Zong Ye had a line that said, "asecretmakesawoman."
Among all the men Jian Jing had met, Zong Ye was the most charming one.
It was because he had the most secrets.
His identity, his job, his background—everything was a mystery. After a few encounters, some glimpses of the truth emerged, but instead of unraveling the puzzle, it made him even more elusive.
Jian Jing had a strong curiosity about him.
It was like a leopard in the Southeast Asian forest. She knew it was dangerous to touch it, yet she couldn't resist poking it to see.
She was supposed to meet him in three days, but she went on the second day.
Zong Ye gave her the address of a hotel.
It was a high-end suite facing a park, with top-notch surroundings and location.
After having breakfast and taking her dog to the park to find its playmates, Jian Jing leisurely made her way to the hotel.
As expected, Zong Ye was waiting for her. As soon as she knocked on the door, he responded, "Welcome."
Jian Jing stepped inside and openly looked around, saying, "Is this where you live?"
"The hotel is convenient," he said. He was wearing loose and comfortable home clothes, appearing more relaxed than their previous encounters. "Please, have a seat."
Jian Jing had no intention of missing the opportunity to observe, and she unabashedly looked around.
There was a large bed, only one person, and very minimal luggage—just clothes and toiletries. The cabinet was closed, and there was a sports bag under the bed; who knew what was inside.
She remarked, "It's simple."
"The fewer clues, the safer," Zong Ye said as he boiled water and made her a cup of hot tea.
Jian Jing looked at the disposable paper cup and the tea bags provided by the hotel, remaining silent.
"We don't have much time," he said, opening the wardrobe and taking out a plastic bag from inside. "Your interest in me is probably not as significant as this, so let's get to the point."
Jian Jing replied, "...There's no need."
But since he had said so, she naturally responded, "I thought you would never speak."
"You are special, and I always treat special people differently," he said with a gentle smile.
A fox is always a fox.
Jian Jing glanced at him, decisively putting aside his good looks, and asked, "Where do I start learning?"
"First, the rules," Zong Ye approached, cupping her face in his hands, carefully examining it. "The human body has a basic structure. Shapeshifting cannot be arbitrary; it must align with the growth of the bones. Children are different from adults, and teenagers are different from the elderly. If the changes are too extreme, it not only fails to conceal your appearance but also exposes your abnormalities."
"I see. I'll remember that," Jian Jing quickly grasped the concept and immediately reached out to touch back, "Your transformations are flawless. Is it because your bone structure is exceptional?"
Zong Ye burst into laughter, bending down and allowing her to "learn."
No matter how good-looking a man is, he can't turn into a flower. Skills are more important.
Jian Jing withdrew her hand and asked, "What's next?"
"Second, harmony," he said. "You should understand this. Laborers who do hard physical work cannot have fair and delicate skin, and pampered young ladies will not have deformed fingers. But sometimes, we can't avoid such issues."
He held her wrist and lifted it up for observation. "Your hands are peculiar."
Jian Jing remained composed and asked, "What's peculiar about them?"
"There are not many traces of training, and hardly any calluses." His finger pinched her fingertips, gliding over the lines in her palm, inch by inch exploring. "Maintaining the physical abilities you've displayed is not an easy task."
She said, "I've spent a lot of money."
Zong Ye smiled and admitted, "You have more room for disguise than others. However, this advantage is not significant. Miss Rabbit, if I'm not mistaken, you have trained your fingers and they are more agile than on Mermaid Island, right?"
Jian Jing remained silent.
"It seems I guessed correctly," he said. "Now you understand that actions are more likely to give you away than appearances."
She pondered for a moment, activated her acting card, and held his hand in return.
Her fingers were soft and lacked strength, the movements clumsy.
"Right," he said. "These hands look like an ordinary girl's. Disguising oneself is easy momentarily, but it's too risky for a prolonged performance. If it were me, I would adopt the persona of a pianist."
Jian Jing said, "Rationalizing the irrational."
"Yes," Zong Ye said. "The third point is naturalness."
"Wearing disguises is not as easy as you may think. A skinny person pretending to be fat requires more than just a change in appearance; your actions and habits must align with your appearance."
He took out a heavy silicone prosthesis. "The best disguise for a woman is pregnancy. Would you like to try?"
Jian Jing eagerly stood up.
"Playing the role of a pregnant woman is not as simple as stuffing something in your stomach," he said, wrapping the silicone prosthesis around her abdomen with bandages. "Pregnancy is not just a swollen belly; the changes occur inside your body. You have to disguise everything from head to toe."
She curiously asked, "Can you create the appearance of swelling?"
"It's possible, but it would be very cumbersome, and you would have to wear long clothes and pants," he tightened the straps, firmly cinching her waist. Jian Jing immediately felt the pressure around her waist, feeling unnatural all over.
Zong Ye continued, "This brings me to the fourth point, integration. For example, being pregnant is not suitable in the summer. Your clothing, diet, and behavior must align with the environment you're in. Failing in such a place is the biggest failure."
She nodded and took note.
"Alright," he released her. "Now you are a pregnant woman. Walk towards me."
Jian Jing thought for a moment and still relied on her acting card to play the role.
She supported her belly with her hands and moved slowly, occasionally pausing and dodging to the side—she was afraid of reckless pedestrians or vehicles colliding with her. Occasionally, she discreetly supported her lower back, relieving the pressure on her spine.
However, the acting card was not all-powerful.
She sensed some subtle unnaturalness.
Her evasive movements were too agile, her muscles not obeying the commands of her brain but following muscle memory, running in the most safe and efficient way possible.
Suppressing instinctive training was much more challenging than resisting the urge to eat ice cream.
She felt frustrated.
"You've already done well," Zong Ye chuckled. "You must observe others frequently and know where to be cautious, but your body can't adapt to these burdens in a short time."
Jian Jing asked, "How long will it take before it's not noticeable?"
"After wearing this equipment for ten hours every day, there will be noticeable improvement after a week," he said. "The human body has strong adaptability, but you must tap into your own potential."
Jian Jing let out a sigh of resignation.
"Alright, that's enough theory," he said. "Now I'll teach you the simplest disguise. Can you guess the different levels of disguises from shallow to deep?"
Jian Jing replied, "Clothing and hairstyle, facial features and skin, body posture and movements."
"Exactly right," he applauded and smiled. "As a reward, let's skip the first step and directly move on to the second step, how about that?"
She said, "I have no objections."
Zong Ye said, "Ordinary foundation can only change the skin color. To achieve a special skin texture, you need to apply a layer of simulated skin."
He cut open a piece of colorless transparent film, dipped it in water, and stuck it to the outer side of her arm. Jian Jing curiously touched it. The texture was similar to medical dressings, breathable and thin, and not uncomfortable at all.
"Use this to make your skin rough, and then apply the foundation evenly," he said. "Remember, it shouldn't be an exact match. The outer skin color should definitely be darker than the inner skin—details make all the difference."
Jian Jing happily said, "I understand, what's next?"
"The adjustment of the body's skin is relatively simple," Zong Ye said. "Adjusting the facial features is more complicated."
He touched her cheek and smiled, "Do you want to give it a try?"
"Yes," she said, "I want to become Marilyn Monroe."
Zong Ye couldn't help but chuckle, "Crossing races is the most complicated disguise, you're overestimating me."
Jian Jing blinked innocently.
But she couldn't be blamed. Only a sexy beauty could suppress a vixen.
"Miss Rabbit, the highest level of disguise is being ordinary. The key to avoiding attention is mediocrity," he held her chin, slightly raised it, and sighed, "But with this face of yours, it really makes it difficult for me to lay a hand on you."
She asked, "Is that a compliment?"
"Without a doubt," he said, or rather, he was already bluntly taking out a set of dental braces, "Open your mouth and bite on it."
Jian Jing felt her mouth being forced open, her tongue and teeth restrained, very uncomfortable.
She spat and said, "It's so uncomfortable."
"This is the easiest prop," he looked left and right, laughing, "Maybe it's too big, it doesn't quite fit your size, but let's make do."
"My teeth hurt," Jian Jing's expression was pained, and her words were slurred.
"Sorry, sorry, let's try another one," Zong Ye spread his hands, "Spit it out."
She forcefully pushed against the edge of the dental braces with her tongue but couldn't get it to come loose. Jian Jing pressed her cheek with force for a while before finally managing to take it out.
She grumbled, "Why is this thing so secure?"
"The method was wrong," Zong Ye took the prop she failed with and directly placed it in his mouth. He lightly tapped his teeth, and it immediately locked in place, natural and effortless.
Jian Jing: "..."
Then he pinched the position of her gum from the outside, pushed up, and immediately took it out, without any difficulty.
"I'll have a smaller one custom-made for you," he chuckled lightly, "Next."
Next was the use of adhesive tape.
"I know this one," Jian Jing said, "It can change the contours of the face." She pressed it against her own cheek and forcefully stuck it to the back of her head, the face...
Zong Ye's muscles instantly tightened, as if carved from stone, showing immediate results.
"It looks too unnatural," Zong Ye leaned closer, peeling off the tape from her face. His fingertips occasionally touched and separated, like the spring rain dripping on her face, faint and elusive.
He explained, "Usually, I use silicone gel and tape together to alter the appearance of the upper half of the face."
Silicone gel widened the nose wings, tape narrowed the eyes, and a few acne patches were added. Lastly, he casually patted on some foundation, giving her a slightly tanned forehead and a round, plump face. A glance at her face revealed that she was a slightly chubby girl.
Jian Jing could almost immediately identify the matching elements: black-framed glasses, medium-length hair, a love for milk tea, a few flashy dolls hanging from her backpack, a passion for idol chasing, and frequently saying, "I really need to lose weight."
—The writer had no trouble imagining the character's appearance.
However!
"It does indeed look mediocre," she had mixed feelings. "If I walked on the streets with this face, the world would probably be completely different."
Zong Ye smiled. "Having a lower perspective isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Beauties always enjoyed privileges. When they entered a store, someone would open the door for them, and the shopkeeper would always be patient when they made purchases. Even the smiles of the waitstaff during meals became more genuine.
However, the vast majority of people couldn't enjoy such conveniences.
Occasionally becoming an ordinary person would provide a more genuine understanding of the world.
"Behind the mask, you can see things that are usually unseen," Zong Ye supported his head, gazing at her with a smile. "Do you want to give it a try?"
Jian Jing raised an eyebrow.
"Go and meet the people you're familiar with in your current appearance," he tempted. "Perhaps something interesting will happen."
She took a gentle breath and suddenly felt a thrill.