Chapter 33: Leave it to us! Three thousand words
Ye Zhibai didn’t notice the large security team behind her.
She was still happily breathing in the air of freedom.
Guang Yu, with a backpack slung over her shoulder, walked beside Ye Zhibai with an aloof gait, as if she didn’t recognize anyone.
Outdoors, Guang Yu had transformed again into her fluffy princess dress and white knee-high socks.
She was also quite delighted! Guang Yu had been cooped up in the room for so long that she was turning into a stuffy fox!
While outside, Ye Zhibai preferred to speak to Guang Yu through mind communication as much as possible.
Otherwise, in the eyes of passersby, Ye Zhibai would just look like a genius having a conversation with thin air.
“Guang Yu, you said this morning you had to bring a backpack. What’s in it? Does it serve some purpose?”
“No, it’s just that I have to carry my life savings with me whenever I go out. Osmanthus cake, wasabi sauce, and that notebook from earlier (spiritual nourishment)—these are all my earthly assets, and I must keep them close at all times.”
“Uh… huh?!”
“You’re still carrying that notebook?!”
“Citrus Love:* The Surge of Passion, right?!”
[*”柑橘物语(*Gān jú wù yǔ*)” – *Citrus Love: The Surge of Passion*, a fictional, likely steamy or romantic book referenced humorously. It refers to the type of passionate, emotionally charged content that Guang Yu treasures as her “spiritual nourishment.”]
Ye Zhibai had tried before, but she couldn’t snatch it from her.
She would have to wait until Guang Yu fell asleep one day and secretly tear it apart herself.
Hopefully, the little fox wouldn’t cry.
They wandered for a while, just to clear their heads, but after walking for some time, Ye Zhibai figured it was time to head to her destination.
She stopped in her tracks, pulled out her phone, and casually opened the map app.
She input the address of Lin Zihan’s flower shop that had been sent to her earlier.
It was 2:30 in the afternoon, and with the weather being especially pleasant—not too hot, not too cold—Ye Zhibai thought, getting some exercise, rather than, well… bedroom exercise, was the right way to live!
“Guang Yu, do you have the confidence? We might need to walk a bit more this afternoon. Consider it a compensatory long walk since we haven’t gone out in ages. What do you think?”
Guang Yu replied, “Hehe, who do you think you’re talking to?! I, the great deity, am meant to travel the four corners of the earth. Of course, I rely on my own two legs! Your human tin cars may be nice, but they make people lazy, and with air conditioning, they’re poisonous!”
Ye Zhibai appreciated, “Hmm, that’s a very commendable attitude!”
Both Ye Zhibai and Guang Yu were brimming with confidence and righteousness.
They were ready for a summer walking adventure.
At the same time, Ye Zhibai pressed the walking navigation button on her phone.
The voice from the Treacherous Maps* app[1] rang out from the phone.
[*”缺德地图 (*quē dé dìtú*)” – “Treacherous Maps,” a humorous and exaggerated nickname for a map application. It’s often used to describe map apps that give overly challenging or inconvenient routes, making them feel “treacherous.”]
“The total distance is 17 kilometers, estimated walking time: is 250 minutes. Treacherous Maps will continue to guide you.”
“……”
One second they were filled with heroic spirit, the next second the joke was on them. The clown? It was her, after all.
Ye Zhibai silently turned off the map.
Meanwhile, Guang Yu, after a moment of stunned silence, cleared her throat and made a new divine suggestion.
“Ahem! I think we should still call for a tin car. While human tin cars may make people lazy, aside from that, they’re wonderful.”
Words truly are an art.
Just by switching the order of the sentence, the same words suddenly sounded much better.
But the ride-hailing app, like Treacherous Maps, was equally ruthless.
After entering the address, the three-digit fare estimate made Ye Zhibai’s fingers tremble with rage.
Indeed… freedom comes at a price.
Ye Zhibai sighed lightly in the face of reality.
In the end, she called the maid squad number that Yun’er had given her before she left.
Yun’er had mentioned… There was a maid team nearby protecting me.
Ye Zhibai said, “Well then, please send a car over!”
“I just wanted to take a walk— But I didn’t sign up for a marathon!”
Half an hour later, Ye Zhibai was back in action!
The maid squad, after receiving her call, had a luxury car at her doorstep in two minutes, driving her and Guang Yu straight to the flower shop’s street!
Their efficiency was unmatched!
Once they arrived, the maid team hid themselves again, resuming their mission to carry out Second Miss’s secret protection orders.
Ye Zhibai looked back at the departing vehicle, filled with gratitude.
After getting out of the car, Ye Zhibai stood on the asphalt sidewalk, then sat down on a nearby bench meant for pedestrians, opening the map once more.
She began to double-check the surrounding area.
Looking around, she saw it was a bustling commercial district, filled with tall buildings and wide roads.
Glancing at the exact location on the map… Ye Zhibai vaguely recognized the area.
Although she hadn’t come here much in her past life, if she continued a few kilometers north from here, she would reach Qi Hai University.
—The same university Ye Zhibai had attended in her past life.
A place of heartbreak, better left unmentioned.
The dump trucks around that area were especially aggressive—not a place to get close to.
Ye Zhibai re-entered the flower shop’s location.
This time, Treacherous Maps seemed to have regained some decency.
“Destination: West City Qingxin Flower Shop, 200 meters away. Estimated walking time: 5 minutes.”
“Nice!”
“Finally, it was time to get going!”
Ye Zhibai turned up the volume of the navigation a bit, put the phone into her dress pocket, stood up, and called Guang Yu to set off.
“Let’s go, Guang Yu. Let’s go get the vine.”
Guang Yu retorted, “What’s so great about the vine? Don’t forget to buy some flowers. The yard at home is bare and doesn’t look good anymore.”
Ye Zhibai uttered, “You have no right to say that.”
“Who do you think caused the yard to be so empty, huh!”
“Wasn’t it you who plucked everything you could?!”
“And the one thing you couldn’t pluck the cactus, you went and boiled to death today with hot water!”
“Are all deities like this?!”
Ye Zhibai had a thousand complaints swirling in her heart, but she didn’t want to argue with Guang Yu in the middle of this busy street.
If they were going to fight, they’d handle it at home!
To reach Lin Zihan’s flower shop, Ye Zhibai had to cross the pedestrian crosswalk from where she stood to the other side of the wide road.
Then, it was just a hundred meters straight ahead.
Guang Yu followed behind Ye Zhibai as they walked.
Everything was going smoothly, and her stride was still filled with swagger[1]. But when they reached the pedestrian crossing— Ye Zhibai suddenly stopped without any resistance.
“Hey!”
This caused Guang Yu to bump her head against Ye Zhibai’s back, and the recoil made the little fox wobble backward, barely regaining her balance.
She almost fell on her butt again!
The little fox girl rubbed her head, confused, and started looking around.
“Why did you stop all of a sudden?”
Guang Yu didn’t know traffic rules, but she could read.
The sign next to them said—Red light, stop; green light, go.
On the other side of the road, there was a huge green light!
And all the other pedestrians were rushing across the street without hesitation. No one had stopped.
Only Ye Zhibai… remained frozen in place.
“Ye Zhibai? Ye Zhibai? What’s wrong?” Guang Yu hopped up and down behind her, asking.
But she didn’t get any reply.
Ye Zhibai seemed to be trying to step forward— But each time she did, her foot quickly recoiled.
Guang Yu was at a loss. She could only walk around to Ye Zhibai’s side and tilt her head to observe her.
—Ye Zhibai still showed no expression.
But the cold sweat on her forehead didn’t quite match today’s refreshing weather.
“Guang Yu… wait a moment. I… I need a minute.”
“Hmm?”
“There are… too many cars around. Let’s just wait a bit… I’ll be fine soon.”
“……”
Sometimes Guang Yu could be a bit dense.
But in reality, the little fox was quite smart.
She closed her eyes slightly and listened carefully.
Only now did she realize just how noisy it was around them.
Engines roared as they sped past the street corner nearby.
Vehicles waiting for the red light on either side of the road idled with their gears humming softly.
To Guang Yu, this noise wasn’t a big deal.
But she understood that to Ye Zhibai, this situation… these sounds might be as terrifying as the roars of wild beasts.
What would someone think, standing at such a wide intersection after having been struck down by a vehicle and lying in a pool of blood?
A deity could imagine it.
Ye Zhibai swallowed hard, her heart full of complicated emotions.
This was the first time in her life she was standing at such a busy intersection, and not sitting inside a car.
During the college entrance exams, the roads had been closed.
Ye Zhibai felt that the road ahead seemed so, so far away.
So far it seemed like if she took a single step, she would never come back.
The engines and horns around her seemed muted in her ears.
All she could think of was the despair of vehicles rushing at her without slowing down.
“It’s fine… it’s fine… what’s the big deal.”
“It’s just a crosswalk, nothing to be afraid of.”
Even though she kept telling herself it was fine, every time Ye Zhibai tentatively took a step forward, it felt like her vision was soaked in blood-red.
Her mind buzzed.
“Huh…?”
Suddenly.
In Ye Zhibai’s vision, the world slowly began to regain its original color.
Because Ye Zhibai’s attention was diverted.
Her hand was suddenly held by a small hand.
Firm and soft.
Guang Yu’s fluffy tail brushed against Ye Zhibai’s arm, gently patting it rhythmically—
—as if to comfort her.
Ye Zhibai turned her gaze to Guang Yu, surprised.
At some point, Guang Yu’s small figure had already moved in front of her.
The little fox reached back her slender arm, holding Ye Zhibai’s hand.
Suddenly, Guang Yu became a bit tsundere* and refused to meet Ye Zhibai’s eyes directly.
[*”傲娇(*ào jiāo*)” – “Tsundere,” a term originating from Japanese anime/manga culture, refers to a character who is initially cold or aloof but gradually shows a warmer, more affectionate side. Guang Yu’s behavior here is a typical example of a tsundere.]
She continued, “Well… Ye Zhibai, just relax, okay? You’re not crossing the street alone. I’m here. No car could hit you; if one tries, it’ll turn into scrap metal in an instant. Don’t forget, I’m a deity! Good deeds are rewarded. You fed me wasabi and pancakes, so I’ll protect you.”
The colors of the world around her returned.
All the sounds, once muted, clearly flowed back into Ye Zhibai’s ears.
She looked at Guang Yu in front of her in disbelief.
She almost wanted to reward her with a few bottles of soda!
Was Guang Yu really this reliable?
What did you expect?
A deity only shows their dignity when it matters. The rest of the time, they act too cool for it!
Though Guang Yu grumbled, she had at least said these words of comfort.
Ye Zhibai, not wanting to admit it, mumbled a quiet “thank you.”
“… Thanks…”
“Did you just thank me?!”
“No.”
“You did! I heard it! Did you or did you not?!”
Ye Zhibai, enraged!
This little fox, though deserving of thanks, is infuriating!
But no matter what—
Holding Guang Yu’s small hand, Ye Zhibai felt a sense of security.
“So… O great deity, at least this time, let me rely on you.”
“Leave it to me!”
Guang Yu, full of confidence, tried to pull Ye Zhibai’s hand to cross the street.
But—Ye Zhibai remained completely still!
Guang Yu frowned, showing her little fangs, and grumbled.
“Can’t you be braver?! Still scared?”
“No.”
“Then what’s wrong?!”
“Well… the light turned red. We need to wait.”
“……”
Guang Yu awkwardly turned around to see the big red light on the other side of the road.
Instantly, she fell silent.
No more grumbling.
Traffic rules come first.
Meanwhile, hiding behind a distant bench, wrapped in a detective’s trench coat, Ye Zhijun was in tears!
This wasn’t an exaggeration—she was crying!
She watched her sister crossing the street and felt an indescribable sense of pride!
“Head Maid… d-did you see that? That’s my sister! That’s the eldest daughter of the Ye family! She overcame her fear of crossing the street all on her own! Isn’t that amazing?!”
Wah! Sister, I’m crying so much!
Why are you pushing yourself so hard?!
If you’re really scared, you could just call me!
I could come to your side any time!
The head maid, exhausted from all this emotion, bought a pack of tissues from a nearby kiosk.
“Second Miss, please wipe away your tears of inspiration.”
The eldest young lady truly was inspirational, but…
She continued, “But, could you hide yourself a little better?”
“And if you can’t hide, could you at least not start crying all of a sudden?”
“Didn’t you see the kiosk owner nearly freak out and grab her phone?!”
“If I hadn’t stopped her just now, who knows if she’d be dialing the police or a mental hospital!”
