Chapter 52: The Boyfriend Ruse and a Blushing Embrace

Watching the Blond Senior slink away, the crowd that had gathered gradually dispersed.

Su Liyue, once more, led Mu Wanqing back to the stall, while Ye Xingchen deftly produced the pink wallet, preparing to pay.

As the stall owner packaged the Water-elemental magic necklace, they couldn’t help but glance at the pink wallet in Ye Xingchen’s hand, offering a practiced, insincere smile as they remarked:

“Young man, your girlfriend’s wallet is quite adorable, isn’t it? But aren’t you worried she’ll get angry if you pay with her money?”

“Angry?” Ye Xingchen and Su Liyue paused in unison, both so absorbed in thoughts of the necklace that they momentarily failed to grasp the deeper implication of the shopkeeper’s words.

Ye Xingchen instinctively explained:

“Shopkeeper, you’ve misunderstood. This is a gift I’m buying for a friend’s best friend.”

“A friend’s best friend?” The shopkeeper’s eyes widened, their jaw nearly dropping to the ground.

Having lived to such an age, they had never before witnessed someone holding a distinctly feminine wallet, using another’s money to buy a gift for a best friend. ‘What kind of divine maneuver (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘shen cao zuo,’ referring to an incredibly skillful, unexpected, or bizarre action) is this?’

It was then that Su Liyue finally caught on, quickly interjecting to amend the situation:

“Shopkeeper, my boyfriend misspoke just now. Actually, this is a gift I’m buying for my best friend, and my boyfriend was simply helping me hold my wallet.”

Having said this, she secretly gritted her teeth, realizing that at this point, she could only trot out the “boyfriend” identity to smooth things over and prevent the misunderstanding from deepening further.

“Oh, so that’s how it is!” The shopkeeper suddenly understood, scratching their head in embarrassment.

“I knew it…” They secretly wiped away a bead of cold sweat, thinking, ‘These young people nowadays really know how to play games in their relationships; I almost caused a huge misunderstanding.’

After Ye Xingchen finished paying, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the term “best friend” (TL Note: ‘Guimi’ in Chinese, referring to a very close female friend, often implying an intimate bond) had already spread throughout the academy, otherwise, he would have had to painstakingly explain its meaning.

He handed the necklace to Su Liyue, who then passed it to Mu Wanqing, even specifically asking Su Liyue to thoughtfully help her put it on, lest it cause any further misunderstandings.

Mu Wanqing happily donned the necklace, then lightly tapped her magic staff, conjuring a crystalline water mirror with Water-elemental magic.

She nodded satisfactorily at her reflection, then gracefully spun in a circle.

Water-elemental magic droplets adorned her sky-blue hair, shimmering with a captivating luster under the moonlight, making her appear exceptionally lively and adorable.

“How do I look, Yueyue? It doesn’t seem strange, does it?” Mu Wanqing asked expectantly.

Su Liyue and Ye Xingchen were both momentarily captivated by the beautiful sight, and to their own surprise, they answered in unison:

“Strange? Not at all; I think it looks wonderful.”

Hearing their synchronized reply, Mu Wanqing was naturally pleased by Su Liyue’s praise, but having Ye Xingchen, her “boyfriend,” say the same thing struck her as somewhat odd.

She quietly pulled Su Liyue aside, lowering her voice to ask, “Yueyue, is your man a little distracted?”

“Distracted? What do you mean?” Su Liyue was momentarily taken aback.

“Well, he’s been staring at me, completely lost in thought…” Mu Wanqing said, a touch of embarrassment in her voice.

“Oh! You mean that! It’s mainly because you look absolutely stunning with that necklace on, Qingqing; even a ‘straight as steel’ like Ye Xingchen has been ‘bent’ by you!”

After saying this, she silently gave herself a mental thumbs-up.

This explanation was simply perfect.

“So that’s it! But…” Mu Wanqing tilted her head, lightly tapping her finger to her lips, “‘Bent’—what does that mean?”

Su Liyue instantly froze, realizing she had once again dug herself into a pit.

She certainly couldn’t blurt out, ‘It means making his sexual orientation gay,’ could she?

Thinking quickly, she improvised: “It simply means… making that straight man, who only ever thinks about alchemy, finally appreciate girls!”

Ye Xingchen, standing nearby, nodded repeatedly in cooperation, thinking, ‘This “two-bodied” duo truly has amazing synergy when they act.’

“Is that so…”

Seeing that Mu Wanqing seemed poised to ask further questions, Su Liyue quickly changed the subject, knowing it would be troublesome if the conversation circled back to “godmother.”

“Qingqing, why don’t you try out the Water-elemental enhancement effect of this necklace?”

“Enhancement effect? I’ll give it a try.” Mu Wanqing obediently closed her eyes, carefully sensing the Water-elemental energy emanating from the necklace.

As the surrounding water elements gathered, she gently waved her magic staff and chanted the incantation: “Water Sphere!”

A fist-sized water sphere instantly coalesced in her palm.

“I feel a clearer connection to water elements, and my casting speed has increased quite a bit.” Mu Wanqing said delightedly.

Su Liyue nodded. “Indeed, this level of enhancement is well within expectations. Use it for now, and later, when there’s an opportunity, I’ll have Xingchen…”

She paused, nearly calling him Xingchen again, “I’ll have my boyfriend make you an even better and more beautiful one.”

“Really? That’s wonderful, Yueyue!” Mu Wanqing exclaimed joyfully, embracing Su Liyue in a sudden hug.

This unexpected embrace caused both Su Liyue and Ye Xingchen, who stood beside them, to blush simultaneously.

Though currently inhabiting a female body, Su Liyue was, at heart, still a pure man. Being held so intimately by another girl inevitably brought a flush of shyness to her cheeks.

“Alright, Qingqing, it’s getting late. We should head back and rest; we have an important practical combat class tomorrow,”

Su Liyue quickly suggested, her voice tinged with a hint of panic. Otherwise, she feared that if her best friend held her for too long, she might inevitably experience a male physiological reaction.

After all, Ye Xingchen was also acutely feeling the intimacy of being embraced by a best friend, and she could clearly sense his “little brother” (TL Note: A colloquial term for male genitalia) beginning to stir restlessly.

Only then did Mu Wanqing release her embrace, tilting her head slightly in confusion as she looked at Su Liyue’s flushed cheeks.

Following Su Liyue’s gaze, she looked towards the enormous crystal clock in the center of the academy; the hour hand already pointed to half-past nine.

“Ah, it’s so late already!” Mu Wanqing gasped softly.

“We still need to wash up and meditate when we get back… And Yueyue promised to tell me a new story tonight. So… shall we head back?”

“Mm-hmm.” Su Liyue assented with a sigh of relief, quickly taking Mu Wanqing’s soft little hand and hurrying towards the dormitories.

Ye Xingchen quietly followed behind them, feeling a mixture of excitement and awkwardness.