Chapter 69: She's My Girlfriend
After flushing the toilet and fixing her skirt, Lin Muqing unlocked the stall door and came out.
Aside from thinking about Zhang Xiaoling just now, she had also been reflecting on what happened on stage. Now that she had calmed down, she realized—
That was just her getting into character. She was totally normal, nothing was wrong. She had just scared herself.
There shouldn’t be any problem. Probably…
After finishing up and washing her hands at the sink, she walked out of the restroom to find her best buddy already standing nearby, waiting for her.
Just as their eyes met and before Lin Muqing could walk over, Zhang Xiaoling suddenly popped out and stood between the two of them.
“Can I take a picture with you?”
She held her phone tightly with both hands in front of her chest, looking a bit nervous.
Her face was full of excitement, and her eyes sparkled with hope. Just like a fangirl asking her idol for an autograph.
“Uh… sure.”
Lin Muqing hesitated for a second. She felt a little awkward seeing Zhang Xiaoling, since they knew each other.
But seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, Lin Muqing softened and agreed.
At the same time, she looked past Zhang Xiaoling and gave her buddy a glance, signaling him to wait a bit.
“That’s great! Look over here!”
Overjoyed, Zhang Xiaoling quickly raised her phone, stood next to Lin Muqing, posed with a peace sign, and snapped a few photos.
Even after taking several pictures, Zhang Xiaoling was still buzzing with excitement. She held Lin Muqing’s hand tightly, as if she had so much she wanted to say.
“I really love cat-eared maids…”
“Ah… mm.”
While listening to Zhang Xiaoling talk, Lin Muqing tried to pull her hand back but couldn’t.
So she just turned her head and looked at her best buddy nearby, sending him a silent plea for help.
“Can I add you as a friend?”
After chatting a bit more, Zhang Xiaoling took out her phone and opened the screen to add a contact on QQ.
“Ahem, ahem.”
At that moment, having received her signal for help, Ye Ziming appeared behind them and deliberately coughed twice with his hand covering his mouth, forcefully cutting off the conversation.
Or rather, Zhang Xiaoling’s one-sided monologue.
“Ye Ziming?”
Turning around in confusion and seeing him behind her, Zhang Xiaoling looked surprised.
Seizing the moment, Lin Muqing quickly escaped and went to stand beside her buddy, then awkwardly glanced to the side.
She didn’t dare say a single word, worried that if she spoke too much, Zhang Xiaoling might recognize her.
Now that her buddy was here, she should be safe… right?
“She’s my girlfriend.”
Right in front of Zhang Xiaoling, Ye Ziming lifted his arm and pulled Lin Muqing close, holding her against him.
He looked at Zhang Xiaoling with a blank face and declared it firmly, still calm even after saying it.
As if he was simply stating a basic fact.
“Ah, sorry! I was being too forward.”
Snapping out of it, Zhang Xiaoling realized she had gotten a little too excited earlier and quickly apologized.
After apologizing, she looked up again and carefully studied the two people in front of her.
Seeing how protective Ye Ziming was acting, Zhang Xiaoling didn’t feel upset at all. In fact, she felt kind of happy.
She thought to herself, So Ye Ziming’s girlfriend is really a girl. That means he’s not into guys, which also means Lin Muqing is probably safe.
“No worries. Is there anything else?”
“No, that’s all. I actually have something to do, so I won’t bother you two any longer.”
Faced with Ye Ziming’s question, Zhang Xiaoling quickly waved her hands and put away her phone, then turned around and walked off in the other direction.
It was only then that she remembered her bestie, Wang Wenxin, was still waiting for her over there.
“Whew~”
Watching Zhang Xiaoling leave, Lin Muqing finally let out a sigh of relief. The thing she had worried about most at this convention was running into her classmates.
But now it seemed like it wasn’t a big deal. The other girl hadn’t recognized her at all.
“Hey, she’s gone now.”
After lightly patting her own chest in relief, Lin Muqing turned to her good bro and quietly reminded him.
“Yeah.”
He nodded and turned to look at her too, with a faint smile in his eyes.
He knew exactly what Lin Muqing meant, so he quickly let go of her and stopped holding her close.
“Let’s go check that side out.”
Lin Muqing looked up at him, but suddenly remembered the moment he had held her on stage just now. Her face flushed and her heart started racing.
Her gaze shifted slightly, and then, feeling flustered, she quickly pointed in a random direction to change the subject.
She also decided to pretend that moment earlier never happened. Best to just forget it altogether.
“Didn’t we already look around that area?”
Following the direction she pointed, Ye Ziming looked confused.
“Ah, well... then let’s go this way instead.”
Lin Muqing was caught off guard and felt a little embarrassed. She quickly pointed in another direction and started walking that way with him.
“We went there this morning.”
After just a couple of steps, Ye Ziming spoke again, sounding a bit helpless but also indulgent, like a big brother teasing his little sister.
He could tell Lin Muqing was flustered and panicking a bit.
As he spoke, he gently raised his eyebrows and smiled, then reached out and took her little hand, leading her in a new direction.
“Do you still want your milk tea?”
In his other hand, he was still holding the milk tea Lin Muqing hadn’t finished earlier. He thoughtfully held it out to her.
“Mm.”
Lin Muqing nodded slightly, took the cup from him, and quietly started drinking it with her head down.
Her face felt warm, and she didn’t dare look him in the eye as he held her hand all the way.
She was sure he was laughing at her inside. Just thinking about it made her feel super awkward, and she had no idea what to say.
They continued walking through the convention in silence. Lin Muqing was too shy to talk, and Ye Ziming didn’t seem to mind the quiet, so they just strolled like that.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the convention, Zhang Xiaoling found her best friend Wang Wenxin and started telling her about her “lucky encounter.”
“Wow~ She’s so cute!”
Looking at the photos on Zhang Xiaoling’s phone, Wang Wenxin couldn’t help but exclaim.
“So that means... Ye Ziming is straight, right?”
As she shared the photos, Zhang Xiaoling also shared her conclusion about Ye Ziming’s relationship with Lin Muqing.
“In theory, yeah, that seems to be the case.”
After hearing the story, Wang Wenxin nodded, thinking it made sense.
She thought about it for a moment, then looked up at her bestie with a meaningful smile.
She felt that, as a best friend, it was her duty to help this overly shy girl out a bit.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Feeling her friend’s intense gaze, Zhang Xiaoling got a little nervous. Her eyelids twitched twice.
“It’s nothing. Let’s keep walking.”
Wang Wenxin looked away, then grabbed her friend’s hand, and the two of them continued walking around the convention.