Chapter 2 – Cross-Dressing Pervert?

On the fourth floor of Junlan Apartments, there was currently only one vacant unit—right next to Yu Zhen’s.

But that room had been reserved by He Yajuan for someone else.

Yu Zhen wasn’t sure what was going on. After pondering for a while, he noticed his new neighbor observing him. Even the large dog lying on the floor stood up. Glancing down at himself—his eccentric outfit—he realized the odd looks were inevitable. So he shut the door and stayed out of sight.

He was about to call He Yajuan when he noticed she had already messaged him, sending several voice notes.

Yu Zhen tapped to listen.

“Xiao Yu, someone will come by later asking for the key to the unit next door. Just hand it to them.”

“I couldn’t hold onto that room for you. This tenant is picky—insisted on the fourth floor. I didn’t think he’d actually show up.”

“There’s still a unit on the sixth floor. I’ll save it for your friend if he still wants it.”

“I’ll refund your deposit.”

He Yajuan had already rented out the apartment. Given the circumstances, Wang Baoshu wouldn’t be able to make it anytime soon. There was nothing Yu Zhen could do—he could only blame Wang Baoshu for messing things up.

With a sigh, Yu Zhen sent a voice reply saying he understood and that it was fine.

To secure that apartment, he had even treated He Yajuan to a meal. Now, all that effort had gone to waste. He Yajuan had done her best—Wang Baoshu was just too unreliable, and there was nothing to be done about it.

He considered informing Wang Baoshu, but at this hour, he was probably still at work. Since Wang had been swamped lately, Yu Zhen decided to hold off for now.

At six in the evening, Chen Qinghuai arrived with his camera.

When he entered, Yu Zhen was setting up the backdrop.

“Have you eaten?” Chen Qinghuai asked, holding a bowl of cold skin noodles. “Brought you something.”

Yu Zhen was wearing that emerald-green qipao, his long hair flowing, fake breasts in place—every inch the graceful, curvaceous woman. He glanced back and replied, “Thanks, but I don’t eat at night.”

Chen Qinghuai eyed his waist. “Keeping your figure, huh? I get it. Didn’t add much spice—kept it light.”

Yu Zhen smiled, removing his shawl and brushing back his hair. “Ready to start?”

“You’re all set up?”

“Everything’s ready.” Yu Zhen grabbed a hair tie from the jewelry box, loosely tying his wig into a ponytail that draped down his back. “They’re pushing for the final product. Let’s not drag this out.”

Chen Qinghuai adjusted the camera. “No light makeup?”

Yu Zhen picked up some lip gloss, applied it, then pressed his lips together before sitting on the chair. “This is enough.”

Chen Qinghuai stared at his red lips—now, there was no trace of masculinity left. With some post-processing to remove the Adam’s apple, the photos would show nothing but a stunning, top-tier female model.

“Pull the skirt a little to the left,” Chen Qinghuai directed, peering through the viewfinder. “Hook your right leg slightly—not too much. Yeah, just like that.”

Yu Zhen complied, twisting his body into various poses.

Fortunately, he was quick to understand directions. Chen Qinghuai’s requests always met the mark, and their teamwork was highly efficient. They wrapped up quickly.

“Next setup,” Yu Zhen said. “I promised them two scenes.”

Chen Qinghuai set the camera down. “Let me help.”

Yu Zhen didn’t stop him.

While rearranging the set, Yu Zhen’s silky hair cascaded in front of Chen Qinghuai. Glancing down at her, Chen Qinghuai saw Yu Zhen bending over, her cheongsam clinging tightly to her alluring figure. The peonies embroidered on the cheongsam were so vividly colored they bordered on gaudy. Yu Zhen resembled a respectable woman who had mistakenly fallen into the world of vice, waiting to be redeemed.

“Have you thought about what I mentioned the day before yesterday?” Chen Qinghuai’s voice suddenly turned cautious.

Yu Zhen replied while tidying up the chairs, “I’ve been too busy lately.”

Chen Qinghuai said, “Ah Zhen, I’m serious, I—”

“Let’s finish this photoshoot first. It’s getting late.” After a quick cleanup, Yu Zhen lifted the hem of her dress and sat back down on the chair draped with a blanket. “Is this okay?”

Chen Qinghuai paused, then nodded. “It’s fine.”

He raised the camera.

No one knew Yu Zhen’s best angles better than Chen Qinghuai.

The question was pushed to the back of his mind, never to be voiced again. Chen Qinghuai’s attention was wholly captured by Yu Zhen’s coquettish expression. Hidden behind the camera, all he could do was swallow hard, utterly speechless.

“The scenery here isn’t bad.”

Lu Pingwei settled onto the sofa.

He glanced toward the balcony, where Zhou Daosen had tied up the dog, leaving the window half-open.

“Though the people are a bit chaotic,” Lu Pingwei mused. “Can you tell if the neighbor is a man or a woman?”

Zhou Daosen walked back into the room, which had just been tidied up. He wanted to pour himself a glass of water to relax, but the water dispenser wasn’t working yet.

“No idea,” Zhou Daosen replied.

Lu Pingwei said, “I didn’t dare look too closely. It’s hard to tell—could be either. Do you think the rumors we heard earlier were about them?”

Zhou Daosen didn’t respond.

He had just moved in, and everything here was unfamiliar to him, requiring time to understand.

On his way in, he had overheard people in the hallway gossiping about the eccentric residents. Even when he was viewing the apartment, the manager had mentioned that a stunning beauty lived next door. Zhou Daosen hadn’t taken it seriously—he prided himself on his one virtue: he wasn’t easily swayed by looks. What did it matter if a beauty lived nearby? But that fleeting glimpse earlier had occupied his thoughts for quite some time.

He rarely dwelled on others’ appearances. “See no evil”—such blatant scrutiny of a stranger was extremely impolite. Yet, in that moment, he hadn’t been able to help himself.

After careful consideration, though many questions remained unanswered, one thing was certain: it was a man.

Lu Pingwei hadn’t paid much attention to the details, judging solely by the person’s attire, which could easily be misleading. “If it’s a woman, Brother Zhou, you’re in for a treat. But if it’s a man…”

Lu Pingwei said with concern, “You might be in trouble.”

Zhou Daosen seemed lost in thought.

Lu Pingwei teased, “A neighbor who’s a cross-dressing pervert, just a wall away. With your striking looks, do you think he’d leave you alone?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“I’m serious. Why would someone with a mansion choose to live here?” Lu Pingwei spoke from experience. “Apartments like this are always a mess. These days, with crackdowns everywhere, even brothels have moved into residential areas. You’ve never lived in one, so you wouldn’t know. The place I’m staying now has solicitors—1,200 a night, and not even good-looking ones.”

Lu Pingwei was well-versed in such matters. Some people, at a glance, had stories written all over them. He could usually tell if someone was decent or not. Combined with the whispers he’d heard in the hallway earlier, this apartment building likely housed quite a few colorful characters.

“Didn’t you always prefer men?” Zhou Daosen glanced up, realizing he’d overlooked the fact that the new apartment needed cleaning.

Lu Pingwei fiddled with a nearby cushion and replied, “Yeah, but decent-looking men are hard to come by. I wouldn’t mind if they put in some effort—maybe a little makeup—but most of them are so sloppy. Why should I subject my eyes to that?”

Zhou Daosen wiped a corner of the table, rubbing the dust between his fingers.

Knowing Zhou wasn’t fond of this topic, Lu quickly changed the subject. “Going out to eat tomorrow?”

“No, I need to prep for the bar exam.”

“Didn’t you already pass? Another one?” Lu didn’t get it. As a law student, Zhou always seemed to be either studying for or taking some exam.

“It’s different,” Zhou said. “What do you want for dinner?”

Lu stood up, patting his backside. “Not eating here. You’re a man with big ambitions—us deadweight shouldn’t hold you back. See ya.”

After a full day of moving, Zhou didn’t have the energy to engage further. He walked Lu to the door, where Lu suddenly paused. The hallway was quiet. Lu pointed at the neighboring apartment and whispered, “Be careful.”

Zhou frowned. “Of what?”

“Call it years of experience, but your neighbor isn’t someone to take lightly. He’s probably… like us.”

Zhou’s gaze darkened. Lu was usually unreliable, but his instincts about people were rarely wrong. Zhou was half-convinced.

“I don’t like judging by appearances,” Lu continued, “but, Zhou, you’re too damn attractive. Moving every other week isn’t a solution. Keep your distance, set boundaries. Don’t let him go charging into battle for you, all lovesick and dramatic.”

Zhou scoffed. “You’re overthinking it.”

Lu shrugged. He hoped so. With a wave, he stepped into the elevator. Zhou saw him off at the doors.

“Hope next time I see you, that gorgeous psycho hasn’t devoured you.” Lu’s prejudice against the stranger next door was oddly strong, though Zhou couldn’t guess why.

Zhou didn’t dismiss Lu’s intuition—forged in the trenches of romance—but he didn’t fully buy it either.

Judging someone by looks went against his principles. He preferred to reserve judgment.

“Take care,” Zhou said dismissively.

Lu hesitated, mouth opening, but the elevator doors closed before he could say more. He mimed a phone call, signaling Zhou to reach out if anything happened.

Zhou watched the elevator descend. With so much to unpack, Lu’s warning slipped his mind almost instantly. As he turned back, his phone rang.

“Zhou.” The voice on the line was hushed. “We’ve got a problem.”

Zhou plucked a business card from his door handle.

In the short time since he’d arrived, someone had already plastered an ad on his door.

“Explain,” Zhou said, studying the card. His eyes flicked toward the neighbor’s door—still shut. Whether it hid a cross-dressing eccentric or just an ordinary guy remained to be seen.

Only one thing was certain.

The realtor hadn’t lied.

That man really was beautiful.

“Cheng Xin is here.” The voice on the phone became hesitant, wavering uncertainly. “She… she says she’s pregnant.”

Zhou Daosen pushed open the door, crumpling the green business card into a ball before tossing it into the trash. His expression remained unreadable.

The caller timidly added:
“She wants you to give her an explanation.”

The business card advertisement was exactly as Lu Pingwei had described.
The apartment offered certain… services.

Before he could even settle in, his privacy had already been compromised—an irritating realization.

“She said that?” Zhou Daosen’s tone betrayed neither anger nor joy, perfectly calm.

After receiving confirmation, Zhou slammed the door shut. The room felt stifling. He threw the windows wide open, gazing down at the osmanthus tree below as he asked quietly, “Where is she?”.