The evening streets were filled with people who looked completely at ease.
Unlike the numb, half-dead expressions of the morning crowd, their faces were now full of hope—hope for life, for the future.
Maybe it was because half of them had just gotten off work, and the other half had just finished school.
In contrast, the person walking against this tide of traffic stood out like a sore thumb—especially with her drowsy eyes and a face that looked half-dead but still technically alive.
Zhu Niao, heading in for her night shift, sent a generous amount of silent malice toward the homeward-bound crowd she passed, before finally arriving at her post.
She stepped over the store owner, who was sprawled out behind the counter asleep, pulled out her chair, shifted into a comfortable position, and prepared to let her just-rested brain… continue resting.
“Hey, Zhu-jie, you’re here?” came the voice of the store manager right as her head touched the table.
Since the boss was now awake, Zhu Niao gave up on napping in front of her conscious superior.
“Yeah, I’m here for the night shift.”
She pushed herself upright, shook her head a few times, and tried to look at least somewhat awake for her boss.
Unfortunately, her eyes still looked fogged over with sleep.
“If you’re tired, just say so—what’s with all the formality between us?” The store manager smiled and nudged Zhu Niao lightly with her shoulder.
Zhu Niao rubbed her own shoulder, confused.
When did their relationship get this close?
Or was this just some workplace tactic for improving employee morale?
Zhu Niao was still stuck thinking the way she used to—she didn’t seem willing to admit that life had become noticeably easier since she turned into a girl.
“I mean, I’m getting paid for this, after all,” she finally offered, a diplomatically neutral answer after much internal deliberation.
The response made the store manager pause for a moment.
It had the feel of someone trying to act like a seasoned old-timer in a company, but failing to sell the act—like a kid pretending to be an adult.
Seriously, how did her good-for-nothing older brother manage to land such a cute, pretty girl? If not for her introduction, would it have even happened?
When she went home for the holidays, she was definitely going to make her brother kneel and thank her.
“Money and wages don’t matter that much. Let’s talk about something actually important, shall we?” The store manager scooted a bit closer.
But Zhu Niao honestly couldn’t imagine what could possibly be more important than her paycheck.
The red-brown-haired girl, eyes flickering as if trying to gauge something, finally asked,
“So… how did you and my brother suddenly get so close?”
Zhu Niao froze.
She remembered that. The store manager had pushed her brother’s contact info to her, and Zhu Niao had handed over the store manager’s info to Gou Yu.
But she was absolutely sure—no one had added her.
So where was this supposed “sudden closeness” coming from?
Wait a second—maybe the manager’s brother hadn’t actually followed through on contacting her. Maybe he just used her as an excuse to appease this red-brown-haired girl.
And to make that lie believable, he’d need her cooperation.
In other words, the ball was now in Zhu Niao’s court.
Should she tell the truth—that no one had added her at all? Or should she high-five this bro she’d never met from across time and space, and back him up with a flaming combo move of total trust?
“…No one’s added me,” Zhu Niao replied innocently.
Come on—she knew where her bread was buttered. She was loyal to whoever paid her salary and filled her stomach.
As for the bro she’d never seen? Well, fate decides life and death; wealth is up to the heavens.
“Hm?”
The store manager’s suspicious gaze drifted all over Zhu Niao’s face, trying to catch a crack in the mask.
But she found nothing.
And yet, she was absolutely certain—she’d seen her favorite employee with her own brother yesterday. With her own two eyes. That hadn’t been a dream.
She’d even asked Zhu Niao’s friend on the spot about the nature of their relationship. There was no way she got that wrong.
It was just… in her rush to share the good news, she forgot to ask for more details. And by the time she realized it, the two were gone.
The red-brown-haired girl raised an eyebrow.
Ah. She got it now.
Her beloved employee was just shy.
Her expression softened, returning to the gentle, spring-breeze warmth she had started with.
“Oh dear, I guess my brother’s not so brave after all. Missed his chance with such a perfect little beauty like you,” she said, feigning disappointment.
Perhaps out of a tiny flicker of guilt, Zhu Niao decided to say something nice on the guy’s behalf.
After all, it had been that unseen bro who started this entire trust-based tag team. She was the one who had let him down.
“Feelings aren’t something you can rush,” Zhu Niao offered, her one line of defense for him.
“Yes, yes… exactly~” the store manager teased. “You gotta take it nice and slow~”
Zhu Niao had a feeling there was a double meaning in her words…
But she couldn’t quite make it out.
And so, with a stiff little face, she forced herself to find something to do.
That’s when she realized—they’d been open this whole time, and she hadn’t even turned on the cash register once.
Well, if it really got busy, she wouldn’t be happy anyway.
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop talking,” the store manager quickly said, assuming her future sister-in-law was just getting shy again.
Just as Zhu Niao breathed a sigh of relief, a new question floated over.
“小朱姐, do you have anything you really like?” the store manager asked, propping her chin up with one hand.
“…Why are you asking?” Zhu Niao tilted her head.
“Year-end bonus?”
She obviously couldn’t say she was asking to help her brother plan something.
“Food, clothes, warmth,” Zhu Niao answered truthfully.
The store manager paused. “Anything bigger?”
“World domination.”
“That’s a little too big.”
The manager sighed and was just about to say something else when her gaze shifted—and through the glass door, she spotted a familiar yellow figure.
“小朱姐, looks like someone’s here for you.”
She knew her dear brother would never show up here on his own unless he just happened to be delivering nearby.
“Who is it?” Zhu Niao walked to the door and immediately saw the awkward-looking Gou Yu. “What are you doing here?”
“What time do you get off tonight?” Gou Yu pulled her aside, though his dear sister was still watching them from the storefront.
“Twelve,” Zhu Niao answered, confused by his grip on her arm.
“Don’t you think midnight’s a little dangerous?”
“If you’ve got something to say, just spit it out.”
“…I forgot my key.”
Gou Yu was painfully honest.
“Here, take it.” Zhu Niao pulled the key from her pocket and pressed it into his hand, letting it linger for a moment.
“Don’t lose it. After you unlock the door, leave it in my room.”
The street was much quieter than during the day, and from her spot by the glass door, the manager couldn’t hear a thing.
But she could see their body language.
“Hey, Mom—it’s me. My brother’s already got the keys to a girl’s house, so probably not a scam. Yeah, if it is a scam, break his legs. Okay.”
“…What she likes? No no, forget about money. She clearly doesn’t care much about that, otherwise she wouldn’t be into my brother.”
Several instances of the name being left as characters