After parting ways with Liu Xie at the school gate, Zhu Niao was just about to head to work when she lowered her head and saw a message from Ye Qingchang.
She tilted her head slightly, seeming somewhat puzzled by the message’s meaning.
Why was it different from what she’d said earlier?
What had this girl gone through to suddenly flip her stance?
Zhu Niao raised an eyebrow.
Without hesitation, she called her.
But as soon as the call connected, it was hung up.
A new message popped up shortly after:
[Don’t bother me. I’m busy.]
Seriously, what is this girl doing?
Zhu Niao had no interest in meddling with Dormmate No. 3’s personal emotional drama. All she knew was that if she didn’t clock in today, she might be triggering a financial dispute instead.
Even though the store manager had been unexpectedly kind to her—most likely because she really believed Zhu Niao had a chance with her unreliable brother—
But truth be told, Zhu Niao didn’t even know what that so-called brother looked like, let alone his name.
The sunlight was making her phone warm to the touch, so she flipped it over and slipped it into the pocket of her pleated skirt.
That, too, had been a recent discovery—until she wore one herself, she hadn’t known pleated skirts even had pockets.
She’d genuinely suspected, before this, that girls somehow pulled things out from underneath their skirts.
Humming a cheerful tune, Zhu Niao walked toward the shop, the sunlight behind her.
Today’s sun was strong but not blinding, lacking that burning sensation it used to have when it hit her skin. And there was a gentle breeze, too.
“Xiao Zhu-jie, you’re here! Why didn’t you tell me in advance so I could come pick you up?”
She had just stepped up to the glass door when the drowsy-looking store manager girl popped up from behind the counter. She quickly ran over and helped pull the struggling Zhu Niao through the heavy door.
“That won’t be necessary. I’m just here for work—you’re the boss here,” Zhu Niao said, hurriedly stepping back a bit.
She was still being too reserved. The store manager clearly saw her as her future sister-in-law, which explained her enthusiasm.
But there was no way Zhu Niao was actually going to date that unreliable brother, which meant she shouldn’t be accepting this kind of treatment either.
No merit, no reward. Sure, life would be more comfortable if she just took it all without guilt. But she’d only feel truly at ease doing what she ought to do.
Maybe it was precisely because she was this stubborn and awkward that she was now juggling school and part-time work, driving herself half to death.
“Aiya, aren’t we good friends? Why bother being so formal?” the store manager said as she pulled Zhu Niao down to sit behind the counter with her.
Only then did Zhu Niao notice that the old wooden chair had been swapped out for a leather swivel chair.
She couldn’t resist pushing off with her feet and spinning around twice.
Then, as if suddenly remembering that she was supposed to be a mature young lady now, she quickly sat upright with her back straight.
Little Bird assumed a proper posture.
But the sudden, unfamiliar sensation on her shoulders nearly made her jump.
It was the store manager behind her, giving her a shoulder massage. “You’re so tense. You really need to get more rest.”
Zhu Niao’s expression stiffened slightly as she dodged the massage.
Same principle as always: she was the employee here, the person behind her was the boss. She had no intention of taking advantage of a misunderstanding or an illusion of closeness.
“School, plus work… there’s not much time to rest,” Zhu Niao said. “I’m already really grateful to you for giving me this job. Anything beyond that, there’s no need…”
The red-brown-haired girl retracted her hands with a smile.
It seemed her future sister-in-law still wasn’t used to sudden acts of kindness.
Which meant that, before this, Zhu Niao probably hadn’t received much genuine goodwill from others.
“It’s fine. Once the National Day holiday comes, you can relax,” she said, pulling out a brand new sleep mask and a small pillow from the side and handing them to Zhu Niao.
Zhu Niao received them stiffly.
She had never seen a boss who encouraged employees to sleep on the job.
“Hope so,” Zhu Niao muttered, thinking she understood what the manager meant—that she’d get time off for National Day and could finally get some rest.
But she had already promised Gou Yu to go home with him during the holiday.
Hopefully, his family wouldn’t take up too much of her time. She was still counting on working some extra shifts during the break—holiday temp wages were pretty high.
“It’ll definitely be more relaxing.”
The store manager lay her head down on her own little pillow, smiling as she stared at her soon-to-be sister-in-law.
She was thinking: once this beautiful girl met their parents during the visit home with her wonderful brother, looking all sweet and well-behaved like this, there was no way their parents wouldn’t approve.
And when that time came—even if her big brother was still a mess—at least Zhu Niao wouldn’t have to be out here working herself to death just to get by.
Zhu Niao placed the little pillow on the table and fidgeted with it awkwardly, clearly unsure what to do with it.
“You must be really tired, right? Just take a nap—there won’t be any customers today anyway.” The store manager had already buried her head in the soft little pillow, her voice muffled and drowsy.
“Huh? Why? Are we closing the store?”
Zhu Niao definitely didn’t want to lose this great job she’d just found.
But on second thought, considering the store’s usual business—one customer every two days—it wouldn’t be surprising even if it did shut down.
“No, not that. Actually, all the people who come here to pick up alcohol make reservations in advance. There’s just no one coming today.”
The store manager didn’t even lift her head, only raised a limp arm and waved it weakly.
Zhu Niao couldn’t be blamed for still not understanding how the shop operated even after working there for several days.
She could already hear the steady rhythm of the manager’s breathing.
Looking down at the small pillow in front of her, Zhu Niao suddenly felt like it had grown invisible arms.
Some were tugging her closer, shortening the distance between her and the pillow. Others were gripping her eyelids, coaxing her to close her eyes.
Maybe… just a short nap?
She didn’t have anything else to do anyway, so… why not?
As soon as that thought formed, she realized she was already lying on the pillow.
It felt like she had just closed her eyes when she heard the sound of someone knocking on the glass door.
Dazed, she looked up and saw Gou Yu in his delivery uniform standing outside, gazing at her with a half-smile.
When her eyes flicked to the side, she noticed that it was already dark outside.
How had it gotten so late the moment she closed her eyes? Who fast-forwarded time—some kind of priest?
“It’s time to clock out,” said the store manager, reaching over to adjust the strands of hair that Zhu Niao had been chewing in her sleep, gently smoothing them back into place and restoring her usual neat appearance.
“Someone’s here to pick me up,” Zhu Niao said.
“I see that. But don’t rush off just yet…” The store manager pulled something out of her pocket and slipped it into Zhu Niao’s hand.
“These are tickets to the amusement park. You can use them tomorrow, so don’t waste them. If I find out they expired instead of being used, I’ll be mad, okay?”
Still groggy from sleep, Zhu Niao looked down at her palm.
They really were amusement park tickets. But… there were two of them.