Gou Yu’s embrace was indeed very warm, but perhaps that was because Zhu Niao was cold enough to begin with.
The broad, warm hug came from behind, holding this fragile girl like a piece of shattered porcelain glued back together with tape.
“You’re full of it. You obviously think I’m a pain, you’re just pretending to care about my feelings. I already know that,” Zhu Niao chirped away in Gou Yu’s arms, freely venting her anxiety and unease.
Only then did Gou Yu realize something he had always forgotten to do.
He had forgotten to give Zhu Niao a sense of security.
Zhu Niao was a rather awkward person; her mind was always filled with all kinds of worries.
The changes in gender and body had brought about quite a transformation in Zhu Niao. If it had been the old Zhu Niao, she would never have let Gou Yu know about situations like this.
Although the old Zhu Niao wouldn’t have gotten into this kind of situation at all.
But when the old Zhu Niao faced a lack of security, she chose to hide it, bottling it all up and digesting those rotten emotions alone until they were completely gone.
Maybe the current Zhu Niao was even better than before; otherwise, she wouldn’t be throwing a tantrum at Gou Yu right now.
If it had been before, Gou Yu might have shown concern all along, but Zhu Niao would have kept it all inside until she digested every last negative feeling herself—leaving behind an indelible mark.
“I do think you’re a pain,” Gou Yu finally said.
Zhu Niao froze, lightly biting her lower lip, unable to say a word.
She knew this was the answer, she had already thought of it, but it was not the answer she wanted to hear.
“Then don’t bother with me. Why come back at all? Just leave me to whine at home alone. Why do you still care about me?” Zhu Niao burst out in a torrent of words, as if questioning Gou Yu, but also herself.
“I do think you’re a pain, but I mean the you you are now,” Gou Yu added, tightening his hold on Zhu Niao, who was trying to break free from his embrace.
“Have I not told you so many times already? Don’t think about all those messy things right now. You only need to do one thing,” Gou Yu raised a finger. “Do whatever you want to do, instead of obsessing over whether I’ll dislike it, get annoyed, or even abandon you.”
As he spoke, Gou Yu seemed like he wanted to sigh. “The first thing you need to realize is, no matter what, I will never abandon you. I will always stay by your side.”
“Aren’t we each other’s most important person? What you did today was exactly what you should do. You did the right thing—when you needed me, you called me. I cared about you, so I rushed back.”
“This is a mutual thing; there’s no way it could ever become annoying.”
Zhu Niao placed her hand over the large hands resting on her waist.
Gou Yu’s palms were calloused; only the backs of his hands felt smoother to her touch.
“But, but I could have done these things by myself. Even if you hadn’t come back, I would have done just fine. I didn’t really need you, so why did I call you back…”
“Why do you care so much?” Gou Yu moved his hand, grabbing Zhu Niao’s small hand and pressing it against her soft belly. “You just need to know that you thought of me first, and I was happy to come back. You’re glad I helped, so that’s all that matters.”
At first, Gou Yu thought the supposed emotional instability during a girl’s period was a myth, but now, seeing Zhu Niao’s state, he admitted it might be true.
Suddenly, Gou Yu felt this period thing might be a good thing. It gave Zhu Niao, who usually kept her emotions bottled up, a chance to honestly vent what was inside. Their interactions became more straightforward.
Maybe there would be moments like today, when even Zhu Niao would start doubting if she was bothering Gou Yu at work.
But Gou Yu never thought delivering those two orders of takeout could compare to how important Zhu Niao was.
“You haven’t changed your clothes or taken a shower…” Zhu Niao muttered, clearly changing the subject, at least no longer obsessing by herself. “You’re all sweaty, and yet you just crawled onto my bed…”
The girl’s tone was full of disgust, but Gou Yu could clearly see her ears turning red and hear her stammer.
Zhu Niao wasn’t wrong—after delivering takeout all morning, how could he not be sweaty?
But the situation was urgent, and he wasn’t sure what conclusions Zhu Niao might reach if left alone to overthink on the bed.
So, he climbed onto the little bird’s bed.
Luckily, he knew the rigid, sharp-edged delivery jacket would be uncomfortable for Zhu Niao, who was only wearing a nightdress. So, before getting on the bed, he took off the jacket, leaving only a thin T-shirt.
Zhu Niao’s back could even feel the firmness and tension of Gou Yu’s solid muscles.
Gou Yu obediently lowered his head and sniffed himself.
Unfortunately, this bed belonged to Zhu Niao, her quilt, and inside Gou Yu’s arms, the closest scent was her lavender fragrance—intoxicating and soothing.
He couldn’t smell himself.
“Do I stink?” The question was genuinely directed at Zhu Niao.
“Well… you… uh, never mind,” Zhu Niao muttered but didn’t say any more unnecessary words. She just shifted closer to Gou Yu, closing the distance between them a little more. “Not really that bad. Just stay.”
Maybe she simply didn’t want Gou Yu to leave.
“By the way, now that you actually have your period, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask for your help with.”
Gou Yu’s words made Zhu Niao’s body tremble.
She herself realized that if she had a period, that meant she could…
Honestly, she hadn’t even enjoyed being Gou Yu’s dad yet. She couldn’t suddenly switch to being mom.
“What is it?” Zhu Niao felt like she was asking a question she already knew the answer to.
“It’s a test. I need you to cooperate with me.”
Zhu Niao nodded vigorously like a rattle drum and hurriedly said, “No, no, I can’t do this kind of thing. I’m not ready. No, even if I were ready, it wouldn’t work. At least… at least not here and now…”
Gou Yu looked puzzled. “What are you babbling about? What I want to try is whether drinking more hot water really helps during periods. Where else would you jump to?”
“Uh, that’s what I thought too. Haha.”
Gutter minded.
What a pervert~