Volume Two: The Youth of a Thousand Faces—Truth in Disguise Chapter Fifty-Nine: Huo Ye in Women's Attire

Alice said she wanted to see Huo Ye dressed as a woman, and this truly shocked him to the core. Since when did his little sister have such a peculiar hobby? Watching her brother cross-dress? This was just… Huo Ye felt as if his trigeminal nerve was about to explode. Dressing as a woman—he had done it before, and the memory was still vivid. When he was a child, his mother had insisted he put on girl’s clothes because she thought he was cute, and she’d even taken plenty of photos. That was the darkest, most humiliating stain on his life.

Huo Ye found it strange—did every woman like to see boys in girls’ clothing?

By the end of the gathering, none of the three who understood what Alice was really thinking said a word. After all, this sort of thing was hardly suitable to bring up openly.

Later, at home, Shangguan Yudie quietly told Huo Ye that Alice seemed to have thought about publicity, then imagined the flyer girls who hand out leaflets on the street, which led her to the idea of handing out flyers herself, and from there to… Huo Ye cross-dressing.

Huo Ye nearly exploded on the spot. What a terrifying train of thought! My sister, can’t you just be a normal person?

Alice had always been like this since childhood—willful as a princess, with an imagination running wild, always asking for this or that. And Huo Ye had always spoiled her, indulging nearly all her whims. But this time, no, absolutely not. This was his bottom line!

He didn’t discriminate against people with a cross-dressing fetish; after all, humans are social creatures, but each has their own personality. As long as it didn’t affect others, every lifestyle deserved equal respect. But not discriminating didn’t mean he could accept cross-dressing himself!

It was one thing to be forced by his mother as a child; now, whoever tried, they could forget it!

Three nights later…

Huo Ye’s mouth twitched as he crushed a handful of playing cards in his hand, gritting his teeth, “You two cheated!”

“No, no, if anyone here is good at cheating at cards, I think it’s you, brother,” Alice said, covering her mouth with a laugh.

Huo Ye turned to Shangguan Yudie, but she seemed unable to meet his gaze, hiding her face behind her cards and mumbling, “It wasn’t me, I didn’t do anything.”

“You read my mind!” Huo Ye ground his teeth. “What’s the point of you two playing cards? One swaps cards with telekinesis, the other reads my mind to peek at my hand—you’re quite the team, aren’t you!”

Alice only looked at him with sympathy, then crooked her finger, and a dozen cards flew out from Huo Ye’s sleeve, swirling around him. As she toyed with the cards, she said, “Brother, we may have cheated, but didn’t you? Don’t forget, I learned card tricks from Uncle Janos. I know exactly what you’re capable of.”

Huo Ye took a deep breath and rolled his eyes skyward.

Alice leaned back, crossing her legs. “Since none of us played fair, let’s call it even. But as agreed, since we won, you have to grant us one request.”

“Fine, name it.” Huo Ye was generous; playing cards was for fun, and he didn’t mind if they wanted to make a wager. Shangguan Yudie wasn’t the type to push for anything, and as for Alice, it would just be something like making delicious food or buying some new toy—he was used to it.

… Wait!

Huo Ye suddenly had a bad feeling, especially when he saw the strange look in Alice’s eyes. His premonition only grew stronger.

Alice slapped a storage box and pulled out a garment—a maid outfit.

“Well then, put it on,” Alice grinned like a mischievous imp.

“What the—” Huo Ye reeled, gasping. It had been three days—he’d thought she’d forgotten! Was her obsession with seeing her brother in drag really this deep?

He steadied himself, asking calmly, “A man’s word is his bond. I have only one question—why a maid outfit?”

Alice remained silent, but Shangguan Yudie sent Huo Ye a message. He opened it, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

It was a long screenshot of a chat log, showing the conversation between the three girls three days ago.

“Ha ha ha, was the Captain really this cute as a child?” said Kazama Liuli. Above this was the photo Huo Ye least wanted to see—himself at twelve, dressed as a girl.

Back then, he’d just awakened his sub-stem cells. Originally, he’d had short hair, but Vivienne had insisted he grow it out. With her help, his hair became long, straight, and black, styled into twin ponytails. Dressed in a little girl’s outfit, and with a voice that hadn’t changed yet, people on the street would ask, “Is this your daughter? She’s beautiful.”

His feelings then were impossible to describe. Those three hours, thirty-one minutes, and fifty-two seconds of humiliation—he’d never forget it as long as he lived.

Even just reading this one message made Huo Ye furious. He glared at Alice, “You posted my photo!”

“What’s the big deal? Xiao Yu and Liuli aren’t outsiders,” Alice replied nonchalantly.

Huo Ye scrolled further and realized the whole event had been planned by the three of them, and they’d come up with this flawless, unguarded scheme together.

And the maid outfit—they’d all agreed it was the cutest thing he could wear.

Huo Ye nearly yanked out his neural implant and smashed it to the ground. His mind was blank save for curses. A grown man in a maid outfit and they called it cute? Just wait!

“Give me the clothes. No photos,” Huo Ye demanded.

But Alice tucked the outfit back into the box, smiling slyly. “I just wanted to show it to you. We’ll wait for…the right occasion.”

Huo Ye’s scalp tingled. Why did this have to hang over his head? Better to get it over with in one go! And what did she mean by the right occasion? That look of hers couldn’t mean anything good!

Huo Ye shut down.

Restless and uneasy, it took all his effort to fall asleep in his rest pod. Two hours later, he sat up again. His body’s fatigue was gone, but his mind was still weary.

Agitated, he left the pod, poured himself a glass of cold water, and downed it in one gulp, but he still felt jittery. The thought of that maid outfit in Alice’s hands made him want to burn it on the spot.

Karma had come too quickly; just four days ago, he’d pulled something similar on Xiao Linghuo.

He glanced at the rest pod—no hope of sleep now. He might as well head into the VRF for a fight. Only battle could ease his irritation.

He logged in under his own name. Night Rain Crow had become too high-profile lately, and he was worried some expert might target him. If he only used his Holy Light powers, he’d only be half as strong as normal and would stand no chance against top-tier guild leaders.

As “Misfortune” went online, the major guild members all got the alert. As the academy’s rising star, Huo Ye naturally drew attention.

Almost instantly, a flood of friend requests popped up on his interface.

“Icy Sage” wants to add you as a friend.

“Dao Begets One” wants to add you as a friend.

…

Huo Ye looked at the endless requests and silently sighed, “What should I do with all this popularity? Waiting online for advice.”

Most requests were from major guilds or their online members. Icy Sage was Qin Shiqian, Dao Begets One was Feng Wuming, and there were others—Shangguan Yudie’s Ice Dancer, Jiang Feng’s Listening Wind, Alice’s Gunfire and Rain, and so on.

Huo Ye filtered through and accepted only those he knew, rejecting all strangers. He was cautious online—if he didn’t know someone in real life, he usually wouldn’t add them.

Then, he strode into the 1 VS 1 arena. “I’m in a foul mood today. I don’t care who you are—brace yourself for a beating!”