Chapter 561: Since you have asked with such sincerity and earnestness, I shall show mercy and tell you!

"Where do you plan to go next?"

Yue Dao Lin pretended to be unaware, asking in a soft tone.

An Jingliangdou immediately replied with excitement:

"Shibuya! I've reserved a particularly delicious izakaya, and I even booked a private room!"

"Let's head over there now."

Huang Mu Jie, however, smiled and waved her hand:

"What's the rush?"

"It's only a little past five; it's not even dinner time yet."

An Jingliangdou asked curiously:

"Then what do you have in mind, Jie?"

A meaningful smile appeared on Huang Mu Jie's face:

"Of course, we go to the arcade to play for a while first, then go eat."

Yue Dao Lin knew that Xia Mujun liked playing games; this was the segment she and Huang Mu Jie had specifically arranged after discussing it.

However, at this moment, she still pretended to know nothing, smiling and chiming in:

"I... have no problem with that."

An Jingliangdou chuckled; he was a gaming expert, after all. Wouldn't going to an arcade be the perfect chance to show off in front of Yue Dao Lin?

"Mm-hmm, that's a great suggestion! I have absolutely no problem with it! Xia Mujun, what do you think?"

Xia Muqihui nodded:

"I have no problem with it either."

Soon.

The four of them boarded the train together.

It was the peak of the evening rush, and the carriage was packed.

The four of them, having just boarded, were separated into pairs, whether by the intentional or unintentional push of the crowd.

Huang Mu Jie was 'accidentally' squeezed together with An Jingliangdou.

"Adou, there are so many people here, I can't reach the handrail..."

"Yeah, I can't reach it either. Seriously, why are there so many people today!"

An Jingliangdou complained casually.

Huang Mu Jie sighed inwardly, feeling that this guy was truly a "steel-hearted straight man."

"The carriage is already this full, why are people still squeezing on at the platform? There usually aren't this many people; is there some event today?"

"Seems like it. I heard there's a music festival at the next stop after Shibuya."

"No wonder... But this is just too excessive; they even squeezed us away from Yue Dao Lin and Xia Mujun. Where did they go?"

"Why care so much? We'll see them when we get off."

Huang Mu Jie knew well that this guy was pitifully dense; if she didn't take the initiative, he would probably always treat her like a "bro."

That was not what she wanted.

Thus, while speaking, she took the opportunity to turn around, nimbly slipping in front of An Jingliangdou, turning her back to him, and leaning gently against him.

Usually carefree, she revealed a rare hint of shyness at this moment, clearing her throat as she said:

"I was tired from standing while waiting for Xia Mujun earlier, so let me lean on you for a bit. I'm going to play on my phone; remember to call me when we reach the station."

After saying this, she took out her phone and pretended to be calm while fiddling with it, though the tips of her ears were slightly red.

"You..."

An Jingliangdou originally wanted to retort, but he was taller than Huang Mu Jie. Looking down from this angle, although he couldn't see her face, his gaze inadvertently swept over the obvious curves on her chest.

This was the first time he had so clearly realized that his childhood friend, while not as intellectual and gentle as Yue Dao Lin, was...

Unexpectedly quite well-endowed.

Moreover, when she was quiet and not talking, she was completely different from her usual lively and active self; she was actually... quite girlish.

Also, was this person leaning too close?

No matter what, she was a girl; wasn't this a bit inappropriate?

Did she really not see him as a boy at all?

Damn it, he was really being looked down upon!

Finally realizing the fact that "Huang Mu Jie is a girl" a beat too late, An Jingliangdou's cheeks burned slightly as he stammered:

"I say... aren't you leaning a bit too close?"

Huang Mu Jie felt a surge of joy, but pretended not to hear clearly, tilting her head and opening her left eye wide to look up at him:

"Huh? What did you say?"

An Jingliangdou met her gaze and suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, looking away and coughing twice:

"Nothing... nothing at all."

Huang Mu Jie's lips curled into a triumphant smile. Still leaning against him, she felt wonderful inside, thinking the progress was going very smoothly.

However, she was a bit worried about the situation with Yue Dao Lin, so she tried hard to look left and right through the crowded people, wanting to see where Yue Dao Lin and Xia Muqihui were, but with heads bobbing everywhere, she couldn't find them at all.

Seeing this, she could only pray silently in her heart that Yue Dao Lin would be able to seize the opportunity.

Time backtracked slightly.

When Yue Dao Lin and Xia Muqihui had just squeezed into the carriage.

The two had originally been following closely behind Huang Mu Jie and An Jingliangdou.

But because passengers were constantly moving between them, the two groups were gradually separated by the flow of people.

Yue Dao Lin rarely took such crowded trains, so she hadn't realized at first that she needed to stay close to Xia Muqihui, otherwise, it would be easy to get separated.

And that was exactly what happened.

Halfway there, she was shocked to discover that Xia Muqihui had been squeezed to the other side of the carriage by the girls around him, and some girls were even taking the initiative to strike up a conversation with him.

Yue Dao Lin froze, her intellectual and cute face puffing up slightly without her realizing it.

Without hesitation, she immediately squeezed hard through the crowd, reached out, and grabbed Xia Muqihui—who was struggling to deal with the advances—pulling him in front of her.

Seeing this, the girl who had been chatting with him showed a disappointed expression, likely assuming Xia Muqihui had a girlfriend, and sullenly stopped pestering him.

Xia Muqihui was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected the usually dignified and gentle Senior Yue Dao Lin to take such a direct action.

And after taking the action, Yue Dao Lin seemed to realize what she had done, sneaking a glance at Xia Muqihui, who was within arm's reach, her cheeks flushing red.

She opened her mouth, wanting to explain something, but because of her shyness, she ultimately couldn't say a word.

Just at this moment.

A new crowd of people surged into the carriage from the platform.

Yue Dao Lin and Xia Muqihui were pushed by this force, retreating all the way to a corner inside the carriage.

At this point, there was still a distance of about two fists between them.

However, passengers were still constantly pouring in from behind.

The gap between the two was rapidly compressed, and in the blink of an eye, only a distance of one fist remained—and this was only because Xia Muqihui was using his arm to hold firmly against the wall; otherwise, the two would have already been pressed tightly together.

Yue Dao Lin looked up, gazing at Xia Muqihui, who was within arm's reach.