Chapter 76: The Room

That was the manager; she wouldn’t mistake her.

The last time she had any contact with the manager was at her own home, right at the doorstep, where she had found the manager chatting and laughing with Gou Yu inside.

Then Gou Yu said he had kicked the manager out and coaxed her back inside.

After that, because she had caught a fever from being soaked in the rain, she didn’t go to school or work and thus hadn’t seen the manager since.

She didn’t even know how to face the manager.

The manager had always been kind to her, very friendly.

Even the manager’s contact info was passed to her by Gou Yu, but after that, no matter what, she didn’t want to show the manager a smile again.

It felt like it was the manager who was trying to push the extra “her” out of the house, but she knew it was really herself.

She didn’t know how to face the manager—she shouldn’t show hostility, but she couldn’t summon any friendliness either.

Then the red-brown haired girl, smiling softly, walked closer and closer, and Zhu Niao’s fear grew more obvious with each step.

She was afraid of this girl, who was even younger than her, afraid she would take away everything that belonged to her.

So, why was she here?

Zhu Niao suddenly turned to look at Gou Yu on the sofa.

He also noticed that streak of red-brown hair but showed no surprise or shock.

It was just… ordinary.

As if the manager appearing here was the most normal thing in the world.

Why?

She looked at Gou Yu, wanting him to give her an answer, but he didn’t.

Or rather, he didn’t dare; he didn’t look at Zhu Niao, only watching the red-brown haired girl approach.

Faced with Gou Yu’s silence and the manager drawing nearer, Zhu Niao finally made a choice.

Like the little orange cat beside Gou Yu, she retreated back onto the sofa, snuggling against Gou Yu’s other side, and cautiously stared at the approaching manager.

Just like a little pet that dared to face the night only when leaning on its owner.

“Hoo, I’m exhausted, but at least I’m ready.” The red-brown haired girl sat down on the vacant small sofa nearby, her face showing fatigue.

But unlike Zhu Niao and Gou Yu, she wasn’t like a wealthy young lady from a literary work, placing her hand lightly on her chest to steady her breath.

So, why was the manager here?

Once again, alarms rang loudly in the little bird’s heart.

The manager, a wealthy young lady from a rich family, and her best brother, who pretended to be poor but was actually well-off, weren’t they an even more perfect match?

Didn’t that make her even more redundant?

She gripped Gou Yu’s shoulder tighter, as if trying to hold on to something she was about to lose.

Gou Yu ignored the little bird beside him and spoke first.

“What took you so long?”

Zhu Niao clearly saw the manager roll her eyes.

“Wasn’t it because you came back too fast? If I’d known, I’d have prepared earlier, so I wouldn’t be this exhausted now.” She said this somewhat huffily, glaring straight at Gou Yu.

“Is it wrong to come home early? You always nagged me to hurry back before,” Gou Yu raised an eyebrow, stubbornly firing back.

Only Zhu Niao stood to the side of their bickering, her beautiful eyes gradually going blank.

What did the manager call her best brother just now? “Old dog”? Or was it “Old bro”?

Come to think of it, Gou Yu had indeed said before something like “she’s just my little sister.”

Please, isn’t it a little too cruel to play with her life like this?

How could someone as uncouth and uneducated as Gou Yu possibly have such a civilized, graceful, and elegant rich young lady as his sister?

No way.

While Zhu Niao’s doubts clashed in her mind, the red-brown haired girl turned her gaze to her.

Then, she smiled gently, as if looking at an old friend long separated or a family member under the same roof.

“Sister Xiao Zhu, is your fever better now?”

She smiled softly and tucked back her long hair.

Zhu Niao opened her mouth but couldn’t say a word.

The girl seemed to notice the suspicion in Zhu Niao’s eyes and spoke again.

“Sorry for keeping it from you before. To be honest, my surname is Gou. I’m your roommate and Gou Yu’s younger sister. Of course, I didn’t mean to hide it. If I’d known it would cause unnecessary misunderstandings, I’d have explained right away.”

This long explanation clarified the current situation perfectly.

The manager was indeed Gou Yu’s sister.

Not only had she passed the manager’s WeChat to her own older brother before, but in that autumn rain, she had run out into the rain and caught a fever just because she saw a normal meeting between siblings.

All her previous actions and attitudes, to these two who already knew the situation, must have looked like…

“Yes, a bit like a circus…”

Before Gou Yu finished, Zhu Niao covered his mouth with her hand, silencing him completely.

Feeling her cheeks burning, Zhu Niao fiercely said to Gou Yu, whose mouth she was covering, “If you hadn’t hidden it, how could I have made such a huge fool of myself?”

“All right, all right, Sister Xiao Zhu, from now on you can still call me ‘Manager,’ and I’ll still call you Sister Xiao Zhu, just like before.” The manager quickly soothed her.

Then she added, “Of course, if you want me to call you sister-in-law, I’m more than happy to.”

“Let’s just keep it the same as before.” Zhu Niao hurriedly waved her hand.

Zhu Niao finally resigned herself to the situation but felt like punching Gou Yu in the face beside her to vent her anger.

Fortunately, the manager spoke again: “Rather than that, why don’t you go see the gift I specially prepared for you? I’ve been working on it for a long time.”

“A gift?” Zhu Niao was momentarily stunned, and seeing the grand manor around her, she immediately thought of something glittering gold.

So, she grabbed Gou Yu by the collar on the sofa and lifted him up.

Coincidentally, Gou Yu was also a little interested in the gift his sister said Zhu Niao would definitely like.

The red-brown haired girl stood up, her steps a little more lively, leading the two upstairs.

“If you want to see the gift, you have to go to Sister Xiao Zhu’s room.”

Zhu Niao’s footsteps behind her faltered.

Probably the guest room; her luggage should have already been delivered there, waiting together with the gift.

“By the way, does a big manor like this have guest rooms?”

“Usually, yes.” The girl stopped in front of a door, “But the guest rooms aren’t this way, and the place I’m taking you to isn’t a guest room either.”

She stepped aside and stretched out her arm, directing Zhu Niao to look at the door.

On it hung a delicate and cute wooden sign, clearly reading: [Zhu Niao’s Room].

“This is your room, right next to Old Bro’s room.”

“This room will always be yours—a place for you to settle.”

“You can treat this as your own home.”

Everything, including the pale light and the sunlight streaming through the window, was tinged with warm tones.

“Sister Xiao Zhu, are you happy with this gift?”

“I…”

It was like a lump of cotton stuffing being roughly pushed into an empty cloth doll, filling all the gaps and packing it tightly.

“Sister Xiao Zhu?”

“Thank you.” Zhu Niao couldn’t stop the beautiful curve on her lips or the prickling of tears in her nose. “I really like it, thank you.”