Chapter 34: Just Started Dating?
“Are you doubting my taste? I'm a top fashion designer!”
Being questioned like that, Ye Mengze frowned and glared, raising her voice slightly in annoyance.
“Eek!”
Lin Muqing shrank her neck in surprise. She wasn’t sure if Ye Mengze was really mad, but she definitely looked scary, it gave her a shock.
In just a few seconds, a thin layer of sweat had already formed on her forehead.
Panicking, Lin Muqing looked around quickly and spotted her Ye Ziming not far away. She made a snap decision: hugging her head, shrinking her body, and quickly running over in a few steps to hide behind him.
“Uh…”
Ye Mengze felt a little awkward when she saw Lin Muqing peeking nervously out from behind Ye Ziming.
She didn’t expect that just speaking a bit louder (in her opinion) would actually scare someone this much, and she started feeling a bit sorry.
What she didn’t realize was that she had been standing in a spot with dim lighting, back facing the lights and casting shadows on her face due to her height. This made her unintentionally look a bit intimidating.
“It’s okay, she’s not mad.”
Seeing his sister’s apologetic look, and then looking back at Lin Muqing, who was clearly shaken, Ye Ziming gently reassured them both.
He gave Ye Mengze a subtle glance, then casually took the clothes from her hand. He actually thought that outfit looked pretty nice too.
“Uhh…”
Hearing his voice, Lin Muqing peeked out a bit more and glanced at Ye Mengze again. After confirming it was safe, she hesitantly stepped out from behind Ye Ziming.
In Lin Muqing’s mind, Ye Mengze had a high danger level. She had tried to make her wear girly clothes, that was dangerous! It was best to stay far away from someone like that.
“Try this one too. I think it’ll fit nicely.”
Ye Ziming glanced at the outfit in his hand, then turned to face Lin Muqing with a soft smile.
He gently grabbed her hand with one hand, and with the other, handed her the hanger, looking into her eyes seriously.
“Uhh… One outfit should be enough, right?”
Her expression froze a little as she looked down at the clothes, and she awkwardly tried to refuse.
“I mean… I’ve never bought anything from this brand before, but I’ve heard it’s expensive… It’s a big brand, after all.”
She spoke very softly, leaning in close to whisper to Ye Ziming, and glanced at Ye Mengze while doing so.
Only after confirming Ye Mengze wasn’t paying attention did she relax a little and try to give the outfit back.
One outfit already made her feel bad, two would be too much. Lin Muqing didn’t feel thick-skinned enough to accept that.
“……”
Ye Ziming looked into her eyes for a moment, then gave her an even bigger smile.
“It’s fine. I just want to see how you look in it.”
The corners of his lips curved up slightly. Instead of taking back the outfit, he gently patted her shoulder. Then, using just a bit of force, he turned her around and nudged her toward the fitting room.
“You… sigh, alright then.”
After being pushed forward two steps, Lin Muqing turned her head and glanced into her buddy's eyes, then let out a helpless sigh.
If anyone else had said that to her, she would’ve definitely refused and kept her distance, just like with Ye Mengze.
But this was her good buddy asking. She didn’t know how to say no.
She thought, Maybe I’ll just try it on and let him see. He already knows I’m actually a boy anyway. If it’s just for him, it should be fine…
“Wait for me.”
Leaving that short sentence behind, she walked into the fitting room and closed the door to start changing.
Outside the fitting room, Ye Mengze took a few steps to the side and looked at her brother with a teasing expression.
“Tsk tsk tsk… are you sure you two just started dating?”
Nothing she said worked, she even scared the girl off. But with just a few words from her brother, the girl happily went to try on clothes.
No way was she buying this “just started dating” excuse. The difference in treatment was way too obvious.
“……”
Ye Ziming didn’t say anything. He glanced at his sister, then looked away toward the fitting room door, feeling a little guilty.
Was my acting really that bad? Did she see through me that easily?
“If you told me you two had only been dating for six months, I still wouldn’t believe it.”
As his big sister, Ye Mengze caught the slight change in his expression, and it only made her more convinced that she was right.
She grinned to herself and looked at her brother even more playfully.
So… her little brother had grown up. And somehow, the rest of the family didn’t even notice.
Thinking about this, she gave him a few more glances, feeling a little proud.
“...!?”
Ye Ziming noticed her gaze change again and was surprised by what she seemed to be thinking, but he still didn’t say anything.
Little did he know, his silence only made Ye Mengze even more certain.
“I didn’t hear the whole thing earlier, but wasn’t she trying to save you money? Didn’t you tell her this store is owned by our family?”
She nudged him with her elbow, smiling as she spoke. Her teasing tone grew even stronger, and her interest in the two of them only deepened.
“No.”
He finally said something, but just one word. His brows dropped slightly after speaking. He still wasn’t ready to tell her.
He used to keep it low-key just because he preferred it that way. Now, it was different, he was afraid. He didn’t know how Lin Muqing would react if she found out the truth about who he was.
Even though he believed she wouldn’t really care. After all, she never asked about his background and he never brought it up. There was still that tiny worry in his heart, and that was enough to make him stay quiet.
“Huh~ So you like this kind of thing? Is this going to be a ‘cold CEO and his poor little girlfriend’ love story?”
She jabbed his arm again, this time with a goofy smile.
Clearly, she’d watched way too many dramas. But she couldn’t help it, their dynamic was a perfect match for that kind of plot. It was too good.
The two of them chatted for a while, until the door of the fitting room finally opened. They both looked over at the same time.
“Umm… how do I look?”
Lin Muqing stepped out of the fitting room and stood in front of her good buddy, showing him the outfit.
She did a little twirl, letting him see the front and back, almost like she was performing a little dance.
She felt a little shy. This was the first time she’d worn something so… cute.
There had been a mirror inside the fitting room too, so she had already seen what it looked like.
Even she thought it looked kind of… yeah.
It was completely different from the boyish style she wanted. For a moment, she even considered changing back into her school uniform and calling it quits.
But this was her good buddy’s request. So after hesitating, she chose to open the door.
“Wow~ That looks amazing!”
Before Ye Ziming could even recover from how stunning she looked, Ye Mengze was already gushing out loud.
She quickly pulled out her phone and started snapping pictures of Lin Muqing!