Xia Shiyao looked at Yin Lin, and Chen Jiayuan also looked at Yin Lin.
“Could it be? Or did they mention what they were doing today earlier, and she just forgot?”
“Watch the road!”
Yin Lin didn’t dare ask, so she had no choice but to keep playing dumb, and reminded: “Keep driving, what else? So, what exactly is September 1st? Whose birthday is it?”
She forcefully interrupted Xia Shiyao’s train of thought, pulling her attention back to driving.
Chen Jiayuan didn’t need to drive, so she was bored, and continued to ask: “By the way, we still don’t know where Li is from, so where is Li from?”
“Where from what?”
Yin Lin answered: “Are we close enough that we can tell each other any secret?”
She kept playing dumb, because she had no idea what they were even talking about.
Chen Jiayuan: “Fine, don’t say it. No need to be so mysterious.”
The topic was finally survived.
The car kept driving, and the people around them grew fewer and fewer, until they finally arrived at an uninhabited mountain.
“What’s this for?”
Even after seeing Xia Shiyao and Huan Hong transform, Yin Lin was still completely confused.
The three of them took off, with Jin Luan flying ahead to lead the way, and took advantage of the slower flight speed to explain what they were doing today.
Since they shared a certain resemblance to the Jinyin Hong San Jiemei, having their true forms gathered together could easily make people think of magical girls, so it wasn’t convenient to drive into the urban area where there were lots of people. That was one of the reasons they parked on the mountain and flew over instead.
Yin Lin complained: “Wait… sis, since we’re going to transform anyway, why don’t we just transform and fly straight to the meeting point? What was the point of driving all the way here?”
Even Yin Lin could tell something was off here.
Jin Luan casually explained: “Because, if I didn’t drive today, you definitely wouldn’t have come.”
“Why?”
“You don’t need to understand, and besides, if I didn’t personally pick you up by car, I don’t think you would go to the meeting point.”
Yin Lin: “I don’t get it.”
Ten minutes later, Yin Lin understood.
Standing at the entrance of this big store, looking at what was inside, her scalp went numb.
A swimwear shop.
No wonder Jin Luan thought Yin Lin wouldn’t come to the meeting point, because Yin Lin really would have refused. If she’d known the destination was here, she wouldn’t have come at all.
After all that fuss, it turned out today was for swimming.
If Song Wuli had come alone, he wouldn’t have refused. If he’d come with Qian Dehao and Huang Yijun for some relaxing swimming, he wouldn’t have refused either, and he’d have been happy about it.
But if it was about transforming into a magical girl to go swimming…
“You guys pick for me first, I’ll go buy a sunshade over there.”
Yin Lin turned to leave, but Jin Luan grabbed her hand and dragged her straight into the store.
Her acting was ultimately too ordinary; she’d been caught lying.
Yin Lin squatted down directly, as if doing so would somehow increase friction, and she absolutely refused to go in.
Jin Luan kept yanking her along, all the way to the swimsuit section.
“What style do you like?”
Stopping at the bikini section, Jin Luan asked Yin Lin.
“This can seriously still be called a swimsuit? It’s practically the same as a band-aid.”
Yin Lin quickly refused, shaking her head nonstop, still squatting and refusing to get up.
Jin Luan continued dragging her over to a section with slightly more fabric.
“This one’s safe.”
Jin Luan said: “There are lots of people on our beach doing sunbathing, or playing in the shallow water area.”
Magical girls—of course the shop clerk was thrilled. It was rare to see three magical girls, and these were the ones who had saved Yiri City. The clerk had already taken a photo with Huan Hong and was looking for a chance to take one with the other two.
“I think you should respect my wishes. I don’t want to go in the water.”
Jin Luan didn’t even bother arguing, nor did she intend to make excuses. Yin Lin was still struggling, but couldn’t break free from Jin Luan’s grip.
“Today I’m going to moral blackmail you. Even if you don’t want to play, you will.”
Jin Luan’s attitude was clear: in the upcoming September, she had to have one good hard day of fun.
“How about you wear a children’s swimsuit, little kid?”
Huan Hong mocked from the side.
“How much fabric? Where is it?”
Yin Lin didn’t care about her taunts.
The shop clerk quickly pointed out where the children’s swimsuits were, and Jin Luan continued dragging Yin Lin over there.
It felt like a mother dragging along her tantrum-throwing daughter.
After seeing a children’s swimsuit that looked the same as a normal dress, Yin Lin said she could accept it, but Jin Luan was the one who couldn’t.
“Wait, sis, I’m the one wearing it, not you. What do you have to object to?”
Yin Lin wanted her human rights.
But neither Jin Luan nor Huan Hong planned to respect her human rights.
‘Isn’t this simple? Because they both chose rather revealing swimsuits, and they don’t want an odd one out in the group, which would make people look at them strangely.’
Yin Lin wanted to leave, but the entrance was guarded, so she couldn’t get out. So, they carried Yin Lin into the changing room.
“Since you never intended to follow my wishes, why even ask what I like?”
“Asking your wishes was just asking. Nothing more to it.”
And so, Yin Lin was dragged along like that, looking at the swimsuit beside her, really not wanting to wear it. It was too embarrassing.
A few minutes later, Jin Luan must have guessed what she was thinking: “I’ll give you two more minutes. Then I’m coming in. Are you putting it on yourself, or am I helping you?”
In the end, Yin Lin wore it anyway.
She could feel their determination not to give up today, and on top of that, it had been a long time since she’d gathered with them and caught up. So Yin Lin, half reluctant and half going along with it, put on the swimsuit with the most fabric.
But she didn’t dare go out, until Jin Luan forcibly pulled open the curtain and walked in.
Seeing Yin Lin wearing the swimsuit, Jin Luan suddenly calmed down too, and both of them became reserved.
“Huh? What’s going on? Is something wrong with what I’m wearing?”
Yin Lin instead started to worry, wondering if she was exposing something.
‘Did I put it on wrong? Wearing it backwards? Is this not how women wear swimsuits?’
Hearing the silence inside, Huan Hong was also curious and walked in.
“Whoa! That good-looking? I thought she was a little sprout, but her figure’s actually that impressive?”
Huan Hong even reached her hand toward Yin Lin’s chest, and even though she could have touched it in just half a second, Jin Luan still slapped her dirty hand away.
“Don’t touch whatever you want.”
Jin Luan voiced what Yin Lin was thinking, the perfect stand-in for her thoughts.
“What? It’s not like I’m touching you. Why are you so worked up?”
Huan Hong rubbed her stinging hand and muttered.
Then she looked at Yin Lin again. The fabric of this swimsuit was a bit more than a bra, but it still revealed her rounded silhouette. Her ribs were faintly visible beneath her chest, and combined with the faint lines above and below, it was full of subtle, teasing allure.
Huan Hong stared at Yin Lin like it was no big deal, while Jin Luan, for some reason, was blushing slightly, her gaze drifting around.