### Chapter 29: The Female Lead’s Maternal Instincts Are Overwhelming
“Pervert! I knew you would ask something like this. You actually want my body… Wait, what? ๐•ᴗ•๐?”
Mu Jixue instinctively protected herself, puffing up like a little cat threateningly at Yun Zhonghe. But mid-sentence, she realized something was off.
What did he just say? Be friends?
Mu Jixue triple-checked within herself that she hadn’t misheard. She originally thought Yun Zhonghe proposed something outrageous like using her body as an apology.
“What are you doing, Snowie?”
Behind her, Lin Zhongyu couldn’t help but cover her face, looking utterly defeated and helpless.
She hurried to mediate in front of them. Fortunately, Yun Zhonghe didn’t take offense since he understood what kind of person this white-haired loli was.
These kinds of jokes were part of the deal with brothers.
A flustered Mu Jixue couldn’t help blushing. She blamed it partially on herself though; who knew Yun Zhonghe would stare at her with puppy eyes while talking seriously?
This guy defies all common sense.
“Brother Yun, Snowie is just a bit careless. Don’t take it too seriously,” Lin Zhongyu said to alleviate the tension.
I’m not careless at all. Mu Jixue pouted, though her heart ached. But given the lessons from yesterday and today’s tasks, she had no choice but to bear it.
For Xiaoyu, she had to suppress her pride and bow to Yellow-haired.
Yun Zhonghe smiled warmly, “No problem, I’m fine. Honestly, Mu Girl, your honesty is truly rare in this era. I highly admire it.”
Unexpected praise from Yun Zhonghe made Mu Jixue blush even deeper. Her initial annoyance gave way to joy at the compliments.
This girl melts for compliments; Yun Zhonghe understood her too well. After brushing through dozens of loops with her body, he knew every nook and cranny of Mu Jixue.
He knew her depths but she didn’t know his lengths.
Under this massive info disparity, Yun Zhonghe was manipulating the loli like a puppet.
Almost, he could even see the invisible cat tail sticking out behind the White-haired loli.
It’s perky enough to be obvious.
“Humph… Humph! At least you still have some conscience.”
Mu Jixue stuck her chest out defiantly, squishing the poor bunnies like they were trying to pop out.
“Snowie.”
Lin Zhongyu gave her a knowing glance, nudging her to remember the goal. Mu Jixue reluctantly lowered her guard.
“Making friends isn’t something you can say and do. That request is ridiculous, please choose another one,” Mu Jixie bargained.
But apart from this, Yun Zhonghe had nothing else in mind.
Besides, only if Mu Jixue consented could their friendship gradually develop into a deep brotherhood.
“In fact, I don’t have many buddies. Sometimes I feel lonely. If Mu Girl would consider being friends, I’d be very grateful.”
Yun Zhonghe continued to charm the loli.
Mu Jixue gritted her teeth, “Even if I agreed, I wouldn’t agree in my heart.”
“Oh? Do you want a genuine friendship with me then?”
Her cheeks instantly turned bright red, three shades redder.
Hey, you’re blushing.
Yun Zhonghe found teasing the loli genuinely amusing.
Mu Jixue started stomping her feet, feeling toyed with and powerless to respond.
“Anyway, such strange requests are impossible for me. Please, Yun Gongzi, change your request!”
Mu Jixue insisted.
It looked like taming the loli would be trickier than expected.
Yun Zhonghe understood the difficulty of becoming friends with Huáng Àotiān; it was practically impossible, rarer than getting a single SS rare card in one draw. He only tried because he felt like it.
Even so, being refused still saddened him. If they could call each other friends now, it would be easier to start feeding her his things.
Her cultivation level would skyrocket.
Forget it, looks like I need more goodwill before we can become friends.
But letting the white-haired loli go empty-handed today felt unsatisfying; somehow, he needed to get something out of her.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck Yun Zhonghe.
“Then why don’t you buy something from the stall here for me? Would you do that?”
They just passed by the Eastern City Market, and Yun Zhonghe pointed to a stall at random.
Mu Jixue was taken aback.
That request… is too easy.
“This… isn’t appropriate. These are just ordinary items—a first-rank item…”
With newfound courage, Mu Jixue decided to just buy a first-rank item for Yun Zhonghe, which made her feel a bit rash about it.
However, Yun Zhonghe had his own plan. He smiled kindly, “Any gift will suffice. From a young age, I lacked nothing, but I’ve never received a present except from my parents. Whether it’s valuable or not, I don’t care.”
“Ah… This…”
Suddenly, Mu Jixue felt a bit sorry for Yun Zhonghe.
Beside her, Lin Zhongyu also felt a strong maternal instinct stirring.
Brother Yun is so pitiful.
In Lin Zhongyu’s eyes, Yun Zhonghe seemed to be a flawless man, unblemished by any flaws.
However, his heartfelt words made her realize that he wasn’t perfect—there were regrets and lacks.
But those imperfections made him even more lovable.
Yes, bearing such a bad reputation, Yun Zhonghe must have missed the experience of friendship.
She felt the urge to hug him and comfort him.
Little did Yun Zhonghe know, Mu Jixue remained stubborn, but the female lead, Lin Zhongyu, had already changed.
“Snowie, since Brother Yun said so, please do as he asks.”
Lin Zhongyu suppressed her maternal impulses as much as possible, then pulled Mu Jixue along to comply.
She was well aware that Yun Zhonghe sought something intangible rather than material things.
Their gift exchange would surely become a symbol of their budding friendship. As a close friend, she naturally wanted to mediate.
“Okay…”
With Xiaoyu’s word, she would follow it.
Mu Jixue approached the stall and carefully picked out a prop, giving it to Yun Zhonghe.
“Here, have this. No picking!”
“Why, of course.”
Yun Zhonghe gladly accepted it.
It was a black stone seemingly pulsating with spiritual energy, a first-rank item, but its specific use remained unclear.
Mu Jixue had no idea how it worked, but she sensed it wasn’t just any ordinary stone.
Even though she had mixed feelings about Yun Zhonghe, once she intended to give it, she chose the most valuable thing she could find, this black stone.
