The sky was overcast, so Zhu Niao didn’t feel too hot as she walked down the street.
The longer the school term went on, the more Zhu Niao felt the chill of autumn creeping in.
Still, it was alright—her good buddy’s money and the generous delivery fee always made her beam with delight.
Even the wild grass and flowers by the roadside looked a bit kinder and gentler to her now.
Oh, there’s a little cat, too.
Bouncing along, Zhu Niao squatted by the roadside and looked into the flowerbed at the orange tabby lying there.
“Are you a fat cat or an old-timer?” she asked, pointing sternly at the stretching tabby cat.
But in the end, she couldn’t resist and reached out to pet it twice. Hearing the faint purring, she couldn’t help but squint her eyes in contentment.
The awakened tabby stretched out its paw and batted at Zhu Niao’s hand, but only managed to hook the red string on Little Bird’s left wrist.
Startled, Zhu Niao quickly withdrew her hand, checking back and forth before finally relaxing when she saw the red string on her wrist hadn’t been torn by the cat’s claws.
Maybe it was just a little trinket, or maybe it was proof of her happiest moment.
“Bad cat!” Zhu Niao said, reaching out to lightly tap the tabby’s head.
Yet the cat pitifully rubbed up against Zhu Niao’s hand again, so well-behaved and gentle it was almost comical.
Little Bird’s heart softened once more, and she gently pinched the little tabby’s ear.
Maybe this cat, like her, was wandering without a place to call home.
Out of the corner of her eye, Zhu Niao caught sight of the little fish pendant hanging from the red string on her wrist.
Maybe her own situation was a bit better—at least she had Gou Yu.
She stood up, eyes never leaving the little orange tabby, and took two steps back.
But the little tabby stubbornly propped itself up and moved in the direction Zhu Niao was retreating.
“Don’t follow me, okay? If you do, we’ll both end up eating crap.” The words that came out of Zhu Niao’s mouth were anything but what you’d expect from a pretty girl.
Surprisingly, the little cat actually obeyed, sitting properly in the flowerbed without moving an inch.
But it was Zhu Niao who kept looking back every few steps, making her seem like the one who couldn’t bear to part.
She’d wanted to keep a cat before, but the very next day her parents brought home a Wolfdog and told her that was the kind of pet boys should like.
She’d only taken a few steps when a splash of cold water landed on Little Bird’s head, making her shiver in surprise as she walked down the road.
The girl reached up and touched her head, dazed for a moment.
Then came the soft, rustling sound of rain—tiny droplets striking the leaves on the roadside trees, turning from green to yellow.
It was a rare autumn rain, or perhaps the last wild celebration of a summer about to depart.
Almost instantly, Zhu Niao gave up on her plan to walk to the roast duck shop for half a roast duck.
She wasn’t about to turn into a drenched chicken—Gou Yu’s delivery fee didn’t include getting soaked in the rain.
So she quickened her pace and ran toward home.
She passed by the little cat again, but now the cat had found shelter from the rain, while she still had to dash home through the downpour.
Unwilling to lose, Zhu Niao even flipped the tabby off as she ran past.
Raindrops streaked down Zhu Niao’s cheeks.
She liked rainy days, liked all kinds of imperfect weather.
But she had a problem—once she got caught in the rain, her head would start to ache, and ache badly.
Panting lightly, she was grateful she hadn’t gone far, and grateful she’d run into such a clingy little cat on the way—otherwise, she’d have been stuck in the rain even longer.
A car she didn’t recognize was parked in front of her familiar home.
With her hair half-damp, Zhu Niao approached in confusion.
She walked all the way to the door before she heard two people talking inside.
She didn’t see anyone, but both voices sounded familiar—she just couldn’t quite believe it.
So she shrank against the edge of the doorway, gripping the doorframe with both hands.
Clearly, this was the apartment she shared with Gou Yu, but right now, she didn’t dare go in.
Until she caught sight of that familiar long, reddish-brown hair.
Panicking, Zhu Niao turned her head and walked back out into the rain.
A burly man got out of the unfamiliar car, frowning slightly: “What are you doing here?”
“I…” Zhu Niao felt like her throat was suddenly squeezed shut, unable to speak for a long moment, as if she didn’t belong here.
“I was just passing by.”
The lavender-scented girl disappeared into the rainy mist, her traces washed away by the falling drops.
“Hm?”
Gou Yu, passing through the living room, suddenly looked up at the door, but saw nothing.
“What’s wrong?” The girl with long reddish-brown hair stopped as well. “I just said your room is tidier than before, and now you’re out of breath?”
“It’s not… never mind, it’s nothing.” Gou Yu turned to look at his dear little sister. “You’ve seen everything you need to see. My roommate’s room is private, so I can’t show you. You can go home now, right?”
“Yeah, I’ve pretty much seen it all. It’s just a shame I didn’t get to meet your roommate, or I’d want to know even more.”
The girl nodded, then asked, “Where’s the bathroom? I’ll use it before I leave.”
Gou Yu let out a sigh of relief and pointed not far away: “It’s over there.”
He watched his dear little sister walk into the bathroom, closed the door behind her, and relaxed with his eyes closed.
Finally, it was over.
Then he heard a crisp “click”.
That wasn’t the sound of locking the door.
All at once, Gou Yu realized something and pushed open the unlocked bathroom door.
There, in front of the washing machine, stood his dear little sister. The washing machine lid was open, and in her hand was Zhu Niao’s white dress, washed but not yet hung to dry.
They both recognized the dress.
“So, dear brother.” The girl with long reddish-brown hair smiled in satisfaction. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
Clearly, from the moment she’d stepped inside, the Store Manager Lady hadn’t trusted her dear brother for a second—only suspicion.
Gou Yu was speechless.
“So you gave her the gift you originally meant for me. No wonder it looked so familiar. Don’t worry, bro, if you’re giving it to a sister-in-law, I won’t be mad at all.”
The girl with long reddish-brown hair grinned and put the white dress back into the washing machine.
There was no panic on Gou Yu’s face at having his lie exposed—only a calm, resigned look.
“Alright, now I can go home with peace of mind.” She turned back to Gou Yu. “But someone better be ready to face Mom and Dad’s grilling when it’s time to go home for vacation.”
Hearing this, Gou Yu’s face grew bitter. He shook his head and sighed.
He walked his little sister to the door, watching as she walked to the car under the driver’s umbrella.
Raindrops slid from the umbrella and splashed onto the ground.
Rain?
Gou Yu paused for a moment.
He looked up at the sky, at the curtain of fine needles falling from above.
It was raining—and Zhu Niao was still outside.
He clearly remembered Zhu Niao hadn’t taken an umbrella when she left.
He hurriedly pulled out his phone, but after just a few rings the call was decisively cut off—Little Bird had hung up on him.
“Second Miss, just now a girl came to the door in the rain, but then ran off again. Not sure what she was up to.”
The girl who was about to leave stopped in her tracks at the driver’s words.
“It’s fine, you go ahead.” Gou Yu dashed into the rain, then turned back. “Give me the umbrella.”
Snatching the black umbrella from the driver’s hand, Gou Yu charged into the rain and mist.