Chapter 205: Going Home
In the evening, after having dinner at her grandpa’s place, Li Mu found an excuse to leave early.
Yu Fan, on the other hand, stayed behind, saying he had something to talk about with Zhang Hui.
“I wonder how he’s going to explain everything to Grandpa.”
Li Mu took the bus back to Yu Fan’s home. She found the key on the shoe rack by the door, unlocked it, and stepped inside.
“Sister!”
Xiao Jing, who had been bored all afternoon, immediately ran out from the study as soon as she heard the sound. But Li Mu still had a cold expression on her face. She closed the door behind her and sat down on the sofa without saying a word.
The computer in the study room was playing a cartoon at full volume. The loud, chaotic noise filled the whole apartment, making her feel even more annoyed.
“Turn the volume down and use your headphones,” she said as she turned to look at Xiao Jing, who was staring at her eagerly.
But Xiao Jing didn’t move. Instead, she asked in a pitiful voice, “Sister, where’s my gift? You and Brother Yu Fan went on a date all afternoon, and you didn’t bring me anything?”
“There’s no gift.”
Li Mu looked down at her slender fingers, fiddling with them absentmindedly. Her mind was completely on her grandpa.
Yu Fan had already taken her ID card and was probably explaining everything to her grandpa right now.
She didn’t know how he would react.
She took off her wig and the hairnet underneath, casually tossing them aside.
After fixing her hair a bit, she turned to look out the window, feeling both nervous and hopeful.
“Sister, where’s Brother Yu Fan?”
“Sister, I’m hungry…”
“Sister! Sister~!”
Li Mu was already in a terrible mood, and Xiao Jing’s chattering made it worse. She snapped back, “You’re a ghost, what do you even mean you’re hungry?!”
Xiao Jing was startled. She took a step back timidly and walked back into the study room, looking very upset.
Li Mu frowned, watching her go with a cold face.
The cartoon in the room stopped playing. Now, other than some distant sounds from the neighborhood outside, the apartment was completely quiet. Except for the soft sound of her tapping foot in frustration.
But it didn’t take long before guilt started creeping in.
Was she too harsh on Xiao Jing?
She looked toward the study room, thinking about going in to apologize.
She ordered some takeout and sat there, anxiously waiting.
After a while, the doorbell rang. Li Mu got up, picked up the food, and went straight to the study.
“Time for dinner.” Li Mu said as she pushed the door open and peeked inside, only to find Xiao Jing had taken herself apart and was using some oil to clean her joints.
Even though she was already used to it, seeing that scene still made Li Mu frown a little. It made her uncomfortable.
It would be easier if she could think of Xiao Jing as a doll. But deep down, she knew the truth. Xiao Jing’s body was, after all, a corpse.
“Huh?” Xiao Jing’s body froze for a second. Her head, sitting on the desk, shouted excitedly, “What are we eating? I smell something yummy!”
It seemed like she didn’t care at all about what had happened earlier.
Xiao Jing quickly tried to get up, forgetting that she was still holding her lower legs. As she pushed with her thighs, her whole body slipped off the chair and fell to the floor.
She whimpered, “Sister! I can’t get up!”
She was flailing on the ground like a fish out of water.
“You should do stuff like this at your own place. What if someone suddenly visits Yu Fan’s house?”
Li Mu put the takeout bag on the table and spoke to the head sitting on the desk, “I bought you a grilled burger and a chicken drumstick. It should taste pretty good.”
“Sister, can you help me sit up?”
Li Mu sighed and picked Xiao Jing’s body up, putting it back on the chair and reattaching the head.
After all that fuss, her annoyance faded a little, replaced by helplessness toward Xiao Jing.
But just then, the front door opened with the sound of a key turning.
Li Mu turned her head and saw Yu Fan coming in, changing his shoes.
She quickly went over, asking nervously, “What did my grandpa say?”
“He seemed kind of... strange.” Yu Fan switched into slippers and handed Li Mu her ID card.
“He didn’t really show any emotion, just kept a straight face. It made me nervous.”
“Really...?”
“But your cousin looked totally confused. At first, he just thought you were turned into a girl by some ghost stuff. He didn’t know you had fully become a girl.”
“Yeah.”
Yu Fan put his sneakers on the shoe rack, then looked up and smiled. “Don’t worry, there wasn’t any big reaction.”
“So... even if it was hard for Grandpa to accept at first, he’ll probably get used to it over time?”
“Let’s hope so…”
He walked into the room, smiling as he reached out to ruffle Li Mu’s hair.
“Alright, it’s time for you to go. My family should be back tomorrow. If they see you here, it’ll be really awkward.”
“Catch up on your New Year’s homework when you get home. The spring exams are coming.”
“I know.” Li Mu brushed his hand away and turned to shout into the room, “Xiao Jing! Time to go!”
“Huh? Isn’t this my home?” Xiao Jing poked her head out of the room.
Li Mu paused, confused. “Why would it be your home?”
“You’re marrying Brother Yu Fan, right? That means this place is my new base!” Xiao Jing said proudly.
Yu Fan added seriously, “After getting married, our home probably won’t be this apartment. Li Mu and I would likely rent a place first before buying a house.”
“Oh, I see…”
“Besides, my family still needs to live here.”
“Sister, maybe find a boyfriend who already owns a house?”
Li Mu walked over without a word and pulled on her ear, dragging her away.
“I’ll walk you two out,” Yu Fan said as he kicked off his slippers again. He had just come in but turned around to leave again with them.
He looked a bit worried as he tried to read Li Mu’s expression. But she was walking ahead, and it was hard to tell what she was feeling.
All he could notice was that her tight jeans made her legs look long and straight, really beautiful.
The slight sway of her hips as she walked was also very attractive.
And then there were her exposed ankles…
“Li Mu, next time get longer pants. Isn’t it cold to show your ankles in the middle of winter?”
“These are summer women’s pants. I wanted to get longer ones.”
Li Mu didn’t actually like showing her ankles, but the pants she grabbed by chance just happened to be this style… And in southern winters, even summer pants were usually warm enough.
She had meant to wear men’s clothes to visit her grandpa, but her old men’s pants were way too loose now. Luckily, pants weren’t that different between men and women.
Suddenly, Xiao Jing ran over and grabbed Li Mu’s hand with her left and Yu Fan’s with her right, swinging them back and forth like she was on a swing.
“Sister! Don’t we look like a family right now?”
Li Mu gave her a sideways glance and replied flatly, “More like an older brother and sister guiding a child with special needs.”
Yu Fan almost couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud.