Chapter 19: The Little Pitiful One Eats – 4

Su Zhiyi persevered, and Gu Xizhou’s speech script was also “stumbled through” to the end.

When it finished, Su Zhiyi cooperated very well, clapping “pitter-patter”: “That was good, you can go off-script, but you need to look forward, be a bit bolder.”

In reality, Gu Xizhou didn’t have any speech impediment. But now, she still put on a troubled expression: “I think so too, it’s just that when there are many people, I get…”

“Nervous?” Su Zhiyi saw her embarrassment and smiled kindly. “It’s okay, just practice a few more times.”

“If you’re free tomorrow, I’ll accompany you again.”

Gu Xizhou was very surprised. “Ah, can you?”

Su Zhiyi nodded, poised and graceful. “Yes, I can.”

There were just too many mosquitoes. On the way back, Gu Xizhou bought a bottle of mosquito repellent and gave it to Su Zhiyi.

Su Zhiyi tried to refuse, but Gu Xizhou said earnestly: “It was my oversight that you got bitten.”

“You’re helping me so much, and I can’t do even a small thing for you? That would be embarrassing.”

Su Zhiyi was a well-mannered, decent child. Being decent meant that, as long as something didn’t cross a bottom line, she wouldn’t let anyone feel awkward.

Like this practical gift, she really seemed unable to find a reason to refuse.

When they reached the Omega dormitory, Gu Xizhou handed the mosquito repellent to Su Zhiyi. Su Zhiyi didn’t refuse again, took the bottle, and waved at Gu Xizhou: “Thank you. Tomorrow, I’ll bring this mosquito repellent along.”

“Same place.”

Gu Xizhou smiled shyly and waved at her slim silhouette receding down the tree-lined path. “Mm, see you tomorrow.”

She stood there downstairs, waiting until Su Zhiyi had gone up to the fifth floor and entered her dorm room before Gu Xizhou withdrew her gaze.

Gu Xizhou lowered her eyes, her look instantly cooling. She turned around and walked back to her own dorm room, expressionless.

————

The next afternoon, Gu Xizhou and Su Zhiyi met at the same spot as the night before. She had brought the mosquito repellent and a diffuser stick, driving the surrounding mosquitoes away. Without these little pests bothering her, Su Zhiyi was in excellent form.

With Su Zhiyi’s help, Gu Xizhou was noticeably more relaxed than the previous night. By the end, Gu Xizhou could already deliver the speech fluently to an audience.

At that time, the setting sun slanted, and the sunset clouds blazed like fire across the horizon. The sunlight fell on the surrounding bushes, as if setting them aflame.

Gu Xizhou picked up her phone and saw it was already six o’clock. She then extended an invitation to Su Zhiyi: “Let me treat you to dinner today.”

Su Zhiyi was a bit surprised and looked up to see a very determined pair of eyes. “You spent half the day being my teacher. There should be a reward, right?”

“Doing a good deed should be thanked, so let me treat you to a meal.”

This seemed like an un-refusable reason. Although Su Zhiyi felt a slight oddness in her heart, she still readily agreed: “Okay.”

Gu Xizhou smoothly invited her to a restaurant and, following a typical university student’s spending standard, treated Su Zhiyi to a pot of pork stomach and chicken soup.

The taste was very delicious. Su Zhiyi was very satisfied. The meal was enjoyed by both host and guest.

Seeing her eat so happily, as they left the restaurant, Gu Xizhou proposed to Su Zhiyi: “I know a place that does really good curry shrimp. After this speech is over, I’ll treat you to a meal there.”

The implication was clear: if Su Zhiyi continued to tutor her afterwards, Gu Xizhou would not be treating her to meals each time.

Su Zhiyi, who had been slightly distracted wondering if Gu Xizhou had ulterior motives, dismissed her doubts upon hearing those words.

Even if there was something, such an understanding of boundaries meant she couldn’t bring herself to make the other person feel too awkward.

Su Zhiyi smiled and nodded: “Sure, if your speech goes smoothly.”

The two of them came out of the restaurant and strolled along the bustling commercial street, chatting as they walked. The first lights of evening were just coming on, neon signs flickering, everything becoming hazy and alluring.

Passing a decent-looking bakery, Gu Xizhou spoke up: “Their pineapple buns are really good. I’ll pack some to take to my roommates.”

“Mm.”

Su Zhiyi followed her into the shop. The two of them picked through the dazzling array of food on the shelves.

As they browsed, Gu Xizhou commented, “The mango mille-feuille here is delicious, the texture is dense but not greasy, you could try it…”

“Ah, and the Black Forest. They use dark chocolate, slightly bitter, the first taste on the tongue is a bit bitter…”

She seemed to just be mentioning it casually, but when Su Zhiyi looked at these cakes again, each one seemed to be sprouting little hands, waving at her incessantly.

Sweets were one of those things in life Su Zhiyi found very hard to refuse. Su Zhiyi knew this, and Gu Xizhou knew it too.

Before Su Zhiyi could steel herself to resist, Gu Xizhou promptly suggested: “How about we sit down and have a slice of the mille-feuille?”

“Alright.”

Gu Xizhou was a master persuader. It was only when Su Zhiyi had sat down and already eaten more than half the slice of cake in front of her that she realized she’d boarded the other’s pirate ship again.

Gu Xizhou watched her, smiling, her tone familiar: “You and Nanfeng really are twins, both love eating cake.”

Su Zhiyi held her fork, coughed lightly in slight embarrassment: “I am rather fond of sweets. But you seem very familiar with this shop. Have you tried all their cakes?”

Gu Xizhou nodded: “Mm.”

Su Zhiyi curved her lips, her expression tinged with a bit of teasing: “Then you really like sweets too.”

Gu Xizhou smiled and pushed the strawberry shortcake she hadn’t touched yet towards her: “Try this, it’s also very good.”

At this hour, the shop wasn’t very crowded. Only a few young couples on dates were there, ordering a dessert and sitting close together at the small tables, whispering sweet nothings.

Gu Xizhou and the other girl sat in a more secluded corner. The nearest person to them was a high schooler in uniform, wearing glasses, sitting in a corner with homework spread out, focused on writing.

During their conversation, the wind chimes on the door jingled, and four or five students flocked noisily into the shop.

Half-grown kids were incredibly rowdy. As soon as they arrived, they were like a flock of little yellow ducklings entering a peaceful pasture, quacking incessantly.

Su Zhiyi and Gu Xizhou paused their conversation, silently deciding to finish their food and leave.

But just then, two girls carrying trays walked in tandem towards them.

To be precise, towards the high school girl sitting next to them, burying her head in her homework.

Gu Xizhou glanced over and saw that these two were wearing the same uniform as the girl in the corner. An ominous feeling rose in her heart.

As expected, when those two students put their trays down on the table, they surrounded the bespectacled student, one on the left and one on the right, speaking with acidic sarcasm: “Oh, if it isn’t our little trash. What are you doing here?”

The other chimed in: “Yeah, this is a dessert shop. There aren’t any bottles for you to collect here.”

The one being surrounded was clearly not a first-time victim. She huddled, head shrinking timidly, like a little mouse.

The girl on the left with a half-ponytail and exposed earrings reached out, drumming her knuckles lightly against her head, laughing as she said: “You’ve made some money collecting trash recently, right? How about treating us to some cake?”

The cornered girl looked like she was about to cry, mumbling: “I… I don’t have money…”

The bully girl clicked her tongue in annoyance and slapped her on the head: “If you can come here, you can’t say you have no money. Being coy like this is no fun.”

Just from those few exchanges, any clear-eyed person would know what was happening.

Especially Su Zhiyi. She was sitting right opposite their table and could see the situation with perfect clarity.

Seeing a bullying scene like that would anger even a clay figurine, let alone her.

Su Zhiyi immediately put down her fork, wanting to stand up and stop this behavior.

Gu Xizhou, across from her, saw her intention clearly. She placed a hand on Su Zhiyi’s arm, silently reassuring her: “I’ll go.”

Su Zhiyi was stunned. Then she saw Gu Xizhou reach over and undo the sleeve buttons of her shirt, roll up her cuffs, stand up, and drag a chair over to the corner table, setting it down.

Gu Xizhou sat backwards on the chair, revealing the fierce tattoos on her arms. Like a delinquent youth, she smiled as she spoke: “Little sisters, what are you playing? Big Sister here is quite interested. Let me play too.”

Both of Gu Xizhou’s arms were tattooed with menacing skull designs. Pitch-black bones, stained with blood, extending from the upper arm downwards. By the forearm, a terrifying giant skull face was etched, looking exceptionally frightening.

Paired with Gu Xizhou’s deceptively harmless face, there was a vaguely contrasting aesthetic of violence.

The three girls were momentarily silenced, as cold as cicadas in winter.

Su Zhiyi watched Gu Xizhou’s slender yet straight back, and the commanding aura she projected, and couldn’t help but think: This person is friends with Nanfeng. She probably did a lot of bad things together with Nanfeng before, didn’t she?