Chapter 116: Telling the Truth
“Wow! That was way too spicy!”
After drinking the whole bowl of ginger syrup, Lin Muqing felt her mouth and throat burning. She opened her mouth wide and stuck out her tongue, complaining to her good buddy. The spiciness made her scrunch up her face, and two little tears even appeared at the corners of her eyes.
What she didn’t know was that this ginger syrup had been made by Uncle Liu, who had cooked it according to his own taste. So it was nothing like the milder ones she had tried before.
“Want a piece of candy to help with the taste?”
Ye Ziming placed the empty bowl from her hands onto the table, then took out a box of candy he had prepared in advance and asked her with a smile. Watching Lin Muqing stick out her tongue, he suddenly felt the urge to take a picture of her. She looked so cute in that moment, silly and adorable at the same time.
“Yes, yes! I want some!”
As soon as she heard there was candy, Lin Muqing quickly opened her eyes and reached out her hand, asking him for a piece. Even after eating the candy, it would still take a bit of time to get rid of that spicy feeling.
While she was waiting for the heat to go away, Ye Ziming brought the empty bowl to the kitchen to wash it.
“You said you’d forgive me just now, right?”
When Ye Ziming came back to the couch, Lin Muqing had finally recovered. She looked proud as she smiled at him and reminded him of what he said earlier. Thinking about those words made her feel more relaxed, not as nervous as before.
Besides, she never meant to lie to anyone. It’s just that the changes happening to her body were too sudden, and science couldn’t explain them.
“Yeah, I forgive you. But you have to be honest with me.”
He smiled gently, then nodded and looked into her eyes as he said that.
“What I’m going to say next… don’t be scared.”
Lin Muqing put away her smile and looked very serious. She stared into Ye Ziming’s eyes and said in a steady tone.
“I won’t be scared. Go ahead.”
Seeing the serious look on her face, Ye Ziming found it hard to keep a straight face, she looked more cute than serious.
Still, he did his best to act serious too, not wanting to upset her.
“My little brother ran away from home.”
“…Who is your little brother?”
She raised an eyebrow and paused before asking.
“Not who! I mean every guy’s little brother! You know that thing down there!”
“?!”
Lin Muqing’s voice suddenly got louder and more flustered. She even pointed at Ye Ziming’s crotch, and looked like she might poke it! That wasn’t just surprise anymore. Ye Ziming was actually a little freaked out.
Then came the long part, Lin Muqing started telling him a story. A story about how she woke up one morning and had turned into a girl.
After hearing it, Ye Ziming thought it sounded too crazy to believe. He wasn’t quite convinced.
But then he remembered reading about a real case, someone who lived as a man for many years and only later realized they were actually a woman. Thinking about the jade pendant Lin Muqing always wore, and the fact that she had already admitted it could make her appear as a guy, made him feel something strange was going on.
“Boss, you’re the only person I’ve told about this.”
As Ye Ziming sat there thinking, Lin Muqing hesitated for a moment, then quietly said this with a worried look. Before telling him, she had gone over this in her mind many times.
And she had already decided, if there was one person she could trust with this secret, it would be Ye Ziming.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
Looking at Lin Muqing beside him, Ye Ziming gave her a comforting look and smiled as he said that.
The fact that she was willing to share something like this with him showed how much she trusted him. Thinking about that made him feel a little touched.
“Mhm.”
Hearing his reply, Lin Muqing smiled again. Her guess was right, her good buddy was someone she could trust. Sigh, no doubt about it, he really was her best buddy. Lin Muqing had chosen the right person. She even felt like she could lean on him for the rest of her life.
“Have you been to the hospital to get checked?”
While thinking, he suddenly thought of something. He frowned and softly asked, “You haven’t gone to the hospital?”
“…No.”
Just as Lin Muqing was feeling touched, Ye Ziming's question interrupted her thoughts.
Then, she noticed a change in his expression. He stared at her for a few seconds before raising his hand toward her forehead. She instinctively tried to dodge, but his arms were long—she failed to avoid it.
Feeling his hand, Lin Muqing answered honestly.
“Tomorrow, come to the hospital with me for a check-up.”
He moved his hand away from her forehead, and while he was at it, he gently touched her cheek and neck. He was just checking if she had a fever, and also to see if she still had an Adam’s apple. That was all.
“…Do we have to?” [surprised.jpg]
During the summer break, she had actually thought about going to the hospital for a check-up. But what if they found something not normal? Wouldn’t that be a disaster? She didn’t want to be treated like a weirdo and dragged off to become some science experiment!
“Leave it to me. It’ll be fine.”
With just one glance, Ye Ziming could tell why Lin Muqing was panicking.
“But—”
“That hospital was funded by my parents. Other than people I trust, no one will find out about your secret.”
Before Lin Muqing could finish speaking, he calmly added this.
Although he said “funded,” in other people’s eyes, the hospital basically belonged to his family.
“…Uhh, okay then.”
Listening to this kind of power move, Lin Muqing didn’t know how to respond. She just opened her mouth wide and stared at him with big round eyes. It felt like she didn’t even have the right to say no.
In fact, faced with such a confident and forceful Ye Ziming, she couldn’t even get the word “no” out of her mouth.
She didn’t give a clear yes, but to Ye Ziming, that was already her agreeing.
So after that, Ye Ziming began explaining the kinds of medical tests he planned to have her take tomorrow.
“Uh… let’s just do whatever you arrange for tomorrow then.”
After talking for a bit, Lin Muqing quickly gave up resisting. She didn’t understand anything about this kind of body check. Ever since she was young, the only check-ups she’d done were the ones at school. Other than that, she knew nothing.
“Okay.”
Nodding in agreement, Ye Ziming stood up from the sofa and walked toward his room.
Lin Muqing didn’t need to be told to know. He was heading to the bathroom to shower.
She stayed on the sofa, playing with her phone.
After telling her biggest secret to her best bro, Lin Muqing actually felt strangely relieved. Maybe it was because the heavy burden on her heart had finally been lifted.
Also, Ye Ziming’s calm reaction was far beyond what she had expected.
Since he could stay so calm, what reason did she have to keep freaking out? So let it be.
By the way, she really was curious about the changes in her body.
If she ever had the chance, she actually really wanted to get herself checked. What she was most curious about was whether that thing called the Y chromosome was still inside her body.
If it was still there…
Did that mean she could still turn back someday?
Lying back on the sofa, Lin Muqing stared at the ceiling and thought.