Spreading Gospel as the God of Bishoujo

Fifteen Interlude: Warmth in the Cold Winter

“From man to woman?”

Yǐn Tiānjié raised her eyebrows as she listened to À Yì’s description.

She asked, “Is there any instability? For example, turning back into a man suddenly, or some organs reverting to male?”

“…… No, that hasn’t happened.”

Xiāo Bìnyì pouted and recalled, “The first time she transformed lasted very briefly, and she quickly changed back. My former boss even thought we were hallucinating. But the second time it lasted until now, unlike you who needs props to stabilize.”

So she wasn’t the most successful?

No, the other party would eventually age, so she was still more successful.

“Then today take me to see Uncle Tāo, I want to ask her about some things.”

Since she was also an experimental subject outside the facility, her understanding of the institute must be deeper than hers. Perhaps she could learn from her what kind of experiment she had been involved in.

À Yì hesitated, “Well, but we have work today.”

Yǐn Tiānjié glared at him, displeased, “Take a day off?”

“It’s really not possible. The company received such a big project for the first time, and I just got promoted. Miss Yǐn, I’ll take you when I have a day off.”

“How long do we have to wait? Give me her phone number.”

“She switched off her old phone weeks ago… probably got a new one under her female identity, but I don’t know.”

“Then aren’t you out of touch with her?”

“I plan to look for her once my job stabilizes. At least I know where she lives… if she hasn’t moved.”

Yǐn Tiānjié could get more information about Uncle Tāo and Director Kē being neighbors by asking further along this line, but she lost patience and stretched out her hand for the phone.

“Give me your phone, give me her contact details, and call me on your day off. I’m leaving now.”

À Yì took out his phone, unlocked it, and handed it to Yǐn Tiānjié.

He asked again, “Where is Miss Yǐn going now?”

“Does it matter where I go?”

“……”

Every sentence Yǐn Tiānjié responded to, À Yì felt like he was being teased. He felt cheap for liking such a domineering woman.

Yǐn Tiānjié said, “I’m going back to pack up my stuff. Since my body has changed, I can’t stay in the house I used to live in. I need to take everything I can carry.”

She ended up answering her own question, and À Yì blushed and smiled.

“Here… why are you blushing? You’re disgusting.”

Throwing the phone back to À Yì, Yǐn Tiānjié put on her down jacket and walked to the door to put on her shoes.

À Hó asked, “Miss Yǐn, where was your original residence?”

“Not far from here, you wouldn’t know anyway. Why? Want to help me move?”

“If you need help, it’s not impossible. Brother À Yì can lend us a company car, but where will you live after moving the stuff?”

That was indeed a problem. But Yǐn Tiānjié’s personality wouldn’t consider the long term; otherwise, she wouldn’t risk taking people to cause trouble with the Long family and the Huángfǔ family for some petty gains.

She replied, “Not decided yet, definitely not in the west of the city. It’s too remote. I plan to find a better place near the Balance Commercial District.”

Closer to the Balance Commercial District, there are more places to play.

“Balance Commercial District? The rent there must be quite high, right?”

Yǐn Tiānjié patted her chest proudly, boasting, “Hmph, I still have some income. I should be able to afford the rent.”

It sounded nice to call it income, but actually, it was the living expenses provided by Director Kē.

Yǐn Tiānjié put on her shoes and stood up, looking back, “Then I’m leaving. Although our interactions weren’t pleasant, I’m grateful you didn’t leave me out in the rain. Once I settle somewhere, I’ll treat you all to a meal.”

“Wait!”

Yǐn Tiānjié put her hand on the doorknob, but À Yì called her back.

“Huh? What now?”

“Miss Yǐn, may I ask what you were before this incident, male or female? I mean, were you merely age unstable, or did your gender change as well?”

Such a direct question naturally made Yǐn Tiānjié uncomfortable, but this time she didn’t show it on her face.

She turned her head, wearing an unusually sweet smile.

“Male or female? I don’t know! You can think about that yourself. I’m leaving now~ Bye!”

Yǐn Tiānjié wasn’t some naive young girl.

How could she not see that À Yì had feelings for her? She just played around with him for fun.

—

“Mmm, it’s so cold.”

Leaving the staff dormitory of the Tanjia Political Agency, Yǐn Tiānjié exhaled a white mist, rubbing her hands to warm them.

“Having to go to work before dawn, those two are really pitiful.”

It was hard to adapt to a simpler life after getting used to quick money. Yǐn Tiānjié, accustomed to earning fast cash, didn’t want to do this kind of work. It was exhausting and poorly paid.

Previously, she was responsible for collecting debts. Paying debts was a given, and when collecting money, others had to treat her well. She earned money as if she were a boss. If she worked hard enough, she could earn tens of thousands of yuan in commissions each month.

But doing this job for a long time made her lose her conscience.

Sure, there were truly unfortunate people who couldn’t pay their debts, but many pretended to be poor and became deadbeats. Working in debt collection meant not showing compassion, and based on her experience, most people were unwilling to pay despite having money.

“Tsk, just missed a bus.”

Standing alone at the bus stop, Yǐn Tiānjié watched her bus disappear, cursing inwardly.

It was about six in the morning. The streets of Fēngtáng Town were bustling with working-class people. Yǐn Tiānjié checked the timetable and found the next bus would arrive in twenty minutes. There were no taxis in the suburbs, so she hid in a breakfast stall at the bus stop and ordered soy milk and an oil pancake.

“Coming right up! One bowl of soy milk and one oil pancake!”

The owners, a couple with a foreign accent, kept their enthusiasm for life. They ran the breakfast stall at the intersection together.

As soon as the lid was lifted from the pot of boiling soy milk, a thick white steam rose into the air. The oil pancakes swelled in the hot oil, their surfaces turning golden with a sizzling sound.

The shop provided shelter from the wind, so Yǐn Tiānjié wasn’t as cold, but her heart remained chilled.

“How nice.”

She envied the simple couple.

She wasn’t a local either. Having left her impoverished hometown, she had been struggling alone in this unfamiliar city for ten years, achieving nothing and never holding a proper job. Her best job was leading a debt collection team, but she had lost herself for some extra income.

She had no roots, no home, living a rootless life, drifting with the currents.

The boss lady brought over the oil pancake and soy milk, concerned, “Little girl, why are you out so early? Is school far away?”

“Oh? No, I’m not in school.”

“Aren’t you young to be working? Is your family having difficulties?”

“No, not really.”

Family?

Now, she had no family.

“Then go back to school. Only by studying can you have a future. You’re so pretty, don’t end up like your sister selling breakfast.”

“No, I think selling breakfast is good too. I envy her.”

“What’s there to envy? So young, you shouldn’t say such unambitious things.”

The boss lady’s casual concern almost made Yǐn Tiānjié cry.

She wasn’t oblivious to the future, but every time she looked up, she saw only darkness. Gradually, she feared thinking about these things. Better to live day by day, drinking wine today and worrying tomorrow.

After finishing the oil pancake and sweet soy milk, she felt warm all over. She paid and left the breakfast stall, tucking her down jacket tighter.

“Wait, little girl.”

The unfamiliar boss lady stopped her and gave her a peeled tea egg.

“It’s so cold, hold it in your hand. Eat it before it gets cold.”

“Ah? Sister, how can I accept this…”

“Come back for breakfast another day.”

The boss lady went back inside. The tea egg was still warm.

“Really, I’ve been influenced by this female body. What am I getting sentimental about?”

Yǐn Tiānjié looked up at the signboard, holding the warm tea egg in one hand and wiping away stubborn tears with the other. She pushed aside her melancholy and glanced at the mechanical watch on her wrist.

“As long as I have this, I have infinite youthful time to waste. I don’t need to worry about the future. I can live forever in the present.”

Even though no one was around, she muttered to herself, trying to numb herself with such poisonous words.

The bus stopped in front of her.

She got on the bus with the early risers, heading to her rented apartment. It took fifty minutes, a long journey but without transfers.

At six in the morning, the bus was crowded, but she fortunately got a seat at the back. She adjusted her emotions, closed her eyes, and rested.

The tea egg was no longer scalding, cooling to a comfortable temperature.

She remembered the advice Director Kē had given her at the research institute.

Starting anew as a woman, exploring paths she hadn’t taken before, not repeating past mistakes.

Easier said than done, but where was the path?

Working wasn’t a long-term solution. Was she really supposed to return to school and study, as the breakfast stall owner suggested? What level of education did she have now?

“Oh! Right, the file!”

Recalling the items Director Kē had given her, Yǐn Tiānjié slapped her forehead and pulled out the rolled-up file from her down jacket.

Today’s temperature was low, and the tea egg was almost cold. Yǐn Tiānjié opened the plastic bag and swallowed the egg in two bites.

“Cold, but it tastes good.”

Only then did she free her hands to rummage through the crumpled file.

“Records from kindergarten are all set up. This isn’t just a fabrication; it’s creating a real Yǐn Tiānjié… hmm?”

At the end of the file, it clearly stated her graduating high school.

“Bìyáng Girls’ School? Is this Director Kē’s idea of a joke?”

Yǐn Tiānjié couldn’t laugh. Everyone knew Bìyáng Girls’ School was part of the Huángfǔ family’s business, and she was sent to the research institute as a test subject because she had offended the Huángfǔ family.

To be set up as a recent graduate from Bìyáng Girls’ School?

But after a moment’s thought, she understood.

“Since the research institute is connected to the Huángfǔ family, using Bìyáng Girls’ School to fabricate her identity is easier.”

The advantage was that she could use this identity to apply for college. The drawback was that she had virtually no knowledge, but the high living expenses provided by the institute allowed her to focus on preparing for exams without worries.

With this, Yǐn Tiānjié had seen a path she hadn’t considered before. Looking ahead, her future no longer seemed dark.

Everything was ready, except for one thing—her determination.

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