Chapter 185: Hidden Attribute
It was a strange thing.
Before going to sleep, Lin Muqing had wrapped herself tightly in her blanket and even took a few small “precautions.” But in the middle of the night, she would always somehow end up crawling into her best friend’s side and hugging his arm.
What was the logic behind this?
Right now, while getting her butt smacked, Lin Muqing couldn’t figure it out no matter how much she thought.
“Wuwuwu… Boss, are you addicted to spanking me or something?”
By the tenth smack, she couldn’t help but speak up, hoping her best friend would let her go.
She really wanted to go to the bathroom!
“…Not bad.”
Hearing her complaint, Ye Ziming’s raised palm paused for a moment before he snapped out of a strange daze.
He looked at Lin Muqing’s perky little butt, then at his own hand. Honestly speaking, the feeling was amazing. If he could, he wouldn’t mind a few more.
But reasoning kicked in. He gave her one final smack, then let out a faint smile and gave an honest evaluation.
Lin Muqing climbed off the bed, picked up her shorts, and quickly pulled them on. She turned to glare at Ye Ziming once, then ran straight to the bathroom.
As she turned away, her adorable little face was covered with a thin blush. That pouty, shy look was so cute and tempting that Ye Ziming felt his heart itch, like a little cat was scratching inside.
He didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but when he spanked Lin Muqing earlier, it seemed like… she didn’t really dislike it.
And he noticed something else, after the spanking, her blush changed. It wasn’t just embarrassment. It looked almost… excited.
“Hiss… could this be her hidden attribute?”
Ye Ziming sucked in a quiet breath, replaying the scene in his head.
He didn’t have enough evidence yet. But from what he saw, there might be a hint of something there… Maybe he could observe more. Or try to “develop” it.
Who knows, maybe he’d unlock a completely unexpected attribute.
“Ugh… does it really feel that good? I can’t tell at all…”
In the bathroom, after relieving herself, Lin Muqing didn’t put her shorts back on right away.
Instead, she stood by the toilet, rubbing her sore butt.
After testing it a bit, she puffed up her cheeks in confusion, looking at her own butt and mumbling to herself.
The little “incident” quickly passed. Not long after, they both finished washing up and went downstairs for breakfast.
Today felt like another wonderful day.
Under Ye Ziming’s strict plan, Lin Muqing felt like the entire day was way too busy. She spent all day doing homework, and by the end, she felt like she was either going to turn into a stack of homework… or turn into Ye Ziming himself.
“Ahhh… Boss, just think of me as a salted fish that can’t flip over. I don’t want to move anymore…”
By evening, after finally finishing all her math, physics, and chemistry homework, Lin Muqing collapsed onto the bed like she’d lost her soul.
It was the first time in her life she’d done that much homework in one go. She felt completely stuffed full.
Her phone was lying next to her, and the computer nearby was on, but she had no desire to touch either of them. Because a salted fish doesn’t feel like playing.
“Don’t want to move?”
After helping her pack up her textbooks, Ye Ziming stood at the bedside, looking at the exhausted Lin Muqing. He felt amused and asked softly.
“Not… at all.”
Staring blankly at the ceiling, Lin Muqing didn’t even turn her head to look at him. Right now, she just wanted to lie there quietly.
“Aunt Lin came to our house.”
“Huh?”
“She heard that you’ve been studying seriously and personally made a bunch of dumplings.”
“…Really?!”
“I guess the dumplings are already steamed.”
“Wow, steamed dumplings! I have to go check!”
The moment she heard that, Lin Muqing sprang up from the bed like a revived salted fish. She quickly slipped on her pink slippers and rushed toward the stairs.
Seeing her so excited, Ye Ziming chuckled softly, picked up his phone, and followed her downstairs. Thinking back, he realized he only needed three sentences to turn a lifeless salted fish into a lively, bouncing kitten.
In the Ye family’s living room, the Lin family and Ye family were sitting on the sofa chatting.
Meng Yue and Li Muning were in the kitchen cooking.
It was rare for everyone to have a day off, so Li Muning suggested inviting the neighbors, the Lin family, over for a meal.
So now the kitchen was busy not only with steamed dumplings but also with a table full of other delicious dishes.
Li Muning had another little plan in mind, she wanted Lin Muqing to get more familiar with the Lin family, helping things along a little.
“Boss, should I go change my clothes?”
Happily running down the stairs, Lin Muqing froze when she saw guests in the living room. She suddenly felt a bit nervous, thinking that her home clothes might not be appropriate.
Ye Ziming, who was coming down the stairs behind her, glanced at her and then at the guests. He smiled and said, “No need, this outfit is already really cute.”
“It is not cute!”
Her face felt hot as she glared at him, pouting in frustration. She huffed, puffed out her cheeks, shot him one last glare, and turned toward the kitchen.
To her surprise, when Meng Yue saw her enter the kitchen, she didn’t ask her to help. Instead, she shooed her out.
“No need to help here. Go sit on the sofa and rest, okay? Be good.”
At 1.7 meters tall, Meng Yue gently pushed Lin Muqing out of the kitchen, patting her head with a smile.
On one hand, she knew Lin Muqing had been studying all day and must be exhausted. On the other hand… Lin Cong, the head of the Lin family, was sitting on the sofa. She wanted Lin Muqing to go meet him.
“Aunt Lin just feels sorry for you. Go on.”
Ye Ziming appeared just in time, whispering softly to Lin Muqing at the kitchen door.
He exchanged a glance with Meng Yue and led Lin Muqing away.
Lin Muqing didn’t protest. She glanced at her best friend and obediently followed him to the sofa.
Only then did she realize that the “guests” were the Lin family from nearby.
With one look, she recognized the three Lin brothers.
Earlier, they’d had their backs to her, so she didn’t notice them right away. As for the unfamiliar but somewhat familiar-looking middle-aged man, she guessed that must be Lin Cong, the head of the Lin family.
“Little sister, long time no see.”
Lin Muqing had just sat down next to her best friend, still unsure who was who, when a voice suddenly spoke.
She turned her head, and sure enough, it was Lin Qiwen, the third Lin brother, looking at her with a grin.
“Who’s your little sister?”
Lin Muqing was immediately annoyed. She didn’t want anyone calling her that. But since there were a lot of people here, she couldn’t say too much. All she could do was glare at Lin Qiwen.
What she didn’t expect was that her glare only made him grin even wider, clearly amused. Then the other two brothers also came over, one by one, like clocking in for work, each taking their turn calling her little sister.
Lin Muqing: Boss… can I throw them out?