Page 17 of He Is My Bride
The man said nothing, but watched keenly. Hanjun had to admit, he did like it. Even if he was gay and Li Ying looked every bit like a woman right now, Hanjun found himself attracted to him regardless.
“Hmm.” Anne eyed Li Ying critically. “We’ll get you padding to give you more feminine hips, that should fix a lot. With that kind of dress, you could also just wear a padded bra to give the appearance of small breasts. Let’s see the V-neck.”
Somehow, Li Ying felt like his body had just been criticized. He went back to the bedroom.
“Would this fool you?” Hanjun asked Anne.
“Not for long, not yet anyway, but I believe with some additional work, no one can tell he’s a man.”
Hanjun nodded.
Li Ying returned in the black sequin dress, fidgeting with the hem. Anne walked right up to him.
“Please excuse me.” Anne grabbed Li Ying’s chest and pushed the slender muscle and skin of his pectorals up and towards each other, creating the daintiest cleavage.
“Ah, Anne! Don’t touch my breasts like that!” Li Ying exclaimed in a high-pitched voice and very much managed to sound like a scandalized young lady, making both Anne and Hanjun blush.
“Shut up,” Anne told him off. “See, if we pad you up and use breast tape here to bring forth what little you have and contour it, you’ll appear to have breasts that are proportionate to your stature andlook natural. You could even go strapless, but I don’t think that would do you favors with your shoulders.”
“You’re making me insecure about the weirdest things.”
“All part of the experience. Next look.”
They reviewed Li Ying in several looks, from cocktail to casual, and Anne began taking notes and pictures for reference. She would start a file for Li Ying now that it was a proper customership.
Once they were done for the day, Hanjun insisted on getting Anne a taxi and that she should send him the receipt. Anne was starting to suspect Hanjun wasn’t just any trust fund kid. His suit was fully tailored and of excellent fabric and craftsmanship too, not to mention the watch.
In the back of the taxi, Anne whipped out her phone and Hanjun’s business card to do a search on him.
“…What?!”
“You okay there, miss?” asked the taxi driver. He peered at her from the rearview mirror and saw her covering her mouth in shock, eyes the size of saucers.
“Y-yeah…”Li Ying, are you serious?!
iSince she uses a Western name, Anne Lü's family name is mentioned last.
Chapter 4: TheLegacy OfWu
In the coming weeks, Li Ying committed himself to his transformation. Turns out it wasn’t ‘just some clothes.’
Aside from learning to do his makeup and hair according to the tutorials Anne sent him, another major point of concern for Li Ying’s passing was voice training. When it came to his voice, he would only need to slip up once, and people would figure him out.
Li Ying signed up for vocal coaching to learn to use his feminine voice better and more consistently, meeting with the coach weekly and practicing every day.
He already knew how to talk nasally like a spoiled girl and how to use feminine talking patterns. He’d picked it up while playing with his sister and her friends as a child, and he’d used this skill throughout his life to joke around. And, of course, when he flirted with Hanjun.
As for his general mannerisms, Li Ying had never considered the idea of being a tomboy, but he’d been called an effeminate man before, so why couldn’t he pass for a ‘boyish’ woman as well? Although Li Ying suspected the traditional ideal for a bride would be the cute and meek type, humble and deferential to her husband. He should tone himself down, shouldn’t he? He knew he could be a handful.
Anne also gave Li Ying an order—it sure didn’t feel like a suggestion—to go to a specific cosmetologist. The cosmetologist was a middle-aged woman who had been expecting him, and while Li Ying didn’t know what Anne had told her, she didn’t need to ask him many questions. Only one:
“Do you smoke?”
“Ye—”
“Honey, stop, unless you want to give us way more business in the future.”
“…Right.” Li Ying had wanted to break the habit for a while but hadn’t made an effort so far. Suppose this was a sign. No more bad boy Li Ying, only nice girl Li Ying.
