Chapter 7: The Transformation Plan Begins
The next day, a rare weekend break from the busy study schedule, He Tianran was sound asleep when his phone rang once, and his eyes suddenly snapped open.
He picked it up and sure enough, it was Wen Liang calling.
Well, it couldn't have been anyone else.
“Hello? What’s up?”
He Tianran’s voice was low, but his tone carried no trace of sleepiness, as if he had been awake for a while.
There was a brief pause on the other end before Wen Liang said, “You’re up early, huh? Answering the phone right away is a good habit—keep it up!”
He Tianran glanced at the time: 8:30 a.m. For a high schooler, it wasn’t exactly early.
“Ah, just a habit…”
It really was a habit, but not of waking early, nor was it a show of calm because he knew he was meeting Wen Liang today.
The truth was simple: every homebody who lives alone is extremely sensitive to the phone ringing—even one extra ring feels like a life threat. Alarms get silenced instantly, and incoming calls force them to compose themselves so the other side won't detect their state of mind through their voice. It’s like maintaining the facade of a well-adjusted life.
“Where do you live? I’m coming over!”
“You’re coming to my place?”
He Tianran’s voice trembled slightly.
“Yeah, why not?”
Wen Liang sounded completely natural, which made He Tianran curious.
“Aren’t you from a previous life? Don’t you know where I live?”
“You’re silly! We weren’t close in high school!”
“True… I’ll send you a message.”
“Okay, hurry up, I’m about to head out.”
“Got it.”
After hanging up, He Tianran sent Wen Liang a map location with detailed house numbers. His drowsiness vanished; he jumped out of bed, tidied up the clothes strewn about the living room, gathered the piled-up takeout containers accumulated over days and threw them into the trash by the door. He took a quick five-minute shower, then ordered breakfast from McDonald’s online.
About fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang. He Tianran assumed it was the delivery guy but when he opened the door, Wen Liang was standing there holding a paper bag from McDonald’s.
“Why did you bring the breakfast here yourself? You got here so fast.”
Wen Liang shoved the breakfast into He Tianran’s arms and walked inside.
“I just realized our homes are only separated by one street. I ran into the delivery person in the elevator and casually asked if he was delivering to Mr. He on the 18th floor. When he said yes, I took care of it for you.”
Wen Liang wore a matte lavender baseball jacket today, with a brown backpack slung over her shoulder. She had on denim shorts, revealing two long, dazzlingly white legs that made He Tianran too shy to stare. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the red-soled AJ3 sneakers she wore.
She was rocking a trendy, cool girl look today, quite different from her usual school uniform, but clearly fitting her personality.
Especially that purple jacket—it gave He Tianran a strong Akali vibe from K/DA.
“Ew…”
A drawn-out sound of mock disgust came from Wen Liang.
“Ahem…”
He Tianran quickly averted his eyes and heard her say:
“You really should interact more with girls. It’s gross when you don’t say a word and just stare at my legs.”
“N-no… I mean… your… your shoes look nice.”
He Tianran was grasping at straws, but Wen Liang was blunt.
“You’re so guilty you can’t even hide it with a hundred excuses. Forget it…”
She sat down on the sofa and said,
“You made two mistakes as soon as I walked in. First, your eyes aren’t honest. If you want to look, just do it openly. This sneaky behavior just comes off as creepy. If you want to compliment me, say it straight: 'You look really pretty today.'”
He Tianran stepped closer, itching to open his phone’s notes app and write it down. He whispered,
“And the second?”
Wen Liang pointed at the breakfast in his hands. “I brought you breakfast, and you didn’t even ask if I’ve eaten or want to eat together!”
He Tianran scratched his head. “Wouldn’t that be too polite and fake? After all, I only ordered one for myself…”
Wen Liang was speechless at his socially awkward straightforwardness. She rubbed her forehead.
“Politeness is one thing, but whether you say it or not is another! It’s just basic manners!”
“Well, do you want something to eat?”
He Tianran tried to make amends but got:
“No! I’ve already eaten!”
“Oh…”
He Tianran opened the bag and took out a ham McMuffin, about to take a bite when Wen Liang said,
“Give me the soy milk.”
He Tianran’s face turned into a big question mark. She said she wasn’t eating, now suddenly wants the soy milk? What kind of move was that?
“I’m visiting your place and you don’t even offer me water? You want me to watch you munch away in silence—is that appropriate?”
“Here…”
He Tianran quickly handed over the soy milk, feeling nervous.
Interacting with people is so hard. Video games are more straightforward: if you mess up a dialogue choice, just reload.
“Remember, next time this happens, you can offer drinks or dessert. Girls have one stomach for main dishes and another for sweets. Even if they don’t want it, you can’t go wrong.”
Wen Liang was gently tutoring him, as if teaching a lesson.
He Tianran didn’t disappoint her, wearing a look of utmost seriousness.
“Yesterday you said you wanted to transform me—is this what you meant?”
He finished the sandwich and sat down a little distance from Wen Liang.
“If this were a game, you’re probably not even at the prologue yet.”
Wen Liang spoke in terms he could understand.
“Ah? That sounds like a lot of work…”
“Good that you understand.”
“I… actually don’t need it…”
“Where’s your wardrobe? In your bedroom?”
He Tianran wanted to refuse her makeover plan. After all, it was a new day, and he felt ready to tackle things himself. But Wen Liang didn’t give him a chance.
“Don’t…”
She stood and walked toward the bedroom. He Tianran hurried after her, just about to stop her when she reached the wardrobe. With a swift motion, she flung open the doors, and all the dirty clothes he had tucked away came tumbling out.
Underwear, socks, jackets—all stubbornly spilling onto the floor before spreading out.
“…”
“…”
Wen Liang turned her head and said slowly and clearly,
“Do you think the washing machine is working too hard, or do you think these clothes feel lonely and want to huddle together for warmth?”
There it was!
Wen Liang’s quirky metaphor!
He Tianran blushed as he picked up his SpongeBob boxer shorts, feeling quite embarrassed.
“What… what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean? The most obvious change for a person is always their appearance. My makeover plan for you naturally starts right here!”