Volume 0 / Chapter 12: Corrective Surgery

Early morning, before five o'clock, Xueyao woke up.

Not officially a patient yet, sitting on this hospital bed felt strange all over.

Instinctively wanting a drink of water, she suddenly remembered she wasn't supposed to eat or drink before surgery. She could only lick her dry lips helplessly and endure the thirst.

"What's wrong, can't sleep?" Mom, sleeping on the other bed in this private room, asked.

"Whoa!" Xueyao was startled. "Mom, you're awake too?"

"...I didn't sleep," Mom yawned tiredly. "Thinking about your situation kept me awake."

"Worried about what? With so many experts, nothing will go wrong."

"...I'm not worried about that." Mom smiled but didn't elaborate further. "I'll try to sleep a bit more. Remember not to drink or eat anything."

"Got it." Xueyao nodded, slightly turned up the air conditioner, then threw off the covers and climbed down from the bed.

She was already wearing the hospital gown, which looked ugly and strange.

Xueyao walked quietly to the window and pulled open the heavy curtains.

4 a.m. in Shanghai.

It didn't seem so bustling anymore.

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

Some neon lights in the city were still on, but the tall buildings stood silently.

The neon lights, symbols of prosperity, now seemed a bit lonely.

Xueyao closed her eyes, imagining this was a city without people.

Or rather, everyone else was asleep, and only she was awake.

The dim but mostly dark turned the windowpane into a mirror, reflecting her blurred silhouette.

In that blurriness, she suddenly felt the reflection in the glass looked utterly unfamiliar.

It completely looked like a girl.

"Has my hair gotten this long already?" Xueyao pinched a strand of hair; the longest lock could already rest on her shoulder.

Petite figure, snow-white skin, blurred but still discernible delicate features.

From any angle, she didn't look like a boy at all.

This made her feel dazed for a moment.

As if everything before had just been a dream.

And now, she was just about to wake up.

Xueyao placed her hand over her heart, feeling it beat rapidly.

"A girl... I don't want to be one... not at all... don't want to be a girl." She felt a pain in her chest, as if each heartbeat struck a needle.

Ultimately, she was still resisting, still afraid, and still lost.

But what else could she do?

Reason told her this was the only outcome.

But emotion made her resent this choice.

"Either be born a girl, or always be a boy. Changing like this makes my life feel like a joke," she muttered to herself, clenching her fist tightly. "What the hell... I just want to be a normal person, why play this kind of joke on me?"

At this moment, she suddenly felt an urge to destroy something.

Her fist really wanted to smash hard against the window glass, and she couldn't help thinking that acting impulsively now would be more like a man.

But in the end, she didn't punch it. Maybe afraid of pain, maybe afraid she couldn't afford to pay for it. Anyway, her clenched fist relaxed, and she slumped weakly against the window.

It felt as if an unseen hand was controlling her fate, and she simply couldn't resist.

That was probably how she felt right now.

Time ticked by second by second. Xueyao just watched as the sun slowly rose into the sky.

Then grew increasingly brilliant.

The darkness was dispersed, leaving only a blinding light that made her squint.

The sunrise today didn't seem gentle at all.

Xueyao smiled bitterly and stretched with a big yawn.

Right then, the door was knocked.

"Mo Xueyao, time to get ready. The surgery starts in one hour."

"Okay." Xueyao answered. By the time she opened the door, the woman who came to notify her—whether a nurse or doctor—was already gone.

"Time to get up?" Mom asked sleepily. But what Xueyao admired most about her was that she could always get up when needed.

Even if she hadn't slept well at night, she wouldn't linger in bed.

"Mom, you sleep. The surgery doesn't involve you anyway."

"How can that be? I have to wait outside—Xueyao, go wash up first."

"Knooow—" Xueyao drawled, answering listlessly.

"Wash properly! Don't just slap it on like before! You're going to be a girl now, you have to be meticulous in everything!"

"Who says girls have to be meticulous?" Xueyao complained unhappily. "Stereotypical thinking isn't good."

"Regardless, personal hygiene is essential! If you can't wash properly yourself, I'll help you!"

"No need, no need! I'll wash properly, alright?" Xueyao yelled helplessly and began washing seriously.

Usually brushing her teeth took just a few swipes; today she brushed for a full three minutes.

Usually washing her face was just a quick wipe; today she rinsed her face three times with fresh water.

Doing this occasionally was okay, but doing it every day...

She thought it would be a huge hassle.

Turning a one-minute task into a seven or eight-minute ordeal—what a waste of time.

But today, after this careful wash, she really did feel cleaner and fresher than usual.

Somehow, she looked like a pure female student...

Xueyao pinched the corner of her eye, shaking the thought out of her head.

What was going on? For a moment, she actually seemed to like the person in the mirror.

Hey, hey, what's this? The surgery isn't even done yet.

Though her appearance probably wouldn't change much after surgery, since the face isn't operated on—but over time, with normal body development, some changes should still occur, right?

She passed the waiting time reading a novel brought from home.

Until the surgery officially began.

"Xueyao, come over here, just lie down on the bed," Doctor Wang said kindly.

Seeing so many doctors in the operating room, Xueyao's heart inexplicably grew anxious.

It made her feel like a lab rat about to be experimented on.

"Relax, besides the first anesthetic injection, it won't hurt," Doctor Wang said, putting on a green surgical mask with a smile.

Contrary to Xueyao's fixed impression, the doctors weren't wearing white coats. They were all dressed in green gowns, wearing green hats and green masks, fully armed, showing nothing but a pair of eyes.

She could only recognize Doctor Wang by his voice.

A pair of soft, delicate hands rested on her waist, then slowly pulled down her pants.

Judging by the touch of the hands, it should be a female doctor.

Her lower body was now completely exposed before the surgical team.

Doctor Wang seemed to be the lead surgeon, but there appeared to be another doctor of equal rank, pointing and gesturing as if discussing something.

Xueyao's face flushed bright red. Her blood rushed, her heartbeat quickening.

Being 'stark naked' in front of so many people at once made her so shy she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

Then, her legs were placed on a strange device. Once positioned there, her legs naturally spread apart.

Even if she wanted to close them out of shyness, it was impossible.

"Mm, that's correct," Doctor Wang said with a serious expression.

"We can begin," the other doctor said gravely.

The others, seemingly assistants, began to busy themselves.

But not everyone was busy; some seemed to be there to observe and learn.

Otherwise, there wouldn't have been over a dozen doctors in one operating room.

"Hiss—" Suddenly, Xueyao felt a sharp sting on her thigh; it seemed the anesthetic needle had been injected into her body.

"Sleep if you're tired, don't be nervous." Doctor Wang gently patted her head. "Take some oxygen, it'll make you feel more comfortable."

The female doctor beside him nodded and placed an oxygen mask over Xueyao's mouth and nose.

Xueyao took a deep breath, feeling as if she had suddenly floated upwards. Even the air deep in the mountains wasn't as oxygen-rich as this one breath.

In her dazed state, a wave of drowsiness seemed to wash over her.

After taking several more breaths, she didn't even notice the surgery had begun.

The effects of the anesthetic and the oxygen were both taking hold.

Xueyao looked at all those eyes staring intently at her, until her eyelids finally couldn't hold on any longer, closing slowly as if hypnotized.

But this sleep wasn't entirely peaceful; there was always an undercurrent of reluctance.

In her hazy state, she could hear the doctors' exchanges—some clear, others completely unintelligible.

"This size is perfect, very small and very suitable."

"Just make an incision here."

"Be careful, absolutely nothing can go wrong with those nerves there, or the patient will be incontinent for life."

"Oh! This hidden spot is surprisingly beautiful."

"Yes, we don't even need to artificially create an extra one; we can just move it in directly."

"Is there a passage inside?"

"Yes, go through from inside. Careful now, wait, change to a different forceps, take this one to be sterilized again."

"Careful, careful."

"Alright, alright."

"Good, good, that'll do."

"Suture directly here on top."

"Right, try to avoid leaving scars."

"Don't worry, we'll use imported materials directly."

"Finished…"

"We need to bandage this area."

"The patient is leaking urine."

"It's fine, just connect the urine bag. Be careful, don't use too much force, it's still very fragile there."

"Completed."

"Whew, medicine truly is a miracle of humanity."

"Haha, young man, there are plenty of miracles beyond just medicine!"

Amidst lighthearted laughter, Xueyao sank into a deeper sleep...