Chapter 44: Do You Still See Me as a Boy?
Carrying the injured Lin Muxi, Mo Ziyang walked to the sink.
He slowly put the silly girl in his arms down.
Then, he took off his thin jacket and covered Lin Muxi with it.
“It’s… really hot.”
“I’m not asking you to wear it, just to cover yourself. A girl shouldn’t show her body to others so casually.”
“Oh… but… you also saw it.”
Hearing Mo Ziyang’s words, Lin Muxi obediently used the jacket to cover the places she shouldn’t expose, but she still looked at him blankly and asked in confusion.
“Lin Muxi… how many years have I known you?”
Mo Ziyang suddenly became serious and asked her.
“More… more than ten years…”
“And you still see me as an outsider?”
“Uh…”
Hearing this, Lin Muxi shrank her head back a little, feeling that he had a point.
A bro can’t really be considered an outsider.
But why did it feel strange… like Mo Ziyang had some hidden intentions toward her?
“…Sorry.”
Without thinking too much, Lin Muxi lowered her head slightly and apologized.
“You’re so silly. Come here, let me clean you up.”
After rubbing her little head, Mo Ziyang pulled the still dazed Lin Muxi closer.
Then he gently wiped the blood off her forehead with a wet tissue.
Feeling her bro’s care, especially with his face so close to hers, Lin Muxi’s heart began to race.
“Why… why are you being so nice to me lately…”
Lowering her head, too nervous to look at his face, Lin Muxi asked softly.
“What do you think?”
Mo Ziyang didn’t rush to answer. He could see that Lin Muxi was at a very important turning point.
So instead of pushing, he wanted her to realize it herself.
“I… I don’t know…”
His question only made her more confused.
Even she didn’t know what she wanted anymore.
Part of her still wanted to be seen as a boy, but another part of her started to feel like maybe she wanted to admit to her bro that she was a girl.
Oh no… how did she change so much in just a few days?
Was her bro really going to “eat her up” someday?
“Alright, let’s go. I already got the leave note.”
Even though he couldn’t see her face clearly, when Mo Ziyang noticed Lin Muxi’s ears turning red, he already had his answer.
With a small smile, he lifted Lin Muxi up again.
“Ahhh… I-I… put me down… I can walk myself…”
Being suddenly picked up again, Lin Muxi, whose mind was already in chaos, froze completely.
In his arms, she struggled a little like a frightened kitten.
After she fussed for a while, Mo Ziyang finally clicked his tongue impatiently and said,
“Stay covered and don’t move.”
“…Okay.”
Thinking he was angry, Lin Muxi quickly pulled the jacket over her whole body, leaving only her little eyes peeking out at him now and then.
But as the two of them walked together, more and more curious students gathered around, watching them like they were a romantic couple.
Most of them had rushed over after hearing there was a girl fight, but what they found instead was a sweet scene between the two.
After seeing Mo Ziyang carrying an injured girl, the onlookers finally realized that the cute girl in the school uniform was actually his girlfriend.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to treat your wound first.”
Noticing that more and more students were gathering, Mo Ziyang quickly carried Lin Muxi away from the crowd.
"What about that person... are we just going to leave her there?"
"You'll find out about her during the flag-raising ceremony next Monday."
Holding Lin Muxi, Mo Ziyang walked for several minutes until they reached the parking lot.
He carefully placed her into the car, then stayed outside to make a phone call.
Even though there was glass between them, Lin Muxi, sitting inside the car, could still faintly hear parts of the conversation.
“Surveillance video… next week… stage… apology…”
“Record… punishment… observation…”
She couldn’t hear clearly, but she could guess that her bro was standing up for her.
What should she do now… her bro had just helped her with such a big problem…
Should she invite Mo Ziyang to dinner one day?
Or maybe wear clothes he likes from now on?
While her cheeks turned red from all these thoughts, Mo Ziyang finished the call and got into the car.
Seeing Lin Muxi’s blushing face, he asked in confusion, “What are you thinking about? Why is your face so red?”
“Ah… n-nothing.”
Lin Muxi quickly turned her head to the side in panic.
Heh, silly girl…
Mo Ziyang didn’t expose her thoughts. He simply started the car and then poked her with a document he had brought from the office.
“What’s this…” Lin Muxi looked at the paper in her hand, puzzled.
“A school day-student permit. With this, you only need to come to school for exams.”
“What?”
Lin Muxi’s eyes went wide with shock.
Did she hear that right?
She only needed to return to school for exams?
Wasn’t this basically the same as getting a holiday?
“From now on you can stay home. If there’s nothing important, you don’t need to come to school. Anyway, the semester is almost over.”
Seeing how surprised she looked, Mo Ziyang explained calmly.
“But this… doesn’t this need parent approval first?”
“You’re still expecting that from your parents?”
“……”
At those words, the light in Lin Muxi’s eyes faded instantly, leaving her looking lost.
It had already been years since she last saw her parents.
Ever since they disappeared, there had been no news, not even with the Mo family’s help.
Seeing her sadness, Mo Ziyang quickly grabbed her hand.
Rubbing her head, he said, “You still have me, your brother. What are you thinking about?”
“…Nothing, I just…”
Hearing his words, Lin Muxi suddenly couldn’t hold back anymore.
After all, all these years, it had always been Mo Ziyang by her side.
Sitting in the passenger seat, big tears rolled down her cheeks one by one.
No matter how much she wiped them away, she couldn’t stop crying.
Yes… who else could she rely on now besides Mo Ziyang?
And hadn’t she depended on him all along, until now?
“Look at me, Lin Muxi!”
Suddenly, Mo Ziyang grabbed her hand and looked at her very seriously.
His voice wasn’t loud, but his sudden action startled her.
“Uu… wh-what is it…”
“Trust me, okay?”
After a short silence, Lin Muxi slowly nodded her head up and down.
“…Okay.”
“Then don’t cry anymore. Be strong, like a real man. Crying doesn’t suit you.”
“Pfft… haha.”
That line instantly made the still-sobbing Lin Muxi laugh.
“I ask you… do you still see me… as a boy?”
That one question immediately shifted the pressure onto Mo Ziyang.
Especially when he saw the seriousness in her eyes, he suddenly felt very uneasy.