Chapter 12: Wearing a Skirt

5:40 PM.

Jiang Chicheng moved a stool to sit in front of the bathroom mirror,allowing the person behind him to fuss with his shiny golden hair. He focused intently on brushing his cheeks and then held them up for the person behind him to see.

“How about this one? I really like these sleeves; they’re so subtly revealing. If I wear it, I’ll definitely look like a fairy come down to Earth. Walking on the street, I’d probably mesmerize Xiao Ye!”

Zhou Zhou finished arranging the wig and put it on him. Glancing at the screen, he said, “Come on, with your broad shoulders, drop shoulders will make you look even bulkier. Puff sleeves don’t suit you either.”

Jiang Chicheng looked at his long, beautiful black hair in the mirror, rubbed his forehead, and frowned. “Wearing this wig feels like I’m under a tight spell. It won’t pull my hairline back, will it?”

“What a joke,” Zhou Zhou rolled his eyes. “You’re not wearing it every day.”

After arranging the wig, Zhou Zhou checked the mirror again, braided the parts that might cover his face and tucked them behind his ears, combed his bangs, nodded in satisfaction, and turned to throw Jiang Chicheng a green, flowing skirt dress, urging him to put it on.

“Don’t peek!” Jiang Chicheng shook the dress.

Zhou Zhou simply went outside to wait.

It was Jiang Chicheng’s first time wearing a skirt, and he didn’t realize there was a zipper. The fitted part got stuck on his backside. He pulled hard, almost causing himself immense pain, letting out a yelp.

“There’s a zipper on the right side of the waist!”

“Damn, where’s the waist?!”

Zhou Zhou could no longer listen and opened the door, found the zipper, and pulled it. Jiang Chicheng felt like he was alive again. He glanced at the zipper and complained, “What’s with such a small zipper? Who the hell can see it?”

“Are you going to put it on yourself?”

Jiang Chicheng still felt a dull pain and was frightened: “I’m not putting it on myself; you help me.”

Once he was in the dress, Jiang Chicheng felt an emptiness below and a chilling sensation, not daring to walk with his legs apart. “Damn it, what’s the difference between this and wearing open-crotch pants?”

Zhou Zhou covered his mouth and laughed, giving his backside a light slap. “There’s a lining, don’t worry, even if you don’t wear underwear, your little buddy won’t be exposed.”

Jiang Chicheng covered his backside and glared at him. “You have the nerve to say that? This lining is uncomfortable as hell.”

Zhou Zhou picked up scissors. “If it’s really uncomfortable, you can cut it off. The skirt is so long, it won’t show.”

Wouldn’t that just leave him in his underwear?

Jiang Chicheng looked at him awkwardly. “... I’ll just endure it.”

Zhou Zhou put down the scissors. “Come on, turn around so I can have a look.”

Jiang Chicheng walked to the mirror, turned around once, and saw that the skirt was a slightly dark green. The fabric was soft and shiny, like algae floating at the bottom of a lake, shimmering in the sunlight. The upper part had a semi-backless design, the sleeves were lace, and the straps were silver. The pleats at the chest not only enhanced the visual effect for someone with a flat chest but also beautifully revealed his delicate collarbones.

Jiang Chicheng was quite satisfied and turned around again. “I feel like a little deer, jumping and eating grass in the big forest, carefree!”

Zhou Zhou’s eyes were filled with unabashed amazement. With such a good-looking face, even he, an omega, was envious. “Jiang Chiqing, are you an alpha or an omega?”

He was just complimenting, but Jiang Chiqing raised his chin. “I’m the kind of boy who is whatever he wants to be.”

Zhou Zhou rolled his eyes and patted the stool. “I’ll only do your makeup this once. Remember how to do it.”

In reality, the makeup was mainly to enhance his face shape. Although he and Jiang Chizao already looked very similar, male and female bone structures were still different.

Jiang Chicheng took out his phone and snapped two selfies. After taking them, he cradled his face, admiring himself, so proud that his tail seemed ready to lift into the sky. “Hey, what if Xiao Ye confesses to me? I don’t want to date anyone right now.”

Zhou Zhou pressed down on his shoulder and squeezed. “Honey, just say your brother, Jiang Chicheng is strict and won’t let you have a side affair.”

An alpha being called ‘honey’ by an omega was like being fed while pooping in public.

Jiang Chicheng shuddered. “Don’t call me that. I’m afraid of omegas.”

Zhou Zhou was naturally allergic to alpha pheromones; the scent made him nauseous. On the contrary, the smell of omega pheromones would arouse him. Back then, when he insisted on getting engaged to Jiang Chicheng, it was because Jiang Chicheng was still young and had not differentiated yet. Zhou Zhou thought he would become an omega, so he wanted to secure him first.

Zhou Zhou sat on the sink, arms crossed. “I’m not joking. If you dress like this every day, I wouldn’t mind getting engaged to you…”

Suddenly, the sound of a keypad unlocking came from outside the door. Jiang Chicheng jumped up as if his butt had springs, his face filled with panic. “What the hell! Why is he back at this time? Hide! Quick, hide!”

Zhou Zhou was confused. Jiang Chicheng was so anxious, like an ant on a hot pan, yanking him off the sink and shoving him into the bathtub, pulling the shower curtain.

Zhou Zhou frowned. “What am I hiding from? I’m your boyfriend. What’s wrong with me being here? Why does it feel like an affair?”

Jiang Chicheng turned around sharply. “Shut up!”

His gaze was cold and sharp, like a knife. Zhou Zhou shivered at his tone and tightly gripped the shower curtain.

Jiang Chicheng ran out to check the mirror and saw the chaotic scene of wigs, paper clips, and makeup scattered everywhere. Hearing the front door open, his mind heated up, and he threw caution to the wind, urgently yanking off the wig and pulling off the skirt.

The wig came off easily, but he panicked while trying to find the zipper on the skirt. As he pulled forcefully, the silver strap snapped, and while trying to get it off over his shoulders, it got stuck. Pulling from the bottom only caught on his butt.

At this moment, Shiye had already changed his shoes and entered the room. Seeing the lights on, he exclaimed, “Jiang Chicheng?”

Jiang Chicheng was still struggling with the zipper, and as he yanked off the skirt, it got caught on the wig. Now, he couldn’t take it off or pull it. Anxious and sweating, when he heard the voice, he got so flustered that with a tearing sound, he ripped the skirt from the side to the hem.

Zhou Zhou heard the commotion, lifted the shower curtain, and gasped in disbelief. “What the hell! Why does this always happen with you Jiang family members?!”

“Just behave!”

Finally managing to get the skirt off, Jiang Chicheng stood there in nothing but a triangle underwear. Ignoring the mess on the table, he bundled the large skirt like a wrap, knotting it tightly, looking around in confusion, not knowing where to stuff it.

Shiye didn’t hear a response, so he pushed open Jiang Chicheng’s bedroom door. “Jiang Chicheng?”

No one was in the bedroom either. Just as he was about to close the door, he suddenly heard a muffled sound from the bathroom. He called out again and walked to the bathroom door, turning the handle.

Jiang Chicheng was standing just outside, with his hand behind his back holding the bathroom door shut, wearing only a large pair of shorts. His hair was wet, and his exposed skin was glistening. There were red marks on his shoulder from where he’d pulled too hard. He looked at Shiye, his posture tense as if he were being punished in school.

Shiye looked at him, bewildered. “I called you for a long time. Why didn’t you respond? What are you doing?”

Jiang Chicheng replied, “... uh, taking care of business.”

Shiye walked in. “Oh, are you done? I need to use the restroom.”

Jiang Chicheng pressed against the door tightly. “I’m not done yet. If you’re not in a hurry, go out and wait.”

“I’m quite urgent.”

Jiang Chicheng’s grip tightened. “Huh?”

Shiye raised an eyebrow, a smirk on his face, teasing. “What are you so nervous about? Are you secretly hiding someone from me?”

Jiang Chicheng reacted instantly, like someone had stepped on his tail, blushing as he explained, "What are you talking about! Do I look like the kind of alpha who casually brings people home? For 21 years, I've kept myself clean and disciplined, always respectful, and never fooling around!"

At this time, Jiang Chicheng had probably just gotten off work, and he still had to go to the lab later that night. If he didn’t go out to eat, was he really hiding in the bathroom to do… that? And specifically when Shi Ye wasn’t around? The whole room was filled with pheromones; did Jiang Chicheng really think Shi Ye was stupid and couldn’t figure out what was going on?

As a fellow man, Shi Ye completely understood and didn’t judge his friend’s needs.

He patted Jiang Chicheng on the shoulder. "I never said I had a problem with it. Just don’t do it in the living room." With that, he left, even thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Jiang Chicheng chased after him, "Hey, it’s not—really, it’s not what you think!"

Shi Ye didn’t believe him at all, and Jiang Chicheng felt like there was no way to clear his name now, so he changed the topic: "Why did you come back?"

"I just came to drop something off and grab my bag."

Shi Ye really just picked up his bag and left. Soon, only Jiang Chicheng was left, sitting on the toilet, feeling frustrated.

Annoyed, he scratched his head and pulled the shower curtain aside, "He’s gone. You can come out now."

The bathroom was cramped, and Zhou Zhou had already been nauseous from the overwhelming scent of alpha pheromones. As soon as he stepped out of the bathtub, his legs gave way, and he collapsed by the toilet, vomiting. His pretty face was as pale as a sheet.

Jiang Chicheng, finally realizing, opened the window and turned on the fan. He fetched some water and handed it to Zhou Zhou, making sure to keep a distance, then took out a gland patch and stuck it on. "Feeling better?"

Zhou Zhou rinsed his mouth and couldn’t hold back his anger. "Jiang Chicheng, are you a child?! This is your house! You’re not a criminal, and Shi Ye’s not the police. Why were you so nervous that you couldn’t even control your pheromones?!"

Jiang Chicheng turned away, staying silent.

For an alpha to lose control of their pheromones in front of an omega was like an adult wetting their pants—not just rude but shameful.

Zhou Zhou, who was four years older than Jiang Chicheng, always thought that although his younger boyfriend acted playful and unserious on the surface, he was actually very restrained, especially around omegas. He was always polite and never exposed his pheromones in public. In all their years together, Zhou Zhou didn’t even know what his pheromones smelled like.

Today’s situation was a first.

Zhou Zhou kept cursing for a while, but seeing how downcast Jiang Chicheng looked, he suddenly realized: "Wait, was that guy who came just now the 'Xiao Ye' you always talk about?"

Jiang Chicheng didn’t bother hiding it and nodded.

Zhou Zhou’s eyes widened in realization, gasping, "You like him, but he likes Jiang Chizao, so you’re pretending to be Jiang Chizao! Wow! Babe, if Jiang Chizao finds out you’re pretending to be her just to date him, she’ll skin you alive!"

Jiang Chicheng, always quick to focus on the main point, corrected, "They’ve only met twice. It doesn’t count as liking each other. It’s all because Jiang Chizao tricked him."

"But aren’t you tricking him too?"

"That’s different! At least my feelings are real!"

Zhou Zhou raised an eyebrow. "Why don’t you just tell him Jiang Chizao is actually an alpha?"

Jiang Chicheng deflated like a balloon. "She threatened me. If I tell him, she’ll tell Xiao Ye that I like him."

Zhou Zhou sighed, unable to think of a solution. Jiang Chicheng stood up and took out a "green package" from the bathtub, pulling out the items inside.

The wig was tangled, and the dress was completely ruined.

Jiang Chicheng glanced at his phone. "It’s already 6:30. Now what?"

With the dress ruined, he would have to wear pants. But as an alpha, wearing pants made it hard to hide his aura.

Zhou Zhou, who studied jewelry design but had some basic fashion knowledge, eyed Jiang Chicheng up and down, finally focusing on his long, pale legs.

"Your legs… they’re pretty fair."

Jiang Chicheng felt a little harassed and quietly covered himself with the ruined dress.

Zhou Zhou’s eyes lit up. "Would you be okay with wearing shorts?"

"How short are we talking?"

"About... here!"

Jiang Chicheng swallowed nervously.

The spot Zhou Zhou indicated was only about an inch longer than his boxers.

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