There will always be one or two things in life that lift your spirits during the most disheartening times—maybe a single sentence, maybe just a small trinket that was successfully refunded, or maybe a person.
Zhu Niao remained unmoved as before, but that thick cloud had already passed, no longer able to block out the strands of brilliant sunlight.
Inch by inch, it spread in from outside the school building, bringing a special warmth.
Gou Yu’s hand was still on Zhu Niao’s cheek. He bent slightly, his gaze gentle.
But unlike before, sunlight filled the entire classroom, even giving a touch of familiarity to the dusty desks and chairs.
Gou Yu no longer seemed like an out-of-place white dot; the white suit he wore seemed like a herald of this sunlight.
Or perhaps this sunlight was brought by Gou Yu himself. Along with it, Zhu Niao’s originally dim eyes once again ignited with stars.
Gou Yu was like a lunatic—Zhu Niao should have known this long ago.
When normal people met someone as awkward as her, they would either stay far away or treat her as something to use.
Because she had very few friends, her world was very small, and it was always her who couldn’t leave others.
“No…”
The girl bit her lower lip.
“It’s not okay.”
“Why?”
Gou Yu had unprecedented patience. If Zhu Niao wanted, he could stay here until night, telling Little Bird ghost stories and watching the stars with her.
“Because…”
Zhu Niao’s gaze flickered, sometimes drifting toward the door. She had thought of running away on the spot.
Gou Yu hadn’t grabbed her wrist or held her by the scruff of the neck.
Even if she ran away, Gou Yu wouldn’t say anything.
The next day, he’d talk nonsense, act cheeky when they met, and both would pretend nothing had happened, continuing to drift along muddleheadedly.
But the Gou Yu in front of her was clearly expecting something. He was expecting her answer.
Should she keep running away? Gou Yu was waiting for her.
She could run away, and Gou Yu would indulge her, but how long could she run? Until she wore out Gou Yu’s feelings, until no one loved her anymore.
“Because I’m not worthy of your love.”
Zhu Niao’s voice was a little hoarse.
She didn’t run. This was also the result Gou Yu had wanted until now.
Zhu Niao began to cast aside everything, placing her truest self in front of him.
Every word they said now was real. There was no nonsense, just the collision of two hearts.
Zhu Niao’s body trembled slightly. “You have everything. You can do everything. You never run away. You’re better than me at everything.”
“You’re so gentle to me, so caring, but I can’t give you anything right now. I can’t be so selfish as to monopolize your love anymore.”
She saw that Gou Yu was occasionally discussed by other girls, and it made her unhappy, but she couldn’t say anything.
Even though she was listed as his girlfriend on the school forum and they had exchanged engagement rings at the engagement banquet, she could never reach that position.
She couldn’t provide emotional value like other girls, because she would constantly drain Gou Yu’s mood.
She couldn’t maintain the stability of this relationship, because her own mind was full of loss.
She was afraid—afraid that she couldn’t bring Gou Yu a love like this, afraid that Gou Yu would be disappointed in her, afraid that Gou Yu would abandon her.
So she could only grovel in this corner, begging for just a tiny bit of Gou Yu’s affection, just a little.
Don’t make the love he gave her “too heavy”—she couldn’t bear it.
Don’t lift this love too high—she wasn’t good enough for the stage.
Gou Yu just smiled lightly. Zhu Niao loved seeing him smile; it meant he was happy, and it also meant he had already thought of a way to face the problem.
But before he could speak, a loud shout with a hint of hoarseness rang out: “Who’s there?!”
Zhu Niao turned her head and looked out the window.
Outside on the corridor, near the back door of the classroom, an old man in a security uniform was holding a set of keys and a bamboo pole, peering inside. Clearly, he had already seen them.
Zhu Niao was a little flustered, because she couldn’t come up with a legitimate excuse to face the security uncle who was patrolling and had discovered them.
But Gou Yu was confident—he was always a bit more confident than Zhu Niao.
He directly grabbed Zhu Niao’s wrist, facing the wide-open front door and the brilliant sunlight pouring in through it.
“Run!”
Even as he said the words to flee, there wasn’t a trace of embarrassment in his smile.
Zhu Niao stumbled and then ran after him. The trench coat that had only been draped over her was flung behind, falling to the ground.
They stepped into the sunlight. Zhu Niao’s white dress was revealed under the sun, dazzling and radiant.
She was supposed to be dazzling.
As if they were still in their school days, they ran and jumped down the stairs.
Gou Yu liked to skip several steps at a time, pause, and then continue.
Zhu Niao took each step properly, one at a time.
But when it came to the last two steps, they both jumped down.
It didn’t seem to make much difference, except they were holding hands.
The security uncle’s footsteps faded away, as if he couldn’t catch up.
In the empty teaching building, only their escape remained.
Zhu Niao usually would have asked Gou Yu why they were running, and of course he wouldn’t have had an answer, because it was just a spur-of-the-moment idea.
But this time, Zhu Niao didn’t ask. She just stared at Gou Yu’s profile, thinking about how such a foolish person existed, while her thoughts still churned and echoed.
“Little Bird.”
Gou Yu didn’t stop. He kept pulling the girl along, as if he wasn’t trying to escape the security uncle behind them, but rather to lead Zhu Niao away from something even more terrifying, running deeper into the sunlight.
“What?”
Zhu Niao replied in the gaps between her gasps.
“You know, what I hate most is that kind of ‘worthy or not’ crap. I’ve always thought that idea was like dog shit.”
Gou Yu spoke without slowing down. “Old man, I fucking like you, that’s it. I don’t give a damn if you like me back. If you like me, I’m going to be liked by you. If you hate me, you still have to put up with it.”
His white suit was stained and dirty in obvious places. Gou Yu turned back under the sunlight.
“Liking you is my business. Whether you like me or not, I couldn’t care less.”
Those stains didn’t look like stains.
It was as if, after seeing Zhu Niao in the mud, he had jumped in without hesitation, carefully cherishing this rare treasure and placing it under the sunlight.