Chapter 38

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Chapter 38: A Strange Misunderstanding

Pressing the doorbell, she took a step back and waited.  

The door opened—but it was Heli who answered.  

Seeing this unpleasant woman again, Yiwen sucked in a sharp breath.  

Not bothering to wonder why Heli’s hair was disheveled at this early hour in Mi Xiaoliu’s home, Yiwen forced a stiff smile and greeted, “Auntie, I’m here to see your son.”  

Only to get a flick on the forehead. “Call me sis.’’  

She made her sound old. 

Yiwen’s face twitched for a moment before she smoothed it back into place.  

“I’ll go get him.” Heli shifted slightly to the side.  

Yiwen stepped forward, ready to enter—  

—only for Heli to slam the door shut, missing Yiwen’s face by a mere two millimeters.  

After locking the door, Heli neatly arranged the unopened clothes on the table—pretty little dresses she’d brought over days ago. But when she’d come by this morning with extra breakfast, she found them untouched, still positioned exactly as they had been when delivered.  

From what she could tell, this wasn’t just about hiding her identity. The kid might have deeper psychological issues—an unwillingness to accept being a girl. Maybe she should take her to a therapist someday.  

…Except the therapist she knew was currently seeing their own therapist for mental health issues. And that therapist was also seeing another therapist for their mental health issues…  

Until Mi Xiaoliu came to terms with being a girl, Heli would play along and keep her secret—even if she wasn’t sure whether the boy outside already knew.  

She nudged Mi Xiaoliu, who was clinging to her pillow with all four limbs, refusing to get up. “Your friend’s here for you.”  

(Yes, she’d used her spare key to get in. No, she hadn’t asked for permission.)  

—  

“Two tickets, please.” Yiwen pointed at the movie she wanted to see.  

A new sci-fi film she’d overheard coworkers raving about during a mission—though the title was a bit odd: “A Girlfriend Who Doesn’t Mind My Flaws, Never Calls Me Lazy, Cooks for Me Every Day, and Even Earns Money to Support Me.” 

According to them, it was the most sci-fi movie of the year. She had to see it.  

The ticket clerk’s expression turned strange as she glanced between Yiwen and Mi Xiaoliu, who was licking an ice cream cone behind her. Her gaze lingered on Mi Xiaoliu—because the idiot threw the cone away after finishing the ice cream.  

“…Couple tickets?” the clerk ventured.  

“Hah? No way.” Yiwen rolled her eyes.  

The clerk handed over the tickets, baffled. If they’re not a couple, why pick seats surrounded by empty ones?

Only after sitting down did Yiwen realize something was off. Nearly half the audience were lovey-dovey couples—the other half were guys who’d sat near said couples, probably hoping to catch them doing something interesting.  

She’d been scammed. This wasn’t sci-fi at all—it was exactly what the title promised: a love story between a useless male lead and a perfect female lead.  

The plot was a train wreck. In just one hour, the male lead got into twenty car accidents, lost his memory eleven times, was misunderstood six times, and—in the climax—discovered the female lead was his sister. The ending? The female lead got pregnant, didn’t know who the father was, and the male lead vowed to raise the baby anyway.  

This was clearly a movie for couples. And here they were, sitting in an isolated spot with no one nearby—so she couldn’t even use “I just wanted to see what these couples were up to” as an excuse.  

Her face stiffened as she glanced at Mi Xiaoliu—only to find him focused entirely on eating popcorn. He was even gnawing on the paper bucket because Yiwen had mentioned (After the ice cream incident) that the cone was edible.  

He actually bit off a piece—and swallowed it!  

Yiwen grabbed his arm in panic.  

What is wrong with this guy?  

At least someone with his IQ wouldn’t misunderstand this situation. The only one feeling awkward here was her. 

—  

The day passed in rare relaxation—though not exactly fun. Strangely, even though she was the girl, she had been the one making decisions all day: paying for meals, even shelling out money for him to play the claw machine.  

Whatever. It wasn’t a date—just two friends hanging out. If she had the choice, she’d rather date a handsome guy… probably.  

(Though, to be fair, Mi Xiaoliu wasn’t bad-looking.)  

Yiwen found herself staring at Mi Xiaoliu’s back as he obsessively played the claw machine for half an hour. A guy this fixated on stuffed toys would usually seem weird—but given his age, it wasn’t too out of place.  

“Mi Xiaoliu, why is there only that one song in your playlist?” Yiwen asked, feigning casualness.  

“Haven’t heard of others.”  

The unexpected answer shattered Yiwen’s faint smile.  

“So… you don’t know the singer either?” 

Mi Xiaoliu stayed silent, back still turned. After days as desk mates, Yiwen knew what that meant: “I don’t know.” 

Damn it. Her good mood from the past two days plummeted.  

Right. Mi Xiaoliu was defective. The defect is probably related to personality or memory. It wasn’t strange that he hadn’t heard other songs.  

Her brows furrowed involuntarily—but she said nothing more. She’d just assumed, hoped, he was a secret fan.  

She forced a smile back on. This time, it was purely performative.  

“Mi Xiaoliu, I only promised to treat you to a movie and snacks—not the claw machine. The money you spent counts as a loan. Pay me back later.”

Mi Xiaoliu’s hand jerked.  

After fifty failed attempts, the claw—shaken by that sudden movement—miraculously grabbed the one bunny-eared cat plushie in the corner, the hardest one to get.  

…Too bad. I wanted the panda.  

She looked down at the bunny cat.  

The same one the girl in last night’s music video had been holding.  

…Don’t like it.  

“For you.” She presented it with both hands, hoping Yiwen would waive the debt.  

Yiwen blinked, pointing at herself in disbelief.  

This plushie? The only one in the machine, placed in the hardest spot… Did he waste fifty tries just for this?

In her mind, a voice chimed: “Yiwen Route Unlocked. Current Affection: 70%.”

Fuck!

“J-just kidding! I’d never make you pay!” Yiwen laughed awkwardly, taking the plushie.  

It really felt like she was being romanced. Her affection actually ticked upward.  

Mi Xiaoliu: Mission accomplished.  

“Mi Xiaoliu… did you already know…?” Yiwen hugged the plushie, swaying slightly.  

To outsiders, she looked extremely girly just then.  

Mi Xiaoliu tilted her head in confusion.  

“…Never mind. Let’s go home.”  

Maybe he’d just been too focused on the claw machine to answer earlier.  

If he knew I was the one who sang that song… what would his expression be?