Chapter 1

To complete a college summer field research project, my best friend Zack Miller and I went back to his rural family cabin deep in the Southern countryside.

His dad welcomed us with an overly excited grin:

"Well, lookee here! This gal is mighty fine!"

After a brief, confusing explanation from Zack, I just smiled sheepishly, thinking the old man was praising my good looks.

That was until Zack's dad crept into my bed under the cover of night, and I kicked him so hard he flew across the room.

What the old creep didn't know was that not only am I a dude, but I'm also a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo!

"This gal is awesome!"

Zack's mom, Brenda, placed a dozen dishes on the dining table.

"We’ve got plenty of food here. Eat up, honey!"

They spoke with a thick, heavy Southern drawl that I could barely understand. To be polite, I chimed in with the only local slang I knew:

"Sho' nuff! Sho' nuff!"

Zack's dad, Arthur, scanned me from head to toe, his eyes lingering heavily on my chest.

Was that... a look of admiration?

Something felt incredibly off.

Maybe he thought my chest muscles looked well-toned?

With that thought, I unconsciously puffed out my chest a bit.

A mysterious, creepy smile spread across Arthur's face.

It wasn't until dinner ended and Zack stealthily pulled me into his room that the truth came out. He looked incredibly embarrassed as he spoke:

"My parents... I think they think you're my girlfriend."

"What the fuck?!"

I practically jumped out of my skin.

"Why the hell didn't you correct them?!"

His face turned bright red as he stammered:

"Come on, man! We’ve been best friends for nine years!"

"To tell you the truth, my parents are desperate for me to get married and have kids the moment I graduate. They're already scouting local farm girls for me!"

"I really don't want to marry a country girl and settle down here. Can you... just help me cover for it this once?"

"I'll call you my savior, my brother, whatever you want!"

I was hesitating at first, but his desperate plea broke me:

"Fine! But on one condition—you buy me breakfast for an entire semester. Deal?"

Zack gritted his teeth but quickly agreed.

But business is business. After all, I am one of the wealthiest heirs in Boston. Having him run my morning errands was the least he could do.

As an art major, I kept my hair quite long, and my facial features were soft and delicate. It was true that I could easily be mistaken for a girl.

With my dedicated acting, even Zack couldn't help but look at me with a bit of "appreciation."

But very soon, I realized things were taking a bizarre turn.

Humming a tune, I headed to the bathroom. Arthur, looking strange, handed me some folded clothes:

"Here, honey. These are Brenda's clothes. Just wear them for now."

I paused for a few seconds before taking them:

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

As I peeled off my clothes one by one, a sudden shiver ran down my spine.

It felt like someone was watching me.

Slowly, I parted a corner of the shower curtain. Through the crack in the door, I locked eyes with a pair of peeping eyes!

Terrified, I grabbed the clothes to cover my private parts and kicked the door with all my might!

"Ouch!"

Arthur fell flat on his butt, groaning on the floor.

Holy crap! Now I finally knew what was so off about his looks!

The old creep actually had dirty designs on me!

Hearing the noise, Zack and Brenda rushed over and helped him up:

"Arthur! What happened? How did you fall?"

I shrugged and threw my hands up:

"I have no idea. The moment I opened the door, he just fell right there."

Arthur gave me a guilty, resentful glare:

"No... nothing. I just lost my footing..."

Terrified that his filthy secret would be exposed, he could only swallow his anger and play dumb.

That night, I dragged Zack into the room and told him everything.

He looked shocked:

"No way, right?"

"My dad is an honest guy. He would never do something like that..."

My eyes widened in disbelief:

"Zack! Do you really think I'd make up a lie about my own modesty?!"

Zack hesitated for a long time before agreeing to have a private talk with his dad the next day.

But the next morning, something even more shocking happened!