AWDC Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Female Friends, Not Girlfriends

Lin Xi clutched his collar, watching the three women staring at him intently with mixed feelings.

Normally, shouldn’t girls avoid a man changing clothes? Why were these few staring at him without even blinking?

“Ahem~” Mu Chuang understood what he meant and deliberately cleared his throat. “You guys should excuse us for a moment, I’ll help Lin Xi get dressed.”

The women were already confused, but now hearing Mu Chuang say this, they were even more perplexed, unable to figure out the relationship between the two men.

“Alright, then I’ll wait outside.” Fu Xiaoling withdrew her gaze and, acting understanding, was the first to leave.

Liang Ting and Liu Jingjing followed suit. Their platform boots made heavy sounds on the floor, mirroring their owners’ emotions, carrying a hint of resentment.

The door was closed from the outside.

Mu Chuang’s voice came from inside, “A boy is afraid of being seen, but the girls don’t seem to mind.”

There was a rustling sound, like someone helping someone else get dressed.

The three women’s faces simultaneously darkened.

“There’s a difference between men and women, isn’t it normal to avoid it?” Lin Xi retorted, “Besides, they are your… girlfriends, not mine.”

He said with considerable grievance, the word “girlfriend” almost squeezed out from between his teeth.

“What girlfriends?” Mu Chuang said dismissively, not lowering his voice at all, “They’re female friends, not girlfriends. I haven’t decided yet. If you like them, you can hang out with them too.”

Lin Xi suddenly remembered Mu Chuang saying “introduce one” when he returned to the village, and combined it with what he was seeing now, he felt that these women hadn’t yet reached the point in Mu Chuang’s heart where he would sincerely date them.

But Lin Xi wasn’t interested in women at all, he hadn’t even thought about it, so naturally he wouldn’t accept Mu Chuang’s kind offer.

“No need, I’m still young, I haven’t considered it.” He found an excuse and didn’t even want to continue the topic, “Why don’t… Chuang-ge, you go out too, I can dress myself.”

Mu Chuang had already helped him put on his top, but he wouldn’t let him take off his pajama pants no matter what.

“I’m really impressed with you.” Mu Chuang was a little puzzled, “We grew up together, why are you suddenly acting so awkward?”

He withdrew his hand that was about to continue helping, “Then dress yourself, I won’t look.”

After saying that, he turned his face away, but he didn’t mean to leave. Instead, he casually rummaged through the things on the bed.

Lin Xi took advantage of him turning away and quickly put on his pants.

“Whose thing is this?” Mu Chuang suddenly muttered to himself, and then picked up the glistening silver earring and shouted outside, “Did anyone drop something?”

Hearing this, the three women rushed in together.

At this time, Lin Xi was already dressed.

Liang Ting looked at the glistening silver thing in Mu Chuang’s hand, and suddenly curled her lips. She said with a hidden meaning, “I was wondering where it went, I couldn’t find it anywhere. It turns out I slept here at your place at the end of last year, and then I helped you carry things and left it here when I left.”

When Liu Jingjing heard this, she couldn’t stand it, and immediately asked in a shrill voice, “Chuang-ge, you actually let her sleep here?”

Fu Xiaoling kept a calm face and didn’t say anything for the time being. She knew Liang Ting too well. She had the most impatient temper and wasn’t very smart. This time, she might have been tricked again.

Sure enough, the next second she heard Mu Chuang say unhappily, “It’s not like I let her sleep here. When I went back last year, she came to help me carry things. She said she was tired and wanted to lie down for a while, that’s all.”

He stated the reason concisely and didn’t have the patience to explain further.

“So that’s how it is.” Liu Jingjing gave Liang Ting a contemptuous look, and then said to Mu Chuang aggrievedly, “I almost thought Chuang-ge chose her and didn’t want me anymore.”

After speaking, she looked like she was about to cry, forcing Mu Chuang to coax her, “What are you saying, Jingjing? Chuang-ge can’t bear not wanting you. Don’t overthink it, okay?”

Liu Jingjing then “smiled through her tears,” wiped away tears that didn’t exist, and sat down beside Mu Chuang with a coy expression. She wrapped her arm around his arm and rested her head on his shoulder, saying clingingly, “I knew Chuang-ge couldn’t bear to leave me.”

Mu Chuang smiled, and was about to say something nice, but he saw Liang Ting, who he had just ruthlessly exposed, really crying.

“I just said one wrong word, what’s wrong? Is there a big difference between lying down for a while and sleeping? It’s a pity that I helped you carry so many things, but now I’m being disliked.” She cried with tears streaming down her face, aggrievedly listing his faults, her whole body convulsing.

Not only was Mu Chuang dumbfounded, but even Lin Xi was dumbfounded. He now knew what Mu Chuang meant by “struggling to cope.”

But who can he blame? Isn’t it because Mu Chuang is too greedy, wanting everyone but not being able to have them all, so he can’t make a choice until now.

“Alright, alright, Tingting, don’t cry either.” He temporarily let go of Liu Jingjing and went to comfort Liang Ting, “Chuang-ge just told the truth, he didn’t mean anything else, don’t take it to heart. If you cry enough, you won’t be able to eat good food later. Chuang-ge will pick food for you later, okay?”

“Okay.” Liang Ting sobbed and threw herself into Mu Chuang’s arms, but secretly gave Liu Jingjing a provocative look.

Only Fu Xiaoling remained quiet throughout the whole process, but that didn’t mean she was simple-minded.

For people like Mu Chuang, she just held the attitude that if she could chase him, she would, and if she couldn’t, she would just take advantage of the situation and climb up the career ladder. She wouldn’t approach him for nothing.

“Okay, Chuang-ge, I see your brother, is his name Lin Xi? He’s already dressed, why don’t we get going?” She acted generously and broke the annoying atmosphere with one sentence, immediately making Mu Chuang look at her with new eyes.

“Okay.” He looked at Fu Xiaoling, smiling with satisfaction, “It’s Xiaoling who is the most worry-free, you should all learn from her.”

Praising this one and criticizing that one, being unable to take care of all three parties has become Mu Chuang’s normal state, and the women are no longer surprised.

“Let’s go then.” Liu Jingjing re-slung her bag, speaking the most directly, “Who wins and who loses is not yet certain.”

Mu Chuang smiled helplessly and didn’t answer, re-focusing his attention on Lin Xi.

Lin Xi stood a little further away from them, his face uncertain. Seeing Mu Chuang looking over, he immediately pretended to be calm.

“Let’s go, Lin Xi, what are you waiting for?” Mu Chuang called out to him, and seeing that he was slow, he left the women behind and walked towards him.

“What’s wrong?” He habitually put his hand on his shoulder again, and then slid it to his waist, staring at his fair and delicate little face, which looked a little dull at the moment, “Are you embarrassed to see strangers?”