RSDH CH36

Back in the dressing room, the couple had already determined to win. There was a sense of resolve that if found, they would rather be cremated on the spot, risking their lives for their idol image. Therefore, it was absolutely impossible to expose the fact of wearing women’s clothing in front of the public.

Holding such strong psychological construction, the two went out.

But before the door even opened, Cheng Duzhou suddenly said, “Wait a moment.”

He put one hand on his hip and rested one arm against the wall, leaning his head on it quietly.

Hearing the call to stop, Duan Xingye turned around and leaned his back against the door, silently taking deep breaths.

Morale plummeted just like that.

Duan Xingye didn’t know who he was, where he was, or what he was going to do. After being dazed for a moment, he quickly thought of the five-star suite again, straightened his back, and pulled himself together: “Cheng Duzhou, don’t go soft (wither) on me.”

“?” Cheng Duzhou turned his head to look at him, quietly for two seconds, then stepped forward to grab him. “You didn’t let me feel good just now; now let me show you.”

“Cheng Duzhou!” Duan Xingye pushed his hand away. Pinched on the waist, he raised his volume in agitation. “Running out of time!”

“Who’s going soft?”

“I said your spirit is going soft!”

“I’m hard as a rock in spirit too.”

“Crawl!!!”

After a bout of playing around at the dressing room door, the atmosphere suddenly relaxed, and even the psychological burden wasn’t so heavy anymore.

Cheng Duzhou gradually stopped, meeting Duan Xingye’s eyes that were exceptionally bright from almost laughing to tears. His heart beat irregularly.

Duan Xingye was very beautiful in women’s clothing.

Beautiful enough to make it hard to look away.

His face was small. With blunt bangs covering his eyebrows, the whole face appeared even smaller, further highlighting the brilliance of his features. Especially the pair of eyes under the bangs; modified by eye makeup, they were rounder and as lively as a cat’s. Thick eyelashes fluttered, casting clean shadows under the eyelids. He even specifically dotted a tear mole, adding a charming and sexy flavor. Thus, when smiling, he looked like a sweet girl; when not smiling, he was coldly beautiful.

Sensing Cheng Duzhou’s focused gaze, Duan Xingye pursed his lips and restrained his smile: “What are you looking at?”

“You know what?” Cheng Duzhou lowered his gaze, helping him adjust the crooked tie. “You could bend me straight.”

“…”

Duan Xingye admitted he was good-looking, but this was women’s clothing! No matter how good-looking, it was women’s clothing! He, a grown man, didn’t have a cross-dressing fetish! If you can’t speak, don’t speak!

Duan Xingye grabbed Cheng Duzhou’s tie and pulled it to both sides: “Believe it or not, I can break you in two!”

“Cough…” Cheng Duzhou hurriedly grabbed Duan Xingye’s hands to avoid actually being strangled.

Duan Xingye took out his phone to check the time. The chase battle with the audience was about to begin.

The program team stipulated they must appear at the Anime Festival by eleven o’clock.

“Let’s go,” he said.

Cheng Duzhou lowered his head, hands behind his back, one knee slightly buckled inward, swaying his body gently left and right.

“…………”

Seeing this big man over 1.9 meters suddenly acting shy, Duan Xingye found it hard to describe.

“Do you think I’m weird?” Cheng Duzhou’s voice was very soft.

Duan Xingye scrutinized Cheng Duzhou again. Upon closer inspection, his face felt inexplicably hot.

Cheng Duzhou’s face shape was inherited from his mother. In his youth, he looked very delicate and pretty. Growing up, his features deepened and became more manly, but the facial contour remained. Therefore, although tall, wearing women’s clothing didn’t give a bulky feeling. Still refined and handsome, draped in the loose uniform, he had the slender feeling of a supermodel.

Duan Xingye was responsible for both of their makeup. He gave Cheng Duzhou an earth-tone eye makeup leaning towards European/American style, matching his three-dimensional features well and creating a mixed-race look.

So Cheng Duzhou wasn’t weird at all right now; instead, from face to clothing, he exuded the style of a mature and beautiful, cool elder sister.

It was his coy movements at this moment that seemed incongruous.

But soon, Duan Xingye saw a trace of insecurity in his shyness.

He couldn’t help thinking of the kindergarten art performance.

That year, they were six years old, both in the middle class. Duan Xingye was the famous popularity king of the whole kindergarten, selected by the teacher to play the protagonist prince. Cheng Duzhou had always been a silent child, rarely showing off, so he got the role of a tree.

On the day of the performance, all the children backstage were chattering and jumping around, looking forward to performing on stage.

Only Cheng Duzhou sat in the corner hugging his knees.

He was encased in a tree-shaped costume with a hole in the trunk revealing his face. Two red circles were painted on his cheeks, matching the red fruits on the tree.

Duan Xingye suddenly squatted in front of him, tilting his head: “What are you doing~”

Cheng Duzhou looked up at him, then lowered his head again: “Your clothes all look so good…”

Duan Xingye immediately became proud, standing up to display his glittering white prince costume, flicking his flowing red cape.

Holding his head high, he kicked his short legs in a goose step, walked back and forth in a circle, and said, “Of course, and I am the prince, I am the best looking!”

Cheng Duzhou didn’t speak, burying his head lower.

Duan Xingye looked at him for a while, his small face gradually becoming confused, and squatted down again: “What’s wrong?”

Cheng Duzhou asked, “Am I very weird like this?”

Duan Xingye looked at him.

Indeed very weird. Even little flowers and grass had costumes of their own colors, not needing to be encased in a cylinder.

Duan Xingye reached out and patted his brown tree trunk, his voice crisp and bright: “Cheng Duzhou, if you can act well as a tree, I will think you are amazing.”

…

Duan Xingye looked away, his tone a bit stiff: “Just joking with you just now, didn’t think you were weird…”

He turned around and said, “Are you coming or not? I’m not waiting for you!”

Duan Xingye pressed the door handle, about to open the door.

Suddenly, a gust of wind hit him from behind, and a tall figure enveloped him.

Cheng Duzhou reached out and held his hand, turning the door handle down together.

Duan Xingye turned his head to look.

Cheng Duzhou also looked at him at close range, a very faint smile in his black eyes, saying: “As long as you don’t look at me with strange eyes, I’m fine with anything.”

Duan Xingye was slightly stunned by his suddenly relaxed state.

Fine with anything?

After Cheng Duzhou pulled open the door, he walked out first.

The last bit of inhibition in his heart was completely smoothed out.

When he was young, he acted well as a tree. Later growing up, he tried hard to act well every role the script gave him—police officer, accountant, petty citizen… No matter the appearance, even destroying his image, he didn’t care because someone had said, as long as he acted well, he was amazing.

So today, he would also act well as a high school girl.

Cheng Duzhou left the dressing room, put on a mask, and walked towards the mall exit. Wherever he passed seemed to become a runway, and even his walk turned into a female model’s catwalk, with the unique rhythmic undulation of a young girl.

He looked up, flipped the black hair on his shoulder back. The wind brushed his temples, the long straight black hair behind him bouncing elastically with his steps. His eyes glanced left, then stared right, full of aggressive “strangers keep away” energy.

Like a cool and bitchy cheerleader captain in an American high school.

“…”

Duan Xingye walked beside him, keeping up with Cheng Duzhou’s catwalk.

Never thought that once Cheng Duzhou let go, his confidence would make Duan Xingye’s scalp tingle.

But it had to be said, this aura of confidence also drove him. The slight discomfort he had about women’s clothing before was thrown to the back of his mind.

The two walked to the mall entrance, immediately attracting the attention of the surrounding crowd.

Although Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye both wore masks, their radiance as confident beauties emanated from their styling to their temperament, so no one saw any clues.

In everyone’s eyes, one was a dashing girl over 1.9 meters tall, wearing a skirt uniform, broad shoulders, thin waist, super long legs, suspected to be a mixed-race supermodel.

The other was slightly shorter, but with fair skin and a beautiful face. The exposed pair of beautiful eyes was particularly soul-snatching. Legs straight and slender, looking like someone who walked out of a first love manga.

And the two beauties turned a blind eye to the admiring gazes along the way, walking purposefully towards the entrance of the Anime Festival on the square.

The couple walked side by side. The more they walked, the more open and confident they became, feeling stable in their hearts.

Just five mission points; finish in ten minutes. It didn’t even count as a challenge for them.

— “Hello! Hello! Can I interview you?”

Suddenly a microphone was extended in front of them.

Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye cast a cold glance.

Met the reflective camera lens.

“…”

“…”

The next second, like mice seeing a cat, they lowered their heads to avoid, repeatedly checking if their masks were worn properly, their hearts panicked like popped balloons.

Cheng Duzhou grabbed Duan Xingye’s hand and walked in the opposite direction of the Anime Festival.

Duan Xingye didn’t think too much, insisting on getting inside first.

In their panic, the two pulled at each other and bumped together.

At this time, the camera caught up.

The host panted, blocking their way: “Howl (Hello)! I am Mengzai from Bilibili Anime Channel. Seeing that you two ladies are just too beautiful, I wanted to interview you. Can I take a minute of your time?”

Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye barely stood firm, heads lowered, not knowing how to speak for a moment, afraid their voices would expose them. As a result, the host seized the gap and threw a question: “Are you besties?”

They were silent for two seconds.

Almost simultaneously.

Cheng Duzhou shook his head; Duan Xingye nodded.

Host: “…”

Bullet comments seemed to understand: Plastic besties.

The host hurriedly switched topics, saying, “May I ask how you feel about coming to the Anime Festival today?”

Cheng Duzhou cleared his throat. His voice was abnormally low and hoarse, sounding like he had a cold, seemingly inconvenient to speak.

Duan Xingye worried that continuing to be secretive would only induce suspicion and attract everyone’s attention.

He suppressed the anxiety in his heart and simply raised his head generously to face the camera. Opening his mouth, it was a delicate, gentle, yet slightly clear female voice: “Very happy to see many anime characters I like today.”

Cheng Duzhou’s heart tipped moved. He glanced at Duan Xingye. Hearing that voice, his bones went soft.

The bullet comments went crazy.

“Ahhhhhhhh! She’s so beautiful! Looks like Tomie!”

“Voice sounds so good! Is Sister a voice actress?”

“Begging the two sisters to take off masks!”

Voice changing wasn’t difficult for Duan Xingye, just that as a normal male, he wouldn’t usually pinch his throat to speak.

The host said, “Is it convenient for you to take off your masks? Bilibili friends really want to know you two.”

Both shook their heads.

“…”

The host wanted to ask more, but Cheng Duzhou tugged at Duan Xingye’s hand, signaling urgency.

Duan Xingye took the opportunity to say, “Have things to do, leaving first.”

The host and the camera behind could only regretfully watch the two walk away.

Someone in the livestream noticed the rings on their hands. Couldn’t see the style clearly, but they shone white under the sunlight.

Bullet comments: So the sisters are a couple!

…

After entering the Anime Festival venue, the couple secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

There were more people inside than outside. Although they were still eye-catching, mixed among a pile of strange costumes, they wouldn’t appear abrupt.

They walked towards the first check-in point.

On the way, Duan Xingye was still asking: “Didn’t discover us, right?”

Cheng Duzhou said, “You even changed your voice; it was impossible to be discovered.”

While chatting, they didn’t see Old Xu walking towards them against the flow of people in the crowd nearby, holding a camera.

In the [Lü Ye Shu Huai] livestream room, viewers were intently staring at every passerby entering the frame.

“Didn’t expect it to be a bit harder than imagined.”

“Come out quickly you two! Appearing now means staying in a five-star hotel!”

“President Cheng’s height is a big BUG. Just look for the tallest person in the crowd. They might still be outside.”

“Wait! A super tall person just walked by.”

“That’s a girl!”

“Are there girls this tall?”

“Victoria’s Secret supermodels average 1.9 meters, learn about it.”

“Go back and look again!”

Old Xu had to observe bullet comments while walking. Responding to the audience’s request, he turned around and pointed the camera at the two people who just passed.

In the bustling crowd, one was outstandingly tall, the other had a slender back view. Both had long hair over their shoulders, wearing uniform skirts, both the type with legs to play with for years.

Bullet comments:

“Love it, love it.”

“The girls in the comic con are all so pretty~”

“Don’t get distracted! Finding President Cheng and Teacher Duan quickly is the main business!”

When checking in, hands needed to be included in the photo to prove the guests took it on site themselves.

Duan Xingye took a photo of a designated stall, then another of a venue decoration. Three locations left.

He and Cheng Duzhou walked towards the outside.

Shenzhen’s temperature was higher. Although still March, the near-noon sunlight already felt a bit intense, shining blindingly white on the outdoor ground.

They were going to photograph the landmark building in the center of the square, the red gift box.

In front was the stage. Just now someone was DJing; now it entered the main topic, holding the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the mall completion.

The host’s amplified voice drifted all over the square: “Welcome the General Manager of Jiangnan Group to the scene, welcome~”

Then the crowd standing off-stage applauded enthusiastically.

Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye were behind the stage, in front of that landmark big red gift box. The two were huddled together, discussing the shooting distance against the photo on the phone, needing to capture the full scene.

Neither of them noticed three girls carrying schoolbags walking by.

The girls were all high school students, dressed plainly, staring unblinkingly at the two people wearing Japanese/Korean style uniforms. Their eyes were full of admiration and envy for dazzling people. Moreover, in their view, the two beauties were peers, youthful and beautiful, looking completely uncrushed by academic pressure.

Suddenly, one of the girls was dazzled by the light refracted from the rings on the beauties’ hands.

She looked and saw both wearing matching diamond platinum rings.

A bit familiar.

The high school student froze, then without thinking, walked up cautiously: “Um… are you President Cheng and Teacher Duan?”

Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye froze simultaneously, looking to the side, meeting the girl’s inquiring gaze.

Then, they looked at each other and involuntarily retreated backward.

Duan Xingye used his changed voice: “Mistaken identity.”

But as a die-hard fan, the girl recognized the small mole on the side of his nose and immediately screamed at high decibels: “Teacher Duan!!!”

Duan Xingye’s scalp exploded.

Cheng Duzhou reacted fast, pulling his hand and running to the other side.

They definitely couldn’t admit their identity in front of fans; avoid first and talk later.

However, the three little fangirls chased relentlessly behind: ” Lü Ye Shu Huai—! President Cheng! Teacher Duan!”

Their voices were drowned out by the enthusiastic applause in front of the stage.

The three chased Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye around to the side of the building and suddenly lost the target. Seeing the crowded audience ahead, they immediately ran in that direction.

On the side of the stage they passed, they didn’t notice a narrow small door.

Inside, the space was long and narrow, the light very dim. Two men held onto the crossbar panting.

Duan Xingye was very hot and took off his mask.

Fortunately, Cheng Duzhou was sharp and saw the hidden door nearby.

They were now in the gap between the red gift box and the stage, covered by a curtain, so it was safe, except the sound system was a bit loud.

Cheng Duzhou also took off his mask at this time. The two looked at each other and laughed.

Panicked when discovered, but after escaping, it seemed a bit thrilling.

“Rest a while.” Cheng Duzhou leaned his lower back back, simultaneously lifting one foot to step backward on the crossbar below.

It wasn’t realistic to hide here forever without being discovered. They still had to complete the check-in tasks within the specified time, so they would leave in a while.

Shadows moved in front of the curtain. Unknown what people on stage were doing, only hearing enduring applause.

Hair by Duan Xingye’s cheek was wet with sweat, and was brushed back impatiently.

Cheng Duzhou pulled him in front of him, helping him tidy up the somewhat messy wig.

The sound system was too loud; they didn’t bother talking.

But in the process of helping to tidy hair, the atmosphere gradually became a bit strange.

Cheng Duzhou tucked the hair behind Duan Xingye’s ear, not withdrawing his hand immediately, seemingly inadvertently rubbing his soft white earlobe.

A shudder rose inexplicably behind Duan Xingye’s neck.

Their gazes constantly clashed and probed. Perhaps the space here was too narrow; breathing started to become difficult.

“Congratulations on the grand opening of Hengyuan Mall!”

On stage, following the host’s high-pitched voice, several leader-like people stood behind the red silk ribbon. One person held scissors and cut the red flower in the middle.

Even more enthusiastic applause erupted off-stage.

At the same time, receiving notification, staff loosened the curtain above the stage to show everyone the complete landmark building behind.

Cheng Duzhou lowered his head, about to touch Duan Xingye’s rose-red lips.

Suddenly, the several-meters-high curtain made a flapping sound and slid down vertically. Light became bright instantly.

Cheng Duzhou looked up.

Several leaders stood on the stage ahead, and hundreds of spectators stood densely below.

“…”

“…”

Their heartbeat stopped suddenly.

Seeing the two “high school girls” appearing behind the curtain, many people off-stage exclaimed, expressions confused.

However, explosive music rang out at this time. Leaders were walking down along the steps on one side. Dancers prepared long ago cheerfully raised their hands to beat the rhythm, dancing onto the stage all the way.

Some dancers thought the two students dressed on stage were arranged in advance by the stage planning, so they ran over enthusiastically, pulled the two into the middle of the team, and then started dancing to the rhythm themselves.

Cheng Duzhou and Duan Xingye didn’t have time to put on masks. Surrounded by dancing people, with countless pairs of eyes watching them from below, they couldn’t run. They could only play along, burying their heads low, stiffly gesturing with their hands, trying to keep up with the beat.

Old Xu happened to pass in front of the stage.

Bullet comments strongly requested:

“Don’t go! Watch the performance for a while!”

“It’s the two young ladies from the exhibition just now!”

“So they came to perform. But what are they dancing? Otaku dance?”

“Director, get closer—too far, can’t see clearly!”

Right at this moment, three high school girls ran past Old Xu like wind, screaming hoarsely at the stage: “President Cheng!!! Teacher Duan!!! President Cheng!!…”

[Lü Ye Shu Huai] livestream was quiet for a moment: ???

__

Author’s Note:

President Cheng: Might as well have exposed our identity during the interview, what do you think?

Teacher Duan in autism: …