She's a Passerby, But Can See the Protagonist's Halo

In truth, Yuan Ye had already come to terms with wearing women's clothing—after a while, he simply grew accustomed to it. Since there was no way to resist, the only option was to adjust and accept it.

When Yuan Ye cosplayed at conventions or was hired by shops as a model, the only time people realized he was male was when he signed contracts and showed his ID. As for cosplaying, runway walks, or performances, the audience was often packed with spectators, but their gazes and chatter no longer stirred any reaction in him.

However, the current situation was clearly different.

Yuan Ye had prepared himself for being approached for photos or greetings while wearing traditional attire in the Forbidden City. He had even planned to remain a silent beauty—as long as he didn’t speak, no one would discover he was a man.

But today… Yuan Ye had been utterly shocked not once, not twice, but three times.

He knew Yan and the others were coming to the Forbidden City—they had mentioned it in the group chat a few days ago. At the time, Yuan Ye had been in Porcelain City, doing his costume-themed travel challenge, even participating in a "Porcelain Spirit" themed PK battle.

Back then, he hadn’t unlocked his next destination yet. But after completing the Porcelain City mission and seeing that the next location was Ning City, Yuan Ye hesitated for a long time before deciding not to inform his friends.

This costume-themed travel challenge had started right after winter break, and the mission locations were completely random. If a sudden task popped up, he wouldn’t be able to explain why he had abruptly disappeared. So, he planned to quietly slip into Ning City, finish the mission, and if he could pause this travel phase, he’d meet up with his friends. Otherwise, he’d pretend he was never there.

But who could have predicted that today, of all days, in the Forbidden City, of all places, they would run into each other at this very palace gate?

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

As Yuan Ye leaned against the white marble railing, looking down, he was actually checking the real-time PK status on his costume game.

With so many visitors in the Forbidden City dressed in traditional clothing, he was automatically matched for PK battles just by standing there.

Tags like [Classical], [Winter Wear], [Qipao], [Hanfu], [Elegant], [Graceful], [Regal] flashed rapidly before his eyes. Yuan Ye felt like nothing more than a cold, unfeeling point-grinding machine.

While silently observing the crowd below for potential PK opponents, his gaze suddenly landed on the couple he hadn’t seen in half a month.

Especially when Yuan Ye locked eyes with Yan—in that instant, he was certain Yan had recognized him.

Though Yuan Ye believed his makeup and styling today were practically a full-body transformation, for a couple versed in metaphysics, it was probably just a matter of reading his face or doing a quick divination.

Still, Yuan Ye remained calm at first. He and the couple had an understanding.

Then, he spotted Uncle Xiao and Chu Shen near them.

Trusting Yan and Zhu Jue’s discretion, Yuan Ye was sure the other two roommates wouldn’t recognize him, so he continued leaning against the railing, blending into the background like a decorative flower.

As long as they moved on after sightseeing, there’d be no interaction, and his cross-dressing secret would remain safe from the other two.

But fate had other plans.

While Chu Shen walked straight into the palace, Uncle Xiao moved faster than the couple and approached Yuan Ye directly.

Yuan Ye’s brain short-circuited. When Uncle Xiao mentioned recognizing him by his "bone structure," a stampede of mental alpacas raced through his mind.

Bone… bone structure?! Ancient medicine was terrifying! What kind of eyes did this man have—X-ray vision?!

Uncle Xiao spoke to him so naturally, as if Yuan Ye wearing women’s clothing was the most ordinary thing in the world. His complete lack of surprise left Yuan Ye momentarily speechless, all his prepared explanations stuck in his throat.

Well… ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‍whatever. Two people already knew. What was one more? Uncle Xiao wasn’t much of a talker anyway, and certainly not the type to gossip. That much, at least, was reassuring.

Yuan Ye’s emotions had already gone through several rollercoasters when Chu Shen’s sudden "Bro Ye" shattered his composure entirely.

How the hell did YOU recognize me, Boss Chu?!

Do all of you have superpowers or something?!

Chu Shen, now fully aware of his roommate’s crumbling expression, was internally panicking too.

He had assumed the couple and Uncle Xiao weren’t entering the palace because they’d visited too many times—but no! It was because they were hiding a secret!

They had spotted Bro Ye the moment they arrived but didn’t say a word. No one told him!

If he hadn’t recognized Yuan Ye by his hands, he’d still be in the dark.

And now, Chu Shen regretted everything.

His mouth had moved faster than his brain. In broad daylight, he had just shouted "Bro Ye," drawing the attention of everyone around them.

Seeing Yuan Ye’s utterly devastated expression, Chu Shen immediately blurted, "I’m sorry."

The entire Male Dorm 414 had an unspoken understanding about Yuan Ye’s cross-dressing. Though they’d never seen him wear women’s clothes in the dorm or return in them, the occasional skirt peeking out from his wardrobe had given it away.

But since Yuan Ye never brought it up, the others didn’t pry—no one wanted to overstep and risk annoying him. They simply pretended not to know.

Still, Chu Shen never expected to run into Yuan Ye dressed in traditional women’s attire here, of all places!

Now that his slip of the tongue had exposed everything, he realized his mistake instantly.

Had he just publicly humiliated Bro Ye?! Oh no. He’d messed up. He’d committed a grave sin!

Chu Shen’s mind raced for damage control. Maybe he could pretend Yuan Ye was a female influencer whose nickname was "Bro Ye"?

Five minutes later—

Unable to bear the stares any longer, Yuan Ye left the palace gate and joined the group of four.

If he left quickly enough, the embarrassment couldn’t catch up to him!

It wasn’t like these tourists knew who he was. So what if two roommates had recognized him in women’s clothing?

"Bro Ye, I’m sorry. I really am," Chu Shen kept babbling.

Sandwiched between him and Uncle Xiao, Yuan Ye raised a hand in a "stop" gesture and said coolly,

"Boss Chu, if you hadn’t brought it up, I might’ve forgotten already."

Chu Shen immediately mimed zipping his lips shut. But he was never great at reading the room or holding his tongue—hence why he usually stuck to his aloof, silent persona at his shop.

"Bro Ye, uh… are you here for an event? Will tagging along with us mess up your plans? Do you need to take photos or something?" Chu Shen asked cautiously.

He remembered the free convention tickets Yuan Ye had given them before. Maybe he was part of that circle and working today.

There are inherent differences between male and female skeletal structures. Although Yuan Ye was the shortest in the boys' dormitory, standing at just 175cm, the layers of winter clothing he wore, along with the cloak draped over him, completely masked any potential flaws in his physique. Instead, he appeared strikingly tall and imposing.

"It's over," Yuan Ye said, glancing at his PK interface.

The requirement for PK battles in the Forbidden City was to complete at least ten rounds. He had already exceeded that, having matched and fought over fifty times. The rewards for this task would be substantial.

"Oh, do you need us to go with you to change?" Chu Shen asked.

"Where's your hotel booked, Ye-ge?" Yan chimed in, considering the fact that Yuan Ye's in-game title was [Girl's Dress-Up Game]. She guessed that changing clothes might not be very convenient for him.

At the very least… back when they had encountered him in the small grove at Bin University, she had no idea how he had managed to change outfits. It must have been some supernatural ability.

Yuan Ye was about to say he didn’t need to change.

But the next second, he nearly fainted from anger when he saw the game system notification flashing before him.

[Congratulations, Player Yuan Ye, for achieving 50 PK victories in the Ning City Forbidden City scenario! Wearing this outfit will automatically activate the Heartthrob Buff.]

"I’m going to change right now," he immediately declared.

Damn it—a Heartthrob Buff! And he couldn’t just have the system remove it, because there were far too many people around, not to mention surveillance cameras. Removing the buff would be like stripping off the outfit in the game, leaving him standing in broad daylight in nothing but thermal underwear—a lunatic trying to grab attention in the Forbidden City!

So, accompanied by the four of them, they headed to the nearest restroom.

Along the way, Yuan Ye in his feminine attire was stopped by countless people asking for photos. Those who couldn’t get a photo settled for sneaky snapshots, while others approached him for his contact information.

A long line stretched outside the women’s restroom. Yan watched with an odd expression as Yuan Ye handed her his cloak and strode straight into the completely empty men’s restroom.

"Whoa, beauty, you’re going the wrong way!"

"That’s the men’s restroom!!!"

"Ah!"

"Miss, the women’s restroom is over there."

The moment Yuan Ye stepped toward the men’s restroom, well-meaning tourists called out to correct him.

Too embarrassed to care, Yuan Ye simply laughed and revealed his natural voice.

"Uh, I’m a guy. I didn’t go the wrong way."

At that moment, the air seemed to freeze.

"Oh… oh… okay, go ahead then."

"Huh?"

"What the hell?"

As Yuan Ye disappeared into the men’s restroom, the crowd outside erupted into heated discussion.

"He’s really a guy? Not just a girl with a deep voice?"

"You couldn’t tell at all! If he hadn’t spoken, I’d never have guessed he was a boy."

At the same time, sharp screams erupted from inside the men’s restroom.

"AHHH—"

"HOLY CRAP!"

Yan silently held the cloak as a middle-aged man bolted out of the restroom in record time.

"Why is there a woman in there?! Didn’t anyone notice?"

The onlookers all wore knowing smiles. "That’s a man."

The poor man looked utterly dazed, staggering away unsteadily.

Yan exchanged a glance with Zhu Jue. Uncle Xiao lowered his head, while Chu Shen looked around nervously. Since Yuan Ye had been with them, some bystanders were already eyeing them suspiciously.

"Yan, give me the cloak."

Uncle Xiao took the indigo-blue cloak from her and quickly began folding it with her help.

He carried a backpack that had originally held warm soup for his friends, but they had finished it during their afternoon break. Now, the empty space inside was just enough to store the cloak.

By the time Yuan Ye emerged from the restroom, he had returned to his usual look.

Wearing a woolen hat, a lightweight military-green down jacket, and pants, with a backpack slung over his shoulder and a bag in hand, he now had the air of a fashionable male model.

As Yuan Ye walked over, Yan instinctively tightened her and Zhu Jue’s scarves around their necks.

Chu Shen, however, was lost in thought. He scrutinized Yuan Ye up and down before finally speaking up once they had moved away from the restroom area.

"Ye-ge, you’re wearing so little under there. Where did you put your bag?"

Yuan Ye now had a backpack and an extra bag—clearly holding his outfit and accessories—but when they had first met him, he had been empty-handed.

Yuan Ye smirked. "Guess?"

If he hadn’t run into them, he could have just used the game system to instantly change and store everything in his inventory.

But today, with so many eyes on him, pulling off a magic trick like that would have been impossible to explain. So, he had to retrieve a bag and a tote from the system and spend an awkwardly long time in the restroom stall.

"That cloak felt really warm and windproof. He probably didn’t need much else underneath," Yan offered in explanation.

"I bet you hid everything under your dress," Chu Shen muttered.

After removing the cloak, Yuan Ye had been wearing a long, loose robe and skirt—unfamiliar to Chu Shen—that looked roomy enough to conceal layers of clothing. The backpack seemed foldable, so he figured Yuan Ye must have strapped everything to his body. Impressive!

Chu Shen took one of the bags to help carry, and now the group of five looked like any other ordinary tourists, drawing no attention at all.

After Yuan Ye’s little incident, none of them felt like continuing their sightseeing. They had treated Chu Shen to hot pot the day before, so today they opted for Peking duck.

Exiting through the Gate of Divine Prowess, they found themselves near Jingshan Park.

Yan remarked, "It’s still early. If we go up Jingshan in the afternoon, we can catch the sunset."

Compared to the crowds in the Forbidden City, Jingshan Park was much quieter, and the panoramic view—especially of the snow-covered Forbidden City—would be breathtaking.

At the mention of Jingshan Park, Yuan Ye’s eyelid twitched, and he couldn’t help glancing at his game panel’s pending quest.

If he went up there to roleplay as a hanged ghost, wouldn’t he get arrested?

More importantly, he was afraid of scaring people.

Yan had originally reserved a table for 3 PM at Hua’s Courtyard, a well-known restaurant chain with many branches. It was a familiar place—her family often dined there when hosting guests or gathering with friends.

She had booked a private room in the courtyard-style main branch. With an hour left before their reservation, they had plenty of time to take the subway there.

The private room offered a view of the snowy scenery outside the window, turning the meal into a visual feast.

The must-order dishes—Peking duck, Qianlong-style cabbage, crispy duck bones with pepper salt—were all on the table. After passing the menu around, they waited for the food to arrive.

During the lull, Yan pulled out her phone and checked today’s trending topics.

It was the 26th day of the lunar month, the first day of Chu Bingbing’s giveaway for 2,000 amusement park passes.

Unsurprisingly, [#CC123 Giveaway Day 1] was already trending.

But the second hottest topic was—[#ForbiddenCityCrossdresser]

Yan nearly lost her composure.

How… how did this make it to the trending list so fast?!

She clicked on the hashtag and saw the leaked photos of Yuan Ye—specifically, a shot of him walking toward the men's restroom!

"Can anyone relate? Went to the Forbidden City after the snowfall today and ran into a stunning girl... only to realize she’s actually a guy! The moment he walked into the men’s restroom and spoke, everyone’s jaws dropped."

"First glance at the photo: This is my wife. Second glance: It’s a dude. My heart sank."

"Is this a cross-dressing king??? Don’t lie to me, there’s no way this is a guy!"

"I saw even prettier photos on Xiaohongshu—[photo.jpg]—this guy leaning on the railing is absolutely ethereal. Is this what they call ‘feminine beauty in a male form’?"

Many in the comments stubbornly refused to believe it, scrambling to prove from every angle that this was a girl.

Fortunately, Yuan Ye’s disguise was convincing enough that none of his real-life university classmates would recognize him.

"Bro Ye, are you sticking with us these next few days?" Chu Shen asked.

Yuan Ye shook his head. "I’m here for work. Might be busy till New Year’s Eve."

Well, the tasks assigned by his game system definitely counted as work. If he traveled with friends, suddenly disappearing for missions would raise eyebrows.

Chu Shen let out an "Oh," then added, "That’s rough. I heard the Forbidden City bans commercial shoots—no wonder you’re hauling all your gear yourself."

Yuan Ye didn’t deny it. Then Zhu Jue chimed in, "If you’re free on the 30th, come over for dinner at our place."

One more guest wouldn’t make a difference. Their home could always squeeze in a few extra mouths to feed.

"I’ll see how it goes," Yuan Ye said, not outright refusing. Who knew if that shameless game would send him off on another globe-trotting cosplay mission during the holidays?

Exploring the Forbidden City was exhausting. Though they’d grabbed afternoon tea earlier, everyone was starving now. Four grown boys had hefty appetites—Yan watched as Uncle Xiao ate meticulously, Chu Shen frowned in deep culinary appreciation, Yuan Ye inhaled his food like a tornado, while she and Zhu Jue took their time.

With the New Year approaching, Uncle Xiao wouldn’t be able to host guests starting tomorrow.

"Some of my long-term patients are heading home for the holidays, while others are too busy during the festivities. These next few days are packed with acupuncture sessions and prescription adjustments," he explained.

"Focus on your patients—that’s what matters," Chu Shen agreed immediately. Healing came first.

Even though two-thirds of their dormmates were in Ning City for the break, everyone had their own commitments. It was harder to meet up now than during school.

Besides, the capital was massive. Take Yi Zhi—still holed up in the suburbs, yet to join the group.

Their plan for tomorrow was hiking the Great Wall. Chu Shen had even hit the hotel gym for emergency training the past two days.

Stuffed and satisfied, Yan nibbled on hawthorn cake to aid digestion when a message from Ding Ling popped up on her phone.

"Huh, Ding Ling’s coming back tomorrow," she murmured, blinking. How many days had Ding Ling been in Bin City? Was the Xie family situation finally settled?

Yan knew criminal cases, especially ones involving behemoths like the Xie family, took time. But Ding Ling’s return to Bin City was likely for supernatural investigations. With the resurrected Ghost King handling things, it was probably a done deal.

"Holy—!" Chu Shen suddenly yelped.

"Bro Ye, you’re trending! Wait—why am I in this too?!"

Yan instantly switched apps. What was going on? Before dinner, only Yuan Ye had been in the spotlight. How did Chu Shen get dragged in?

Upon closer inspection, she realized they’d been secretly photographed walking toward the restroom together.

At the time, she and Zhu Jue were holding hands, Uncle Xiao stood to Zhu Jue’s right, while Chu Shen and Yuan Ye walked side by side, forming a line:

Yuan Ye, Chu Shen, Yan, Zhu Jue, Uncle Xiao.

Chu Shen had even been helping Yuan Ye carry the hem of his cloak, bringing them even closer.

The latest photo in the hashtag? A snapshot of Chu Shen lifting the "skirt" as they walked.

Since Chu Shen had been photographed earlier, his scarf only covered his neck, leaving his face exposed.

The overall composition? One guy was handsome, the other breathtakingly beautiful—while Yan and the other two were blurred into the background.

"Is the tall hottie next to the cross-dressing king his boyfriend?"

"Must be a couple. Oh no—is the ‘girl’ on the cross-dresser’s right also a dude?"

Yan: "…"

How did she get caught in the crossfire?

Chu Shen was losing it. Strangers online not recognizing him was one thing, but now regulars from his restaurant were texting him:

"Boss Chu, no wonder you never showed interest in the beauties at your shop. Your boyfriend’s gorgeous! Great taste!"

"Respect. Blessings."

Chu Shen fired back immediately:

"No, that’s my bro! I’m straight!"

The reply came swiftly:

"Uh-huh, sure you are. Don’t worry, I get it."

Reading those words, Chu Shen felt true despair.

"NOOOOO!!!"

"My reputation! My dignity! How am I supposed to find a girlfriend now?!" he wailed.

He was a die-hard straight guy!

A lifetime of credibility, obliterated in an instant. Chu Shen wanted to cry.

Yuan Ye weakly tugged at the corner of his mouth. Ever since becoming a cross-dressing cosplayer, his dignity had long since evaporated. He, too, was a staunchly straight man.

Now, two men robbed of their honor exchanged a silent, defeated glance.

"I like sweet, feminine girls!" Chu Shen emphasized.

"I... prefer older sisters," Yuan Ye muttered.

Even if it meant exposing their preferences, they had to salvage their reputations.

Yan, Zhu Jue, and Uncle Xiao: "…"

Guys, we already knew. You don’t have to prove it to us.