Chapter 115: Keep It Up
“Come on, tell me?” In the restroom, Mo Ziyang looked at Xiao Luyu with interest.
“Uh… this…” Xiao Luyu scratched his head awkwardly.
“Actually, there’s not much… probably just one or two days ago, that’s when it happened.”
“Didn’t expect this. You’ve never dated before, but you’re actually pretty good at flirting.” Hearing Xiao Luyu’s words, even Mo Ziyang was surprised.
Counting the days, from the time Xiao Luyu said he wanted to chase Yu Xiaoxiao until now, it had barely been any time at all. When Mo Ziyang chased Lin Muxi, it didn’t go this fast.
But thinking about it, maybe only a pure, blank-slate girl like Yu Xiaoxiao could be won over by a blockhead like him.
Mo Ziyang gave a complicated look at the silly Xiao Luyu scratching his head, then sighed.
“You’re joking, Brother Mo…” Xiao Luyu was already so embarrassed he wanted to find a hole and hide in it.
“Alright, since you’ve made up your mind, take responsibility. I believe you’re not the type to play around.”
While the two guys kept teasing each other, Lin Muxi was busy whispering non-stop into Yu Xiaoxiao’s ear.
“Hey hey, tell me, how far have you and Xiao Luyu gone?” Sitting beside Yu Xiaoxiao, Lin Muxi’s face was full of ‘Hurry, tell me! I want gossip!’.
Even though Xiaoxiao said just now that Xiao Luyu was only asking her questions about homework, Lin Muxi could tell something was off. Especially that shy, head-lowered expression, how could that be called tutoring?
Sure, Lin Muxi could be dumb in other things, but she wasn’t dumb enough to be fooled when it was so obvious.
As for Yu Xiaoxiao, the reason she didn’t want to tell Lin Muxi was simple. She was afraid Lin Muxi would tease her every single day. Especially after seeing how Mo Ziyang often made Lin Muxi blush red like crazy, Xiaoxiao was even more determined to keep it secret.
If the same thing happened to her, she couldn’t take it, unlike Sister Lin, she didn’t have that thick skin.
Thinking this, Yu Xiaoxiao quickly denied it.
“No, I didn’t. We’re just… pretty good friends, that’s all…” Forcing herself to stay calm, she tried hard to act natural.
“Really… just friends?” Lin Muxi squinted her eyes a little, showing a mischievous look like a little devil.
Thanks to her good bro, she now understood this shy expression too well.
But Yu Xiaoxiao stuck to her attitude of ‘Ask whatever you want, I won’t say anything’. No matter how hard Lin Muxi tried, she wouldn’t admit it. She firmly insisted that she and Xiao Luyu were only good friends, and there was absolutely, absolutely nothing romantic between them.
At first, Lin Muxi had been confident, but after a while even she started to doubt herself, wondering if maybe she had misunderstood.
“No way… so Xiao Luyu didn’t chase you?” Lin Muxi asked again, still unwilling to give up.
“Uh… well, he did chase me.”
“But since the big exam is coming soon, I told him we should focus on studying first…” Yu Xiaoxiao answered, pretending to sigh helplessly.
Hearing her explanation, Lin Muxi was convinced and finally let her go.
“I thought Xiao Luyu had already won you over…”
Not getting the juicy gossip she wanted, Lin Muxi lay on the desk looking disappointed, secretly complaining in her heart. How had Xiao Luyu not managed to win Yu Xiaoxiao in a whole week?
Yu Xiaoxiao found this side of Sister Lin funny. If this had been the old Sister Lin, she would rather spend her time reading books than care about gossip.
“Sister Lin, really… instead of asking about this, you should use your time to study.”
“No way. I already know everything. This time I only brought pens and pencils.”
Seeing her like this, Yu Xiaoxiao could only place her own book in the middle and pull Lin Muxi, who still looked reluctant, to review together.
Full of energy and fighting spirit, Yu Xiaoxiao formed a huge contrast with Lin Muxi, who sat beside her with a completely lazy vibe.
But since her best bro wasn’t around, Lin Muxi couldn’t resist Yu Xiaoxiao’s pull and just leaned lightly against her, lazily looking at a book.
It wasn’t until Mo Ziyang and Xiao Luyu came back into the hall that Lin Muxi suddenly changed her state, sat up straight, and waved excitedly to her bro.
After all, sitting here and reading was boring, and when her bro left, he even took her phone away under the excuse of telling her to review properly with Yu Xiaoxiao.
So now, since she really didn’t want to study, Lin Muxi was just hoping her bro would come back quickly to keep her company.
As soon as Mo Ziyang sat back down next to her, Lin Muxi leaned in eagerly and stretched out her hand.
“Where’s my phone?”
“You still want your phone? The exam is coming up soon. Did you study properly while I was gone?”
Instead of getting her phone back, she got a flick on the forehead. Lin Muxi covered her head and looked at Mo Ziyang with a pitiful, unwilling expression in her eyes.
“I did study… If you don’t believe me, ask Xiaoxiao.”
The moment Lin Muxi said that, Yu Xiaoxiao, who was reading beside them, suddenly felt a chill run through her as if something dangerous had locked on to her.
When she turned her head, she saw both Lin Muxi and Mo Ziyang staring at her. Lin Muxi’s pleading look was one thing, but Mo Ziyang’s sharp, serious gaze was enough to make her scalp go numb.
“Yu Xiaoxiao, tell me the truth. Did Lin Muxi study properly just now?”
Mo Ziyang asked in a cold tone that carried a hint of stern questioning, making Yu Xiaoxiao shiver on the spot.
Sorry, Sister Lin… it’s not that I don’t want to help you. It’s just… your boyfriend is way too scary.
Yu Xiaoxiao silently mourned for her friend, but after only a moment, she gave up on protecting her “bestie” and decided to tell Mo Ziyang the truth.
“Um… well, Sister Lin was… slacking off just now…”
“Lin Muxi.” Mo Ziyang spoke calmly, turning his dark eyes toward his silly little girlfriend.
“Eek—!”
Feeling that stare, Lin Muxi panicked and tried to run. But before she could escape, her bro grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back.
“C-Can I still apologize now…?”
Shaking nervously in his grip, Lin Muxi’s small face showed clear panic. She kept apologizing over and over with a forced smile, trying to please him.
Mo Ziyang couldn’t help feeling both angry and amused. Her “instant flip-face” reaction was so textbook that it was funny.
Then he said calmly, “For the next two days before the exam, you won’t be getting your phone back. I’ll keep it with me.”
“What! That’s not fair!”
Hearing this “verdict,” Lin Muxi’s whole energy visibly dropped. Without her phone, how was she supposed to survive the next two days? She’d be bored to death at night.
Ever since her bro had spent money on her games, she’d been happily fighting battles online every night, completely hooked.
But Mo Ziyang also knew that if he just took away her phone like this, it might affect her exam mood.
So seeing how down she looked, he quickly added, “But if you focus on the exams these days, I’ll consider buying you a computer afterwards. Or a tablet.”
“What? Really?!”
Lin Muxi’s face instantly lit up. Her gloomy expression changed into pure excitement, and her eyes sparkled like little stars.
Those nights at school, while scrolling on her phone, Lin Muxi found a tablet she liked. But the price made her frown, more than six thousand for the tablet, plus hundreds for the pen, and over two thousand for the small keyboard. That’s basically robbery!
So, without hesitation, Lin Muxi agreed to her bro’s request. She sat down next to Yu Xiaoxiao and started reading classical texts with her, which left Xiao Luyu staring in surprise.
“Brother Mo… why do I feel like sister-in-law is getting more and more childish?”
Standing next to Mo Ziyang, Xiao Luyu glanced at Lin Muxi while asking. From time to time, a bit of envy showed in his eyes.
If possible… he also wished that Yu Xiaoxiao could one day have the same little-wife qualities as Lin Muxi.
Hearing that, Mo Ziyang couldn’t help but look a bit proud.
“If only she could fix that stubborn mouth of hers, then she’d be perfect.”
And so, as the group chatted, time slowly passed. Soon, the big hall that could hold nearly a thousand people was filled with the crowd.
Then a bell suddenly broke through the lively atmosphere.
“Students, please line up in order, have your documents ready, and head into the exam rooms.”
Lin Muxi turned her head to look at her bro, as if asking for his opinion.
“Let’s go. It won’t be good if we’re late.” Mo Ziyang patted her head lightly.
“Brother Mo, you go first. Xiaoxiao and I will wait until the line gets shorter.”
Xiao Luyu quickly spoke up when he saw Mo Ziyang and Lin Muxi about to leave.
The meaning was obvious, he just didn’t want them two around, or else it’d be hard for him to make his move. Mo Ziyang shot him a glare and ignored him, pulling Lin Muxi toward the exit.
Keeping her in front of him, he guided her through the crowded hall and out the doors, arriving at the teaching building surrounded by barricades.
At the entrance, staff were already checking exam admission cards before letting students in. Inside, the classrooms were also being inspected.
“Mo Ziyang…”
For some reason, seeing this scene made Lin Muxi nervous. Without thinking, she pressed close to Mo Ziyang.
Of course, Mo Ziyang noticed. But instead of teasing her like he usually did, he pulled her into his arms and gently stroked her head.
“Believe in yourself, Lin Muxi.”
“Mm…” Lin Muxi clung tightly to him for a while before finally letting go.
“You too, do your best. I mean it, if you don’t pass, I’ll really go find someone else.”
She lifted her head to look at him, but for some reason, her nose suddenly stung, and she felt like crying.
“What’s this? It’s not even a big deal, why are you crying?”
Mo Ziyang froze when he saw Lin Muxi’s slightly red eyes. He clearly hadn’t expected this silly girl to tear up all of a sudden.
After a moment of surprise, he gently wiped away her tears with his fingers.
“No… it’s nothing. I don’t even know why… You go first, I’ll wash my face.”
Lin Muxi rubbed her eyes herself, confused about why her tears had suddenly fallen after saying those words. Her heart just felt heavy.
Although she didn’t want to admit it, deep down she really hoped Mo Ziyang could do well enough to go to the same university as her. Those words just now were only meant to scare her bro a little.
If he really didn’t score as well as she did, she would still choose the same university as him.
Because, in the end… as long as they could be together, that was enough.