The system issued a new task

When Chen Ze pushed open the dormitory door, the familiar scent of perfume hit him in the face.

Three makeup mirrors lit up at once, reflecting the profile of his roommate Cheng Xuan applying lipstick. He wore a lace-trimmed shirt today, with a pearl brooch pinned near his collarbone.

The vanity was crowded with powder compacts, eyeshadow palettes, and eyelash curlers, all gleaming like mother-of-pearl under the warm lights.

"Brother Chen, you're back?" Cheng Xuan turned his head, his mascara-coated lashes curled even higher than usual.

"Want to try my new foundation? This shade really suits us guys' skin tones."

As he spoke, Chen Ze noticed the new diamond-shaped crystal sticker behind his ear, scattering tiny flecks of rainbow light beneath the lamps. Chen Ze stuffed his food container into the trash can, the metallic clatter especially grating in the silence.

Zhou Ran was styling his bangs with a curling iron on the upper bunk. Warm yellow light spilled through a gap in the bed curtains, and the air was thick with the cloying sweetness of hair gel and styling spray.

On the opposite bed, Zhao Kai was livestreaming himself trying on newly arrived Lolita-style menswear, with dolls and lace cushions arranged in front of the camera.

Cheng Xuan pushed an eyeshadow palette in front of Chen Ze. "Want to try the eyeshadow I just bought? It's the latest release!"

"I don't use that stuff!" Chen Ze shoved his hand away.

Chen Ze tugged at his collar, the fabric of his uniform rubbing against the beads of sweat on the back of his neck.

Cheng Xuan's eyelashes trembled. "Is it... because we make you uncomfortable being like this?"

His voice was tearful at the end, and Chen Ze became even more determined to live off campus. He couldn't stand facing such an excessively effeminate atmosphere every day.

A rustling came from the upper bunk, and Zhou Ran suddenly threw open his bed curtain. "Brother Chen, you don't understand."

He pointed to the notice board in the corner, where the latest scholarship selection rules were posted. The tenth rule stated in plain sight: "Personal appearance accounts for 30% of the overall evaluation, with makeup mirror test scores taken into consideration."

Chen Ze's gaze swept over Zhou Ran's reddened eyes. To maintain the curve of his curls, he had gotten up at four in the morning for three days straight to apply styling spray. This life of excessive attention to appearance made Lin Xia feel suffocated.

Chen Ze clenched his backpack strap, its metal buckle pressing a red mark into his palm. He refused to wallow in the mud with them.

Zhao Kai's livestream suddenly cut off, and he slid down from the bed clutching a cushion. "Brother Chen, you just got here, so you don't know. Wang Lei from the next dorm lost his eligibility for the Three Good Student award just because he refused to wear a skirt."

"What? The school even requires you to wear skirts?" Chen Ze asked in shock.

"Of course, if you want to be a Three Good Student!" Zhao Kai said.

"I wouldn't wear one even if you beat me to death! Whoever wants that Three Good Student award can have it!" Chen Ze said.

At the thought, Chen Ze found it even harder to accept a life that went against his nature.

In this female-dominated world, high school students were subject to the strictest rules, while university was relatively more relaxed.

Cheng Xuan's blush brush stopped in midair, and the mirror reflected his reddened eyes. Chen Ze felt a strong sense of revulsion and helplessness.

He turned and walked to the balcony, where, in the twilight, he could see a banner hanging on the girls' dormitory building opposite: "Be a polished boy, build a civilized campus."

He took a deep breath, pulled out his phone, and began searching for off-campus rentals.

"Ding~ The system has issued the host a new task. Please complete the application to live off campus within three days. Task rewards: +5 to any attribute, +5,000 empathy points. Does the host accept?"

"Another new task! There's no penalty for failure this time!" Chen Ze silently said, Accept. It seemed the system issued tasks based on the host's circumstances.

Chen Ze left the dormitory and headed toward the counselor's office, his heart full of resolve.

Along the way, he saw quite a few boys busy touching up their makeup. Some carefully applied lipstick in front of mirrors, while others adjusted the lighting in front of their phone cameras. It all made him even more certain that his choice was right.

He knocked on the counselor's office door and went in. Inside, a young female teacher was bent over a pile of documents.

Chen Ze took a deep breath and mustered his courage. "Teacher, I'd like to apply to live off campus."

The counselor looked up at him, slightly surprised. "Oh? What's the reason?"

Chen Ze hesitated, but decided to be honest. "I... can't adjust to some of the culture and behavior in the dormitory. I feel they go against my nature."

The counselor fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "I understand how you feel. How about this? I'll need you to fill out an application form, and then we'll have a detailed discussion."

Chen Ze was delighted. He hurriedly thanked her and took the form. After he filled it out and handed it back, the two talked at length about campus culture and individual differences.

By the time he left the office, it was completely dark, and Chen Ze felt a sense of relief he had never known before.

He knew living off campus might bring some inconvenience to his life, but it was also his first step toward freedom and being himself.

As he looked down to adjust his backpack strap, he heard a camera shutter behind him. He instinctively turned around, only to see three girls hurriedly shifting apart.

One of them held a phone, its screen lit up and faintly reflecting a blurry profile—his.

The ginkgo-leaf school badges pinned in their hair glimmered in the sunlight, a symbol unique to Hangcheng Middle School.

"Got it! This junior's eyelashes are so long..."

The hushed voice came from beneath the trees, and Chen Ze tightened his grip on his backpack strap.

Being photographed without his knowledge on his first day of school felt like some invisible, sticky gaze had wrapped itself around his ankles.

He quickened his pace toward the classroom. There was one more class that afternoon, and once it was over, he could go out and look for a place.

He finally made it through to the end of class. It wasn't mealtime yet, so Chen Ze rubbed his aching temples and hurried out of school.

This was the seventh rental he had looked at today, and the soles of his shoes had been worn shiny.

"Are you sure you want to rent this single room?" The young female real estate agent glanced at the student ID on his phone. "One month's deposit and three months' rent up front. It's 2,500 a month, and you pay for water and electricity yourself."

Chen Ze gripped his backpack strap, his fingertip checking his bank balance on the screen over and over-2,378 yuan. That was the monthly living allowance the "Husbands' Federation" gave him.

"Could it be a little cheaper?" he asked quietly, his voice catching in his throat like a rusty scrap of iron.

The female agent raised an eyebrow outlined with fine gold. "Mr. Chen, this is the lowest price this quarter."

Chen Ze had been far too optimistic. In Hangcheng, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, and especially near a school, housing was too expensive for him to afford right now!

Passing through the neon-lit commercial street, Chen Ze counted out his change and bought a steamed bun.

Chewing on the hard, dry bun, he turned into a cramped alley in the old district. Rental advertisements covered a notice board with peeling paint. A woman in a floral dress was tearing down a notice that read "Male tenants preferred."

Chen Ze hurried over and tore down the last one. "Hello, is this place still available?"

Following the tap of her high heels, he climbed to the fifth floor. The peephole in the security door gave off a dim green glow. The middle-aged woman who opened the door glanced at him. "A single room with a balcony, 2,800, two months' deposit and three months' rent up front."

"May I see the room?"

Chen Ze rubbed the sweat from his palms. The woman stepped half a pace aside, and a musty smell mixed with the pungent stench of cat litter hit him.

Two beds were crammed into the ten-square-meter room. A jumble of bedding was piled on the metal-framed bed in the corner.

"Two people live here?" He looked at the slightly narrower bed by the window, its sheet printed with faded little flowers.

"Yes, my daughter and I live here." The woman fiddled with the pearls on her nails. "If you rent it, you have to be back before nine at night. We have to lock the door."

Chen Ze silently studied the water stains on the wall. He couldn't afford this price at all!

Disappointed, Chen Ze walked back the way he had come, thinking, Maybe I should forget it. I'll find a part-time job and rent a place once I've earned some money. Just then, a voice called out.

"Mr. Chen?" The crisp sound of high heels came from behind him, and he turned around. A young woman in a business suit stood at the boundary between light and shadow.

"I'm Zhang Lin. We met at the agency this morning." Zhang Lin handed him a stack of documents. "I have a small apartment sitting empty. The rent is 2,200 a month, one month's deposit and one month's rent up front, with water and electricity included."

"Really?" He instinctively grabbed her wrist, then let go as if shocked by electricity at its cool touch.

Zhang Lin chuckled. "There's one condition, though. I saw your student ID. You'll have to help tutor my daughter on weekends."

"That's no problem, but could I pay the deposit a little later?" Chen Ze said, a little embarrassed.

Zhang Lin looked at Chen Ze for quite a while, then suddenly burst out laughing, marveling inwardly that there were still boys short of money these days!

"All right, since you're a student, I agree!"

"Thank you so much!" Chen Ze said, his face full of gratitude.

The two then signed the contract, and Chen Ze returned to school.