Chapter 331: The Hongmen Banquet

The wind whistling past his ears was proof of a rider’s skill.

Not to mention Gou Yu, the Gold Medal Rider of the delivery service.

It wasn’t until dusk settled in that his true prime time arrived.

Since it was dinner time, delivery orders were always especially numerous—peak hours.

And with the fall of dusk, once the Hat Uncle stationed at various intersections got off work, his suppressed abilities could finally be fully unleashed.

That was the origin of Gou Yu’s title as Gold Medal Rider—he could deliver ten orders at once without a single one being late.

At this hour, Gou Yu’s mental processing was even more terrifying than when he was solving math problems during exams.

And tonight’s orders were especially plentiful. He was driving on the road now, one hand free to tap at the phone mounted on his holder.

He planned to call Zhu Niao to say he wouldn’t be home for dinner—tonight he’d probably make a killing on deliveries. Skipping one meal wouldn’t kill him.

Gou Yu didn’t think Zhu Niao would be preparing him a lavish meal anyway.

She’d also mentioned she was going out with her roommate and would bring food back, so leaving it for another day wouldn’t matter.

But before he could make his call, a call came in first.

A string of numbers, not even saved in his contacts.

So he picked up immediately and said:

“Your delivery’s at the guard station. I already took a photo.”

“What in the world are you talking about?” A girl’s voice came from the other end, carrying an oddly mature tone.

“Aren’t you ordering delivery?” Gou Yu heard a somewhat familiar voice. “Then why are you calling?”

“You didn’t even save my number?”

“Who are you that I’d save your number?”

The girl on the other end took a deep breath. “I’m Xun Wanqing.”

“…” Gou Yu raised an eyebrow, searched his mind thoroughly, found nothing. “Who’s Xun Wanqing?”

“You’re done for. I’m telling Mom.”

“Oh, if it isn’t my most beloved little sister! Big brother was just joking with you. I’ve noticed you really like taking things too seriously.” Gou Yu’s face instantly twisted into a fawning grin.

“Why do I get the feeling you really don’t remember my name?” The Store Manager Lady’s voice came through, laced with suspicion.

Gou Yu’s voice remained sycophantic. “How could that be? Of course I remember you’re a Gou.”

Silence from the Store Manager Lady’s end.

Gou Yu fell silent too. A moment later, he squeezed out a sentence. “Wait… you’re not surnamed Gou?”

“I’m long used to this kind of thing.” The Store Manager Lady muttered to herself. “Alright, listen carefully. No matter how busy you are tonight, you will come home for dinner.”

“Huh?” Gou Yu glanced at the time. “Isn’t it a bit late to say this now? If I buy a ticket and take the high-speed rail back, I’d probably starve to death by the time I get home.”

“I’m not talking about that home. I’m talking about your home with Miss Zhu.” The Store Manager Lady’s voice seemed to carry a forcibly suppressed calm.

Gou Yu raised an eyebrow, pulled the car over to the curb, checked front and back, then spoke. “What’s going on?”

“Miss Zhu carefully prepared dinner for you today. No matter what you’re busy with, you need to come back and eat it.”

After hearing that, Gou Yu sensed something was off.

If it was as his dear little sister said…

“You mean… Little Bird personally cooked a meal for me herself?” Gou Yu said the words as if even he couldn’t quite believe them.

“That’s right. She even specially sought out someone to teach her cooking, put a lot of effort into learning.” The Store Manager Lady stated the truth.

“Though she didn’t manage to learn much. Honestly, expecting anything from someone with zero cooking foundation was a bit much from the start. This time it’s just making her look a little bad.”

“Are you serious? Her? Personally cooking?” Gou Yu recalled the last legendary disaster of Zhu Niao in the kitchen. “Are you really sure?”

“Sure.”

“Damn, then I need to get back and check if the kitchen exploded.” Gou Yu hastily made a U-turn.

“I think that’s completely unnecessary. No matter what, Miss Zhu wouldn’t go that far. Besides, the dishes she learned are relatively simple—she’ll definitely handle them with ease.”

The Store Manager Lady sang Zhu Niao’s praises without reservation.

Just like when she’d sung Gou Yu’s praises in front of Zhu Niao.

Though back then, she’d praised Gou Yu because she was afraid Zhu Niao would dump him. Now she praised Zhu Niao because she feared her clueless older brother might run his mouth and cause Zhu Niao to dump Gou Yu.

Seemed the outcome was the same either way.

“What dishes?”

“One steamed crab, one smashed cucumber.”

Gou Yu let out a sigh of relief.

“Then I can relax.”

He could make those two dishes with his eyes closed.

But he wasn’t fully relaxed. After all, this was Zhu Niao—the same Zhu Niao who had a sign reading “Zhu Niao and Cats Not Allowed” posted on the kitchen door to this very day.

“What I mean is, big brother, no matter what Miss Zhu ends up producing, you must eat everything on that plate and declare it delicious.” The Store Manager Lady got straight to the point, her low voice as if sealing Gou Yu’s fate in an instant.

Gou Yu took a deep breath. His hand holding the phone was inexplicably starting to sweat.

This was undoubtedly a challenge for him. In this situation, it was hard to guarantee survival.

Like a warrior stepping onto the battlefield. Charging forward with unwavering resolve and all-out effort, racing toward death to find life.

The last meal with a danger level comparable to this might just be the Hongmen Banquet.

Gou Yu inexplicably felt a lump in his throat.

“If I go today and never return…”

The Store Manager Lady was silent for a long moment, then answered. “Then I’ll cover your medical expenses for food poisoning and your wages during that period. And I’ll come up with a decent excuse for Miss Zhu so she won’t worry too much.”

Somehow that felt disturbingly like “your wife and children, I shall care for them.”

“Oh, bro, that’s true brotherhood. When you call me bro, what more can I say? I’ll just hand over this life right now.”

With all worries gone, Gou Yu wasn’t in a hurry to head back.

He still had two delivery orders in hand. He’d finish those and take a bit of time to mentally prepare.

Besides, it wasn’t yet his usual time to head home for dinner. If he suddenly showed up now, it would inevitably make Zhu Niao suspicious.

After delivering these two orders, he’d go to the banquet.

The Hongmen Banquet, so to speak.

But…

Gou Yu claimed to be terrified of Zhu Niao’s cooking, but this was the first time Zhu Niao had carefully prepared, personally cooked dinner for him.

To say he wasn’t looking forward to it would be a lie. To say he wasn’t moved would also be a lie.

A girl so close to perfection, and he’d managed to latch onto her.

His feelings with Zhu Niao could be called destiny, or they could be called Gou Yu scheming and racking his brains to win them.