Chapter 20: The Little Bike Got Stolen
“C-Can I say no?”
The light above shone directly on Lin Muqing’s face, and at the same time, it cast a shadow over the back of Ye Ziming’s head, covering most of his expression in darkness.
At that moment, Lin Muqing couldn’t clearly see her good buddy’s face, but she could feel a strange and strong pressure coming from him. It made her a little… extremely nervous.
She instinctively shrank back a little, confused about why he suddenly reached out to touch her face.
She didn’t dare to ask directly, because he looked kind of scary right now. A little intimidating. So she spoke carefully, trying to test the waters.
“What did you say?”
Ye Ziming snapped back to reality the moment he heard her voice. His right hand froze as if it had been electrocuted, and he quickly pulled it back.
This strange, unexplainable feeling made him very uncomfortable. He didn’t know why he did something like that.
He only remembered thinking Lin Muqing is really cute, and before he realized it, he had reached out his hand…
Because of the awkwardness, his voice came out a little stiff. Plus, since he had zoned out for a second, he didn’t actually catch what Lin Muqing had said.
He casually asked her to repeat it, but the way it sounded in her ears… completely changed the meaning.
“I-I-I… I mean I’d love to go!”
Faced with her good buddy’s scary “dark” face (blame the lighting), Lin Muqing panicked. Her tongue twisted up in fear, and she rushed to answer before he got angry.
She originally wanted to say no, but how could she possibly refuse now?!
Ugh… it’s too hard being Lin Muqing!
It was a very awkward moment.
One side didn’t understand why the other looked scared.
The other didn’t understand why this side seemed upset.
“Okay.”
With a bit of confusion, Ye Ziming nodded. Then he turned slightly, letting the light finally shine on part of his face.
Now it was clear, his brow was slightly furrowed, his eyes filled with mixed feelings. Some confusion, and a bit of happiness, because Lin Muqing hadn’t turned him down.
There was also one more feeling that didn’t show on his face, frustration.
“Phew~ So, uh… if there’s nothing else, I’m gonna head home now.”
Seeing his expression, Lin Muqing finally let out a sigh of relief. Her legs had nearly gone weak from the stress.
She worked hard to stay upright, and once she felt she could walk, she forced a small smile, though it was a bit awkward.
She just wanted to say goodbye and ride her little bicycle home. No need for a ride in his car.
“Wait.”
Before she could walk more than a few steps, Ye Ziming suddenly reached out and gently grabbed her shoulder, lightly pulling her back.
The strength was just right. It stopped her but didn’t pull her into his arms or anything.
“What is it?”
She stopped and turned back, blinking as she looked at her good buddy in confusion.
“I’ll take you home.”
Ye Ziming’s eyes shifted slightly. After a short pause, he finally said it.
“Oh that? No need, I’ll ride my bike home. Besides, if I always hitch a ride with you, I’ll feel embarrassed!”
She gave him a reasonable look and gently patted his hand, trying to get him to let go.
“…Sorry.”
After a short silence, he kept holding her shoulder and quietly said two words.
“Huh?”
Things suddenly flipped. Lin Muqing tilted her head in confusion again.
Then, she saw him raise his head and point toward the parking lot, not far away, where she usually parked her bike.
But now…
There wasn’t even a bike there. Not even a lock left behind. Just… nothing.
“Huh? Where’s my bike!?”
Lin Muqing stared blankly for a few seconds before finally realizing what had happened. Her eyes went wide with shock.
Letting out a cry, she quickly pulled her hand away from her good buddy and rushed over to the parking lot in a few quick steps. She looked around, trying to find her beloved little bike.
But no matter how hard she searched, she couldn’t find it.
“Little bike... how could you just disappear?”
She felt terrible. That bike might not have been worth much, but to Lin Muqing right now, it was like a treasure.
And with her love for money, she felt like she was on the verge of a heart attack. Her chest ached.
“I… I’ll take you home.”
Seeing how sad she looked, Ye Ziming’s brows lowered slightly. He instinctively reached out his hand to comfort her.
But just before his hand touched her head, he changed direction and rested it on her shoulder instead.
“Ugh~ But…”
Turning around and looking up, Lin Muqing pouted unhappily and looked at her good buddy with a pitiful expression.
But before she could even say anything, Ye Ziming raised a hand to stop her.
“You’re my secretary. It’s only right for us to go to and from work together.”
“Huh? Is that how it works?”
“Yes.”
Facing Lin Muqing’s confused look, Ye Ziming calmly nodded.
“Let’s go. It’s late.”
“Ah… okay.”
The whole thing happened so suddenly and unexpectedly that Lin Muqing didn’t know how to react.
In the end, she got into her good buddy’s car, and he drove her to the front of her apartment building. She just had to go upstairs to get home.
He watched her go up before leaving.
Sitting in the car, Ye Ziming glanced at his right hand, thinking about how it felt to touch Lin Muqing’s cheek earlier, and again when he held her shoulder.
She was so slender, there wasn’t much muscle at all. It felt like he was touching bone.
But it wasn’t just “slender”… she was small. Really small. There was no way she looked like a boy. If she were a girl, that would make more sense.
‘Is Muqing… really a boy?’
That question came to his mind again.
“Uncle Liu.”
“Yes, sir.”
As he was thinking, the car reached the underground garage. Uncle Liu parked the car and opened the door for Ye Ziming.
Over the past few days, Ye Ziming had noticed he was zoning out way more than usual, so much that it even surprised himself.
He stepped out, holding the car door with one hand, and slowly spoke.
“Buy a bicycle for me. Something light and easy to ride…”
As he spoke, he thought of Lin Muqing’s small frame. These requirements were clearly chosen with her in mind.
“Understood. I’ll take a look tomorrow.”
Uncle Liu didn’t even need to ask, he knew right away who the bike was for.
He pictured a small, slender girl in his mind and already had a good idea of what kind of bike to buy.
After that, the two of them got into the elevator in the underground garage. Once they pressed a button for a floor, the elevator began to rise.
During the short ride home, a new thought came to Ye Ziming.
Once the bike is ready, maybe he shouldn't give it to her right away.
If he gave her the bike too soon, she wouldn’t need to ride with him to and from work anymore.
“Hmm~”
He nodded to himself, deciding it would be better to hold off for a bit.
No need to rush.