Chapter 27: Face-to-face Attack, Dancing on the Head
After watching his grandfather leave, Mo Ziyang stood alone outside the door in a daze for a long time. His mind was a mess. Eventually, he walked back to Lin Muxi’s hospital room, stopping in front of the door. He just stood there, looking at the blanket-covered figure on the bed, not daring to go in.
It wasn’t only guilt for causing her injury. He also had no idea how to face Lin Muxi now that she had turned into a girl. And as someone who always acted on his own and never cared about others, he especially didn’t know how to humble himself to comfort someone.
Besides, he had never done that before… especially not for a girl.
He stood there for several minutes before finally forcing himself to push the door open. The sound of the door made the blanket on the bed tremble slightly.
Walking to the bedside, he saw Lin Muxi still hiding under the blanket, refusing to come out. Not knowing what to say, he quietly sat down beside her.
The bed creaked under his weight, and from inside the blanket came a small, shaky voice that sounded young and choked with tears.
“You… why did you come back…”
Her voice was so soft and weak that if the room hadn’t been so quiet, he might not have heard it even from this close.
“Lin Muxi… I…”
Facing her like this, Mo Ziyang felt rare nervousness. The words he wanted to say seemed stuck in his throat.
“Is it… fun for you? Bullying me like this?”
“No… it’s not.”
The more he spoke, the more ashamed he felt. Now that Lin Muxi was a girl, and still his good bro, thinking back on what he had done to her before did seem a bit too much.
“So… you saw just now, right?”
“Saw what?”
Her sudden question broke his train of thought. Without thinking, he replied instinctively.
“You already know that I’m a girl now, right?”
Her deep eyes showed a bit of hesitation. After half a minute of silence, Mo Ziyang finally decided to answer honestly.
“Yes… I know.”
“Then do you have anything you want to say?”
“I’m sorry. But even if you’ve changed like this, you’ll still be my good bro.”
Hearing his tone, Lin Muxi’s mood seemed to be getting unstable, so Mo Ziyang quickly apologized and patted his chest, making a promise.
“Pfft—hahaha! What kind of straight-man comment is that… But I didn’t think… you would actually apologize to me one day.”
That made Lin Muxi laugh under the blanket. She poked her head out, looking at him with red, swollen eyes that still hadn’t dried from crying. It was clear she had been really sad just now.
Her tear-filled eyes and pitiful expression, normally the kind of thing Mo Ziyang found annoying in girls, didn’t make him feel any disgust at all. Instead, all he felt was guilt and the wish to make it up to her.
But just as he reached out to wipe the tears from the corner of her eyes, he saw fear and panic in her gaze, maybe even a little… distance?
His hand froze in midair. Looking at Lin Muxi’s puzzled face, he swallowed and slowly spoke.
“As long as you’re okay… This time, I went too far. I’ll make it up to you, and I’ll be more careful from now on.”
Looking seriously at her, Mo Ziyang finally spoke the words he had been holding inside. Then, he took out a tissue from his pocket, the one he had grabbed from her home, and gently wiped her cute little face.
This sudden gentleness made Lin Muxi’s cheeks blush. Her eyes darted away, not daring to look at him, and she muttered in a small voice…
“What are you doing… suddenly acting like this? I’m not used to it. And also… you’re… too close.”
She didn’t know why, but Mo Ziyang suddenly felt like a warm and gentle guy. Before, he always had a proud and arrogant look, but now he seemed like a completely different person. Could it be that… this guy really likes her now?
Seriously! Who can explain this? Normally when people fight, they hate each other more. But somehow, in her case, it felt like his affection level had gone up instead! Lin Muxi complained in her mind while using her small hands to lightly push Mo Ziyang away, afraid he might get too close to her face.
Her push wasn’t strong, more like just for show, but to Mo Ziyang, it felt like she was a bit disappointed in him but didn’t want to say it. So, facing the slightly resisting Lin Muxi, Mo Ziyang spoke softly.
“I’m not an unreasonable person… I just hope you can forgive me.”
As soon as he said this, the room became quiet. Both of them stayed silent… until, after a long moment, Lin Muxi nervously asked in a small voice.
“Did your grandfather ask you to do this?”
“No. It’s because I want to.”
Mo Ziyang shook his head, his eyes looking firmly at Lin Muxi wrapped in the blanket, showing that he was serious.
“This… isn’t impossible… but you have to promise me a few things.”
Seeing Mo Ziyang’s sincere expression and rare willingness to lower himself, Lin Muxi realized he was truly apologizing. She stuck two fingers out from under the blanket.
“Say it. I’ll agree to all of them.”
It was obvious Mo Ziyang didn’t plan to refuse, so Lin Muxi boldly said her two conditions.
“First, you’re not allowed to tell anyone I’m a girl, and you can’t say I’m your girlfriend. Second, you’re not allowed to try anything with me. Even if I die here, even if I jump out of here, I will never be your wife.”
“Okay, I promise.”
Mo Ziyang didn’t understand her strange demands, but since they didn’t seem like a big deal, he agreed without hesitation.
“What now?”
Even after agreeing, Lin Muxi didn’t stop moving. Instead, she started looking for something.
“Where’s my phone?”
“Here, I was keeping it for you.”
He took the phone from his pocket and gave it back to Lin Muxi, who now looked smug and full of herself.
What’s with her? One second she looked so pitiful, the next she’s wearing this annoying expression.
“Alright, repeat what you just said.”
She opened the voice recorder app on her phone and held it up to his mouth, her eyes urging him to speak.
“What’s this for…” Mo Ziyang frowned, a little speechless, confused by her strange behavior.
“Of course it’s in case you change your mind later! You see, in so many transformation novels, the girl main character gets forced by the guy to be his wife. I don’t want that to happen to me. So, I’ll solve the problem from the start, take control of my own future, and hold my fate in my own hands.”
“……”
Hearing this, Mo Ziyang suddenly felt like sometimes he really wanted to open her head and see what was inside, besides schoolwork, what else could she possibly be thinking about?
“Hurry up, say it. You’re not actually interested in your own best bro, are you? No way, no way, nobody would like their own bro, right?”
Seeing Mo Ziyang being extra patient today, she couldn’t resist teasing him. After all, it was rare to see him acting soft. Actually, almost impossible.
But her fun didn’t last long. Mo Ziyang’s good mood vanished immediately.
“Lin Muxi, I think sometimes I really shouldn’t be too nice to you.”
Faced with this kind of “face-to-face attack” and “dancing on his head” behavior, he couldn’t hold back anymore. He stood up, his previously guilty eyes turning cold.
Seeing her good bro suddenly turn dangerous, Lin Muxi shrank back, hiding her head under the blanket with only her fearful eyes showing. Her voice trembled as she warned him.
“Y-you… what are you going to do? Don’t come over! I-I’m a patient, I’m warning you not to try anything… ah… ahhh— I was wrong, I was wrong!”