Chapter 7: “Steamed Buns, You Don’t Acknowledge Strength?”

Gou Yu’s face was full of shock.

He never imagined Zhu Niao would say something like that.

And she was really close to him right now.

There was also this strange sense of comfort—kind of like cranking the A/C in the middle of a hot summer day and curling up in a warm blanket.

Surrounded by the faint scent of lavender, the expression on Gou Yu’s face gradually turned smug.

“What, you got a problem with that?” he said, turning to the flustered guy.

He recognized that expression—the classic look of a sore loser.

The type who starts trash-talking only after they’ve lost, like sour grapes.

In public, under the gaze of all these people, this act was just the guy trying to salvage his pride.

But what Gou Yu had never expected… was that Zhu Niao could one day become someone else’s “grapes”—something enviable and out of reach.

The other guy cursed under his breath and turned to leave.

But a strong hand landed heavily on his shoulder.

“Hey buddy, we’re not done yet,” Gou Yu said.

“You didn’t sound all that polite just now.”

“You… I’m warning you, we’re outside.”

Gou Yu smirked. A dozen shady comebacks flashed through his mind in an instant.

Just as he was about to open his mouth, Zhu Niao gently pinched his fingers.

“Forget it. Let’s go home,” she said softly.

Gou Yu looked down and saw Zhu Niao leaning against him.

There was something… weirdly satisfying about this—not the emptiness of being interrupted, but a warm sort of fulfillment.

Home. What a familiar word.

What a strangely new one too.

It was their home—his and Xiao Niao’s.

“…Okay.”

He agreed, but he wasn’t exactly a saint.

So, he snatched the parasol out of the guy’s hand, jabbed a threatening finger at the guy’s forehead, and then handed the parasol to Zhu Niao.

“Let’s go home,” he grinned.

“I just checked—those cops at the corner are gone. If we hurry, we can make it.”

“If I didn’t stop you, were you gonna make that guy famous?”

“I was gonna let him experience Genshin Impact: Real Life Edition.”

Bantering as they went, the two disappeared into the crowd.

“Looks like this new identity comes with some… side effects,” muttered Ye Qingchang, stroking her chin thoughtfully.

She turned to Liu Xie beside her.

“Hey, where’d you run off to just now?”

“I gave the free milk tea I got from the shop owner to a little brat,” Liu Xie said casually, “told him to go pull down the pants of the guy who was harassing Xiao Niao.”

Under the sunlight, Gou Yu clearly underestimated how cunning traffic cops were these days. The moment he spotted that telltale white cap around the corner, his heart skipped a beat.

“Xiao Niao, if we manage to make it home,” he said with solemn determination, “would you watch JAVs with me? Korean, Japanese, American—your pick.”

“What the hell are you even talking about?” Zhu Niao, riding pillion behind him, scolded as she leaned on Gou Yu’s back and raised herself up slightly.

She too saw the cop ahead, standing aggressively like a final boss.

At this point, it was too late to get off. The officer had already spotted her on the back seat.

“If we make it home alive… I’ll even watch stuff from the weird niche tags.”

“Xiao Niao, hold on tight,” Gou Yu muttered.

Zhu Niao didn’t hesitate and hugged her good bro’s waist.

Then came that powerful launch—a strong jolt of acceleration—and even the most prepared traffic cop was left in the dust.

That’s how they managed to escape all the way to their building’s front door.

Zhu Niao still felt like she could hear phantom wind rushing past her ears.

“Xiao Niao, we’re here.”

Gou Yu casually flicked his head like he was starring in an action movie, helped Zhu Niao take off her helmet, and pulled out his phone—probably to admire his own heroic charm.

But what he saw was a text notification of a traffic violation.

Sure, they’d dodged the cop… but not the security cameras.

“What’s wrong?” Zhu Niao asked.

“Karma’s real,” Gou Yu said solemnly.

“Serves you right.”

Zhu Niao gave him a glance, then leaned forward, brushing close against him as she slipped her hand into his pants pocket and fished out the house key.

Without a word, she walked to the door and unlocked it.

Gou Yu stood there stunned by how natural her move had been.

He looked down at his empty pocket, then at his waist, which just moments ago had been hugged tightly by a delicate pair of arms.

His resolve hardened once again.

He had to keep an eye on this completely defenseless person.

No way was he letting sketchy guys like the one earlier get anywhere near her.

Taking the keys out of the scooter, he followed Zhu Niao into the apartment at a leisurely pace.

He watched as she slipped on a pair of pink slippers and walked around the room.

Mostly to clean up the mess he’d made eating takeout the night before.

Those pink slippers slapped gently against the floor, her heel lifting slightly and revealing the soft white soles of her socks.

“There’s food I saved for you in the fridge,” she said as she tidied, “but I bet you won’t even bother heating it up.”

She kept grumbling while going about her cleaning.

Then she picked up some of his clothes off the sofa and, just like always, began folding them.

Gou Yu watched her casually pick up his socks—and finally snapped out of it.

“I’ll wash those myself later,” he said quickly, stepping in to stop her.

No way—last time a girl washed his socks, it was his mom.

“Oh.”
It was rare for Gou Yu to be the one volunteering to do chores first.

Zhu Niao, who had just been cut off from her cleaning duties, blinked in surprise.

Then she picked up the milk tea cup she’d left on the table.

“Here, I saved you half a cup.”

The leftover ice cubes clinked lightly with her movement, making a crisp and pleasant sound.

Gou Yu looked at the milk tea—or rather, at the straw.

That missing half cup had been drunk through this exact straw, by Zhu Niao.

But Zhu Niao herself looked utterly unfazed, her expression calm and natural.

If he refused now, wouldn’t that make him look like he had… impure thoughts?

And clearly, Zhu Niao didn’t mean anything weird by it.

Her clear, innocent eyes were just offering a drink between bros.

So he accepted the cup.

Zhu Niao, on the other hand, was in a mess of tangled thoughts.

As soon as she got home, she was reminded of the mission left to her by that rookie goddess.

How on earth was she supposed to “conquer” her best bro?

Seduction?

She had no idea how to do that.

And to her, romance didn’t even count unless it reached the point where kissing felt natural and guilt-free.

But with her best friend?

That felt impossibly far off.

Then she looked up—and saw Gou Yu drinking from the milk tea, using the exact same straw she had used.

Ha, this guy’s probably freezing his teeth off with the ice.

Wait. No.

Suddenly, she jabbed him in the side with her elbow, snatching the milk tea back.

“You’re not allowed to drink that anymore!”

Her tone was both cute and fierce.

Then, as if afraid of being found out, she turned and fled in a hurry.

Gou Yu stood there, utterly confused, though the pink flush creeping up Zhu Niao’s ears gave him pause.

“Also!” Zhu Niao turned back, hugging the milk tea to her chest, glaring at Gou Yu, who was still rubbing his side.

This time, Gou Yu noticed the soft pink coloring her face—her ears blushing before her cheeks even caught up.

“Don’t come into my room later. School starts tomorrow. I need to get things ready.”

She paused for a moment, then repeated it to herself like self-hypnosis:
“Yeah. Get things ready.”

Gou Yu’s face stiffened slightly.

School starting tomorrow…

Did that mean his little bird would be exposed to all sorts of scummy predators?

“Xiao Niao,” he said with a serious face, “if anyone harasses you again, just tell them you have a broad-shouldered, iron-waisted dad.”

Zhu Niao froze for a second, then looked away, face even redder.

“Screw off!”

Then, as if afraid she’d been too harsh, she peeked her little head out from around the corner of the wall, stuck out a middle finger at Gou Yu, and then gently closed the door.

The soft bed welcomed her with the comforting scent of lavender.

School starts tomorrow.

She didn’t know how that damn rookie goddess defined “someone familiar who retains their memories,” nor whether such a person even existed at school.

She didn’t have much social interaction at school anyway.

If anything, her roommates were the ones who should be stressing out right now.

Speaking of which… who exactly were those guys’ assigned romance targets?