Uneasy daily life

Bai Ying sighed regretfully, picked up some melon seeds from the fruit plate on the table and started cracking them open, saying casually, "If we're talking about it from a psychological perspective, whether it's changing bodies or getting plastic surgery, it's essentially just 'wanting to become you.' Have you ever heard the story of 'Old Ginger Stir-frying Pork'?"

"Stir-fried ginger with pork? Doesn't that sound like a dish?"

Yukinoshita thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Haku-kun, tell me."

"Once upon a time, there was a piece of ginger, a piece of ginger that grew diligently in the soil..."

Bai Ying's tone became serious.

……

I am an old ginger, a native ginger. As a member of the ginger family, I have a great reputation in the spice world. Removing fishy smells, adding spiciness, and seasoning are the specialties of the ginger family. The extent to which a piece of ginger can do these things determines how high it can reach.

"Jiang Zhili! Third stage!"

I stood there indifferently, listening to the comments of the old farmers in front of me.

"This piece of ginger isn't very good. It looks rather ugly, it's not big, and it's oddly shaped."

"They even claimed it was a specially bred new variety, but it's really not as good as it sounds."

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, never underestimate the poor Jiang!

I wanted to shout that out loud, then, covered in mud, be dried by the scorching sun of life, packed up, and shipped away.

So, there's no time left to work hard?

I was very sad, but fortunately I met some seniors who comforted me.

"When it comes to making ginger, its appearance doesn't matter; the taste is the most important thing. Judging ginger by its appearance is foolish!"

A colleague offered some words of comfort.

I said sadly, "But only those that are big and square can be considered beautiful ginger. I was born with a tangled and gnarled appearance, which is really unsightly, and I don't think I taste very good either."

"How does it look? Once you cut it open and stir-fry it in a pan, what difference can there be?" Another colleague said earnestly, showing a photo. "Being chosen is more important than hard work—look at this piece of ginger, isn't it beautiful?"

I looked closely and exclaimed, "What beautiful ginger! It's perfectly square, large and plump, and it would be no problem to slice or shred it!"

"He was flattened with a cleaver and soaked in water with the pork kidneys to remove the fishy smell," his colleague said, shaking his head. "So what if he's good-looking? Being chosen is the most important thing. If we're talking about good looks, then the pork itself is the real deal. When it's served, people only look at the meat. Who cares about the ginger on the plate? We're just there to be there, why should we care about each other's looks? It's like a peony on one side and a weed on the other arguing about who's more beautiful. Isn't that pointless?"

I'm not resigned to this. Born as ginger, am I destined to be nothing more than a supporting character?

A man should take his place!

I understand.

When someone buys you and brings you home, when you see them slice the pork, when you are skinned and sliced, when hot oil boils in the pan, and you and the sliced ​​pork are thrown into the pan together...

I know this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

With all my might, I tried to imitate the meat slices changing color in the pot, gradually changing color and becoming similar to them amidst their silent contempt and indifference.

The food was plated and served, and the family of three began their meal.

"How's your study going lately?"

"I heard that my third aunt back home remarried..."

"How old is she?"

As people chatted, the child casually held out his chopsticks to me.

I was incredibly excited.

"Ugh, ptooey!"

"Hmm? This is ginger, right? Hahahaha—"

"Ahem, they look so alike, I mistook them for each other."

"It's normal for ginger and meat to look alike, haha."

I was vomited on, and I was very sad.

But amidst the laughter and cheers, I felt as if I had already succeeded too much.

Even if I undergo plastic surgery to look like a slice of meat, I'm still just a piece of ginger.

A deceptive disguise can outshine the aroma of meat slices.

Making ginger is really good.

"You all think you're the ginger and everyone else is the meat." Bai Ying casually cracked sunflower seeds, commenting on each person one by one. "Isn't the 'Hero Plus' just envious that the 'Hero' has a dad? If you really crave fatherly love, you can ask me to take your place. I'm a professional actor, I can play any role convincingly, I guarantee you a five-star review! Isn't the 'Hero' just envious that 9528 is his enhanced version? That's simple too. Do you want to hear your mom praising you, your dad praising you, or someone else praising you? As long as you're willing, I can praise you in every voice until you throw up, 24/7. The stick figure is the same..."

What does it mean to yearn for a father's love?!

Yukinoshita Yukino: #!

What does it mean to want to be praised?!

Yukinoshita Yono: #!

What do you mean by "it's the same way"?!

Toyohama Kazuka: #!

"Hi Hi!"

Toyohama Kazuka raised her hand and asked, "Where's Koyo?"

"Are you bored? You stingy jerk, are you bored?"

Bai Ying slapped her thigh: "It makes me so angry! Why wasn't I included?!"

"Who do you want to become..." Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly recalled what happened last week, and said in a low voice, "Speaking of which, last week, Haku-kun suddenly asked us 'What kind of life do you want to live'—and this happened today. Does Haku-kun have any clue about it?"

"First of all, I didn't do it," Bai Ying said righteously. "If I had, I would have switched you and Auntie, and then switched the stick figure and her mother, and made a story of 'If the identities were reversed, I would show you what cruelty is'... Hmm? If I switched Big Brother and Auntie, it seems even more interesting?"

"A strong and upright husband, a lively and obedient wife—why doesn't that seem as interesting as now?"

In short, it means being very glad that someone doesn't have that ability.

Yukino sighed, then perked up: "So, in other words, as long as we don't have those kinds of thoughts in our minds, puberty syndrome can be cured?"

“Perhaps we could give it a try…” Yukino Yukinoshita looked at Mai Sakurajima and sighed softly, “Wahana, didn’t we already agree on this when we were in the formation? You don’t have to become someone like me…”

Mai Sakurajima turned her head away and muttered, "Isn't my older sister also envious of other people's happy families?"

Yukinoshita Yukino: "..."

Toyohama and Hana asked with great interest, "Yukino-chan, how is Haruno's health? Has she suddenly felt more open-minded and refreshed?"

It's all a burden, nothing but a burden.

Yukinoshita Haruno didn't answer, but glanced at the white figure who was eating melon seeds with a happy expression, and said irritably, "What suggestions does White-kun have?"

Bai Ying blinked: "What's your itinerary today? Ultimately, you have to experience these things to truly understand them and overcome puberty syndrome—that's how 'Brave Plus' works, experiencing ups and downs, joys and sorrows, before you're cured of puberty syndrome..."

“It’s clearly my reputation that’s been damaged, so don’t try to absolve yourself, you haters.” Yukino Yukinoshita habitually crossed her arms and legs, always feeling a strange emptiness between her hands. “Today was mainly about discussing the contract with the director. Fortunately, it was almost done beforehand, but I have some announcements to catch up on next week.”

Yukino thought for a moment and said, "I made an appointment with my father to go home today, and that's all."

Feng Binhua said, "I have classes, and I occasionally take time to perform on stage at Fanxing. The next performance will be on Wednesday."

"Training," Mai Sakurajima managed to utter, then quickly added, "There's a group performance next Saturday."

"very good."

Bai Ying nodded and said to Yukino Yukinoshita, "Let me come to your house as a guest today."

Hmm? Why the sudden request? Bringing up a guest like this... well, it's not entirely sudden. If I weren't going home until this afternoon, I could call my father now to let him know...

Yukino Yukinoshita paused for a few seconds, unable to respond for a moment, her mind racing with thoughts.

"Hey hater, you're not planning to watch how I portray Yukino Yukinoshita, or how Yukino Yukinoshita portrays Haruno Yukinoshita, are you?"

Yukino Yukino smiled and succinctly revealed the truth.

Yukinoshita Haruno snapped out of her reverie and gazed intently at someone.

Bai Ying's eyes widened, revealing a pure, gossipy, spectator-like emotion.

"I want to go too!" Toyohama Kazuka raised her hand, turned to Sakurajima Mai and asked, "Kazuka-chan, quickly sort out your relationships and schedule, and find a reason for me to go with you!"

Mai Sakurajima pouted and said, "Not familiar with her, no!"

"It's better to avoid being a guest."

Yukino Yukinoshita immediately rejected the idea, feeling that if Haku-kun got involved, the already difficult role-swapping would probably become even more difficult!

The white figure clicked its tongue in displeasure, seemingly becoming limp from the loss of enjoyment.

Yukino was full of vigilance and showed no sympathy whatsoever.

Haha, what's my relationship with my older brother? What's my relationship with my aunt?

A mere warrior dares to block my door?

I'll secretly call my older brother later to visit him.

Chapter Fifteen: Why was the elder brother so arrogant at first and so respectful at the next?

After confirming each other's general schedules, the four of them, their minds filled with either lawsuits or amusement, pondered how to get through this period of time.

Of course, you can't fool others. You can fool others but you can't fool yourself. If you can't fool yourself, it means that solving puberty syndrome is a long way off.

After sorting out their thoughts, everyone except Toyohama and Hana (Yono) seemed to have no clue what to do. The others more or less understood the source of the adolescent syndrome—who they wanted to become. However, each of the three had different degrees of doubt about this.

Simply put, is it really that serious? It was just a momentary thought, how could it have turned into this state by puberty syndrome?

The white figure blatantly scanned the group, its silent smile gradually growing more unrestrained.

The Yukino family deposed the eldest son and established the younger son in favor of the heir. Yukino Yukinoshita (Yukino) became the first in line to inherit the throne. She has made great contributions after the change of dynasty, stabilized the situation, and taken a firm step toward the goal of inheriting the throne one day. Sister? She is just a deposed crown prince and is not worth worrying about. Why would she envy her sister to the point of becoming her?

She had been aware since childhood that she was a child without a father, and had been living with her mother for more than ten years. She had long been used to it. If she saw other people with both parents and a happy family, she would feel envious and want to take their place. That would be too absurd. How could she envy Yukino to the point of becoming her?

I am different from my sister. I am a useless person who can't be as good as her. I don't need to force myself to become like my sister because of my mother's expectations. My sister is not perfect either. She has her own troubles and problems. My mother just envies my aunt for having a daughter like my sister. But she doesn't understand my sister at all. So I don't need to listen to my mother. Since that's the case, why would I envy my sister to the point of becoming like her?

Toyohama Kazuka (Yono) is observing the white shadow, her face feigning seriousness.

"You bastard, what are you looking at? Are you a pervert?"

Sakurajima Mai (Wahana) sensed that this guy's smile was malicious.

Bai Ying immediately said, "I'm not that kind of person."

“Because it’s that kind of white fungus,” Yukino Yukinoshita teased.

“No, no, no, you misunderstood,” Bai Ying added. “What I meant was—I’m looking at ‘I’m not that kind of person.’”

The group exchanged subtle glances.

Kazuka Toyohama (Yono) said, "Yeah, Yono-chan isn't that kind of person. After all, even though Kazuka-chan's body is younger, it's not as cute as Yono-chan's. As for the others, it's hard to say~"

Mai Sakurajima (Waka) immediately swore, "You old woman, get out of here!"

"Wahana!"

Yukino Yukinoshita (Mai) let out a soft cry and sighed, "Anyway, let's just pretend we don't know each other for now..."

"To play someone else?" Yukinoshita Haruno (Yukino) had some objections.

Kazuha Toyohama (Yono) shrugged with a smile: "Whether the acting is convincing or not doesn't matter. As long as you look like this, no one will suspect that you've had plastic surgery or swapped bodies. Your words and actions are different from what people expect, but they won't shatter common sense. At most, they'll be surprised that you're a little different—seeing is believing."

That's true. Who would doubt that someone who is usually quiet is the one who suddenly starts talking at length? At most, they would think something unexpected has happened, rather than that their imagination is running wild like a shadowy figure.

"Speaking of which, we now face a very serious problem..."

Bai Ying suddenly changed the subject seriously: "Shouldn't you two exchange phones?"

The atmosphere in the room became slightly quiet and stiff.

mobile phone!

In the information age, modern people have external organs that store browsing history, search terms, photos and videos, social media comments, embarrassing moments, and a whole host of other things closely related to their personal lives.

In this day and age, the relationship between boyfriends and girlfriends may not be as important as the relationship with a mobile phone. No matter how brand new a mobile phone is, once it is used by someone, it will gradually take on the shape of its owner through a series of actions and changes, and the owner will refuse to show it to anyone. If the mobile phone is too old to be used and needs to be sold, the owner will ruthlessly delete all traces and contents, trying to erase their footprints, leaving only sluggish response, dirty appearance and seemingly clean desktop.

If we want to exchange phones...

Sakurajima Mai (Wahana) felt a slight sweat break out on the back of her head. She thought about the fan comments she'd made on her sister's social media accounts, the comments she'd left during online arguments with someone, the occasional photos of her sister she'd taken online and in private, the traces of watching her sister's dramas, and the relentless family tree battles she'd had with viewers who gave negative reviews...

I hope I won't be mistaken for a stalker.

Kazuka Toyohama (Yono) said seriously, "Indeed, after all, we don't know how to use fake voices like the 'bastard,' so it would be troublesome if someone called."