You Spent Ten Thousand on Getting Me an Identity?

"Are you sure? Once the identity is issued, it cannot be changed."

Qubi's emerald eyes stared straight at her.

"Just this one, no changes."

Chen De's tone was exceptionally firm.

She had used the name Su Xi for several days now, and at least some people considered her acquainted with it.

Changing to something else would only cause trouble.

Qubi nodded.

"Fine."

"It should be ready by tomorrow."

Chen De was slightly stunned.

"So fast?"

"I paid for it."

Chen De's eyebrow twitched.

An ominous premonition shot straight from the soles of her feet to her skull.

"...How much was deducted?"

"Ten thousand..."

Hearing this number, Chen De patted her barren chest.

Good, good.

Ten thousand was a bit on the expensive side, but still within her psychological expectations.

After all, it was a complete set of legal identities, fully documented and able to withstand investigation.

Spending ten thousand to buy a second life was by no means a loss, no matter how she calculated it.

"...Magic Coins."

"Cough, cough!"

Chen De almost drowned in her own saliva.

She sprang up violently from the sofa, her white-gray long hair whipping across her face.

"Can you not pause for breath when you speak!"

"You spent one hundred thousand of my money just to process an identity document?"

Qubi's tail swayed leisurely from side to side.

That calm demeanor made it look as though she were spending her own money.

Wait.

It was Chen De's money to begin with.

"What you need is an identity document that can withstand investigation."

Qubi licked a paw.

"The processing price for matching documents is very expensive, and this already includes a special expedited package for you."

"A special package? What kind of ghost terminology is that? You treat forging an identity like ordering takeout?"

"It's not forgery, it's a legal creation."

"Besides, as Su Xi, going abroad to study also requires certain things."

Chen De was taken aback.

"What things?"

"A visa, school admission notice, airline ticket records, and immigration records."

Qubi ticked them off on her claws.

"You can't very well tell your classmates you went abroad to study, only for customs to show that no such person exists."

Chen De opened her mouth, finding herself actually unable to refute this.

"So this one hundred thousand didn't just buy Su Xi's identity."

"It also helped Chen De process a complete set of procedures for going abroad?"

"Correct."

"The whole set."

"Even if you change back now, you can actually rely on those things to study abroad."

The corner of Chen De's twitched.

"What am I going to change back to when I'm like this."

She lowered her head and looked at herself.

One meter fifty-three.

White-gray long hair.

Blue eyes.

Chest—

Never mind, let's not mention it.

"So was spending this one hundred thousand worth it?"

Qubi tilted her head.

"What do you think?"

"I think you spent it before even asking me, does my opinion make any difference?"

"No, I'm just going through the motions."

"What motions? After-sales satisfaction survey?"

"Pretty much."

Chen De took a deep breath.

One hundred thousand.

How much had she earned in total so far?

Defeated four Lesser Calamity monsters, got sixteen thousand.

Four Fierce Calamity monsters, got forty-eight thousand.

Totaling sixty-four thousand.

Subtracting Qubi's twenty percent platform service fee—no, that was deducted before taxes.

So the actual amount received was sixty-four thousand.

Now one hundred thousand was deducted all at once, plus what she had spent previously.

Leaving close to five hundred thousand.

"Qubi."

"Hm."

"I work hard and risk my life outside wearing a skirt."

"Fighting for over a week."

"And a single operation of yours wipes out one-sixth of my savings."

"It's for your own good."

"If it's for my own good, couldn't you make it cheaper?"

"This is already a discounted price."

"Discounted? What was the original price?"

"One hundred and fifty thousand."

Chen De felt her blood vessels doing the disco.

"You gave me a thirty percent discount and still consider yourself conscientious?"

"Market price is like this."

"What market? Which market? Show me a publicly transparent magical girl identity processing market!"

Qubi was silent for a second.

"None."

"Then what market price are you babbling to me about!"

"Supply and demand determine price, this is a basic principle of economics."

"A cat lecturing me on economics?"

"A magical girl lecturing me on gender, who is more absurd?"

Chen De shut her mouth.

She discovered she could never win an argument with this cat.

Not because Qubi was so smart.

It was because this cat had absolutely no shame.

"Fine."

Chen De slumped back onto the sofa, staring at the ceiling.

"Ten thousand it is."

"I don't have any other choices anyway."

"Great mindset."

"Get lost."

It was quiet for about ten seconds.

Chen De suddenly thought of a question.

"Qubi."

"Hm."

"After the new identity comes down, how do I go back to school?"

"As a transfer student."

"Transferring requires paperwork."

"Included in the one hundred thousand."

"...That really is a one-stop service."

"Our service is very professional."

"A cat getting all professional on me."

"System."

Chen De rolled her eyes.

"Then if I transfer over, won't people find it strange?"

"Why would they find it strange?"

"Suddenly inserting a transfer student in the middle of the semester."

"Very normal, it happens every year."

"But after I transfer in, I'll be sitting in Chen De's seat."

"No, the school will rearrange the seating."

Chen De's fingers unconsciously twirled her hair.

"What about Jiang Ping?"

"What about Jiang Ping?"

"Will he notice the new transfer student?"

"Probably, after all, you look quite eye-catching."

Chen De lowered her head and glanced at herself.

White-gray long hair, blue pupils, one meter fifty-three.

Indeed quite eye-catching.

Eye-catching like an NPC who had wandered by mistake into the real world.

"Will he think I look familiar?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because you and Chen De share zero similarities."

Qubi's tone was very flat.

"A boy of one meter seventy-five and a girl of one meter fifty-three, different facial features, different heights, different hair colors, different eye colors."

"No one would connect these two people together."

"Even if your appearance a few days ago was indeed quite similar to now, at most it would just be taken as some distant relative or something."

"Except you have no family."

"I feel like you're looking for an opportunity to insult me."

Chen De fell silent.

She knew what Qubi said was the truth.

Yet hearing the words "share zero similarities" still made her chest ache heavily.

As if someone had pronounced a verdict—

You and your past self have nothing to do with each other anymore.

"Qubi."

"Hm."

"Will I still be called Chen De in the future?"

"When there are no outsiders, you can call yourself whatever you want."

"There are outsiders here?"

"Your name is Su Xi."

She stared at the ceiling in a daze for a long time.

Then she picked up her phone.

She opened her chat with Jiang Ping.

Jiang Ping: What the hell is wrong with you? You disappeared for half the day again. The teacher said you took leave, but you haven't replied to my messages either.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.

Type. Delete. Type again. Delete again.

In the end, she typed a line.

Chen De: I might be going abroad for a while.

Sent.

Three seconds later, the message showed as read.

Five seconds later, Jiang Ping's messages popped up.

Jiang Ping: ???

Jiang Ping: Going abroad?? Are you serious??

Jiang Ping: When did this happen?? Why so suddenly??

Jiang Ping: Did something happen to you?

Chen De stared at the screen.

She read them one by one.

Then she began typing slowly.

Chen De: It was arranged a few years ago. The paperwork's been in progress all this time, and I suddenly got the notice today.

Chen De: The phone signal isn't very good. It might not be convenient to stay in touch afterward.

Jiang Ping: Wait, don't go! At least let's meet once!

Her fingers stopped.

Meet?

Meet for what?

Meet a five-foot-tall little girl with ash-white hair and blue eyes?

Then tell him, "Bro, I'm Chen De"?

She placed her phone face-down on the sofa.

She closed her eyes.

She took a deep breath.

"Qubi."

"Mm."

"Help me send a reply."

"Can't you send the words you typed yourself?"

"I'm afraid I'll end up telling the truth while I'm typing."

Qubi glanced at her.

It stayed quiet for three seconds.

Then it jumped onto the phone and accurately tapped the screen a few times with its paw.

Chen De took it back and looked.

Chen De: There's no time. My flight is tomorrow. I'll contact you after I get there.

Chen De: And I'm not paying back the twenty yuan I owe you.

Jiang Ping replied quickly.

Jiang Ping: Who the fuck cares about your twenty yuan.

Jiang Ping: Let me know when you get there.

Chen De locked her phone.

The moment the screen went dark, she saw her own reflection.

Ash-white hair.

Blue eyes.

An unfamiliar face.

The living room stayed quiet for a long time.

Qubi crouched on the coffee table without making a sound.

For once, it didn't make any snide remarks.

"Qubi."

"Mm."

"After my identity comes through tomorrow..."

"First thing, help me change this phone number too."

"Okay."

"...Does that cost extra?"

"This one's free."

"Oh."

Chen De froze for a moment.

"You actually have free services?"

"Sometimes."

Qubi's tail lightly swept across the coffee table.

P.S.: This isn't a gender-bender story, and I never planned to write it in that direction.