Chapter 66: Want Milk Tea
The whole morning, the two of them wandered around the convention, and by noon, instead of returning to the maid cafe, they found another place to eat.
To keep their identities hidden, and to keep Lin Muqing safe, Ye Ziming had told the maids ahead of time to pretend they didn’t know them.
That was one reason. The other was because Ye Ziming wanted to enjoy the convention with just the two of them.
After lunch, they kept walking around. Lin Muqing, still full of energy, said she didn’t need a nap and could keep playing all day.
In the afternoon, they passed by a milk tea stall again, and this time, Lin Muqing couldn’t move her feet.
They had been walking side by side, but halfway through, Ye Ziming suddenly felt someone tugging on his sleeve.
He turned his head and saw Lin Muqing.
She was standing there, eyes sparkling as she stared at a milk tea stand not far away, clearly refusing to take another step.
“Ahem ahem.”
She glanced at the milk tea, then looked up at her buddy, coughing lightly and blinking with a hopeful expression.
“But you just ate.”
Ye Ziming frowned a little and said helplessly.
It wasn’t that milk tea cost a lot, it was cheap, but he was worried about her health. He thought maybe they could come back later instead.
“Mmm~”
Her smile instantly vanished. Puffing up her cheeks and frowning, Lin Muqing glared at Ye Ziming without saying a word, trying to show her dissatisfaction.
She had already wanted milk tea in the morning, but her buddy told her they were about to eat and didn’t buy it.
Now, after finally finishing lunch, they passed by another milk tea stall, and her buddy was stopping her again, this time with a different reason.
“…Alright.”
Ye Ziming looked at her for a while. He wanted to explain that they could just come back later.
But when he saw the look in her eyes, something in his heart softened, and he gave in.
“Yay~!”
As soon as she heard him agree, Lin Muqing's face lit up again. Her smile was so bright it made blooming flowers look dull in comparison.
The two of them went over to the stall together and ordered a cup of pearl milk tea that was already prepared. For convenience, they asked for a carry bag.
Lin Muqing tried to take out her phone to pay by scanning the QR code, but Ye Ziming stopped her and paid for it himself.
By the time he finished, Lin Muqing was already happily holding the milk tea and had stabbed in the straw, ready for her first sip.
Just then, a big hand suddenly appeared, grabbed the milk tea without saying a word, and lifted it high into the air.
“Eh!?”
Lin Muqing raised her head and reached up with both hands, staring in shock as her milk tea was held way above her by her tall buddy.
“You just ate, drink it later.”
As he said that, Ye Ziming used his other hand to gently press down on her head, stopping her from jumping up to grab it.
“Ugh…”
Once again, she was completely defeated by the height difference, left frozen and speechless.
“Be good~ Drinking milk tea right after eating isn’t good for your stomach.”
While pressing down on her head, Ye Ziming took the chance to give her hair a playful rub~. He thought it felt pretty nice and made him feel really relaxed.
“You two are really close, it’s kind of enviable,” said the milk tea shop owner, who was standing nearby watching them. She was also taking photos with her phone.
The girl was small and cute, and the boy was tall and gentle. No matter how you looked at it, they seemed like a couple.
“Uh… actually, we…”
Hearing the voice, Lin Muqing quickly snapped out of it. She turned her head, wanting to explain something.
But before she could speak, Ye Ziming gently rubbed her head again and smiled as he said “thank you” to the shop owner.
“Let’s go, time for the next stop.”
He quickly turned around and held Lin Muqing’s little hand, leading her away from the milk tea stall.
On the way, he leaned close to her ear and quietly reminded her about their “couple identity.”
“Oh.”
After hearing that, Lin Muqing gently nodded. Her eyes avoided his gaze, and she turned her head to look in another direction, hiding from Ye Ziming.
Being mistaken as a couple made Lin Muqing feel very shy. Her face turned slightly red without her even realizing it.
Unlike her, Ye Ziming thought it was a good thing. In fact, he was thinking it’d be great if the whole world believed they were a couple.
In a great mood, Ye Ziming took Lin Muqing to a store that sold merchandise from Eromanga-sensei. And then… he just started buying and buying.
“Umm… is this really okay?”
Looking at all the goods in front of her, every single one related to her favorite artist, Lin Muqing was super excited.
And her good bro even said he would pay. All she had to do was pick what she liked.
“Pfft. This is a special treat for my secretary. Go ahead and take it.”
Ye Ziming chuckled softly and whispered to Lin Muqing.
What made him laugh was the way Lin Muqing, while holding a figurine in both hands, still said something like “this doesn’t seem right.”
Her mouth said “no,” but her eyes were clearly saying “yes, I want it, give it to me now.”
“Cough cough… that’d be kind of embarrassing.”
As she said that, Lin Muqing’s eyes had already moved toward a big wall scroll of Eromanga-sensei hanging nearby.
While the two were caught up in shopping, they didn’t notice that a female photographer nearby was taking photos of them, or maybe they noticed but didn’t care.
After all, they were dressed like this, so getting photographed or stared at was normal. They’d already gotten used to it while working at the cafe.
“Wow, I didn’t realize it was them earlier! Good thing I found them again. I’m definitely topping the school forum next week!”
The female photographer continued snapping pictures while giggling weirdly, scaring a guy walking past her.
After they finished shopping, Ye Ziming took Lin Muqing to find a staff member and handed over everything they bought.
“It should be delivered tonight.”
After giving the stuff to the staff, Ye Ziming told Lin Muqing the delivery time so she’d remember to receive it.
“Mm-hmm.”
At that moment, Lin Muqing was sipping on her milk tea through a straw, nodding at her good bro while drinking away happily.
Sugar and caffeine both bring joy, and milk tea and cola happen to contain both.
While Lin Muqing was still enjoying the happiness brought by milk tea, Ye Ziming lowered his head to check his phone and the time displayed on it.
“It’s about time. Let’s go.”
He put his phone back into his pocket, patted Lin Muqing on the shoulder, and led her toward a nearby stage.
“Huh? Where are we going?”
Lin Muqing followed along but looked confused. She had no idea what her good bro was up to.
“To let you have some fun.”
Ye Ziming gave her a small smile as he said this.
Not far ahead, a cosplay competition was taking place on the stage.
Just last night, he had found out that Sister Yu had signed Lin Muqing up for it, and it was a two-person act.