Zhu Niao sat on the back seat of Gou Yu’s electric scooter and took the helmet he handed her. Just as she was about to put it on, she noticed something different.
“Where did you get this helmet?”
It was a brand-new white helmet, but it had two cartoon cat ears standing on top. It was very stylish and cute—the kind of trinket a girl would love. However, every time Zhu Niao saw a helmet like this, she doubted its safety.
“I bought it. On Pinxixi, if you place an order for over forty yuan and sign in for fifteen consecutive days, they refund the forty,” Gou Yu said, tapping the helmet in Zhu Niao’s hand. “That helmet was thirty-nine. To reach the forty-yuan mark, I had to buy six yuan worth of snacks. You need to pay me back the five-yuan difference.”
“I’ll give you jack squat.”
After hearing Gou Yu’s explanation, Zhu Niao put the helmet on without any guilt. She then grabbed Gou Yu’s waist. “Private Gou Yu, Ahead Four!”
“Copy that.”
Gou Yu put on the most basic yellow helmet, which had the words ‘Meituan Delivery’ printed on it.
The combination of the two attracted quite a few glances—mostly from guys who looked on with envy and resentment. Fortunately, Zhu Niao was used to it.
She reached out and patted Gou Yu’s rear before he could sit down. “Hurry up, girlie. Don’t make me angry.”
“Don’t be in such a rush, sir.” Gou Yu let out a playful gesture with his fingers while fastening his helmet strap.
“Look at how cheeky you are.”
With a twist of the scooter’s handle, the two of them left the school gate. As they hit a few bumps, Zhu Niao’s grip on Gou Yu’s waist tightened, transitioning from a light hold to a full embrace.
“Hey, hey,” Gou Yu said, pinching Zhu Niao’s thigh. “Prepare for airlock exit.”
Zhu Niao straightened up and looked toward the intersection ahead. A traffic officer in a white hat and green uniform was standing not far away.
“What are you afraid of?” Zhu Niao tapped her helmet. “We both have helmets now. We’re law-abiding citizens.”
“I guess you’re right.”
Gou Yu took Zhu Niao’s bait and rode grandly toward the intersection, stopping for the red light. Standing under the sun, the traffic officer naturally turned his gaze toward them as they approached.
Feeling the officer’s eyes on them, Zhu Niao and Gou Yu even tilted their heads up proudly, looking full of confidence. In reality, most officers on duty at intersections only give verbal warnings or turn a blind eye—unless you’re particularly defiant or too eye-catching.
Clearly, Zhu Niao and Gou Yu, with their tails practically wagging in the air, belonged to the latter category.
“You two, hold on a second.” The officer walked over to them. The arrogant smiles instantly vanished from Zhu Niao’s face.
She looked like a hissing kitten that had just seen its owner take off a slipper to hold it in their hand. Suddenly, Zhu Niao felt a wave of regret. Perhaps Gou Yu’s thirty-nine-yuan helmet had given her far too much courage.
There are always little birds on the ground who dare to face the light of the law. But this little bird was terrified, and she hid directly behind Gou Yu.
“Uh, is there a problem, Officer?”
“You can’t carry a passenger on the back of an electric scooter unless they are under 12 years old or physically disabled.” The officer pointed at Zhu Niao, who was shrinking behind Gou Yu’s back.
Hearing this, Zhu Niao looked up and locked eyes with Gou Yu. In that instant, it felt as if all the sages of history had reached a consensus in their eyes.
“Actually, I just turned 11 this year—” Zhu Niao said, pitching her voice high.
“This is my brother. Two years ago, his head was kicked by a donkey while he was saving me. Since then, I take him everywhere with me,” Gou Yu added, his face a mask of tragic sorrow.
“Both of you, get off and push the bike across the street,” the officer said, sensing he was being played.
“Oh…”
Zhu Niao got off, and Gou Yu followed suit. The two of them walked across the intersection. Then, they peeked back at the white-hatted officer standing at the starting point. “Quick, quick, quick! We’ve kited the hunter for 30 seconds!”
“Get on, get on! We’re setting sail!”
***
In reality, by the time they arrived at the small shop where Zhu Niao worked, they were already quite late for her shift. A large part of the reason was that Gou Yu had been banned from taking delivery orders, and Zhu Niao had spent time trying to comfort her ‘son.’
However, she hadn’t expected Gou Yu to end up crawling on the ground later. If she had known he was going to do that, she wouldn’t have cared if he was sad or not.
“Zhu, if you had something to do today, you didn’t have to come.” Noticing that her prospective sister-in-law was quite late, the manager looked up the moment the door opened and stood up.
Then, she saw her own brother.
“Why is this guy here?”
“Am I not allowed to come?” Gou Yu lifted his head, looking down his nose at his sister. “I’ve noticed you’re a bit of a hypocrite. Why couldn’t you show me even a fraction of the face you just showed her?”
“Are you the same as her?”
It didn’t matter if she was mean to her own brother, but if she didn’t take good care of her prospective sister-in-law, the girl might actually run away. If that happened, she probably wouldn’t be able to find another girl like Zhu Niao who perfectly met all of Gou Yu’s requirements even if she searched with a lantern.
The manager retorted and then walked over to Zhu Niao in three quick steps. “If you’re feeling unwell, I can give you the day off.”
“I’m not that unwell…” Zhu Niao always felt a bit lost when faced with the manager’s concern. This kind of straightforward kindness was a bit too intense for her.
“Was it you?” The girl with reddish-brown hair turned and placed all the blame on Gou Yu. “Oh right, that video you posted today.”
The manager turned back to comfort Zhu Niao. “It’s okay, Zhu. I’ve already had people report that video to get it taken down.”
“Hey, wait! I haven’t even made any money from it and you had it taken down? Besides, wasn’t I the most embarrassing one in it?” Gou Yu complained.
“I’m not arguing with you. Just wait until you go home this weekend and see what Mom and Dad have to say,” the manager said with a wave of her hand.
“It’s fine.” Gou Yu pulled Zhu Niao to his side. “Zhu is going with me this weekend. I doubt Mom and Dad will dare to do anything to me.”
The manager turned her gaze back to Zhu Niao.
The ‘little bird’ nodded blankly.
“Really?” The manager was stunned. She looked at the triumphant Gou Yu. “Zhu, does he have some kind of dirt on you?”
“I’ve noticed you think of your brother like he’s some kind of monster,” Gou Yu said, pointing a finger at his sister. “Anyway, I’m staying to work with her today, and she’s coming home with me this weekend. You got it?”
The girl with reddish-brown hair understood. But it seemed she understood a bit too much.
“Oh, I just remembered I have something to take care of.” She left a key on the counter. “The two of you watch the store tonight. I’m leaving.”
With that, she disappeared out the door.
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