Chapter 108: Swimsuit

The rain by the sea was nothing like the gloomy downpours of southern cities; it was like an outcast child.

Accompanied by the sea breeze and the openness without many buildings to block the view, the seaside rain was neither a drizzle nor a curtain. It felt more like a grand painting, a passionate and overwhelming love story.

On the scattered, chaotic beach, the only place to shelter from the rain was a small spot.

Gou Yu wasn’t in the mood to appreciate the rain, yet he didn’t dare to look ahead either.

When he was a child, whenever it rained, he would run into the rainstorm and freely vent his childish innocence.

Then in his youth, when it rained, he would quickly find a nearby place to hide because he knew if he got soaked from head to toe, his parents would beat him until his backside was swollen.

In his teenage years, he would run into the rain again to play wildly, since all the beatings had made his skin tough.

But now, he had to pull Zhu Niao to take shelter because her health was fragile; if she stayed in the rain too long, she would catch a cold or get a fever.

Still, Zhu Niao inevitably caught a few raindrops. Though not many, it was enough for him to see a distinctly dark patch that didn’t match the white shirt she wore.

What was that? He didn’t dare to guess, nor did he dare to look.

But the little bird whispered softly, and at this moment her tone matched her delicate doll-like yet fragile appearance.

“What are you closing your eyes for?” Zhu Niao’s shirt buttons were still fastened as she looked up and saw Gou Yu tightly shut his eyes, as if refusing to see anything.

But obviously, to Zhu Niao, his expression looked like her eyes were being stung.

She thought about how she had gathered all her courage just to put on a swimsuit only for Gou Yu to see, and he still looked so disgusted.

Anger flared up in Zhu Niao; in a few quick moves, she unbuttoned her half-damp white shirt, like the stage curtain slowly being drawn back.

“Damn it, whether you want to or not, you’re going to see it today!”

The black long skirt around her waist loosened and slid down her slender legs to the ground.

Zhu Niao grabbed Gou Yu’s collar and pulled his tightly shut face to her.

Then she reached out and pried open his eyelids.

What was revealed was Gou Yu’s white eyes rolling up, like an unboxing streamer pulling a blind box from a graveyard.

“At least take a look.”

“Nope. I have high moral standards. Especially in situations like this, I must act like a gentleman,” Gou Yu said righteously, but the peeled-back eyelids still showed the whites of his eyes.

Suddenly, Zhu Niao realized there was a reason behind this.

Because when she had checked Gou Yu’s browser history before, she barely found any entries related to swimsuits.

So her attempt at seduction today was basically useless?

Her right hand, still holding Gou Yu’s collar, loosened, and her eyes showed a bit of disappointment.

Gou Yu felt the pressure on his collar suddenly vanish—no longer requiring his cooperation.

He paused, but managed to keep his eyes from opening, just slowly straightening his bent waist.

“Haha, you think you can get me to open my eyes just like that? You’re seriously underestimating me. I can close my eyes instantly every time I see an ad for Macau casinos and keep the fantasy going. Compared to that, your attempt isn’t even worth a try.”

The rain continued to fall. Gou Yu could hear the raindrops, mixed with dust, pounding along the eaves and hitting the sandy ground beside him, soaking into the beach and solidifying patches of loose sand.

He heard the chirping of sea birds, as if they were flying toward distant branches.

He heard the crashing waves, mingling with the whispers of the rain.

But he didn’t hear Zhu Niao’s frustrated huffing, nor the awaited punch aimed at his waist.

He knew if he opened his eyes now, Zhu Niao might laugh slyly and mock his so-called gentlemanly demeanor, even throw a few playful insults his way.

But he couldn’t tolerate the possibility of hurting Zhu Niao’s feelings.

So he opened his eyes.

He didn’t see Zhu Niao’s mocking smile; all he saw was a small figure crouching under the eaves.

It was a bit like that autumn rain when Zhu Niao had run out on her own and Gou Yu caught the runaway little bird, but not quite the same.

Zhu Niao wore a semi-transparent white shirt, but from Gou Yu’s side view, with the black long skirt now off her lower half, he could clearly see the treasure hidden beneath her clothes.

It was a swimsuit.

Two-piece, primarily white with black accents.

It had a sailor-collar style neckline, with a large black bow on the chest, and French-style ruffled edges layered like blooming flowers.

The short skirt below was similarly layered, two or three tiers deep, with the bottom layer edged in black; each side of the skirt had a small black bow.

The division between the two pieces exposed a slender waist that could be wrapped in a single hand.

Pale skin, a flat stomach, and the subtle curves along the side of the top piece.

Perfect and doll-like, cute, the top contender in the school beauty rankings.

But now, the little bird was crouched on the ground, obscuring her expression from Gou Yu.

He understood that Zhu Niao probably had other intentions this time. The previous Zhu Niao would have wanted to flaunt her achievements, boast about her 61-point final exam score.

But today’s Zhu Niao wanted to show Gou Yu a swimsuit that would satisfy anyone’s eyes.

Gou Yu hadn’t looked, nor had he shown any approval.

He definitely liked the swimsuit—or rather, he liked this swimsuit worn by Zhu Niao.

Normally, the scene should have been that after Zhu Niao showed him the swimsuit, both of them would shyly fall into a warm atmosphere, making the rainy mood romantic.

Gou Yu knew the little bird wouldn’t take such an initiative on her own. Of course, he looked forward to it—but only if it was genuine, not forced by some “love mission.”

He quickly understood the whole situation.

So now, faced with a gloomy little bird, what should Gou Yu do?

He silently took out his phone, turned on the shutter sound, and took a photo right in front of Zhu Niao.

Startled by the sound, Zhu Niao looked up just in time to see Gou Yu pointing his phone at her.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking a sneak photo,” Gou Yu answered openly, giving a thumbs-up. “Nailed it.”

Zhu Niao laughed angrily, “You wouldn’t look just now, and now you’re sneaking photos?”

“Because I want you to show me willingly. If you show me willingly, I’ll want to look willingly too.” Gou Yu squatted down and nearly shoved the camera into Zhu Niao’s face. “When you’re with me, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, or worry about anything. If there’s trouble, I’ll handle it. All you have to do is laugh and enjoy life every day.”

The girl with long black hair blinked in surprise, feeling like Gou Yu knew something but also couldn’t be sure.

“You don’t understand…” Zhu Niao mumbled.

“Then I’ll ask you.” Gou Yu placed his hand on her shoulder. “Do you think you need to worry about all those trivial things when you’re with me?”

Zhu Niao shook her head.

She felt the most relaxed by Gou Yu’s side.

No unnecessary thoughts—just her truest self. Here, pretending became a barrier.

So she was happiest, always having someone to clown around with amidst the bustling city, laughing freely.

It was like being in a safe house, cut off from all the outside pressure and suffering.

“That’s right then. From now on, just stick with me and stay carefree forever.”

The little bird’s eyes went blank for a moment, then a flicker of light appeared—the bright smile of the boy in front of her.

“You’re such a smooth talker.”

She said this while snatching the phone from Gou Yu, switching to selfie mode, raising it high, and clicking the shutter again.

“You take a photo of my swimsuit, I’ll take one of yours too.”

It was a photo of the two of them together, the girl’s radiant smile and the boy’s eyes full of admiration for the girl before him.