A Young Woman's Heart

Upon hearing these explicit medical terms, Mo Xueyao blushed and looked out the corridor window.

"Haha, don't be shy, these are all normal medical terms. Human anatomy, didn't you learn that in class? You should have learned it in junior high, right?"

“Yes, there is…” Mo Xueyao rubbed her head, which had eased slightly, and muttered softly, “but in reality, very few people would say it directly…”

"So, things are better than expected?" The mother switched back to the main point.

“Yes, this way we can save more on medical expenses, and we only need to have a check-up when we are discharged. After that, unless there are any problems, we won’t need any more check-ups or mold removal.” Dr. Wang smiled and patted Mo Xueyao’s head. “Such a case is really rare… However, your parents also need to do some psychological counseling. If they really have a psychological hurdle they can’t get over, they must go to the First Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou to find a psychologist who specializes in this kind of thing.”

"Thank you, Dr. Wang." The mother smiled. "Then... we can come again tomorrow?"

"You're having surgery tomorrow, so stay at the hospital tonight. A private room has been prepared for you—don't worry, we'll only charge you the cheapest room price."

"Thanks……!"

Listening to his mother and the doctor's conversation behind him, Mo Xueyao stared blankly at the sky. The closer the surgery time got, the more fear and resistance he felt...

……

Chapter Twelve Corrective Surgery

Mo Xueyao woke up before five o'clock in the morning.

Even though he wasn't a patient yet, sitting on this hospital bed, he felt something was off.

He instinctively wanted to drink water, but then he suddenly remembered that he shouldn't eat or drink anything before the surgery, so he could only lick his dry lips and endure it.

"What's wrong? Can't you sleep?" the mother asked, sleeping on the other bed in the separate room.

"Huh!" Mo Xueyao was startled. "Mom, why are you awake too?"

"...I haven't slept at all." The mother yawned wearily. "I can't sleep when I think about you."

"What are you worried about? With so many experts, there won't be any problems."

“…That’s not what I’m worried about.” The mother smiled and didn’t continue. “I’ll try to sleep for a while longer. Remember not to drink water or eat anything.”

"Okay." Mo Xueyao nodded, turned up the air conditioner temperature slightly, and then got out of bed.

He's wearing a hospital gown right now, which looks both ugly and strange.

Mo Xueyao walked quietly to the window and pulled back the heavy curtains.

Shanghai at four o'clock.

It doesn't seem as lively anymore.

The streets were quiet, with only the occasional car passing by.

Some neon lights were still on in the city, but the buildings were eerily quiet.

The neon lights, which originally represented prosperity, now seem somewhat lonely.

Mo Xueyao closed her eyes, imagining it was an empty city.

Or rather, everyone else was asleep, and he was the only one awake.

At four in the morning, when there was some light but it was still mostly dark, the windowpane acted like a mirror, reflecting his blurry figure.

In this blur, he suddenly felt that his reflection in the glass was so unfamiliar.

She feels exactly like a girl.

"Your hair has grown this long?" Mo Xueyao pinched her hair; the longest strand was already long enough to reach her shoulder.

She has a petite figure, snow-white skin, and delicate features that are still discernible even though her face is blurry.

He doesn't look like a boy at all.

This left him momentarily dazed.

It was as if everything before had been a dream.

I'm just about to wake up from this dream.

Mo Xueyao placed her hand on her heart, feeling it beating very fast.

"I don't want to be a girl... I don't want to be a girl at all." He felt a pain in his chest, as if each heartbeat was a sharp pain, like a needle piercing his heart.

Ultimately, they were still resisting, afraid, and confused.

But what other choice do we have?

Reason told him that this was actually the only outcome.

But his emotions made him resent this choice.

"Either I'm born a girl, or I'm always a boy. This constant changing makes my life feel like a joke." He muttered to himself, clenching his fists tightly. "What's going on... I just want to be a normal person, why are they playing this kind of joke on me?"

At that moment, he suddenly felt an urge to destroy.

He wanted to slam his fist into the windowpane, and at that moment he couldn't help but wonder if acting impulsively would make him a man.

But he ultimately didn't strike, perhaps out of fear of pain, or perhaps because he couldn't afford the compensation. In any case, his clenched fist loosened, and he leaned weakly against the window.

There was a hand controlling his destiny, and he was powerless to resist it.

That's probably how he felt at that moment.

Time passed second by second, and Mo Xueyao watched as the sun slowly rose into the sky.

Then it became even more radiant.

The darkness was dispelled, leaving only the blinding light that made people squint.

The morning sun doesn't seem very gentle today.

Mo Xueyao gave a wry smile and stretched out a big yawn.

There was a knock on the door at that moment.

"Mo Xueyao, you can get ready. The surgery will start in an hour."

"Okay," Mo Xueyao replied. By the time he opened the door, the woman who had come to inform him—whose identity he couldn't tell was either a nurse or a doctor—had already left.

"Is it time to get up?" her mother asked sleepily, but what Mo Xueyao admired most about her was that she could always get up whenever she needed to.

Even if I didn't sleep well at night, I won't stay in bed.

"Mom, just go to sleep. Anyway, you won't be involved in the surgery."

"That won't do, I have to wait outside—Xiaoyao, go wash up first."

"I understand—" Mo Xueyao replied weakly, drawing out her words.

"Wash yourself properly! Don't just slap on some product like you used to! You're a girl now, you have to be careful about everything you do!"

“Who says girls have to be meticulous?” Mo Xueyao said, dissatisfied. “A rigid mindset isn’t good.”

"No matter what, you must pay attention to personal hygiene! If you can't wash yourself, I'll help you!"

"No need, no need, I'll just wash properly, okay!" Mo Xueyao exclaimed helplessly, and began to wash up seriously.

She usually brushes her teeth in just a couple of strokes, but today she brushed for a rare three minutes.

She usually just wipes her face twice before washing it, but today she changed the water three times, which was unusual for her.

It's fine to do this occasionally, but if it happens every day...

She found it incredibly troublesome.

It takes seven or eight minutes to complete something that should take one minute—that's such a waste of time.

However, after a thorough wash today, I feel like I look much fairer and cleaner than usual, and also more refreshed.

Well, she looks like an innocent female student...

Mo Xueyao pinched the corner of her eye, banishing the thought from her mind.

What's going on? Just now, she seemed to have developed a crush on the person in the mirror.

Hey, what's going on? The surgery isn't even over yet.

However, it seems that there won't be much change in appearance after the surgery, since the face is not operated on. But as time goes by and the body develops normally, there should still be some changes, right?

The waiting time was passed by reading novels I brought from home.

Until the surgery officially begins.

"Xiaoyao, come over here and lie down on the bed," Dr. Wang said with a kind smile.

Looking at so many doctors in the operating room, Mo Xueyao felt inexplicably uneasy.

This made him feel like a lab rat about to be experimented on.

"Relax, you won't feel any pain except for the first anesthetic injection," Dr. Wang said with a smile, putting on a green mask.

Contrary to Mo Xueyao's preconceived notions, the doctors didn't wear white coats. Instead, they wore green coats, green hats, and green masks, fully armed, so that nothing could be seen except their eyes.

He only recognized Dr. Wang by his voice.

A pair of soft, delicate hands were placed on his waist, and then slowly his pants were pulled down.

Judging from the feel of her hands, she should be a female doctor.

Her lower body was thus completely naked and displayed before the surgeons.

Dr. Wang appears to be the lead surgeon for this operation, but there seems to be another doctor of his rank pointing with his finger, seemingly discussing something.

Mo Xueyao's face flushed red, his blood was surging, and his heart was beating faster.

Being so open and honest with so many people all at once made him so shy that he wanted to disappear into a hole in the ground.

Then, his legs were placed on a strange device that would naturally separate his legs.

Even if you're too shy to close your arms, there's no way to do it.

"Yes, that's correct," Dr. Wang said earnestly.

“We can begin,” another doctor said seriously.

The others, seemingly acting as deputies, got to work.