The evening glow shone down on the sports field. Zhu Niao took one last look at Ye Qingchang, who was lying face-down on the track, her condition uncertain, and at Xiao Yi’an nearby, flustered and at a loss for what to do.
She figured Ye Qingchang had already recovered by now, just too embarrassed to get up after making a scene. No need for her to go over and mock her to her face.
She had taken plenty of photos just now anyway. She could save the teasing for later in private.
Zhu Niao stood up, tidied the things on the table, and tossed all the cheer scripts—whether read or not—into the trash can.
Today’s sports meet was over. Under the blood-red setting sun, only a few students remained after the crowd had dispersed.
Yang Shuli and Xu Nian, who had been lively on the bleachers earlier, were nowhere to be seen—they must have gone out for dinner.
Even if she didn’t trust Xu Nian, she trusted her Dorm Leader. She couldn’t imagine what else that little loli with a walnut-sized brain could think about besides food.
Once everything was cleaned up, Zhu Niao placed her hands on her hips and looked toward Gou Yu, who was slowly walking over from not far away.
He had gone to the restroom just now, otherwise she would’ve made him help clean up too.
Zhu Niao knew Gou Yu must be utterly exhausted today, but that didn’t stop her from bossing her good buddy around.
At most, as a reward, she would let Gou Yu shower first today, and the half watermelon left in the fridge could go to him too.
Liu Xie, on the other hand, had gone for a walk around the field with her brother after wrapping things up. From the looks of it, they seemed to be having a debate contest.
“Yo, did you fall into a cesspit just now?” Zhu Niao raised an eyebrow, eyeing Gou Yu, whose clothes had been soaked through and dried again.
Just goes to show how amazing her good “son” was. If it were her, she would’ve given up on a few events by now.
But Gou Yu hadn’t. Even after running, he still placed in most events.
As the saying goes, a tiger father begets no dog son.
Zhu Niao was quite satisfied. She patted Gou Yu’s arm, only to get a handful of sweat, which she wiped off in disgust on his shirt.
“Uh…”
Gou Yu frowned, looking rather troubled.
He hadn’t just gone to the restroom just now.
He’d overheard two girls from the Broadcasting Station talking at the restroom door.
Yes, those two girls from the Broadcasting Station.
He only caught the gist of it—they were thanking someone for finishing today’s work for them, and confirming their transferred bonus, a reward they hadn’t earned.
It seemed his Little Bird was a bit too naive. She probably hadn’t realized she might be making wedding clothes for someone else.
Those girls had caught a windfall, but what about Little Bird?
Gou Yu thought about confronting them, but by the time he finished in the eerily quiet restroom and came out, they were already gone.
So what should he do now? Just watch as Little Bird’s whole day of work went to waste?
So Gou Yu smiled and pulled a hundred-yuan bill from his pocket, waving it.
“I ran into the leader from this morning. He asked me to give you your bonus.”
He kept his smile up, convinced his performance was flawless.
But it all came to an end when Zhu Niao’s expression suddenly went cold.
“You really think I’m that easy to fool?” Zhu Niao’s hand, still clutching Gou Yu’s shirt, tightened its grip. Her usually lively voice now carried a wave of emotion.
“It’s not…”
“Don’t bother. Whether you’re lying or not, I know better than you.” Zhu Niao stared Gou Yu straight in the eye. He knew this look—whenever she made this face, it meant Little Bird was truly angry.
So Gou Yu fell silent, standing there like a wooden post in front of Zhu Niao, not daring to meet her puffed-up, angry gaze.
He didn’t know how long had passed. All he knew was that the breeze strong enough to lift his bangs had blown by three times.
A dull pain hit his stomach. Looking down, he saw the angry Little Bird had punched him in the gut.
He clutched his stomach and stepped back, confusion flickering in his eyes, only to see Zhu Niao holding out her hand to him.
He hesitated, then placed his hand in hers.
Zhu Niao snorted with laughter: “Who wants your hand? Give me my bonus.”
The red bill was handed over to Zhu Niao.
She waved it in front of Gou Yu: “Old Dog, today I worked under the table at the Broadcasting Station and got a bonus. I’m treating you to dinner.”
Gou Yu was stunned again, but his expression relaxed.
He put his hand on Little Bird’s shoulder: “Then I want barbecue.”
“You’re getting picky now?” Zhu Niao shot back.
“Wasn’t it my money to begin with?”
“It’s mine now.”
Actually, Zhu Niao had realized by noon that she probably wouldn’t get the bonus that had drawn her in at first.
But she found that just sitting in the Broadcasting Station wasn’t bad either—she could cheer for her friends first, watch the events up close, and stay under an umbrella.
She just hadn’t expected her good buddy to go this far.
A bit of warmth crept into her heart, but she still mostly wanted to scold her silly buddy.
The sound of footsteps approached—Liu Xie rushed over to Zhu Niao’s side.
She grabbed Zhu Niao’s shoulders and shook her back and forth: “I can’t take it anymore! He’s just like my dad now—no, even more like my dad than my dad!”
Zhu Niao looked at the crazed look on Liu Xie’s face and could guess what kind of torment he’d suffered.
“I don’t think caring about you is a mistake.” Liu Anran strolled over at a leisurely pace from behind.
“I’d rather you didn’t care about me. This is just too weird. How about you curse me out a little?”
Zhu Niao looked at Liu Xie with a touch of sympathy after hearing that.
It seemed her good buddy really had been through the wringer.
“If cursing you would make you feel better, I would, but let me be clear, it wouldn’t be sincere.”
“Ah—” Liu Xie clutched his head and wailed, “Just admit it! Admit this is your new way of tormenting me! You’re doing a great job, seriously.”
“It’s not.”
“Ah—”
Liu Xie fled in agony.
Zhu Niao blinked, flicked the red bill in her hand, making a crisp sound.
“Private Gou Yu, let’s go—your old man will treat you to a good meal.”
“Yes, sir!”
The field seemed to fall quiet.
“President, how much longer do we have to wait here?”
“A little longer.” Ye Qingchang still kept her eyes closed. “We’ll leave when everyone’s gone.”
“President…”
“What is it? Is everyone gone?”
“No.” Xiao Yi’an paused. “Looks like someone called for an ambulance. I see several people in white coats coming this way with a stretcher.”
“Damn.”