Chapter 24: Wang Wenxin's Plan
Maybe it was because they were all guys and used to speaking bluntly, but Lin Wenbin asked the question without thinking much.
In his mind, having a part-time job wasn’t something to be ashamed of, so there was no need to hide it. Just ask directly and get it over with.
What he didn’t know was that Zhang Xiaoling had been trying to find out what Lin Muqing’s job was for the entire summer, and still hadn’t figured it out.
That’s why she had asked him to help ask around.
But Zhang Xiaoling didn’t expect him to just blurt it out like that.
“Ah? What do you want?”
Hearing the question, Lin Muqing immediately remembered what had just happened and became very alert.
She thought, Wait... did they find out something?
“Nothing, just curious.”
With the typical bluntness of a straight-talking guy, Lin Wenbin looked across the aisle at Lin Muqing and said flatly.
“Emmm... I can’t tell you.”
Lin Muqing lowered her head and thought for a bit, then looked up again and refused to answer.
Since he wasn’t beating around the bush, she didn’t either. Either way, she had no intention of ever telling anyone what her job was.
“Why not?”
“No reason. I just can’t say.”
She firmly refused, then turned her head away to show she didn’t want to keep talking about it.
Next to her, Ye Ziming glanced sideways at Lin Muqing, thinking about whether or not he should help her out.
But since she seemed like she could handle it, he decided to stay quiet and calmly kept looking at the magazine on his desk.
Of course, he was secretly listening to every word they were saying.
“Could it be...”
Drawing out the words, Lin Wenbin’s expression changed as he kept getting shut down. His eyes started to look more curious and suspicious.
He stared at Lin Muqing’s face for a while, trying to guess, what kind of job couldn’t be talked about?
“Don’t guess anymore. It’s just a regular part-time job.”
Lin Muqing threw him a disapproving look. The way he kept staring made her really uncomfortable.
Her eyelid twitched a little, and she started feeling like this was getting dangerous.
“Wait… are you a crossdresser?”
As someone who spent a lot of time online, Lin Wenbin knew a few guys who crossdressed. Some of them earned pretty well, but the downside was that they couldn’t just tell everyone.
Because if they did, it would be social suicide.
After that thought popped into his head, he looked at Lin Muqing’s face again. She really did seem like she had the looks for it.
She was small, skinny, and short. Basically looked like a pretty boy. Half the girls in the class were more muscular than she was.
“Wh-what are you talking about?!”
Having her secret guessed so suddenly, Lin Muqing reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She almost jumped out of her chair.
As she spoke, the corners of her mouth twitched, and she glanced nervously at Lin Wenbin, quickly turning away to avoid eye contact.
“Sigh~”
Sitting nearby, Ye Ziming let out a quiet sigh in his heart. After seeing how Lin Muqing reacted, he couldn’t help feeling a bit helpless.
That was clearly a guilty reaction, he could tell in one look. Probably only someone totally blind wouldn’t be able to see it.
Still... that flustered little “cat” look was kind of cute.
He shifted his gaze away from Lin Muqing and looked toward Lin Wenbin, thinking it might be time to say something to help her out.
Before Ye Ziming could even say a word, Lin Wenbin reacted first.
“Since it’s not that, then forget it.”
Leaning on one hand, Lin Wenbin glanced at Lin Muqing, shrugged casually, and then shifted his attention to his phone.
And just like that, it was back to the fun of playing on his phone during the break.
Ye Ziming: So blind people do exist after all.
“Whew~ That was close… I almost died.”
Now that the crisis had passed, Lin Muqing suddenly slumped over her desk, turned her head toward her best buddy, and whispered softly.
For some reason, after it was all over, she really wanted to go to the bathroom urgently.
“……”
Looking into her eyes, Ye Ziming didn’t feel like talking. He thought to himself, ‘If only she were really a girl, that would be great.’
But if she was really a girl… what would he do?
Would he keep their relationship the same? Or do something else?
He didn’t know. And there was no way to know.
………………………………
On the other side of the classroom, Lin Wenbin sent the result of the "interrogation" to Zhang Xiaoling through his phone, and they chatted a bit more.
“What do we do now? He didn’t find out anything.”
After receiving the message, Zhang Xiaoling immediately told her deskmate, then stared straight at her, clearly asking for help.
Since yesterday, Wang Wenxin, her deskmate, had become her strategist. No matter big or small, she would always ask her for advice.
Wang Wenxin felt a bit helpless about this. At this point, she was starting to wonder, ‘Am I the one trying to win someone over, or is Zhang Xiaoling?’
Thankfully, she had no romantic interest herself. Otherwise, things would be way too awkward.
“Ahem, then let’s go with Plan B.”
After coughing twice and pulling herself out of her thoughts, Wang Wenxin’s face returned to normal, and she put on a confident smile as she looked at Zhang Xiaoling.
“Plan B? What’s that?”
Zhang Xiaoling tilted her head in confusion.
“Hmm~ You’re going to the cafe this afternoon, right? Then tomorrow after school, we secretly follow Lin Muqing to her part-time job.”
After saying that, Wang Wenxin nodded to herself, giving her plan a silent thumbs-up. In her opinion, it was perfect.
“Waaah~ Wenxin, you’re so smart!”
After hearing the plan, Zhang Xiaoling immediately hugged her. The two girls embraced with excitement, Zhang Xiaoling even looked like she wanted to nibble on her cheek out of joy.
Wang Wenxin: No, you’re just too dumb. (Visibly annoyed)
Their playful closeness made several boys nearby turn and stare, not knowing which one of them to be jealous of.
Not far away, Lin Muqing glanced over at them, then looked back at her best buddy beside her.
Hmm~ She still preferred her buddy. He was calmer, not so noisy, and she could actually have a proper conversation with him.
Class continued, and so did the reading.
Life in second-year high school wasn’t very stressful, at least not for Lin Muqing.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have time to work a part-time job and still play her favorite isekai game on the computer every night.
There were two reasons she had it so easy. First, she was pretty smart and could pick up what the teacher taught quickly.
But the second reason was even more important, she had a great best buddy. Not only did he have the best notes, but he also helped her study.
“Boss, see you this afternoon.”
As the last morning class was about to end and the second hand on the clock approached 12, Lin Muqing had already taken out her lunch box, getting ready to bolt like always.
At the same time, she whispered a quick goodbye to Ye Ziming.
“……”
Hearing her whisper, Ye Ziming turned to look at Lin Muqing, a barely noticeable frown appearing on his face. He looked a little unhappy.
When the bell finally rang and the teacher announced the end of class, he quickly set down his pen, reached out his hand, and stopped Lin Muqing, who was about to dash out.