Chapter 231: Facing Off Against the "Flower Thief"
It was exhausting, so many things had happened in just one morning.
The most overwhelming part was hearing from her good buddy that now she was truly a real girl, the kind who could have children.
After finding out about this, Lin Muqing suddenly felt insecure, as if one day she might end up walking into a hospital with a big belly.
She was really panicking.
Oh right, she also remembered that yesterday morning, before breakfast, her mom held her hand, handed her a small box, and said,
"Girls need to protect themselves when they go out, understand?"
At that moment, she was a bit emotional, staring at that very familiar-looking small box, feeling extremely awkward.
Why did it look familiar? Because on the first night of vacation, she had seen a lot of them in her good buddy’s room.
Thinking back now, did her mom mean “protect yourself” as in “be careful about contraception”?!
Terrifying!
While she was still thinking about this, the bell rang for class, and the morning reading session began.
She quietly glanced at her good buddy and saw that he had already taken out his book and started reading, so she also took out her book and joined in.
As for that strange topic from earlier, Ye Ziming had only mentioned it casually.
After seeing the kitten’s reaction and realizing she might blow up again, he decided not to continue.
Until the end of the morning reading session, he didn’t bring it up again. After all, having children was still too early a topic for Lin Muqing.
“Big Bro, want me to get water for you?”
As long as her good buddy didn’t say weird things, Lin Muqing would still act like usual, fetching water during the break and helping him out.
“Mm.”
With a calm expression, Ye Ziming casually took out his water bottle and naturally handed it to her.
It all seemed very natural. After taking the bottle, Lin Muqing stood up and walked out of the classroom.
But what felt natural to her didn’t look that way to others.
Whether boys or girls, her classmates were giving strange looks to both Lin Muqing and Ye Ziming, who was still sitting and reading.
She could feel those strange gazes, but she ignored them, knowing there was nothing she could do about it.
She could only sigh inside.
Outside the classroom, by the water dispenser, because she had come right after class ended, she didn’t need to wait in line. She quickly filled the bottle and was ready to head back.
Just as she turned around to leave, Meng Wenwu suddenly jumped out and blocked her path.
“What are you doing?”
At first glance, Lin Muqing felt a bit guilty and nervous.
But then she remembered she was his little aunt, and her good buddy was behind her. She quickly regained her confidence, no reason to be scared of this guy.
“I want to talk to you.”
With a sunny-boy smile, Meng Wenwu spoke softly.
“Oh? Then talk.”
Staring into the “flower thief’s” eyes, Lin Muqing replied calmly.
“This isn’t a good place to talk.”
Meng Wenwu gestured toward the people near the water dispenser.
“Fine.”
Giving him a subtle up-and-down glance, Lin Muqing knew what he meant. After thinking for a moment, she followed him to a quieter spot.
This “flower thief” looked tall and strong, about 1.7 meters, but Lin Muqing wasn’t intimidated.
After working at the café for so long, even if she didn’t have her older sisters’ level of combat skills, she had still learned a thing or two. Dealing with him wouldn’t be a problem.
Soon, the two of them reached a more secluded place. Meng Wenwu turned to face her and opened with just two words:
“Lin Muqing.”
“Get to the point.”
Round one — a tie.
“Heh… same name, same face, and so close with Brother Ye. Are you a guy pretending to be a girl, or a girl pretending to be a guy?”
One after another, Meng Wenwu laid out his theories, full of confidence, narrowing his eyes at Lin Muqing as if he had already seen through her disguise.
“I…”
She said one word, paused for a moment, looking like she was flustered, but in fact just organizing her thoughts.
“Oh?”
Seeing Lin Muqing’s reaction, Meng Wenwu’s smile grew wider, as if he had already won the final victory.
“I’m your aunt! Show some respect!”
Pointing at the “flower thief’s” nose, Lin Muqing frowned and spoke with a serious tone.
Meng Wenwu froze.
“And Ye Ziming is my brother. Watch your family ranking!”
Crossing her arms and raising her chin, Lin Muqing’s aura was more than enough.
Lin Muqing thought, ‘Hmph, I said it already, bullying him is no problem.’
The air suddenly turned quiet. Meng Wenwu was stunned again, so round two was Lin Muqing’s complete win.
“Heh… so you’re admitting that you’re a girl pretending to be a boy at school?”
After losing to her again, Meng Wenwu felt frustrated and also a little anxious.
Because of that anxiety, he didn’t notice that Lin Muqing had said “brother” instead of “boyfriend.”
“So what?”
Since she had already expected to be exposed, Lin Muqing wasn’t nervous and shot back directly.
“As far as I know, no one in this school knows you’re a girl pretending to be a boy, right? If I tell everyone—”
In round three, Meng Wenwu went straight for his ultimate move to try to regain the upper hand.
“Then I’ll tell my cousins that you bullied me.”
Lin Muqing still stayed calm, confidently saying she’d go tell on him.
After the temple fair incident, the three Lin brothers were wary of Meng Wenwu. They told Lin Muqing that if he ever tried anything, she should just come to them. They had even rushed to the south side of the city at night to confront and warn people.
Meng Wenwu froze again. He still remembered clearly what happened at the temple fair.
“Wait… could it be that they already know you’re a girl pretending to be a boy at school?”
Frowning, Meng Wenwu had to admit he had miscalculated. He didn’t expect that the seemingly weak Lin Muqing was actually a tough opponent.
Looks like he had kicked an iron wall.
“Uh—”
Hearing this, Lin Muqing suddenly froze. Wait… she might have overlooked something.
Sure, she could tattle on him, but doing that wouldn’t be without consequences. Wouldn’t her parents and brothers also find out her secret?
Uh-oh, that’s a big problem.
“Oh? Looks like they don’t know yet. If I tell them, what do you think will happen?”
At the key moment, Meng Wenwu noticed the change in her expression.
He regained his confidence, ready to use this as the start of a new round of attack.
“You’re trying to threaten me?”
Frowning slightly, Lin Muqing asked in a displeased tone.
“Mm, that’s a good idea.”
Wearing the smile of a classic villain, Meng Wenwu nodded and spoke happily.
Now that he finally had the upper hand, he couldn’t have been more pleased. He was just short of laughing maniacally at the sky.
Unfortunately, he once again underestimated Lin Muqing. She suddenly widened her eyes, pointed to the sky behind him, and shouted.
“Look! A UFO!”
Throwing out those words, Lin Muqing immediately turned on her heels and ran.
Lin Muqing: What? Checkmate? Fine, I’ll just flip the chessboard.