Chapter 16: The Camera’s Drawbacks

“Who are you thinking about? Is it me? Is Yiyi thinking about me? Oh my, you really can’t leave me for even a second!”

Lin Wei had already changed clothes at some point and was now standing prettily between the two of them, both hands hidden behind her back, body tilted slightly, and smiling brightly at them.

You have to admit, just like a horse looks better with a good saddle, Lin Wei, this humanoid ape, actually looked somewhat human in a dress.

She hadn’t paid much attention before, but now that she looked closely, she was surprised to find that the dress was quite delicate.

It had a layered design, with the upper part in white, a small pocket sewn on the left chest, and on it was a cartoon animal Lin Wei didn’t recognize.

A few yellow strips adorned the edges, adding a pleasing sense of depth.

The lower part was yellow, embroidered with several white stripes.

It was simple, but pleasing to the eye.

You have to admit, warm-colored clothes really are more attractive.

No wonder Mei Xue liked to wear them so much.

But Yu Qing had already said before: even if a humanoid ape dresses like a person, it’s still a humanoid ape.

Once an ape, always an ape!

“Yes, yes, I can’t leave you for a second.”

Yu Qing pressed a hand to Lin Wei’s forehead, trying to push her away, but Lin Wei deftly dodged and instead hugged Yu Qing’s arm tightly.

Fine, as long as you’re happy.

Yu Qing suddenly smiled, letting go.

“Hehe, I knew Yiyi was the best!”

Lin Wei rubbed her cheek against Yu Qing’s exposed arm, the soft and cool touch sending a shiver up her skin.

“In the past, every time I tried to hug Yiyi, she’d stop me. Today, Yiyi is being so nice! She’s letting me hug her as much as I want!”

Stop… stopped?

Me?

Oh, it’s Mei Xue.

Well, that’s not surprising…

Like hell!

Why can Mei Xue stop her, but I can’t?

Could this transformation really make me weaker?

Yu Qing frowned slightly.

Something felt off, enough to make her forget to keep up her act for a moment.

“Give me a break. Yiyi just doesn’t want to embarrass you in public. In private, you’d never be able to hug her so easily. You think everyone’s a perv like you?”

Zhou Min crossed her arms, the thick lenses of her glasses reflecting spots of white light in the sun.

She didn’t know why Yiyi’s little sister was pretending to be Yiyi in front of them, but since she was a good friend, she decided to help cover for Yu Qing.

Well…

Though with Weiwei around, there wasn’t much need to hide anything.

From the first time she met Yu Qing, Zhou Min had noticed the unfamiliar aura she gave off.

She looked exactly like Yiyi, but the overall vibe was different.

Unlike Fu Yi, who always radiated warmth, the “Yiyi” played by Yu Qing always seemed a bit distant.

It was a kind of coldness that came from within, a sort of indifference to those around her.

You could call it cool, but in reality, it was just reclusive and out of place.

Put simply, the real Yiyi liked warm colors and came off as lively, while the “Yiyi” in front of her preferred cool colors, giving off an unapproachable, hedgehog-like vibe.

Of course, Zhou Min wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that the “Yiyi” in front of her was someone else just based on that.

Compared to those subtle character differences, Yu Qing’s occasional slip-ups were much more convincing.

Whether at their first meeting or today, Yu Qing had instinctively said the word ‘Dormitory.’

Once could be a slip of the tongue, but twice?

Besides, that night Lin Wei had already told the real Yiyi about it, but Yiyi clearly had no idea.

That kind of confusion isn’t easy to fake.

With each interaction, the “Yiyi” in front of her managed to joke around with them, but there was a stiffness that couldn’t be ignored.

But if all of this still wasn’t enough…

Fine, Zhou Min admitted it: On the day of the investigation, she’d seen Yiyi get out of the car.

It couldn’t be helped. That day, Zhou Min had planned to do some Data Statistics with Fu Yi after the investigation and talk about their next tasks. But as soon as she glanced at “Fu Yi,” she caught sight of another “Yiyi’s” terrified eyes.

Zhou Min followed the gaze, and to her shock, saw Fu Yi getting out of the car.

After that, she pieced together the rest from the evidence.

The “Yiyi” in front of her was pure and shy, like a younger sister with a prickly personality in an anime.

As a child, she’d been drawn to her sister’s bright personality, but as an adult, life had forced them apart.

After a long separation, unable to hold back her feelings, she’d run away from home just to catch a glimpse of her sister from afar.

To avoid being discovered, she imitated her sister’s perfect image in front of her friends, working hard to do everything for her, even better than her sister herself.

She was a shy loner, but for her sister’s Social Practice, she forced herself to interact with others again and again.

Finally, when she completed the task, she fled to avoid being discovered.

And now, after finally relaxing and being herself for a day, she happened to run into her sister’s two best friends.

To maintain her sister’s image, she endured the harassment of a certain big-breasted idiot again and again!

Really…

Truly adorable!

So, even if she hadn’t seen the two Yiyis appear together directly, any other friend would have noticed the discrepancies.

Only Lin Wei, with her head full of hugging thoughts, was blind to it all.

Honestly, how could anyone be so oblivious?

“Hey, Weiwei, can’t you see Yiyi is troubled? That’s enough.”

Zhou Min pursed her lips in disgust and pulled Lin Wei off Yu Qing.

“No, no! Look, Yiyi didn’t push me away! How is she troubled?”

Lin Wei clung tightly to Yu Qing’s arm, lips pouting, and looked up at Yu Qing with pitiful eyes.

“You agree, right, Yiyi~?”

A… agree?

Wasn’t it because I didn’t want to embarrass you that I let you hug me?

It’s not like my strength got weaker because of this stupid transformation, right?

“……”

Damn it, so that’s why Mei Xue can’t even open a soda bottle!

So I’m the weakling here!

Yu Qing smiled at Lin Wei.

Though she was still being held by Lin Wei, in her heart, she’d already left a long time ago.