Chapter 53: Borrowing Money
Thinking about how Lin Wenbin scared her so badly last night, he almost frightened the child into a daze, Lin Muqing couldn’t help but feel angry.
If you put it seriously, what Lin Wenbin did last night could almost be called stealing business secrets.
That area was for staff only, with a big sign that clearly said “No Visitors,” and even had an English translation below it.
You could say he brought this on himself. Why go stirring up trouble for no reason?
“You…”
As his eyes shifted to Lin Muqing, Lin Wenbin took a deep breath but couldn’t let it out.
But at that critical moment, his brain finally started working, and he thought of a way to handle the situation.
“Hmph~ Real men don’t fight with women.”
Right away, he wiped the angry look off his face, lifted the corners of his mouth into a faint, slightly arrogant smile, turned his head, and said that line with a laugh.
What he didn’t know was, if another guy said that, it would just sound mocking and wouldn’t really have much effect.
But when he said it to Lin Muqing, it was a critical hit, and it even had bonus damage.
“Tch!”
She had originally wanted to say more and get back at him for what happened last night.
But after hearing that line, Lin Muqing gave up on the idea.
She quietly stuck her tongue out at Lin Wenbin, then looked a little guilty and turned her head away, no longer staring at him.
‘So cute~’
Sitting next to Lin Muqing, Ye Ziming’s eyes widened as he looked at her face from the side, thinking those two words in his heart.
By coincidence, when he looked over, he happened to see her cheekily sticking out her tongue.
His face stayed blank as usual. No one in the class could tell he was feeling anything different, and no one saw what Lin Muqing did either.
She was still thinking about what homework she had done last night and which ones needed to be handed in.
“What’s wrong?”
While organizing her homework, Lin Muqing noticed her good friend was looking at her, so she turned to him and asked with a confused look.
Her big almond-shaped eyes blinked, full of life. When she tilted her head in confusion, she looked a bit silly but really cute.
“Nothing.”
His pupils shrank slightly as he quickly looked away, avoiding her gaze and starting to pack his own homework.
“?”
Still puzzled, Lin Muqing tilted her head again. She felt like her good friend was hiding something from her.
But since he didn’t say anything, she didn’t feel like pushing him. She just kept organizing her own things.
Once everything was ready, she just waited for the class monitor or the subject rep to come collect the homework.
Just as she glanced at the water bottle hanging beside her desk, wondering whether she should go fill it up before morning reading started...
Lin Wenbin suddenly stood up. He walked in a circle and came up beside Ye Ziming, smiling brightly as he leaned in close.
“Brother Ye, I want to ask you for a favor.”
He was smiling with his whole face, obviously trying to butter him up. He leaned so close it looked like he was about to rub his face on him.
“Ew~”
Seeing Lin Wenbin like that, Lin Muqing suddenly frowned, her expression full of disgust.
But at the same time, she was a bit surprised. It was rare to see Young Master Lin actually asking someone for help.
“What is it?”
Exactly like Lin Muqing’s reaction, Ye Ziming also frowned and looked at Lin Wenbin with dislike, then leaned slightly away from him.
“…I just want to borrow some money from you. I’ll pay you back in a while.”
When he said that, Lin Wenbin looked really awkward, like he had just swallowed a fly. It was obvious he felt uncomfortable.
Seeing that, Lin Muqing gave up on the idea of going to get water. At the same time, she became even more curious.
The rich boy who never lacked money was now asking someone for a loan. That wasn’t something you saw every day, it was definitely worth gossiping about.
“You ran out of money?”
Ye Ziming had the same reaction, surprised and a little confused.
“Well… something happened. My card got frozen, and now I only have enough left to buy food.”
As he spoke, Lin Wenbin took out his phone and opened his digital wallet. The number on the screen showed his remaining balance.
He didn’t even fully understand what had happened. Last night after he got home, his dad scolded him like crazy.
Somehow, his dad found out about the “messed-up stuff” he had done behind the scenes, and this was the result.
No more allowance. And he was warned not to dig into the Ye family’s business again, or he’d get beaten so badly his head would be crooked.
So now here he was, no pocket money, but still wanting to go out and have fun. The only option was to borrow some cash.
It kind of made sense too. After all, the comic convention was about to start, and it was normal to want to spend a little.
“If you’re broke, earn your own money.”
After hearing everything, Ye Ziming thought for a moment. Combined with what he did last night, he quickly guessed why Lin Wenbin had no money now.
With that thought, the look of disdain in his eyes deepened, and he directly turned down the request.
“Earn money? From where? You know how?”
Hearing Ye Ziming’s words, Lin Wenbin’s eyes widened in shock. He looked completely surprised and threw a fast triple question back at him.
“Yeah. I trade stocks. I’m already financially independent.”
Ye Ziming answered calmly, with total confidence, firing back with his own triple line.
He had never told anyone, but since last year he had started trying to become financially independent, and so far, he was doing pretty well.
After all, he didn’t like going out partying. His expenses were nothing like Lin Wenbin’s, so his life was much easier and more comfortable.
“Uncle Lin is just trying to train you.”
Before Lin Wenbin could say anything more, Ye Ziming cut him off.
“What the heck… I was just—”
“Not lending.”
Ye Ziming slowly said two words, clearly showing his stance, then turned his head and ignored Lin Wenbin.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed Lin Muqing looking at him.
Turning his head a bit, he saw her staring at him with sparkling eyes, full of admiration, just like a little fangirl.
“What is it?”
He raised an eyebrow and gave her a slight smile. Ye Ziming found that being admired didn’t feel so bad.
Maybe it was because the one admiring him was his deskmate, Lin Muqing.
“You’re amazing… making money from stocks and becoming financially independent.”
Her eyes sparkled with that classic fangirl glow. Lin Muqing widened her eyes, staring at her good friend with admiration all over her face.
She couldn’t believe her close friend actually had a skill like stock trading, and had even reached financial independence.
Just hearing about that skill made it sound impressive. It was something she had never even touched before.
“Pfft~ Stock trading is just one way to make money. If you’re interested, I can teach you.”
Ye Ziming chuckled softly. Maybe he found her reaction cute, so he patiently explained.
“Besides, aren’t you financially independent too?”
He smiled at her, then added gently.
His brows relaxed slightly, his eyes narrowing a bit with a hint of soft affection, though he didn’t seem to realize it himself.
As he spoke, he had already pushed Lin Wenbin completely out of his mind. He didn’t even care that he was still standing there.
Right now, all his attention was on Lin Muqing.