Chapter 50: I Have a Friend
After putting down his phone, Ye Ziming glanced at the cup on the desk. The dangerous feeling around him seemed to fade a little.
He suddenly felt a bit thirsty and realized he hadn't drunk anything since earlier.
So he casually picked up the cup, poured himself some water, and sat down in the office chair, slowly sipping it.
It felt pretty good.
Meanwhile, in the cafe’s break room, Lin Muqing was sitting at the long table with a lunchbox in front of her.
During dinner, she looked distracted, eating slowly and thinking about what had happened earlier.
“Lin Muqing~ what are you thinking about?”
A nearby maid noticed her spacing out and leaned over quietly, smiling as she asked.
When she had walked into the break room earlier, several maids had gone up to her to show concern.
It was easy to see that Lin Muqing was the favorite of the cafe. Everyone treated her like a little sister and practically wanted to take her home and care for her.
“Ah? It’s nothing.”
Hearing the voice, Lin Muqing suddenly snapped out of it, turned to look at the maid beside her, and quickly waved her hand.
After speaking, she shifted her gaze back to the lunchbox and continued eating with her spoon.
Earlier, when she had been feeling hopeless, her good buddy suddenly showed up and helped her. It made her feel warm inside.
So she wanted to do something to thank him. At the very least, she wanted to show her gratitude. It was better than doing nothing.
But no matter how much she thought about it, she still didn’t know what to do. Maybe a small gift?
But her good buddy came from a rich family. She couldn’t think of anything he might need. No matter what she gave, it didn’t feel right.
“Huh~ really nothing going on?”
The maid next to her kept staring at Lin Muqing, smiling playfully. The other maids started glancing over too.
Right now, anyone in the break room could tell Lin Muqing was thinking about something. She was obviously distracted while eating.
“Uhh…”
She thought about it again but still didn’t come up with a good idea. Then she turned her head to the maid beside her.
After hesitating a bit, she took a moment to organize her thoughts and then spoke to the group of maids.
“Well… I have a friend…”
As soon as she said that, the other maids all paused mid-bite and looked at her with sparkling eyes.
They all had the same knowing smile and waited quietly without interrupting.
“My friend’s good brother helped her out in a really important moment. She wants to thank him, but she doesn’t know how.”
She stuttered her way through the sentence. Of course, this “friend” was actually Lin Muqing herself.
She was just too shy to say it directly.
“Oooh~ so she doesn’t know how to express her thanks, right?”
The maid next to her raised her eyebrows slightly, surprised, and smiled even more.
“Mm-hmm, that’s right.”
Lin Muqing nodded and put down her spoon, looking at the maid hopefully.
She believed the maid would definitely have a good idea and really wanted to hear what she’d suggest.
“Ahem, your… I mean your friend’s good brother. He must be rich, good-looking, and has everything he could want, right?” The young maid looked at her slyly and asked with a playful smile.
“Uhh… yeah, that’s right.”
Although the way she said it was a bit strange, Lin Muqing still nodded, because it was true.
Her good bro really was pretty handsome. She had to admit that.
“And then, your friend. She’s a pretty and cute girl, right?”
The young maid continued, and her teasing smile deepened. She stared straight into Lin Muqing’s eyes like she could see through her.
The other maids were the same. All of them stared at Lin Muqing’s reaction, not planning to miss a single detail.
“Uhh…”
This part was a bit embarrassing. Lin Muqing froze, eyes wide in surprise as she looked at the maid.
“Not really… actually… she’s a guy.”
When she said that, Lin Muqing guiltily looked away, avoiding eye contact with the maid.
Her expression was awkward, and her gaze started to wander. Sometimes staring at the ceiling, sometimes at the table.
Even if she wore the jade pendant, it couldn’t change the fact that she was now a girl. She felt a bit helpless.
“Ahem, I see.”
With a knowing smile, the maid looked at Lin Muqing one more time, then pulled back her gaze and replied confidently.
Then, with just a few glances exchanged between them, she and the other maids had silently shared all the information they needed.
At this point, how could they not know? This “friend” was clearly Lin Muqing herself, and the “good brother” was none other than their boss.
“Well, if he already has everything, then you could make something by hand and invite him to a movie or something…”
The group of maids began teaching Lin Muqing how to thank someone properly (totally not dating advice…).
From Lin Muqing’s point of view, making a handmade gift for her bro and inviting him to a movie actually sounded pretty nice.
And she could afford it.
If it’s for her good buddy, then she didn’t mind spending a bit.
“So? Did you get it now?”
“Mm-hmm, I got it.”
Lin Muqing smiled and nodded. Looking at the maids who helped her, she showed she understood, though she jokingly said she "learned too much”.
That dinner turned out to be really great, Lin Muqing learned a lot of new “moves.”
After finishing her meal, she took out her phone and sent a message to her good buddy, letting him know he could go home now.
At that time, Ye Ziming was sitting in his office, watching the stock market on his phone and thinking.
He had set Lin Muqing as a priority contact, so the moment he got her message, he replied right away.
After getting his reply, Lin Muqing quickly stood up, said goodbye to the maids who were on break, and jogged out of the break room toward the back door of the cafe.
What she didn’t know was the maids had originally smiled and waved her off…
…but when they saw her shoes, their smiles instantly vanished. Then they all looked at her feet with disgust.
She was wearing such a cute outfit, and she herself was so adorable, yet she had on such ugly sneakers!
If she hadn’t run out so quickly, the maids might’ve tackled her right there and thrown those shoes away!
“Let’s go.”
When Lin Muqing reached the office, Ye Ziming was just stepping out. The two met at the doorway.
“Mm-hmm,” she nodded and followed her good buddy out the cafe’s back door.
After a short drive, Uncle Liu once again dropped her off downstairs at her home. She said goodbye to her good buddy and was about to get out of the car.
But before she could leave, Ye Ziming suddenly reached out and gently pulled her back.
“Take this, and remember to wear it tomorrow.”
As he spoke, he handed her a bag and placed it in her hands.