My Best Friend is Actually a Cat-eared Maid at a Cafe! – Chapter 350

Chapter 350: Chapter 347: Can I have a hug?
She looked at his eyes, then shifted her gaze elsewhere, a subtle blush appearing on her face.
Although she couldn’t bring herself to say those words earlier, Xiaomuqing still felt very satisfied, holding his hand the entire time and enjoying their time alone.
This year seemed quite simple, with no major events occurring.
The journey home wasn’t long, and before she knew it, Xiaomuqing saw the Ye family’s old house, just a bit further ahead.
At this moment, she suddenly stopped and turned to look at her good brother walking beside her.
“What’s wrong?”
Ye Ziming raised an eyebrow, stopped, and looked at Xiaomuqing with a puzzled expression.
“Um, before we go home…”
“?”
“Can I have a hug?”
It took all of Xiaomuqing’s courage and a long period of internal struggle to finally utter these simple words.
She was very nervous, gripping Ye Ziming’s hand with one hand, clutching her clothes with the other, her lips pressed into a thin line as she anxiously looked at Ye Ziming.
Alright, she admitted she chickened out. The very second she finished speaking, Xiaomuqing regretted saying such a bold sentence.
However, the words were out. No matter how nervous or embarrassed she felt, she couldn’t make Ye Ziming pretend he hadn’t heard.
“I…”
Being cowardly, Xiaomuqing averted her gaze, not daring to meet Ye Ziming’s eyes, feeling it was too awkward.
“Hehe, of course you can.”
Before Xiaomuqing could finish speaking, Ye Ziming chuckled softly, then opened his arms and pulled her into an embrace.
If the little kitten wanted a hug, of course he’d oblige.
It was just a pity that the little cat was a bit proud, so he had to be more proactive and try to guess her thoughts.
“!”
The moment she was hugged, Xiaomuqing’s eyes widened in surprise.
This hug felt a little too sudden for her, causing her brain to freeze for a moment, unsure how to react.
After a brief pause, she slowly raised her hands and placed them on his back, hugging him back…
Her face was burning, her heartbeat was racing, and although it was just a short hug, it felt like a long time had passed.
It was the middle of winter, and both of them were wearing many layers, so they couldn’t feel each other’s body temperature clearly during the hug.
However, Xiaomuqing felt warm inside and very happy.
“Sleep early tonight. Send me a message when you wake up tomorrow, and I’ll come find you.”
After the hug, Ye Ziming gently patted Xiaomuqing’s head and said with a smile.
His eyes were filled with doting affection for Xiaomuqing.
“Oh, okay.”
Xiaomuqing nodded obediently, her face red, acting very well-behaved.
Even now, she still hadn’t fully come to her senses, her mind still replaying the hug from earlier.
She really liked that feeling, and felt a bit attached, wanting another hug.
“Alright, let’s head back.”
After speaking and patting her head, Ye Ziming smiled at Xiaomuqing, preparing to bid farewell and go home.
Xiaomuqing, with her blushing little face, was incredibly cute. He felt like interacting with her more, teasing his little cutie.
But not now.
Because opposite her, not far behind Xiaomuqing, three men were looking at them intently.
It was obvious they were Xiaomuqing’s three brothers. They were standing behind a fruit tree, making them hard to spot if you weren’t looking closely.
Ahem, those were her brothers-in-law, so he had to give them some face. So, that’s it for today.
“Then… goodbye.”
“Mm, goodbye.”
With a smile, he waved and said goodbye.
Even though they would see each other again tomorrow, meaning they would only be apart for a few hours, Xiaomuqing still felt a bit reluctant.
So, she stood there, watching Ye Ziming’s retreating back, then foolishly smiled to herself for a while before turning to go home.
Then, Xiaomuqing suddenly noticed her brothers standing by the fruit tree, looking like they had been there for quite some time.
“Huh? Brothers, what are you doing here?”
Xiaomuqing was very surprised, followed by a blush of embarrassment.
Could it be that they had been watching the entire time she and Ye Ziming were hugging?
⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄ Wow~
“Getting ready to set off firecrackers…”
There was a fruit tree by the Ye family’s doorstep. They could use a long pole to hang firecrackers from the tree, and that’s what they were doing.
No one expected that while preparing to set off firecrackers, they would witness such a scene.
The three brothers thought: Little sister, we know you two are close, but can you not do this at our doorstep? We can’t handle it…
*Tear.jpg*
These were the words they really wanted to say, but Xiaomuqing didn’t give them the chance. Soon, unable to bear the awkwardness, she ran back home.
Alas, being a brother is too difficult.
Meanwhile, Meng Yue let out a small sigh of relief upon seeing Xiaomuqing return.
An hour ago, her friend Li Muning had sent her a message saying that her daughter would probably be spending the night at their place tonight.
Now, it seemed like nothing much had happened.
However, she couldn’t quite understand why Xiaomuqing was blushing, which made her slightly wary and subconsciously think of that kid from next door, the one surnamed Ye.
“Mom, do you need help?”
As Meng Yue pondered, Xiaomuqing walked up to her and quietly asked.
“Ah, here, light the incense.”
Snapping back to reality, she stopped thinking about that matter.
From her perspective, her precious daughter hadn’t been “taken” yet. It was probably just some youthful fun.
Afterward, the family busied themselves with preparing for the New Year and setting off firecrackers. They finished everything around 12:30 AM.
There was chatting and playing in between. Later, Xiaomuqing noticed that her brothers seemed to have been drinking.
Alcohol… she suddenly had an idea.
If she remembered correctly, there was a saying that alcohol emboldens the timid.
Emmm…
Late into the night, after everything was done and after interacting with her family for a while, Xiaomuqing returned to her room, ready to sleep.
On a side note, the Ye family’s old house was three stories high, a small building.
But there weren’t enough rooms, and her three brothers were vying for the right to use two rooms.
At this point, the advantage of being a girl became apparent; she could reasonably use a room by herself.
Taking off her clothes and stockings, Xiaomuqing burrowed into her quilt. Before sleeping, she took out her phone and sent her good brother a ‘Goodnight’ message.
Throughout the day, although she hadn’t taken that next step and confessed her feelings to her good brother, Xiaomuqing felt it was enough. She was satisfied with the progress made.
Through their conversations in the evening, she learned what kind of girls her good brother liked, which was a huge breakthrough.
He said he liked girls who could be easily held in his arms.
“I think, I can also be held in his arms, right?”
Lying on the bed, staring at the empty ceiling, Xiaomuqing imagined herself sitting on her good brother’s lap, being held by him.
It felt quite nice.
Maybe she should try it tomorrow?
———————
Short Skit:
Xiaomuqing: Boss, being a lolicon is illegal.
Ye Ziming: …