Chapter 125 : Fate Has a Funny Way
"Alright, stay like that for a while. I'll go find you some clothes."
With those words, Ling Ning turned and left the room, taking the discarded men's clothes that belonged to Li Si, as well as the long bandages.
Li Si sat on the bed, her face completely resigned, covered only with a thin sheet. She had never imagined that when Ling Ning asked her to strip, it would be so she could dress her in female clothing. At this moment, all she could think was, "Please, just give me back my innocence."
It wasn't long before Ling Ning returned to the room. With an apologetic tone, she said to Li Si, "Sorry, I forgot my closet is in this room. Don’t mind me~"
Li Si looked at Ling Ning's overly enthusiastic expression and couldn't help thinking, "With that face, who could believe you're really sorry? Also, where are my clothes? You must have hidden them somewhere, didn’t you?!"
Ling Ning opened her closet, revealing an assortment of clothes. She glanced back at Li Si, who was shivering slightly. Their figures were quite similar, though Li Si had a slightly fuller chest.
For reasons she couldn't quite explain, Ling Ning suddenly felt a sense of dissatisfaction. After all, she thought, "I was here first..."
She shook those pointless thoughts out of her mind and focused on picking out something suitable for Li Si to wear. It was hard to judge just by looking at the clothes alone, so Ling Ning decisively opened a drawer and took out a set of black lace underwear that she had never worn before, tossing it to Li Si.
"Put this on first, and then we'll try out a few outfits," she said.
"Wha-what?!" Li Si looked at the black lace lingerie in front of her, utterly confused.
Seeing Li Si's stunned face, Ling Ning asked with a mischievous smile, "Wait... don't tell me you don't know how to put it on? Should I help you?" Her expression turned more and more mischievous, and her eyes gleamed with mischief. She had taken advantage of the situation earlier when undressing Li Si, giving her chest a good squeeze—she couldn't help but think, the feeling was just too good.
"Of-of course I know how to wear it! I'm a girl, aren't I?!"
Li Si carefully picked up the bra with two fingers, examining it as if trying to recall how it was supposed to be worn, thinking back to all the descriptions from novels, TV shows, and certain other films. Slowly but surely, she managed to put it on, and all things considered, she didn't mess up.
"How does it feel?"
"It's a bit tight, but it’s definitely better than the bandages," Li Si replied honestly.
Hearing Li Si's response, Ling Ning felt as though something snapped inside her mind. She suddenly understood how Zhou Xiaoxiao must have felt back then—it was true what they said, fate has a funny way.
"Alright then, since you have your underwear on, let’s move on to trying some clothes."
Ling Ning smiled warmly at Li Si and took a white dress from the closet, handing it to her.
"Do I really have to wear a dress?" Li Si looked at the dress in Ling Ning's hand, then back at Ling Ning's gentle smile, and asked cautiously.
Ling Ning's smile remained as gentle as ever. "What do you think?"
Li Si sighed in resignation, bowing her head slightly. It seemed she had no way out today. Reluctantly, she took the dress from Ling Ning and mumbled, "Then... could you maybe..."
"We're both girls. What's there to be shy about?" Ling Ning teased, though she turned her back to leave the room. At the same time, she began to suspect that perhaps Li Si was just like her—someone who had also transformed upon coming to this world.
"I'm done."
Not long after, Li Si's voice came from inside the room.
Ling Ning opened the door and walked in, only to be greeted by the sight of Li Si wearing the white dress. Although Li Si looked stunning, Ling Ning felt that this particular dress just wasn't quite right for her.
Li Si, on the other hand, seemed incredibly self-conscious, nervously tugging at the hem of the skirt. She found the empty feeling beneath her dress to be quite strange. Back when she occasionally daydreamed about what it might be like to wear a dress, she never imagined it would feel this awkward. The experience was far from what she had envisioned—instead, she felt a persistent unease, like a boy in drag.
Ling Ning shook her head and went back to the closet, picking out another dress for Li Si to try on. "Here, give this one a shot."
"Wh-what? You mean I have to keep going?"
"What did you expect? We're only just getting started~"
"Eh?!"
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"Alright, this is the one."
By now, Li Si was dressed in a white shirt paired with fitted jeans, giving her an effortlessly chic and elegant look.
Ling Ning circled around Li Si, nodding approvingly. Then she went to her vanity, grabbed a couple of small hairpins, and used them to pin Li Si's long bangs to the side, revealing her delicate face.
Li Si stared at her reflection, unable to believe her eyes. The confident, stylish young woman in the mirror—could that really be her?
Ling Ning smiled knowingly at Li Si's stunned expression. "Don't doubt it. That's you, Li Si," she said gently. After a moment, Ling Ning seemed to remember something and added, "By the way, Li Si, I heard that bald scarred man at the trafficker's den call you his disciple. Was he really your master?"
After a brief silence, Ling Ning added, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm just curious."
Li Si remained silent for a while before finally nodding. "I'm an orphan. Once, when I was caught stealing, I was beaten to the brink of death. He saved me. Everything I know—my skills, even my life—are things I owe to him."
"He used to be a soldier—a special forces soldier. He was kind and gentle. When I cried, he made me laugh. When I was sad, he cheered me up. He always used to talk to me about the meaning of life, explaining the difference between good and evil. I was grateful to him, and without him, I probably wouldn't have survived, or if I did, I'd be a shell of a person."
Ling Ning listened attentively, nodding slightly.
"But then he changed," Li Si continued, her voice soft. "For some reason, one day, the smile that was always on his face disappeared. He began drinking heavily, mixing with all sorts of unsavory types."
"As the saying goes, 'He who keeps company with wolves will learn to howl.' He changed. I watched as he fell deeper and deeper, no matter how much I tried to pull him back. It wasn't until one day, I saw him hurt a child. It was then that I knew—my master was gone."
"I left, drifting around aimlessly. That’s when Li Si became Li Four." Li Si smiled bitterly. "I kept drifting, until three years ago, when I met my big brother. And then, out of nowhere, I ran into him again."
"People change, Ling Ning. They just do."
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Author's Note:
There should be another chapter coming later today.