It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Please enter your departure point: Narcissus Street

Please enter your destination: Narcissus Street

This navigation session has ended. Thank you for using our service, and see you next time.

Li Cheng: ? ? ?

Although she initially felt a bit annoyed, thinking, "Do you only have these few streets in Paris?", upon closer reflection, if Phillips' private villa were far away, she wouldn't have dared to walk to Li Cheng's former courtyard on Rue Tulips several times.

Moreover, even according to the principle of first come, first served, Phillips chose Narcissus Street first, and Li Cheng followed suit, which is shameless bandwagoning.

After walking for a while with the servant, Li Cheng met Philip... in the reception room.

Today, Phillips wore a moon-white long dress with a pure black ribbon tied around her waist. Her long golden hair was draped over her shoulders, and her ample bosom was so small that it could be grasped in one hand. She looked pure and innocent, as if she had returned to her teenage years and reminded people of their first love.

Well, it seems she's already plagiarized PAD's design and has her own tailors working hard to replicate it. It has to be said that there's still a very, very long way to go in protecting the original...

"Welcome, welcome, Mr. Designer, it's been a long time!" Plagiarist Phillips greeted him with a beaming smile.

"It doesn't seem like it's been that long, does it?" Li Cheng, a follower of trends, complained.

“For me, a day without seeing the designer feels like a year,” Phillips said, counting on his fingers. “If that’s the case, it must have been one, two, three… a whole ten years since I last saw the designer. I wonder how you’ve been doing these past ten years?”

Okay, so now the story unfolds with the protagonist meeting his first love ten years later, right?

It's time to show you what you're capable of as the lead actor. You didn't get paid for nothing, you bastard!

After a few seconds of preparation, Li Cheng's lips trembled, his eyes seemed to be filled with joy, and his mouth seemed to have a string of words he wanted to say: passing notes, cheating, leaving school, half a cookie... But in the end, that joy was suppressed in his heart.

He remained silent until the end, then politely bowed and said, "Mrs. Phillips, I'm doing well."

Mrs. Phillips...?

Phillips' smile froze abruptly, and it took him a long time to recover.

She decisively ignored the topic of ten years from now and instead began to give a brief introduction to today's arrangements:

"Today there will be a salon gathering for women to exchange ideas. The participants are all mature ladies and lovely young ladies."

"As agreed, you only need to change into the clothes I have carefully prepared, dress up a little, disguise yourself as a woman, and accompany me to this salon."

After a pause, Phillips added, "Does the designer have any questions about these, sir?"

After briefly listening to the arrangements for today, Li Cheng casually asked, "Why is it all women?"

"Huh???"

Phillips seemed quite shocked by the casual question. Her mouth dropped open, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Does the designer really want the woman in the dress to be surrounded by a large group of men, to receive their flattery and compliments about her beauty, and to enjoy the intense and fiery gazes she receives? Do you really like that?"

I was just asking casually, don't go into such detail, you jerk!

That's quite a vivid description, could this be your own personal experience?! Don't share weird experiences randomly!

"I made a mistake... Mr. Designer, I failed to consider your preferences beforehand and made a decision for you based on my superficial subjective judgment."

Phillips seemed very unwilling and immediately offered a profound self-criticism, saying, "Please go home today. I will host another salon another day, and all attendees will be men..."

Please don't!

The thought of being surrounded by a group of elderly men and experiencing the star treatment bestowed upon a female science student gave Li Cheng goosebumps all over his body.

He exclaimed hastily, "An all-female salon is perfect for me! Perfect! This is it!"

Chapter 300 Don't come any closer!

At Phillips' villa, a number of women from the middle class and merchant class gathered to participate in an all-female salon. As one of the few occasions in this era where women could discuss current affairs, all-female salons were not uncommon. On the contrary, salons were originally created by aristocratic women.

However, this all-female salon is probably not what they expected, as two individuals of unspecified gender will be mixed in.

One of them was Phillips, the host. However, from an outsider's perspective, her flawless white skin, clear blue eyes, delicate features, and flowing golden hair made her an undeniably beautiful noblewoman.

As for the other Li Cheng... well, I'd say I'm a little sorry.

As mentioned earlier, the elaborate costumes popular in this era would largely conceal a woman's physical characteristics, making them difficult for others to observe.

A long, plain white dress that reaches the top of the shoes can cover up strong leg muscles and men's well-developed leg hair.

A pair of black deerskin gloves can conceal the large knuckles of the fingers and the slightly rough skin of the hands.

A delicate silk cap and a wig can quickly solve a hairstyle problem.

Two pairs of hemispherical pads can be used to fake exaggerated pectoral muscles.

Li Cheng abandoned his personal thinking abilities, and after being personally groomed and tidied by the cross-dressing expert with maxed-out female skills, he could be considered to have a basic human form. However, his height was too high to allow for the amputation of his legs, his facial features still retained masculine angles, and his eyes lacked a bit of softness. Overall, he could only barely fall within the margin of error for a female form, belonging to the type with slightly higher testosterone levels and some masculine characteristics.

In summary, Li Cheng's current image is roughly that of a tall, imposing red-haired woman wearing a wig and a long skirt, pretending to attend a party.

It's not exactly an eyesore, but it's not exactly beautiful either.

Perhaps some men who prefer partners who provide them with a sense of security might be interested? In any case, she is far inferior to the convincingly fake Miss Phillips.

Of course, there is one more premise: you must never open your mouth. Once you open your mouth, it's no longer a matter of being a tomboy; even the most oblivious person will notice the problem—unless he's willing to study Phillips's voice-altering techniques for half a year, but that's obviously impossible.

However, Phillips seemed quite satisfied with her work. She flashed a bright smile and addressed Li Cheng, who had a deadpan expression and lifeless face:

"Designer, don't look so stiff, give us a smile!"

"Hehe, hehe."

Li Cheng gave a forced smile.

pa pa pa——

"Perfect!"

Phillips clapped applause with satisfaction and said encouragingly, "You are now a charming and mature lady, Miss Papaya. Please enjoy the party today."

"What is Miss Papaya?" Li Cheng asked somewhat numbly.

“I gave you this nickname based on the designer’s naming style. Do you like it?” Phillips asked.

Li Cheng's lips twitched, forcibly suppressing the urge to complain... Hold it in, hold it in, otherwise he would just waste time endlessly pretending to be stupid and complaining.

After getting ready, Phillips and Li Cheng headed to the salon.

At this low-level banquet, Phillips was undoubtedly the protagonist again; she was the center of attention among all the ladies and wives present.

Li Cheng had initially thought that Phillips would assign him a role, such as "a long-lost cousin from the countryside who came to live with him, who lost her voice due to a high fever in her childhood and is therefore unable to express her inner thoughts verbally." In that case, he would only need to sit next to Phillips, smile, and act as a somewhat unlucky mascot to get through the party.

But Phillips didn't seem to be so kind. She pretended not to know him and sat down on the sofa in the middle of the living room, chatting and laughing with the ladies, leaving Li Cheng all alone on the side.

The topic they discussed most enthusiastically was, of course, the widely circulated rumor that His Highness Philip was to marry a British princess.

“Miss Phillips, you are very knowledgeable. Have you ever met His Highness Philip?”

Someone asked curiously.

"Hehe, I've never seen him before. I only know that His Highness seems to dislike showing his face and rarely appears in social situations."

Phillips replied with a smile.

Seeing this, Li Cheng found a sofa in the corner of the living room. Just like Sophia in her outdated dress, he tried not to do anything that would attract attention, but also to put on a cold and aloof face, intending to get through the salon in this way.

Under normal circumstances, his decision is not wrong. Few people would deliberately try to strike up a conversation with a stranger sitting in the corner, with a tomboyish appearance and an expression that always keeps people at arm's length.

------

Phillips was undoubtedly the center of attention at the salon.

Around her sofa sat several ladies, arranged according to their rank. Among them was a young girl named Sophia.

Sophia was Li Cheng's first official client after becoming a fashion designer, and also the most difficult client to deal with. She was also the key figure who unintentionally helped Li Cheng hook up with Phillips.

With Phillips' help, her father has now retrieved the confiscated goods and is no longer troubled by a lack of funds to buy clothes. On the contrary, this incident has elevated his status in the family, and he values ​​her presence even more. As a young lady who has been exceptionally well taken care of since childhood, she is already bursting with a sense of accomplishment.

While discussing current events with the others, she inadvertently glanced at her usual seat and saw Li Cheng, who seemed aloof and unapproachable.

That ill-fitting outfit that clashed with its surroundings...

That lonely atmosphere of being all alone...

That cold, aloof expression...

For a moment, Sofia's expression froze slightly, as if she saw her past self, the one who used to sit in the corner.

Upon closer inspection, although the woman appeared somewhat rugged, she possessed a unique charm amidst her surroundings... Hmm? Come to think of it, why does she look somewhat familiar?

Out of sympathy for those in the same situation, and also because she felt she recognized the man, Sophia stood up from the sofa next to Phillips, lifted the hem of her latest long dress, and walked with elegant and light steps toward the far corner of the living room where Li Cheng was, gradually approaching the lonely figure and stopping in front of him.

Finally, noticing Li Cheng's "Don't come any closer!" expression, Sofia asked with a smile:

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Chapter 301 What's it like to wear women's clothing?

Let's rewind half an hour.

When bored, people can't help but let their minds wander. To put it more bluntly, many profound reflections on life originate from idleness. Typical examples include squatting on the toilet without a cell phone, tossing and turning in bed at night unable to sleep, or being imprisoned in the Tongliao Longchang Prison.

Li Cheng, sitting on the sofa in the corner of the living room, is in roughly this state.

So he thought, if at that moment, a phone happened to have someone on Zhihu (a Chinese Q&A website) asking the question, "What is it like to wear women's clothing?", and they happened to invite him to answer, he would definitely agree without hesitation and give the following answer:

laxative.

I'm in Paris, just got off the carriage, and today is the first time I've worn women's clothing, so I'm barely qualified to answer this question.

With the decline of morals, there are countless netizens online who urge others to wear women's clothing. In real-life anime conventions, cross-dressing men are not only a common sight but also a regular feature. In addition, it is a common trope in various anime series to have male protagonists cross-dress, leading some people to mistakenly believe that cross-dressing is something very interesting.

But it's not fun at all! Not only is it not fun, but it also causes double torment, both physically and mentally!!!

Let's start with the physical aspects, and I'll go through the criticisms from head to toe one by one.

First, the wig.

Wigs cannot be worn directly. Short hair is fine, but medium to long hair must be paired with a hairnet to cover the original hair to prevent it from being exposed, while also stabilizing the wig so that it doesn't fall to the ground easily when you shake your head.

Wearing this hairnet on your head feels a bit like the first time Sun Wukong was bound by the headband, creating a slight discomfort.

Aside from the hairnet that constricts the head, wigs are uncomfortable to wear. Putting aside hygiene and maintenance issues, the extra layer of wigs makes them heavy and stuffy. In addition, stray hairs and ends can scratch the neck and ears, giving men who have almost never had long hair a taste of that kind of pain!

The second point is makeup.

Without a doubt, even guys who have never worn makeup know how much effort girls put into their makeup before going out, and to disguise a man as a woman through makeup... hehe, do you think it's troublesome?

Although he couldn't understand what those bottles and jars Phillips used to do his makeup, Li Cheng was undoubtedly extremely uncomfortable with all that stuff on his face. If he hadn't been forcing himself to stay calm, he probably would have washed it off with a basin of cold water long ago.

Finally, there are the clothes.