Chapter 106: Why Aren’t You Wearing the Jade Pendant?
"By the way, who was that girl? She looked like she knew you really well."
After they left the movie theater, Lin Muqing suddenly became curious and wanted to gossip a little with her good buddy.
That girl kept calling him “Brother Ye” in such a sweet and annoying voice that even Lin Muqing found it hard to bear.
And judging by how her buddy reacted, she felt like this probably wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been that angry.
"She’s the youngest daughter of the Fang family from the north side of town. That’s all."
Glancing at her, Ye Ziming raised an eyebrow and replied with a faint smile.
When he noticed that Lin Muqing was asking about Fang Xiyue, his expression changed slightly, and he felt a little pleased inside.
Was she... asking about her love rival? He kind of liked the sound of that.
Besides, he was really grateful she had been there just now. Otherwise, he didn’t know how long that annoying girl would’ve kept bothering him. Just thinking about it made him irritated.
“Is she powerful or something?”
“Not really.”
After saying that, he remembered the threat Fang Xiyue made before leaving. Thinking it over, he added, “Not worth worrying about. Don’t take it to heart.”
“Oh, okay.”
Lin Muqing nodded. She had been thinking about that harsh line Fang Xiyue threw at her before running off, and honestly, she was a little worried.
But since her buddy said not to worry, then she figured there wasn’t much to stress about.
She didn’t know how strong other people were, but she did know that her buddy was seriously tough. She had never seen him troubled by anything before.
Thinking about all those girls who showed up back in first year, and how he’d managed to make his second-year life peaceful using all kinds of weird tricks. Every little thing proved that her buddy was no ordinary guy.
Plus, that girl from earlier wasn’t even as aggressive as the one who once led a whole group to block him in. Lin Muqing didn’t think she’d cause any real trouble.
“So, where are we going now? Are we going to eat dinner?”
Now that the whole thing was over, Lin Muqing gently poked her buddy’s arm and looked up, asking softly.
“Yeah, come with me.”
He nodded and started walking toward the elevator inside the mall.
He still remembered that the last time they went shopping, she had mentioned liking hot pot. So this time, Ye Ziming brought her to eat hot pot.
When they reached the restaurant entrance, Lin Muqing looked really happy. In her heart, she cheered, ‘My buddy really gets me!’
But when she saw the menu, especially the spicy hot pot broth, her smile froze.
She had suddenly remembered something. Her "torture time" of the month was coming soon, based on last month’s timing.
"Uh… let’s pick this one. The mild broth."
Just thinking about what happened last month made her feel nervous. She didn’t even dare to touch anything spicy now.
Last time, she had a cold drink, a few packs of spicy snacks, and even licked a bit of ice cream. Then in the middle of the month, she experienced period cramps for the first time. It was something she had never felt before. At first it didn’t hurt that much, but the longer it went on, the worse it got!
Luckily, Sister Yu helped her out. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known what to do. She was so scared at one point that she nearly called an ambulance.
“Okay.”
Ye Ziming was a bit surprised and looked at her. He remembered that just a few days ago, she said she wanted to try spicy hot pot.
But his surprise only lasted a moment, because he quickly remembered. Although she liked spicy food, she actually couldn’t handle it. To put it simply, she talks big, but can’t back it up.
He still remembered that one time they went to eat ramen. She said she wanted it spicy, but in the end only added a tiny drop of chili oil… and nearly cried from the heat.
With that, he finished placing their order and handed the menu to the waiter. Now, all they had to do was wait.
“Didn’t you wear your jade pendant today?”
While they were waiting and had nothing to do, Ye Ziming pointed at Lin Muqing’s chest, trying to start a conversation.
“Uh… yeah, I didn’t.”
Lin Muqing raised her eyebrows, clearly surprised that her best buddy brought that up. She didn’t expect him to talk about this.
“Why not wear it?”
With a light smile, Ye Ziming poured her a glass of lemon tea. When he handed her the cup, he gave her a meaningful look.
“I remember that during the whole first year of high school, you never took off that pendant.”
He added that sentence with a slightly mysterious smile, looking straight into Lin Muqing’s eyes, clearly waiting for her excuse.
When he asked that question, he noticed she was stunned for a moment. Then she raised her eyebrows and widened her eyes, acting surprised.
“Huh? But you’re not wearing yours either.”
She was really surprised, she didn’t think he would notice something like that!
Trying hard to stay calm, she quickly came up with a reply.
Coincidentally, Ye Ziming also had a jade pendant, similar to hers, but he never wore it. He kept it at home. One time when she visited his place, she saw him cleaning it, so the memory stuck.
“I don’t like wearing it, and there’s no need to.”
Ye Ziming narrowed his eyes and thought for a second. Then he answered quickly, still staring at her. When he said “no need,” he stressed those words, like he was trying to highlight them.
“I-I also don’t need to wear it.”
Her hands were tangled under the table, fingers almost tying themselves into knots, and her eyes were looking everywhere. She was clearly nervous.
“Really?”
He raised an eyebrow, smiling like he already knew the truth.
“Of course it’s true.”
She frowned and stuttered through her answer.
Ye Ziming didn’t say anything after that. He just quietly looked at her. He didn’t need to say anything, that was already enough to make Lin Muqing feel a heavy pressure.
Because to be honest, that jade pendant was her biggest secret. No matter what, it couldn’t be exposed.
“Ahem… Right! We’re going to the amusement park later, right? What fun stuff is there?”
She awkwardly changed the topic, and the corners of her mouth twitched as she forced a smile.
Actually, the moment Ye Ziming asked about the pendant, she already wanted to rush home and hide it. If things went on like this, it would get dangerous. Who knows if her buddy really figured something out?
“Roller coaster, drop tower, giant pendulum…”
Ye Ziming softly smiled as he listed the rides. There was clearly a sneaky look in his smile.
“Huh?!”
Just like Ye Ziming expected, when she heard the names of those rides, Lin Muqing’s eyes went wide and she looked terrified.
“Uh… we just ate. Isn’t it bad to go on those rides right after eating?”
Her eyelids twitched like crazy just hearing the names of those rides. It already made her feel dizzy.
She had never ridden those kinds of rides (and she’d never admit it was because she was scared). She had also never planned to try them.
The most exciting ride she’d ever been on was probably the pirate ship.
And even then, it almost scared her to death. She promised herself she’d never go on it again for the rest of her life.