Chapter 229: Indulgence

The cramped space magnified every sensation.

That sharply contoured face was right in front of her, and within those deep black eyes surged a kind of stubbornness that made her heart pound in alarm.

His expression didn’t look fake in the slightest, nor did it carry even a hint of a joke.

Lin Yu’s brain seemed to short-circuit.

Treat her as a woman?

He was treating me as a woman?

Why?!

Just because of this damn outer shell?!

“You clearly know that I’m actually—”

“That’s not important!”

Luo Shaotian suddenly raised his voice, rudely cutting her off.

Immediately after, Lin Yu felt her wrist—which had been trying to push him away—seized tightly by a large hand.

With a pull, Luo Shaotian effortlessly overpowered her already weak resistance.

Her slender body tilted forward uncontrollably, forced to lift her head.

There was nowhere to retreat, nowhere to escape.

“What matters is what you are right now!”

His voice dropped low, carrying an unquestionable dominance, his warm breath even brushing against the tip of Lin Yu’s nose.

Lin Yu desperately tried to pull her hand back, but she couldn’t break free from the iron-like grip.

“What I am right now? Isn’t that obvious? I’m Lin Yu! I’m Lin Yu!”

“Then you’re my friend, my good brother!”

“Then why did you say all that just now? Don’t you think that’s… that’s…”

Lin Yu was on the verge of going crazy, the tear marks at the corners of her eyes not yet dry as her chest rose and fell violently with anger.

But halfway through her sentence, her words suddenly got stuck in her throat.

“Wait… what do you mean? You’re saying—even if I’m your brother, as long as I’m in my Magical Girl form, you’ll still treat me like a woman?!”

Luo Shaotian gently nodded.

Lin Yu froze, suddenly at a loss.

“…Pervert! Idiot! Psycho! Let go of me!”

She gritted her teeth and cursed, her cheeks flushing so red from shame and panic they looked ready to bleed.

“No wonder you liked taking me shopping for clothes—so this was your goal!”

“I had no idea you were this kind of person! You always looked so refined, but who knew you had such disgusting tastes!”

“Stop overthinking it! …I’m a guy! I like girls! How could I possibly like someone like you—”

“Of course I like soft, sweet girls! How could I possibly like someone like you?!”

“Ah Yu, I originally didn’t want to explain this much.”

Luo Shaotian let out a sigh, his deep black eyes lowering.

Inside the narrow car, his voice sounded especially restrained and heavy.

“But you were like that… I had no choice. I really had no choice.”

“I could only use this way to tell you—I wasn’t lying to you. I’ve always been serious.”

He leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them.

A distinctly masculine presence instantly enveloped Lin Yu’s senses.

“No matter what you are like, and no matter whether what I’m feeling right now can even be considered normal…”

“Toward Lin Yu… toward Lulu… I’ve always been sincere.”

As he spoke, Luo Shaotian pulled the hand he was holding without allowing refusal and gently pressed it against his chest.

“Listen.”

His voice was so gentle it was almost intoxicating.

“…”

Beneath her palm, through the thin fabric of his shirt, was the firm, taut muscle of his chest.

And deeper within, there came the powerful beating of his heart.

“Thump—thump—thump—”

The rhythm was fast, heavy, carrying a scorching warmth that traveled from her palm to her fingertips, even spreading to the tips of her ears.

‘He’s serious?’

Damn…

He’s actually freaking serious?!

“…”

Her emotions suddenly became complicated.

Damn…

You’ve really outdone yourself, Luo Shaotian.

How am I supposed to respond to this?

Say “Alright, you win”?

Or “Then forget it, we’re done”?

Ah, don’t look at me like that…

Can’t you let me think for a moment?

Let me figure it out, then I’ll give you an answer—a way out for both of us, okay?

If you keep staring at me with that weird look, even I’m going to start feeling…

“I… I got it, okay!”

Lin Yu suddenly turned her head away, her tone so soft that even she found it unbelievable.

Ah… there’s really no helping it!

Guess I’m just too charming—accidentally bewitched even you. My fault, my fault.

Anyway, I… I believe you, alright!

But you… move your hand away first, and back up a bit, okay?

Let’s… let’s calm down a little… this distance feels a bit… a bit too ambiguous…

“Okay.”

He obediently let go of her hand and moved back, returning to his seat on the other side.

Freed at last, Lin Yu seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

She lowered her head, pretending nothing had happened as she adjusted her slightly wrinkled white shirt, smoothing out the creases in her skirt.

The argument earlier had been a bit intense—even her black stockings had snagged slightly, revealing a small patch of pale skin.

But honestly…

Lin Yu’s brain was still in a severely crashed state, nowhere near recovered.

She simply couldn’t believe it.

She had been single for over twenty years, barely even holding a girl’s hand a few times…

And now, the first ambiguous romantic situation of her life… was actually with her own best bro?!

What kind of nonsense was this?

After being ignored as a man for over twenty years, now that she had switched to a woman’s “skin,” she’d suddenly become desirable?

So this messed-up world really is all about looks?

As long as you’re cute enough, it doesn’t matter if inside you’re actually some rough, unrefined guy?!

Lin Yu pouted in irritation.

But… a strangely subtle emotion quietly began to grow deep inside her heart.

Because objectively speaking, Luo Shaotian really was an excellent man.

Handsome, well-built, with a stable job, and even a secretly wealthy mother backing him up.

And somehow… she had completely wrapped a high-quality man like this around her finger?

You could say… this was proof of her “charm,” in a roundabout way.

So this… is what it feels like to be favored, to be liked?

She had to admit—it actually felt pretty good.

No wonder those pretty girls liked to keep things ambiguous, keeping pure-hearted guys hanging.

Being watched so intently, being desired so carefully… it really was addictive.

Especially that moment just now, when he grabbed her wrist and pressed it against his chest…

Her whole body had felt a little weak, like she was soaked in warm water, even her heartbeat falling out of sync with his…

Eh?!

Wait—

I-I-I…

What the hell am I thinking?!

I’m a man!

A straight man!

Stop imagining weird stuff like that!!!

“Ah Yu.”

“Ugh—! What are you doing?!”

Lin Yu jumped at the sudden call, jerking her head around like a startled cat as she complained,

“You’re trying to scare me to death by suddenly speaking!”

“Nothing, just saw that you seemed to have calmed down.”

Luo Shaotian looked at her flustered expression, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes as his tone returned to its usual steadiness.

“I wanted to ask what you’re planning to eat later.”

“Ah… right, food is the most important thing—people live for food, after all.”

Lin Yu let out a long breath, quickly seizing the chance to change the topic.

She raised a hand to her forehead, tidying her slightly messy bangs.

“We’ve been messing around for so long without noticing… if I’d known, I would’ve just eaten at Dr. Yang’s place…”

“If not, you can rest in the car for a bit. I’ll go nearby and see if there’s a suitable restaurant to get takeout.”

Luo Shaotian suggested considerately.

“Rest? What rest? I’m not that fragile—I’m perfectly fine right now!”

To prove she was still a tough guy, Lin Yu even puffed out her chest a little.

“But…”

Luo Shaotian’s gaze fell worriedly toward her lower abdomen.

“Aren’t you on your period? Wouldn’t running around like this…”

Eh?

“That’s right… judging by the time, the medicine’s effect should be about over now, right?”

“…”