A Young Woman's Heart

And then... what happened next?

I can't remember.

Mo Xueyao felt her headache getting even worse.

"You were a man who underwent gender reassignment surgery!"

"abnormal!"

"He even went to the toilet with a girl!"

"Shameless!"

"He even showered with girls during military training!"

"Dirty!"

He had never felt the power of words to be so strong.

Even though no one had laid a hand on him, he felt a pain worse than if his heart had been slashed open.

Then, the students pounced on him and pinned him to the ground.

It looked like they wanted to tear his lower body apart completely.

And he truly felt that pain.

It was as if his lower body had really been torn apart.

……

"Huff... Huff..." Mo Xueyao suddenly opened her eyes.

His clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

No wonder that story was so absurd and terrifying; it was just a dream.

But as the saying goes, what you think about during the day, you dream about at night; perhaps the content of his dream was exactly what he was worried about.

Oh...right, the surgery was successful, so we should refer to her as 'she' now.

The bright sunshine shone on him.

It seemed to be noon at that moment.

It feels like I've slept for a long time; even closing my eyes gives me a headache.

"Xiaoyao, what's wrong?" Her mother's voice came from the side, which reassured her a lot.

“It’s nothing…” Mo Xueyao shook her head gently, “It was just a… nightmare.”

"If you feel unwell anywhere, be sure to tell me."

"Uh... it hurts a little down there."

"I'll call the doctor right away." The mother hurriedly stood up and pressed the button to call the doctor and nurse.

But worried that the other person wouldn't hear him, he hurriedly left the ward, intending to go directly to the front desk to find a nurse or doctor.

Mo Xueyao stared blankly at the unfamiliar and pale ceiling, finally managing to gather her thoughts and come back to her senses.

She seemed to fall asleep during the surgery.

After I woke up, the surgery was over.

Thinking of this, a sudden, inexplicable emptiness welled up in her heart.

It felt like a mix of resentment, confusion, and a touch of regret.

But even if you regret it, it's useless; at most, it will only delay the surgery.

Starting today, I'm going to be a girl.

What should a girl do?

Mo Xueyao felt lost and terrified.

It was ten times more frightening than being suddenly asked to go to work after graduating from junior high school.

"I'm not a man anymore..." he sighed sadly, but then he heard a somewhat familiar voice.

"Haha, you've never been a man—at most, you're just a boy." Dr. Wang's hearty laughter reached his ears.

“Dr. Wang…” Mo Xueyao looked up at him. She had thought he wasn’t that tall before, or was it just that lying in a hospital bed made people seem taller?

"Just lie there, no need to get up. The surgery only ended a few hours ago, you still need to rest." As he spoke, he lifted the blanket and carefully examined her, with two nurses following beside her as if learning from her. "It's nothing, there's no blood seeping out, no swelling or pus, just the natural pain after the anesthesia wears off."

"I see. Thank you so much, Dr. Wang." The mother breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's alright, it's alright," Dr. Wang said with a smile. "Taking care of patients is my duty. I'll be here for the next few days. If you need anything, just come to me. When I'm not here, you can contact any of the other doctors in charge of this surgery."

"Okay, okay," the mother quickly replied.

"That's all then. If you have any other questions, just let us know." Dr. Wang smiled and nodded at Mo Xueyao before leaving the ward with two nurses.

Mo Xueyao closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again.

The reflection in the window was exactly the same as her yesterday, but she seemed to have become more feminine.

"Xiaoyao, what are you thinking about right now?"

"...I just think, I'm completely incapable of being a girl..." Mo Xueyao honestly expressed part of her feelings, "I feel...very lost."

"It's okay, you'll get used to it eventually."

"It's easy to say, of course..." Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes. "I'm so thirsty, Mom, I need some water."

"For example, profanity should be banned."

"Can't I even say this?"

"Be a lady," her mother said, bringing the water to Mo Xueyao's lips. It was a water cup with a straw, which had been prepared in advance. "Drink."

Mo Xueyao opened her mouth without hesitation and drank it in big gulps, looking like she couldn't wait at all.

Even though she was drinking water through a straw, quite a bit of water still spilled from the corners of her mouth.

"I already said, be a lady, can't you drink slowly?"

"No, no, that's too slow, it's not satisfying at all." Mo Xueyao finished drinking the water and let out a long sigh, "Phew—it's a pity it's not as refreshing as drinking it straight from the bottle."

"You child..." Even her mother was somewhat exasperated with her.

"I've always had a boy's mindset. I've been a boy for sixteen years, it's not that easy to change." Mo Xueyao made an excuse for her laziness and reluctance to change her habits. "Besides, even if I were a girl, couldn't I be a forthright and cheerful one?"

"That's not how a girl behaves!" Her mother gave her a disapproving sidelong glance.

"Who said that!" Mo Xueyao's voice suddenly rose. "Boys can be introverted, and girls can be extroverted, just like there were great heroes and heroines in ancient times! Men should do men's things, and women should do women's things. Who decided this?"

"Then what's the difference between men and women?" The mother couldn't argue with Mo Xueyao.

"The separation isn't reflected in this aspect. Just as men can protect women, can't women protect men in return?"

"That's called a gigolo."

"Tch, Mom, you're such an old-fashioned person!" Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I'm too lazy to talk to you anymore."

"You are not allowed to say 'I' again."

"Tch." Mo Xueyao pouted. Although she didn't continue arguing with her mother, she sulked to herself.

……

Chapter Fourteen: Life in the Hospital

The weather in September has cooled down a bit, but the air conditioning still needs to be on in the room, which is also beneficial for the healing of the wound.

This is also an advantage of private wards.

In those days, not all hospital wards had air conditioning.

Even if this private ward has a window-type air conditioner, the cooling effect may not be that good, but it's better than nothing.

Mo Xueyao had half-lifted the covers from her body and was leaning lazily against the headboard, reading a novel by Gu Long.

In a daze, I felt as if I had become that chivalrous hero in the story, roaming freely in the martial arts world, upholding justice and punishing evil...

"Whoosh! Little Li's Flying Dagger never misses!" Mo Xueyao put down the novel she had finished reading, shouted softly at the air, and even made a gesture of throwing the dagger.

In his imagination, the knife had already been thrown.

In reality, nothing happened.

The days spent in the hospital were very boring.

Because he could only stay in the hospital bed all day and couldn't go anywhere.

He eats, drinks, and relieves himself all in bed.

This made Mo Xueyao feel very uncomfortable.

I desperately want to recover as soon as possible.

But life can only go on one day at a time.

Unlike playing games, you can't fast forward.

Of the novels I brought from home, the last one I hadn't read before, I just finished reading.

Feeling somewhat empty inside, Mo Xueyao began to miss her school days.

It's already September, and the students must have already started school.

At the beginning of high school, everyone was unfamiliar with each other, which was actually the easiest time to get to know each other.

If Mo Xueyao goes back to school after being discharged from the hospital, she might feel like a transfer student.

Will I be unable to fit in?

Mo Xueyao was somewhat worried about her future high school life.

It's September 10th now. The surgical site has healed a lot. Although I still can't go out for walks, I can get out of bed and move around a little by myself—probably only when I need to go to the toilet.