Chapter 21: Stealing Expired Takeout

“That guy…”

Liu Xie narrowed her eyes slightly, gazing toward Zhu Niao in the distance.

Poor little Bird still hadn’t noticed someone had suddenly appeared at her side. She was still cheerfully picking out delicious food to bring back for Gou Yu.

Liu Xie recognized the man trailing behind Zhu Niao.

He was somewhat like the kind of playboy she used to be, but compared to him, Liu Xie—with her petty indulgences—looked like a delicate little flower.

This guy’s only hobby was chasing women.

And lately, his family business had taken a downturn, which only made him party harder and behave even more recklessly. The only reason he could still invite people out to eat was thanks to his fading reputation.

God knows what that lunatic might try to pull.

It looked like he’d set his sights on Zhu Niao.

“What are you standing around for?” Ye Qingchang, who was wandering about with a plate, noticed the tense expression on Liu Xie’s face.

“She’s being targeted,” Liu Xie said, glancing at her.

“That guy has his eye on Bird.”

“Again?” Ye Qingchang froze. “So that’s what being number one on the campus beauty rankings means?”

“We’re going over there right now to get her back.” Liu Xie tried to move, but the moment she took a step, she winced in pain.

Her ankle was starting to swell—though thanks to her long dress, it wasn’t easy to spot.

It explained why Ye Qingchang and Zhu Niao were still roaming around while she’d stayed nearly stationary all this time.

“What’s wrong?” Ye Qingchang finally noticed something off, but without her glasses, she couldn’t quite see the expression on Liu Xie’s face clearly.

“I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Liu Xie mustered all her bravado and led Ye Qingchang toward Zhu Niao.

But right then, the one string holding her together snapped.

Ye Qingchang first heard the wind rush past her, then the dull thud of an impact.

Looking down, she saw Liu Xie on the ground—collapsed like a blooming blue snowflower.

Frowning, Liu Xie glanced behind her. There, just barely visible under the carpet, was a raised bump—culprit of her second fall of the evening.

As one of the official stars of tonight’s banquet, Liu Xie was quickly surrounded by a small crowd. Everyone started expressing concern and checking in on her with exaggerated politeness.

They weren’t cold bystanders—on the contrary, nearly everyone was putting on their best face, eager to win favor with the pampered young lady.

Still, they were only offering surface-level concern. None of them actually stepped forward to help her up.

“You’re not hurt too badly, are you?”

Ye Qingchang reached out a hand toward Liu Xie.

“I’m fine. We need to get to Bird.”

As soon as she took Ye Qingchang’s hand and stood up, pain shot through her—sharp and excruciating—right from her ankle.

She couldn’t hold herself upright and slumped into the nearby chair.

With her silky blonde hair clinging to her forehead, Liu Xie broke out in a cold sweat as she frowned down at her swollen right ankle.

“You sure you’re okay?”

Even without her glasses, Ye Qingchang could now clearly see that something was definitely wrong with Liu Xie.

“I’m fine,” Liu Xie said through gritted teeth.

Just as Ye Qingchang was starting to panic, a familiar figure pushed through the crowd.

Liu Anran brushed past Ye Qingchang and walked straight up to Liu Xie. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“None of your business,” Liu Xie replied, her expression unchanged.

Without saying a word, Liu Anran reached down and pinched her swollen ankle. The pain twisted her face instantly, and she instinctively grabbed his arm to stop him.

“And that’s what you call fine?” the boy asked, a faint irritation in his voice. “Didn’t I tell you to let me know when something’s wrong?”

He looked at his so-called dear sister with a furrowed brow and sighed.

Then he turned around, crouched down, and exposed his back to her. “Get on. I’ll take you to get it looked at.”

“I can walk—”

Liu Anran glanced back at her with a calm, unyielding look.

So, the blonde blue snowflower clung to Liu Anran’s back, her slender arms wrapped around his neck as he carried her through the crowd and away.

Ye Qingchang was left standing there, dumbfounded.

The fight hadn’t even started, and they’d already lost a teammate.

After a moment of thought, Ye Qingchang pulled out her phone and started messaging Gou Yu: Bird’s being abducted.

And now, she had to stall for time until Gou Yu showed up to retrieve Zhu Niao.

*****

Zhu Niao still hadn’t figured out the car key dangling from the man’s hand.

“Delivery guy?”

Gou Yu didn’t even acknowledge the question. He grabbed Zhu Niao by the shoulders and looked her over up and down, only relaxing when he confirmed she still had all her limbs intact.

Then he raised his head and glanced at the suited man beside her, seemingly understanding the situation in a flash.

In the next moment, right in front of that man, he tilted Zhu Niao’s chin and said with a grin, “Hey babe, wanna go for a spin with your boy? I’ve got two expired takeout boxes stashed in my delivery crate—want in on some stolen goods?”

Zhu Niao couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“Sure,” she giggled, handing the paper bag in her hand to Gou Yu.

Then, the two of them turned and started walking out of the hall—one after the other.

“Hold on!” the man beside them finally snapped, unable to hold it in. “You’re just going to take her away like that?”

“Any reason I shouldn’t?” Gou Yu shot back.

“You’re just a delivery guy! Riding some e-scooter—what makes you think you can just walk off with her?” The man waved the car key in his hand.

“What do you have that I don’t? What can you even give her? A filthy delivery boy like you got lucky, huh?”

“What, you make a couple pennies and think you’ve earned the right to stand tall? Can you afford the clothes she wears, the accessories she uses? Who the hell do you think you are, standing in my way?”

Seeing that Gou Yu stayed silent, he continued, sneering, “You’ll be delivering food your whole life and never even qualify to eat at a place like this. Be smart and get lost while I’m still being polite.”

Still, Gou Yu didn’t say a word. He simply exchanged a look with Zhu Niao.

Then, at the exact same moment, both of them raised their middle fingers.

“Jackass.”

For a second, it felt like time froze.

While the arrogant young man stood stunned, the pair took off chirping and laughing like two mischievous birds who had just pulled off a prank, running out of the hall together.

Ye Qingchang was stunned in admiration.

The man finally snapped out of it.

He glared viciously in the direction they’d run off. “A damn delivery guy and a shameless slut who doesn’t know her place… Just you wait.”

He wasn’t stupid—there were too many people around for him to cause a scene now.

But what happened in private… that was another matter entirely.

A sudden chill crept up Ye Qingchang’s spine, and she instinctively took a step back—only to bump into a red-brown-haired girl in a formal dress.

The girl was also smiling, gazing at the direction Gou Yu and Zhu Niao had gone, as if she’d just witnessed something that genuinely delighted her.

“Are you a friend of Zhu Niao’s?” the girl asked cheerfully.

Ye Qingchang blinked. “Yeah, I am.”

“What’s Zhu Niao’s relationship with Gou Yu?” the red-haired girl asked again.

“They’re super close. Like, wear-the-same-pants kind of close.”

The girl’s smile brightened even more.

Then she gently pulled Ye Qingchang to her side and tapped the table with her finger.

The suited man who had just tried to leave was forced to turn around.

“Second Miss Gou,” he greeted, now with evident respect in his tone.

“Rein in your thoughts. That little cutie just now is my favorite employee,” the manager said casually, picking up a glass of red wine.

“I-I didn’t know earlier. If I had known, I definitely wouldn’t have…” The man’s attitude flipped in an instant, like a mouse seeing a cat.

Arrogant before, groveling now—it was almost comical.

“The one who took her away is my older brother,” the manager added, holding out the glass of wine to the man. “Don’t you dare push your luck.”

Without missing a beat, the man obediently took the glass—and dumped it over his own face.

Then he bowed deeply to the manager in front of him. “I’m terribly sorry. I’ll leave right away.”

Ye Qingchang, who had been watching the whole thing unfold, hadn’t even finished processing all the information when the smiling girl beside her cheerfully pulled out her phone and started making a call.

From the sound of it… she was sharing good news?

Wait a second—how did she know Gou Yu’s name?