My Best Friend is Actually a Cat-eared Maid at a Cafe! – Chapter 270

Chapter 270: Cannot Turn Back
Under Xiaomuqing’s nervous gaze, and with Ye Ziming’s serious stare, the young Taoist priest reacted quite calmly.
He raised one hand, casually scratched his butt, and then produced a QR code for payment from somewhere.
“There’s a lot I know, but a lot I cannot tell you.”
As he placed the payment code on the table, the young Taoist priest said with a smile.
The smile on his face was very casual, as if an elder Taoist priest was looking at a junior, with an air of old-fashionedness in his speech.
“Then tell me what you can.”
Seeing the payment code, Xiaomuqing’s eyelids twitched a couple of times. She thought this person was very suspicious.
He hadn’t even started talking business yet, and he was already asking for money?
“Sigh, young people these days are so impulsive.”
Seeing that Xiaomuqing hadn’t even taken out her phone, the young Taoist priest sighed, then crossed his legs and took out a bottle of ice-cold cola from somewhere.
He first opened the cola, took a big gulp in front of the two people, and then let out a long, satisfied ‘ahhh’.
Seeing this, both Xiaomuqing and Ye Ziming felt that this person was very unreliable, looking more and more like a street scammer, someone who didn’t behave properly.
“Don’t rush, let me calculate. You encountered the problem about a year ago, during last year’s summer vacation, and then you woke up to find yourself like this. Am I right?”
Seeing that the two were showing a bit of impatience, the young Taoist priest smiled casually, then began to speak with his fingers closed and eyes shut.
“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right, master!”
After hearing this, Xiaomuqing’s spirits instantly lifted. She quickly replied and called him master.
This was the problem that had been bothering her!
…
Beside her, Ye Ziming looked at the excited Xiaomuqing, his eyes flitting for a moment before he remained silent. Then, he frowned and looked back at the Taoist priest.
“So, you want to turn back now, return to your previous life, right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
The young Taoist priest still had his eyes closed, counting on his fingers, speaking while taking a sip of ice-cold cola. His expression showed that he was very happy at that moment.
Xiaomuqing stood in front of him, nodding repeatedly, her eyes filled with unconcealable excitement.
“Actually, you were meant to be a girl all along. Didn’t you go to the hospital for a check-up? The chromosomes in your body determine your gender.”
“Ah!?”
“However, if you truly want to return to your previous life, it’s not impossible. It only requires… cough cough.”
Mid-sentence, the young Taoist priest opened his eyes, then put down the cola in his hand, pointed to the payment code, and then pointed to the price list beside it.
Xiaomuqing, who was in shock, quickly snapped back to reality. Then, as instructed by the Taoist priest, she transferred two thousand yuan to him.
Ah, her heart ached. This was money she had worked hard for many days to earn! Boohoo.
(Actually, it was the pocket money her brother gave her some time ago.)
“This young lady is quite sensible.”
Hearing the payment notification from his phone, the young Taoist priest’s eyes curved into crescent moons. His gaze was like that of a wolf spotting a plump sheep.
“Hurry up and tell me!”
Slamming her hands on the table, Xiaomuqing couldn’t care about anything else now. As long as she could get the method to turn back, she was willing to spend any amount of money.
“Cough, cough, this method is very simple. Just bring that Jade Pendant over, and I’ll fix it for you to use again. Although the effect will be a bit worse than before, since you broke it…”
The young Taoist priest continued speaking, and Xiaomuqing listened intently.
Meanwhile, Ye Ziming pondered how to deal with the Jade Pendant that was ‘no longer useful’.
However, he soon realized that the Taoist priest had said Xiaomuqing was naturally a girl. That meant the Jade Pendant’s function was to conceal her true gender.
Coincidentally, just as Xiaomuqing was exchanging contact information and thinking about how to bring the Jade Pendant to him for repair, the urban management officers arrived.
“Alright, it’s you again, out here scamming people, right? Stop right there!”
“It wasn’t me, I didn’t do that, don’t talk nonsense!”
Amidst this peculiar interaction, the young Taoist priest swiftly folded up the table. Before anyone could react, he was already far away.
This smooth operation clearly indicated a high level of skill.
Seeing this, the suddenly appearing urban management officer didn’t pursue him further but stood there cursing.
“Tch! Damn it, runs faster than a rabbit. I’ll catch you sooner or later…”
After listening to a few curses, Xiaomuqing realized that the urban management officer wasn’t giving up the chase, but was instead abandoning it because they had tried to catch him several times and couldn’t even catch a glimpse of him.
After cursing for a while, the urban management officer turned to Xiaomuqing and asked in the gentlest tone possible:
“Little girl, did he ask you to transfer money to him? If so, don’t believe him, he’s a con artist…”
“Uh…”
This was incredibly awkward. Xiaomuqing was treated like a child and given a lecture on “scam prevention.”
She had already transferred two thousand yuan, but she didn’t dare to say it.
With a cute smile, she nodded several times and said “Mm-hmm, I understand” a few times before the urban management uncle finally left.
Now, the Taoist priest was gone, and the urban management officer had also left, leaving Xiaomuqing still standing there, stunned and at a loss.
“Boss, what… what do we do now?”
Unable to figure out what to do, Xiaomuqing turned to her good brother behind her, seeking some help.
Her understanding was also a bit different from Ye Ziming’s. She still believed she could turn back, as long as she gave the Jade Pendant to that Taoist priest for repair.
“Let’s go home. We’ll talk about it later.”
Seeing the confusion in Xiaomuqing’s eyes, Ye Ziming petted her head and prepared to take her home.
But Xiaomuqing wanted to stay. She was thinking about waiting for the Taoist priest to return.
Unable to persuade her, Ye Ziming reluctantly led her to a stone bench not far away.
Here, he needed to have a good talk with Xiaomuqing. Regarding the possibility of turning back, he had wanted to say something for a long time but had never found the opportunity.
And now, the opportunity was right in front of him.
“You still want to turn back?”
Sitting beside Xiaomuqing, Ye Ziming tilted his head and rested it on her shoulder. After a moment, he softly asked.
“Mm.”
Nodding, with a thoughtful expression, Xiaomuqing lowered her head and looked at the cup of milk tea in her hand.
As the initial excitement subsided, she gradually calmed down and began to think about many questions.
If she were to turn back, what would happen? Would her life still be as happy as it was now?
Everything she had now, she had gained after becoming a girl.
And she actually didn’t dislike this life, with so many people caring for her and loving her.
Thinking about it, she suddenly felt lost, because she didn’t even know why she wanted to turn back, or what benefits turning back would bring.
“He just said that you were meant to be a girl…”
The light was dim around them, and with Xiaomuqing’s head down, Ye Ziming couldn’t see her expression.
What he could see was Xiaomuqing nodding, then falling silent.
After thinking for a moment, he took a deep breath and decided to directly state his guess, telling Xiaomuqing the actual function of the Jade Pendant.
This was equivalent to telling her that she would only be a girl for the rest of her life and could never turn back.
He spoke, and she listened. This place was secluded, so even if he talked for a long time, no one would bother them.
After a while, when Ye Ziming finished his speculation, Xiaomuqing slowly raised her head and turned to look into his eyes.
In that instant, he, who had always been calm, suddenly panicked because he saw two lines of tears sliding down Xiaomuqing’s cheeks.
“What’s wrong? Don’t cry, I’m here.”
Hurriedly taking out tissues, Ye Ziming tried to comfort her while wiping her tears.
“I… no…”
Hearing her good brother’s words, Xiaomuqing felt a bit bewildered, wanting to say that she wasn’t crying.
But as she tried to speak, she suddenly found her throat choked, and the tears in her eyes streamed down uncontrollably.
Upon realizing this, her tears flowed even more profusely, like a dam bursting.
She didn’t know why she was crying, but she just felt an ache in her heart, because of the inner conflict and confusion, and also because of what her good brother had said to her.
“Boss, I, I…”
Her eyes wide open, looking at her good brother beside her, Xiaomuqing opened her mouth to try and say something, but choked and couldn’t utter a sound.
Seeing her like this, and realizing his comfort was ineffective, Ye Ziming’s mind suddenly went blank. He reached out with both hands and pulled Xiaomuqing into a hug.
And with that gesture, Xiaomuqing threw herself into his arms, and then she burst into tears.
While crying, she tightly hugged Ye Ziming’s waist, as if to vent something, crying with all her might.
After an unknown amount of time, Ye Ziming gently patted Xiaomuqing’s back, letting her lean on him quietly.
After crying for a while, the negative emotions seemed to have been released, and she gradually stopped crying, becoming quiet.
At one point, Xiaomuqing suddenly realized what she had done after regaining her composure, and a wave of blushing shame washed over her.
“Do you feel better?”
Seeing Xiaomuqing quiet down in his arms, Ye Ziming rubbed her little head and whispered in her ear.
“Mm.”
Hearing the question, Xiaomuqing shyly nodded and let out a soft hum.
Then, she released her hands holding Ye Ziming, lifted her head from his embrace, not daring to look at him, and moved aside.
The scene just now was too embarrassing. She never expected to throw herself into her good brother’s arms and cry so uncontrollably.
As she thought about it, Xiaomuqing’s eyes darted around on the ground, trying to find a hole to crawl into.
Ye Ziming didn’t stop her when she tried to move away, but maintained a short distance, sitting beside her.
“If you feel uncomfortable, you can tell me.”
Seeing Xiaomuqing still trying to move further away from him, Ye Ziming directly grabbed her small hand, preventing her from doing so as he spoke.
“No… I don’t feel uncomfortable.”
Glancing at her good brother, then lowering her head guiltily, she let him hold her hand and replied softly.
Her face was burning, and her heart was filled with complex emotions. Saying this, she pursed her lips, feeling a bit troubled.
It was strange, really. When she heard her good brother’s deduction, she wasn’t as devastated as she expected.
Instead, she felt a sense of relief, and her whole body suddenly relaxed, which led to her burst of tears.
In just a few minutes, a multiple-choice question had become an applied one. She couldn’t turn back anymore, and never would in this lifetime.
In that case… it might not be so bad…
Holding Xiaomuqing’s small hand, Ye Ziming could easily tell she was deep in thought. So, he smiled and flicked her forehead.
The force was neither too strong nor too weak, just enough to snap the cute Xiaomuqing back to reality.
“Ouch.”
Suddenly coming to her senses, Xiaomuqing raised her hand to cover her head, pouting slightly with a hint of grievance, and turned to look at her good brother.
“Actually, whether you’re a boy or a girl, you’re still Lin Muqing.”
“I…”
“Just like I said before, if you want, I can still treat you as a boy…”
(Hugging like this wouldn’t be considered taking advantage, but just basic brotherly behavior.)
As Ye Ziming repeated what he had said before, Xiaomuqing finally remembered that her good brother had indeed said this to her last month.
Although the words were the same, saying them again at this moment felt completely different.
Because at that time, she still held onto a glimmer of hope, thinking she could still turn back, but now that hope was gone.
Therefore, when she looked at her good brother again, she felt something in her heart shift, becoming different from before.
No matter how much she told herself she used to be a boy, she couldn’t change the fact that she was already a girl.
And in that case, how should she continue to get along with her good brother? The same as before? Or…
“It’s getting late, let’s go home.”
After saying that, seeing that Xiaomuqing had been successfully comforted, Ye Ziming gently patted her small head and said softly.
Vaguely, he felt that Xiaomuqing had undergone a slight change, perhaps becoming a little cuter. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination.
“Ah, okay.”
Suddenly snapping back from her daze, Xiaomuqing stopped staring blankly at her good brother, nodded, and stood up.
At this time, most people had already left the park, and the square dance aunties had all dispersed.
As the two walked to a well-lit area, Xiaomuqing finally noticed that her good brother’s clothes were wet in a large patch.
“Uh…”
Seeing this, Xiaomuqing’s face felt hot again. Her eyes darted away, feeling too embarrassed to look at the “good deed” she had done.
Seeing Xiaomuqing’s cute reaction, Ye Ziming looked down at his clothes, then chuckled and raised an eyebrow, saying:
“I think there’s a saying that goes well.”
“Ah?”
Hearing her good brother speak so seriously, Xiaomuqing’s ears perked up curiously. She glanced at him and asked with a puzzled voice.
“Women are made of water.”
With a sly smile, Ye Ziming narrowed his eyes and looked at Xiaomuqing.
“You… you’re the one made of water!”
Her small face flushed, and she gave him a playfully angry glare. Then, Xiaomuqing, embarrassed, stopped talking.
Because her “accomplishment” was truly terrifying.
To the point that she was shocked by her own actions.