On the way home from the high-speed rail station, Zhu Niao and Gou Yu were walking into the night right after stepping out.
Just leaving the station behind, the two shook off the coastal shower and the lingering humidity as if they were on a casual post-dinner stroll—thinking about nothing, wandering aimlessly.
The last cicadas’ chirps of the season faded away, ending as silently and unwillingly as a youthful passion.
As they walked, Gou Yu suddenly stopped and grabbed Zhu Niao’s hand.
“What’s up?” The girl’s tone was tinged with impatience; she always felt Gou Yu was up to some mischief, but still paused.
“Look up at the sky.” Gou Yu pointed toward the star-filled expanse above.
Zhu Niao glanced up as well.
Unlike the clouds hovering by the sea, threatening rain, here the moon was bright and the stars scattered—an ideal, serene night.
But Zhu Niao found nothing remarkable. The stars weren’t especially numerous, the moon wasn’t particularly bright or full.
Then, as if to clarify, Gou Yu leaned close to Zhu Niao’s ear and whispered, “See? There’s nothing there at all.”
Zhu Niao laughed—laughed in exasperation.
She turned to Gou Yu, raised her fist, aiming it at his side.
“Hey hey hey, you’re really serious about this, huh?” Gou Yu quickly waved his hands and stepped back two paces. “Take a closer look, then?”
Zhu Niao raised an eyebrow but trusted Gou Yu’s words once again and looked back at the night sky.
There was nothing up there, just like before. But the twinkling stars seemed somehow merrier, as if mocking someone.
Gou Yu bent over slightly again, whispering in her ear, “See? Your horse is flying in the sky.”
Zhu Niao laughed again, this time the laughter mixed with irritation at herself for believing Gou Yu—the scoundrel—once more.
She lowered her fist—not ready to let him off the hook but to sentence him instead.
Taking two steps back, she ran forward and leapt into a Leo Flying Kick.
Unfortunately, Zhu Niao hadn’t practiced enough to strike Gou Yu’s side with precision.
Not only did she miss his side, she didn’t touch him at all—her kick merely brushed past.
About to fall to the ground, almost kissing the earth, Gou Yu grabbed the back collar of her jacket.
But now Zhu Niao’s balance was off, and it was only by Gou Yu’s pull on her collar that she stayed upright.
Still, it seemed Gou Yu had no intention of straightening her posture.
“Old dog, I advise you not to do anything dangerous. Spare me today, so we can meet again another day.”
Zhu Niao felt Gou Yu’s grip gradually weakening.
“Today I spare your life, just to wait for you to make a move again?” Gou Yu said with righteous severity. “I don’t understand the Prime Minister’s ‘Seven Captures of Meng Huo.’ All I know is to root out the problem.”
“Heh…” Zhu Niao sneered twice, “You think you’re in control of the whole situation? Then take another look behind you.”
Gou Yu looked down at his lower back—there was a small hand gripping his waistband.
Obviously, if he let go and Zhu Niao fell, she wouldn’t hesitate to pull down his pants.
“So ruthless, little bird…” Gou Yu frowned. “I really didn’t expect you to come this far.”
“Heh, in this world, it’s survival of the fittest. Those who aren’t ruthless don’t last long.”
Zhu Niao still sneered coldly. “This is a high-speed rail station. You’re not seriously planning to have your pants torn off here, are you?”
“You’re right—without ruthlessness, everything is in vain.”
Just as Gou Yu admitted this, Zhu Niao’s heart leapt with joy.
But Gou Yu spat out the rest of the sentence: “So I have to be even more ruthless than you!”
He released his grip. Zhu Niao fell to the ground in shock, and as she went down, her hand caught and pulled down Gou Yu’s pants.
Lying on her side, Zhu Niao’s last sight was Gou Yu’s colorful beach shorts—he had actually worn the shorts underneath his pants.
Gou Yu grabbed his pulled-down pants and shook them like a cowboy tossing a lasso, then flashed Zhu Niao a middle finger as she lay there defeated.
“Haha, luckily Dad realized this morning that his backpack couldn’t hold all his stuff, so he wore the shorts underneath. Want to beat Dad? Dream on!”
One hand held the pants pointing to the sky, the other gave Zhu Niao the finger—a cocky grin spreading across his face.
“Above heaven and earth, I alone am supreme!”
Zhu Niao just bit her lip lightly, propping herself up to sit on her side, her expression full of unwillingness.
Gou Yu saw the look.
But unfortunately, he wasn’t the type to be fooled by Zhu Niao’s delicate, doll-like appearance.
Instead, he was suddenly stunned, then looked curious and delighted.
He leapt over and knelt beside Zhu Niao, facing her unwilling face.
“I’ve always wanted to see this expression on you.” Gou Yu paused, then wore a sly grin. “This jealous look on your face—hahaha, hahahaha!”
Just then, a sleek black sedan pulled up beside them on the roadside, stopping right next to them.
“Did you call a cab?” Zhu Niao asked Gou Yu.
“Nope. Just when I was about to, I realized I forgot to pay for the last ride.” Gou Yu looked at Zhu Niao, then at the car. “And after paying that, I found my account was empty.”
“You’re unbeatable.”
“Right back at you.”
The passenger-side window rolled down, revealing a red-brown-haired girl leaning on it, smiling at the two.
“Having fun?” the manager’s tone was playful.
She was the one who’d called earlier that night, worried whether her good brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law were having a good time.
She truly feared her future sister-in-law might run off.
Although, given the family’s status, if her good brother wanted to find someone, there’d be countless dazzling girls eager to break down their door.
But the most important part was that Gou Yu didn’t like any of them.
Her good brother had a sharp eye—he wanted someone who almost fully understood him, who wouldn’t care about wealth when together, and who could be as comfortable as a close brother.
And yet, he really did find Zhu Niao.
To be honest, if this time he missed Zhu Niao, she was certain her good brother wouldn’t find another girl who fit all those requirements perfectly.
Plus, Zhu Niao’s looks—the so-called “hardware”—were incomparable to those flashy girls. The difference was night and day.
So sometimes when she saw her good brother being foolish, she wanted to help him find someone.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t.
But she could help nurture their relationship in other ways—like the amusement park ticket she gave them before.
Then she saw Zhu Niao lying on the ground and Gou Yu kneeling beside her, waving his pants around.
Pfft, those two.
Silly couple