Chapter 38: Who’s the Boss?
Early the next morning, after waking up, Lin Muqing glanced at the balcony before heading out, and spotted the two new outfits hanging there.
Both outfits had long tops that looked kind of like dresses, but they clearly weren’t skirts, each came with a pair of short shorts.
Emmm... I really need to talk to my good buddy about this.
Like usual, she left the house, grabbed some breakfast from a street vendor, and ate it on the way to school.
There were lots of people walking along the street, mostly high school students from her school, with a few office workers passing by.
This didn’t surprise Lin Muqing at all. She was still able to spot a tall, familiar figure in the crowd easily.
“Morning, boss~”
She quickly walked over and waved a hand in front of her good buddy to catch his attention, then greeted him cheerfully.
“Mm. Morning.”
He nodded and replied softly, as usual. Then the two of them headed toward the school gate together.
To others, his expression looked cold and distant, maybe even unfriendly. But in Lin Muqing’s eyes, her good buddy actually seemed to be in a pretty good mood today.
Emmm...
They walked all the way to the school building, then climbed the stairs to their classroom. Lin Muqing still didn’t know how to bring up that topic.
There were always people around. Too many people.
Was she supposed to ask him in front of everyone, “Why did you buy me two sets of girls’ clothes last night?”
No way. She wasn’t ready for social death that quickly.
“Hey boss, I want to talk to you about something.”
Once she sat down at her desk, Lin Muqing noticed that the classroom wasn’t very crowded. Thinking this was a good chance, she decided to ask about it.
“Yeah? What is it?”
Ye Ziming slowly turned his head and looked Lin Muqing in the eyes. His gaze flickered slightly as he asked in a calm, blank voice.
“It’s just… about last night… Why were there two outfits?”
She hesitated for a moment. Lin Muqing didn’t say the words “girls’ clothes,” but instead held up two fingers and asked with a puzzled look.
Part of her felt embarrassed. Those clothes weren’t cheap, and they were a gift.
Another part of her… also felt embarrassed, because once she had tried them on, she realized that even the so-called “class beauty” couldn’t compare to her.
Okay, maybe that sounded a bit self-obsessed, but that was just honestly how she felt.
If you ask how she knew this? Lin Muqing would never admit that she tried them on last night, took some photos, and compared them side-by-side with a photo of the class monitor.
“Because they really suit you.”
“!?”
Seeing her good buddy’s serious expression, Lin Muqing could tell he wasn’t joking. But it still felt like a joke.
Hello?? I’m a guy!!
At least, with the jade pendant on, she looked like a guy on the outside (she muttered quietly to herself).
“Wear that outfit this afternoon when I take you to work.”
Before Lin Muqing could even react, Ye Ziming gently patted her on the shoulder, a small smile appearing on his face as he spoke softly.
“Wait, what…?”
It wasn’t that Lin Muqing didn’t want to say no. It was just that, when she looked into her good buddy’s eyes, she couldn’t figure out how to refuse.
And the way he said it, so serious and sincere, made her feel like something bad might happen if she rejected him.
“Alright, then it’s settled.”
As he spoke, he patted Lin Muqing’s thin shoulder again, gave her a gentle smile, and sent her a meaningful look.
Then, without waiting for her reply, he turned his head away and casually reached into his backpack to pull out his homework.
“……”
Behind him, Lin Muqing froze in her seat, her mouth slightly open in disbelief. She didn’t know what to say.
I didn’t even say yes!! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
She wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but before he turned away just now, his smile looked… kind of suspicious.
If she had to compare it to something… a fox would be the best comparison.
As she was thinking about this, she noticed the class monitor walking over and quickly remembered that she needed to take out her homework too.
By now, Lin Wenbin was already seated and had his homework out on his desk, waiting.
“Xiaoling, I found out. The cat-eared maid wasn’t working yesterday, that’s why we didn’t see her.”
As the class monitor picked up his homework, Lin Wenbin started speaking to her.
“Oh, I see. That’s a shame. I was hoping we could take a picture together…”
She sounded a bit disappointed and sighed as she neatly collected the homework from nearby desks.
“That’s not even the main point. The real issue is, she’s the manager’s secretary now. She only helps the manager. She doesn’t do floor service anymore.”
“Huh? So we won’t get to see her again?”
Hearing that, Zhang Xiaoling was visibly surprised. She even forgot to collect the homework from the desk behind her, Lin Muqing’s desk.
She just stood there by Lin Wenbin’s desk, her back facing Lin Muqing, chatting away with him.
They weren’t speaking loudly, but not too softly either. Just the right volume for Lin Muqing and her good buddy to hear every word clearly.
Lin Muqing felt… complicated. A little awkward, too. The corner of her mouth twitched. But at least this time, she wasn’t nervous.
After all, she was the manager’s secretary now, so even if they went to the cafe again, they definitely wouldn’t see her dressed as a maid.
“Actually, it’s not like there’s no chance.”
Just as Lin Muqing started to feel relieved and wanted to say something to her good buddy, Lin Wenbin suddenly said that.
It immediately caught the attention of both Ye Ziming and Lin Muqing. Of course, Zhang Xiaoling also turned sharply, eyes wide and full of hope as she looked at Lin Wenbin.
“I asked around, and it turns out that the cafe is one of the Ye family’s businesses. Which means…”
He turned and looked at Ye Ziming meaningfully. The implication was crystal clear that “Ye family” meant his family.
At that moment, Lin Muqing’s heart skipped a beat. She almost forgot to breathe and froze in place.
Out of sight from the others, Ye Ziming gently held her small hand and gave it a light squeeze.
When Lin Muqing turned to look at him, surprised, she saw him shoot her a subtle glance.
It was that look that gave her a strange feeling of safety. Her nerves eased up, and she began to relax.
“I didn’t know that, and I’m not interested.”
Once Ye Ziming felt her soft hand begin to relax, he finally turned his gaze toward Lin Wenbin.
His face now radiated coldness, the kind that made people instinctively back away, clearly telling others to stay out of his business.
“Brother Ye, I was just curious about who the boss was…”
Lin Wenbin was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile as he explained.
“I refuse.”
Ye Ziming’s reply was firm and direct, with no hesitation at all. Even though he’d known Lin Wenbin since they were kids, he clearly didn’t want to deal with him right now.
After that, he turned away, placed his homework on Lin Muqing’s desk, and acted like nothing had just happened.