Chapter 204: Just to Be with You
Lin Muqing was very torn. Both her good buddy and her family were very important to her. She didn’t want to let go of either one.
“It’s okay. We can go out tomorrow or the day after instead,”
Ye Ziming said gently, patting her little head when he saw her looking conflicted.
“You… you don’t mind? That I canceled on you like this?”
“Of course not. I told you before, the birthday gift I want most… is you.”
As he finished patting her head, he gently touched her cheek too, looking into her eyes with a soft and serious expression.
Ye Ziming had already expected this might happen, so he wasn’t surprised when it did.
In fact, he thought it wasn’t a bad thing at all. If the date was postponed, it meant Lin Muqing would wear her cute little dress for one more day. Either way, it was a win for him!
“Then… I’ll make it up to you next time.”
Lin Muqing didn’t know what Ye Ziming was really thinking. She just felt touched by his words, and her face started to feel a little hot.
A birthday gift… is me?
That sounded so weird… It made her feel like he had some strange thoughts about her.
“How will you make it up to me?”
As soon as Ye Ziming heard the words “make it up,” his eyes lit up like a hunter who just spotted prey. His smile turned a little mischievous.
“However you want… it’s up to you.”
Lowering her head shyly, Lin Muqing didn’t notice the strange look in Ye Ziming’s eyes. She thought for a moment and quietly answered.
She wasn’t sure how to make it up to him, so she figured it was easier to just let him decide. She trusted that he wouldn’t make her do anything weird.
“Deal.”
Ye Ziming’s lips curled into a smile, and his eyes narrowed with joy. He immediately accepted the offer, and in his mind, he was already thinking about what to ask her to do.
Speaking of which, he had bought a cosplay costume a while back. It was a catgirl outfit from an online game, a loli-style costume. He still hadn’t found a chance to get Lin Muqing to try it on…
After talking, the two of them arrived at the Ye family villa. They entered and went upstairs to pack her things.
“Oh yeah, Big Bro… how did you convince your mom to let you move in with me over there?”
While folding her clothes, Lin Muqing suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Ye Ziming, who was also packing.
She had actually been struggling with the idea before. On one hand, she wanted to listen to her mom and move in. But on the other hand, she didn’t want to leave her best friend behind.
If she had to suddenly move into a new, unfamiliar home, she might not feel comfortable.
(…She also had about a hundred other excuses.)
Well… the truth was, she just didn’t want to be apart from Ye Ziming. She felt much more at ease when he was around.
“I was worried you wouldn’t get used to living there alone. So I decided to go with you.”
Ye Ziming looked at Lin Muqing briefly and answered casually after thinking about it for a moment. Then he turned back around to continue packing.
He didn’t notice that after he said that, Lin Muqing’s eyes suddenly widened. Her little heart started beating fast, and her face began to heat up like a hot water bottle.
Last night, early this morning, and just now. He had been so gentle, always thinking about her.
She raised both hands to cover her cheeks. Something felt strange. Her mind was starting to go fuzzy.
Click!
“Little sis! We’re here to help you move!”
(Triple voice combo!)
Just as Lin Muqing was staring at Ye Ziming’s back with her heart full of emotion, the door suddenly burst open, and the three chaotic brothers made their entrance.
“Ahhh! Get out!!”
The touching moment was instantly replaced by anger. Lin Muqing felt shocked and super embarrassed, because at that exact moment, she was packing her underwear.
Ye Ziming had already guessed she would be doing that, which was why he turned his back while packing his own things.
Blushing from both shame and frustration, Lin Muqing shouted angrily at the three brothers, then—slam!—shut the door right in their faces.
She angrily locked the door, then turned around to continue packing her things. But the moment her eyes accidentally met her good buddy’s, her angry little face suddenly turned even redder.
“W-Why… are you looking at me like that?”
She felt that Ye Ziming’s expression was weird. It made her feel shy and awkward.
“Ahem… do you need help packing?”
Ye Ziming coughed twice to hide his own awkwardness. He pointed at the cute little undergarments scattered on the floor and tried to keep his face calm as he asked.
For a brief moment just now, he had seen a fierce tigress… but only for a second. Once the door slammed and Lin Muqing turned around, all he saw was a soft, adorable little kitten. He couldn’t help but be charmed by the cute contrast.
“Sure…”
Seeing that Ye Ziming had already packed his own stuff and offered to help, Lin Muqing thought for a bit, then agreed.
So the two of them squatted down together, face-to-face, and started picking up the small, cute undergarments that had gotten scattered all over the floor when Lin Muqing got startled earlier.
It was definitely a double standard. If Ye Ziming saw or even touched these items, she didn’t really mind. But if anyone else saw them, she would feel super embarrassed and probably react much more intensely than an average girl.
With Ye Ziming’s help, she quickly finished packing everything.
Besides her clothes, she also packed the gifts her mom gave her, and a few unopened presents from her three not-so-reliable brothers.
Meanwhile, outside the room…
Lin Qiwen was being scolded by his two older brothers for getting too excited and causing the door to be locked.
“You scared our little sister.”
Lin Zixuan glanced at the tightly shut door and casually gave his younger brother a jab.
“Tch! You were the one who opened the door!”
Lin Qiwen shot back unhappily.
“Anyway, you two better apologize to her later.”
As the oldest brother, Lin Yiming spoke calmly.
“Please, you were the first one to walk into the room.”
At that, all three brothers went silent, because if they really thought about it, none of them were innocent.
While they were quietly reflecting on their mistakes, the door suddenly opened again, and the little sister they had been waiting for appeared at the doorway.
“Ahem… Mom said you guys were going to help me move some stuff?”
Although they were her real brothers, Lin Muqing didn’t feel like she could just order them around, so she asked in a roundabout way.
“Of course! As long as you call me ‘big brother.’”
Lin Qiwen quickly responded, also saying what all three of them were hoping for.
“…Then I’ll just move it myself.”
Lin Muqing looked at her three brothers and still felt… not impressed.
To be honest, if they hadn’t acted so weird about the whole “call me brother” thing, she might’ve been willing to call them “Big Bro,” “Second Bro,” or “Third Bro.” But after seeing how they behaved… she really didn’t want to say it out loud.