Chapter 133: The Three Rules
As soon as the jade pendant was removed, Lin Muqing’s body started to change quickly. First, her hair grew longer, past her shoulders and down to her waist.
Next, two small bumps appeared on her chest. If she were a boy, they wouldn’t be considered small. But unfortunately, she wasn’t a boy.
Seeing these changes in Lin Muqing, Ye Ziming remembered what the doctor had told him, and he couldn’t help but frown slightly. Malnutrition could really affect development.
Based on the data he had, Lin Muqing had "grown up" a bit over the summer break, but it still wasn’t quite enough, or rather there was still room for improvement, especially if she could get better nutrition.
“Is this okay now?”
Holding the jade pendant in her hand, her lips pressed together in a straight line, Lin Muqing looked a little shy.
Even though her good buddy already knew this secret, she still felt embarrassed when she thought about how he said he wanted to live with a girl. Even if she had taken off the jade pendant, she still felt like a tough guy inside.
“Yes, it’s fine.”
Snapping out of his thoughts, Ye Ziming nodded in satisfaction, thinking that this version of Lin Muqing was cuter.
He could understand her wearing the pendant outside. But if she still wore it at home and in front of him, he wouldn’t be happy. After she took off the jade pendant, his expression softened, his eyes even looked gentler. Lin Muqing noticed this subtle change and felt a bit confused in her heart. She couldn’t help but think of a phrase: double standard.
Hmm… is there really a difference?
That thought made Lin Muqing a bit uncomfortable. Her cheeks puffed out slightly—she didn’t like being treated differently. Did looking like a boy mean she wasn’t still herself?
Yes… and no.
Ye Ziming smiled slightly. He noticed her puffed-up cheeks and realized she misunderstood what he meant. He silently sighed, she still hadn’t fully accepted her real gender.
But to be fair, he did have that kind of thought in his heart. Compared to the version of Lin Muqing wearing the jade pendant, he really preferred her without it.
“In my eyes, there’s no difference. But to help you better understand and accept who you really are, I’m going to set three ground rules for you.”
Just as Lin Muqing was about to complain, Ye Ziming spoke up first.
He raised three fingers and gave a mischievous smile. It was obvious he was about to do something playful.
“Huh? Understand myself?”
Still feeling a little unhappy, Lin Muqing frowned and asked, puzzled, “Aren’t I already me? What’s there to understand?”
“That’s right,” Ye Ziming nodded with a smile.
“I’m just me, what’s there to figure out?” she muttered in confusion. She didn’t get what he meant at all.
“You’re a girl now, at least physically. Have you really thought about that?”
Ye Ziming asked slowly and patiently.
“I…”
She was stuck. She had kind of realized it, but not fully. Deep down, she still felt like she should be a boy.
“I don’t know what the future holds. But right now, you’re 100% a girl. And you shouldn’t keep living like a boy.”
“But—”
“I know it’s not easy to accept this kind of thing right away, so I’ll help you. What you need to do is try to get used to your new life, not stay stuck in the past.”
As he said this, he gently placed his hand on Lin Muqing’s head and spoke softly to comfort her.
In some ways, he could understand how Lin Muqing was feeling right now. But for her sake, and his own, he had to do this. Otherwise, seeing someone who looked like a boy walking around him all day would affect his quality of life. After all, he was a normal teenage boy, almost an adult, full of energy, of course he couldn’t be into boys.
“Umm~”
With her head down, thinking about everything, Lin Muqing let out a few small, cute sounds. She was a bit troubled. What her buddy just said made a lot of sense, and she didn’t know how to argue against it.
Also, she knew that even if she tried to argue, she probably wouldn’t win, since she wasn’t assertive enough and would end up getting overruled.
Playing with her fingers while thinking, she still wanted to turn back into a boy someday. She had no plans of living the rest of her life as a girl.
“Now, let’s talk about the three ground rules.”
Smiling, Ye Ziming looked at her reaction, then gently pulled her closer to him, ready to get serious. Since she had lowered her head and started thinking, it meant she had listened to his words, which meant they were working.
“Huh?” She looked up in surprise, eyes wide, turning her head toward her buddy.
Then she noticed her good buddy had put his arm around her shoulders. The two of them were very close, so close that their bodies were touching. Realizing this, Lin Muqing started feeling a bit shy and tried to pull away.
But Ye Ziming’s grip was strong. She tried moving away twice and couldn’t.
“To help you better, I think setting three ground rules is really necessary. Of course, you can think I’m being selfish, I don’t care.”
He smiled softly. The more Lin Muqing tried to move away, the more he wouldn’t let her. At the same time, he felt a bit satisfied seeing her react like a shy girl.
If she truly saw herself as a boy, why would she be so uncomfortable with some casual physical closeness between “guys”? Also, he noticed that even though she tried to move her body away a little, she didn’t really resist or push him away.
After trying and failing to move, she gave up and quietly let him hold her.
“G-Go ahead…”
After hesitating a little and thinking about the pros and cons, Lin Muqing chose to go along with him. She figured as long as his rules weren’t too over the top, she could accept them.
“First, no wearing the jade pendant at home. Unless absolutely necessary, you shouldn’t pretend to be a boy.”
Raising one finger, Ye Ziming said this with a smile.
“Okay.”
She nodded. Because of what they talked about earlier, she was a bit more mentally prepared, so this rule seemed acceptable.
“Second, except when going to school or in special situations, you’re not allowed to wear boys’ clothes. If I see them, I’ll throw them away.”
Raising a second finger, Ye Ziming said this seriously.
This was important, the kind of rule you underline in red and take notes on!
“Huh? Why?”
Lin Muqing didn’t like this. Not being allowed to wear the jade was one thing, but now she couldn’t wear boys’ clothes? What was she supposed to wear, dresses every day? She was a tough guy after all, at least in her mind!
Asking a tough guy to wear dresses all the time was that polite? Was that okay? Was that fair?
“Haha~ I think you misunderstood something.”
Seeing her strong reaction, Ye Ziming chuckled, then slowly added.
“I’m not asking you for your opinion, I’m telling you my rules. That’s all.”