a man's voice asked.
The moment the words left the caller's mouth, a cool sensation swept across Xu Yecheng's face—the mask peeled off and *plopped* onto the floor.
He stood there, stunned.
It… came off?
He bent down and picked it up.
"Hello? Are you there?" the man on the phone sounded confused.
"Ah—yes! That's me," Xu Yecheng stammered. "What's up?"
"Your package is at the pickup station."
"Oh… okay. Thanks."
After hanging up, he stared at the mask in his hand, mind racing.
Did it just… come off because someone said his *full name*?
That was bizarre—but testable.
He pressed the mask back onto his face and immediately dialed Zheng Wenxuan.
"Yo, what's up? Dying already?" Zheng answered.
Xu Yecheng took a deep breath. "Nah. Xuan, say my full name."
There was rustling on the other end. "Huh? Did your brain short-circuit?"
"Just do it. Less talk, more name."
"…Xu Yecheng," Zheng said, exasperated.
Xu Yecheng winced. *Why does that sound so weirdly… gay?*
But sure enough—the mask slipped right off.
A grin broke across his face.
"So… anything actually wrong?" Zheng asked, annoyed.
"Nope. You back yet?"
"On my way."
"Cool."
Xu Yecheng finally sat down, relief washing over him.
Now he understood the rules: *Say my full name → mask drops.*
But… were there other hidden functions?
His ankle throbbed again—sharper this time. He glanced at the wound, wincing.
He looked at the mask in his hand, sighing.
It only changed his face. His voice, body, hairstyle—all stayed the same.
If he wanted to monetize this… maybe go viral online as a "cross-dressing idol"? But doing that from a cramped dorm room? Nearly impossible.
Honestly… this thing felt kinda useless right now.
Just then—the dorm door swung open.
Xu Yecheng yelped, instinctively shoving the mask into his pocket.
Zheng Wenxuan walked in, holding a small bag. "Here—got the ointment. Thirty bucks."
"Thanks." Xu Yecheng pulled out his phone and transferred the money.
"Oh, by the way," Zheng added as he tidied his desk, "when I left campus, I saw police cordoning off a street. Heard some guy's gas cylinder exploded in his apartment."
Xu Yecheng, applying ointment to his ankle, froze. "The intersection right outside Jiayuan Convenience Store?"
"Yeah, probably," Zheng said. "The homeowner got badly burned, but he's alive—no fatalities."
*Could this mask… belong to that guy?*
Xu Yecheng asked carefully, "Who's the owner?"
"No idea. Just saw it in some group chat."
"I see…" Xu Yecheng murmured, lost in thought.
"What's up?"
"Nothing," he said quickly, standing up. "I'm gonna grab breakfast—I'm starving."
He headed for the door.
"Wait!"
Xu Yecheng turned back, puzzled. "What?"