Chapter 16: The Old Observatory and Lin Ming’s Journal

Sunday morning, Jingshi University, School of Meteorology.

I stood downstairs clutching my Star Badge, circling the address for Senior Bai Lu that Xiao Yan had sent me for the third lap.

‘University is so much bigger than high school.’

Golden ginkgo leaves covered the entire tree-lined path, rustling under my feet.

The banner for the Atmospheric Electric Field and Starry Sky Resonance Conference hanging outside the meteorology building flapped loudly in the wind.

“Excuse me! Student, are you from Quanhe Middle School?”

A senior carrying books stopped to look at me.

Her gaze fell on the badge in my palm, and her eyes suddenly lit up.

“That’s the Quanhe Middle School Astronomy Club badge, isn’t it? It’s the design Lin Ming made back then! Are you here for Bai Lu? Senior Bai Lu is in the rooftop Meteorology Laboratory.”

Lin Ming.

The name was like a small pebble hitting my heart, making my pulse skip a beat.

“Bai Lu and Lin Ming were the legendary power couple of Quanhe Middle School back in the day. Not just at our school, they even made the couple rankings on the Jingshi University forums! A handsome guy and a beautiful girl, truly a perfect match!”

The senior laughed as she added that last bit and hurried away with her books.

I squeezed the badge tightly and turned to rush upstairs.

Climbing the stairs to the top floor made my legs feel as soft as cotton.

The heels of my small leather shoes rubbed against my skin with a stinging pain, and every step felt like treading on sharp stones.

I held onto the railing, grimacing as I moved, muttering to myself, ‘Idiot, idiot! I should have listened to Xiao Yan and worn sneakers!’

‘If she were here, she would definitely tease me for being “vain” while crouching down to rub my feet… she’d even secretly blow on them to make the pain go away…’

After finally making it to the top floor, I leaned against the wall to catch my breath for a long time before gently pushing open the partially ajar door.

The rooftop Meteorology Laboratory was filled with all sorts of observation instruments.

Densely packed meteorological data from many years ago scrolled across the screens, and the low hum of operating equipment echoed softly.

Bai Lu, dressed in a clean white lab coat, was looking down while adjusting an anemometer.

The reflection on her glasses obscured her eyes.

Her entire aura was cold and focused, a stark contrast to her usual gentle self.

Hearing footsteps, she slowly raised her head and took off her glasses.

There wasn’t a hint of surprise in her eyes, only a sense of realization as if saying, “finally, you’ve arrived.”

“You came.”

She spoke, her voice as calm as distilled water in a lab.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, waiting for someone who was chosen by the stars, just like Lin Ming.”

“But then again, I didn’t want you to come. I still remember the choice and the pain Lin Ming felt after learning the truth.”

Lin Ming.

Senior Bai Lu’s girlfriend, the president from two terms ago.

Ever since the last Meteor Shower Observation, I had found out.

She used to be a boy.

Just like me.

The tips of my fingers holding the badge went cold instantly, and my palms began to sweat.

“Senior Bai Lu,” I took a deep breath and got straight to the point, gripping the badge tighter, “Why did I turn into a girl? Does it have to do with that night during the Venus Conjunction with Moon?”

“I don’t know.”

She didn’t dodge the question, turning to click on a file on her computer.

Two curves that were almost completely overlapping popped up on the screen.

One was the record of the Atmospheric Electric Field anomaly from the night I transformed, and the other was the observation data from the night Lin Ming transformed years ago.

“The Venus Conjunction with Moon probably wasn’t the cause,” she said, pointing at the curves on the screen, her tone carrying a hint of hesitation, “but rather the trigger.

The magnetic field of the Old Observatory resonates with the Atmospheric Electric Field at specific times, selecting ‘a certain type of person.'”

After saying that, she took a yellowed old journal out of a cabinet.

The name “Lin Ming” was written on the title page in a flamboyant hand, and the edges of the paper were curled from being flipped through so many times.

“This is Lin Ming’s journal. She was the president two terms ago, and also… my girlfriend. On the night of the Venus Conjunction with Moon many years ago, she turned into a girl at the Old Observatory on the back hill of Quanhe Middle School.”

She opened the journal, and three items fell out.

A yellowed structural diagram of the Old Observatory.

The words “possible resonance core, Observatory Underground Secret Chamber” were marked in red ink.

A crumpled transformation diary, its pages curled at the edges and the handwriting shaky, as if the person’s hand had been trembling violently while writing.

The title page read: ‘The promise of the stars… could it be to allow two souls to reunite under the same starry sky?’

There was also a laminated photo with rounded, worn corners.

In the photo, Lin Ming was still a boy.

He and Bai Lu were wearing matching Star Badges, standing in front of the Old Observatory with bright smiles.

The sunlight hit them, looking dazzling and warm.

I stared at the photo, my heart pounding.

This was the first time I had seen what Lin Ming looked like as a boy.

“There are pros and cons to this transformation.”

Bai Lu looked at me, her voice as still as a deep pool of water.

“Lin Ming chose to accept it back then. What about you?”

“Accept what?”

I blurted out, my voice trembling slightly.

She didn’t answer.

Her gaze fell on the Star Badge in my hand, and she suddenly curled her lips into a helpless yet tender smile.

“That girl Xiao Yan already came to see me last week.”

I froze, my eyes widening.

“She brought a photo she took of the rooftop on the day you transformed. With red eyes, she asked me, ‘How can I help the President change back?'”

Bai Lu’s tone held a hint of amusement.

“She even secretly copied Lin Ming’s journal. She was more anxious than you, terrified that you might suffer even a little bit of grievance.”

My heart felt as if it were being filled with warm sugar water, sweet and soft.

So she had been looking into all of this behind my back, secretly doing so much for me.

***

Walking out of the School of Meteorology building, I immediately spotted Xiao Yan sitting on the steps next to a ginkgo tree by the entrance.

She was holding two cups of hot milk tea in her arms, with her Quanhe Middle School backpack at her feet.

Her hair was messy from the wind, with a few stray strands sticking to her cheeks.

Upon seeing me, her eyes lit up, and she jumped up instantly.

She was still clutching a stack of papers covered in highlighted notes, like a puppy running toward its master.

“President! I was afraid you’d get lost, so I spent a long time looking up the route to find this place!”

She leaned in, her nose a bit red.

Seeing my stern face, she immediately looked down guiltily, her fingers picking at the backpack straps while her toes rubbed against the ground.

“Did you look for Senior Bai Lu a long time ago? And you kept it from me?”

I asked with a straight face, though the corners of my mouth were secretly twitching upward.

Her smile froze, and she buried her head even lower.

Her voice grew smaller, like the hum of a mosquito.

“I found out about Senior Lin Ming… I knew she had transformed too. I was afraid you’d be scared, so I wanted to figure out all the clues before telling you…”

She handed over the stack of papers.

They were fragments of Lin Ming’s journal she had copied.

The pages were covered in red highlights and colorful sticky notes with dense annotations.

“I also found out that the Old Observatory was Senior Lin Ming and Senior Bai Lu’s secret base!”

She suddenly looked up, her eyes shining like stars.

She grabbed my sleeve and gave it a shake.

“Let’s go take a look together. It’s my turn to protect you! You always looked out for me before; this time, it’s my turn to look out for the President!”

She stuffed a cup of hot milk tea into my hand.

The cup sleeve was a cultural souvenir from Jingshi University, printed with a tiny star pattern.

“Pearl milk tea, 3% sugar, with a bit of brown sugar added. I remembered that when the President was a boy, you liked this the most! I timed it so it would still be warm!”

I took a sip.

The sweet aroma of brown sugar mixed with the chewiness of the pearls spread through my mouth, exactly the same as the taste in my memory.

My eyes suddenly felt a bit hot.

She had remembered something from so long ago so clearly.

While I was sucking on a pearl, she suddenly crouched down.

I froze, and before I could react, I felt her fingertips gently support my ankle.

Her movements were as light as if she were afraid of breaking a precious treasure.

She carefully took out a band-aid she always carried and applied it to my rubbed-raw heel.

When her fingertips accidentally brushed against my hot skin, I shivered and almost pulled my foot back.

“Does it hurt?”

She looked up at me, her eyes full of concern, though her tone carried a bit of a complaint.

“Luckily, I still had some band-aids left over from last time.”

“It’s my fault for not reminding you to wear sneakers, you silly President.”

“It doesn’t hurt,” I said softly.

My voice was a bit hoarse, and my cheeks were hot enough to fry an egg.

She stood up and reached out to help me fix my messy fishbone braid.

Her fingertips lightly brushed past my earlobe like a feather, making my heart flutter with an itchy sensation.

“The President’s braid looks super cute today! Finally, no more bird’s nest hair!”

She chirped happily, her eyes sparkling.

“I thought the President was distracted last time and didn’t learn, but as expected of the President!”

“By the way, I also found a photo of Senior Lin Ming in the Astronomy Club room.”

“The President’s eyes and brows look a bit like hers before her transformation!”

I told her what Bai Lu had said.

The underground secret chamber of the Old Observatory, Lin Ming’s journal, and that phrase “pros and cons.”

Xiao Yan’s eyes lit up.

“The secret chamber switch is behind the star mark on the observation window! That relay control box… it was written very clearly in Senior Lin Ming’s journal!”

She took my hand, our fingers interlacing.

Her palm was warm and smelled like orange soda.

She swung our joined hands, her voice soft like cotton candy.

“Don’t be afraid, President. No matter what’s in that secret chamber, I’ll stay with you.”

“Even if you can’t change back, it’s okay.”

She leaned close to my ear and said in a voice only the two of us could hear, “I like the President because you are the President, regardless of gender.”

The warm breath brushed against my ear.

I shuddered, my face turning completely red.

My heart beat as fast as a small motor, thumping against my chest.

The two of us walked hand-in-hand down the path covered in ginkgo leaves.

The setting sun stretched our shadows long, overlapping them like a clingy young couple.

I pulled out the Star Badge and flipped it over.

Those few horizontal lines… the handwriting was exactly the same as the signature on the title page of Lin Ming’s journal, down to the trembling finish.

Xiao Yan leaned over, her fingertips lightly touching the lines.

Her voice dropped to a whisper, as if sharing a secret.

“I’ve seen this mark on the wall of the Old Observatory. Senior Lin Ming carved it. Next to it, she wrote ‘What should I do?'”

“She must have leaned against the wall and cried. The handwriting was blurred by tears, and there was a shaky star drawn right next to it.”

My heart skipped a beat.

As we approached the Old Observatory, I instinctively glanced toward the observation dome.

The dome of the Old Observatory shimmered with a soft light in the sunset.

Someone was standing by the entrance of the dome.

Against the sunlight, only a silhouette was visible.

She had a sharp mullet haircut and wore the red, white, and blue sports uniform of Quanhe Middle School.

Her posture was as upright as a small pine tree.

In her hand, she held a small, silver-gray portable instrument with a screen glowing faintly.

Her other hand was clutching something else.

She was watching us.

Xiao Yan’s smile froze instantly.

She gripped my hand tightly and pulled me behind her to shield me, her strength so great it actually hurt a little.

Her voice was tight and carried a slight tremor.

“That person… who is she? She looks just like Senior Lin Ming… no, she’s identical!”

I stared at the figure, my heart racing.

She stood at the entrance of the Old Observatory.

Like a silent statue, her gaze fell toward us, calm and emotionless.

The wind made her uniform billow slightly.

She reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear with a cold, efficient movement.

“President…”

Xiao Yan’s voice was shaking.

She pulled me further behind her, her body tensed like a kitten protecting its food.

“Senior Lin Ming… hasn’t she already graduated? And she went south today for an academic conference, so this person…”

I didn’t say anything, only squeezing the Star Badge in my hand.

The girl turned and walked into the dome, her figure disappearing into the shadows.

The phone in my pocket suddenly vibrated.

It was a message from Bai Lu:

“She’s here.”

I gripped my phone and looked at the now-empty entrance of the Old Observatory.

The sun slowly sank, dyeing the sky a tender shade of orange-red.