Huayu, my cheat code is a bit strange.

Chapter 15 The Talkative Fairy

A gentle breeze rustled the bamboo leaves.

Startled by the noise, the sparrow in Gu Xiao's palm fluttered its wings and flew up with a "chirp," landing lightly on his shoulder.

Two sparrows, one on the left and one on the right, tilted their little heads and warily eyed the two people who had suddenly appeared.

"Mom, look at the sparrow on his shoulder!"

Liu Yifei's tone was full of curiosity and fondness as she gently tugged at her mother's arm beside her.

"Sisi, that's rude."

Liu Xiaoli glared at her daughter, then gave Gu Xiao an apologetic smile, though her eyes held an undisguised curiosity.

Judging from this reaction, they probably didn't hear Gu Xiao's secret delight. He nodded slightly to the mother and daughter as a greeting.

He didn't intend to have much contact with them; they were just strangers.

Hiding behind her mother, Liu Yifei's gaze lingered on Gu Xiao's shoulder, as if she wanted to get closer but was also a little shy.

Just then, Xiao Jiu darted out from the depths of the bamboo forest.

It seemed to be full of curiosity about these two uninvited guests. With a few nimble leaps, it came straight to Liu Yifei's feet, raised its little head, and stared at her with its bright black eyes.

"ah!"

Liu Yifei gasped softly, showing no fear whatsoever. Instead, she crouched down, looking at the little squirrel so close to her with delight, "Hello!"

Xiao Jiu ignored her kindness and ran back to Gu Xiao's feet, its two front paws expertly grabbing its master's trouser leg, as if to say, "I only recognize him."

Liu Yifei's expectations were dashed, and she felt a little wronged. She subconsciously puffed out her cheeks at Gu Xiao.

Liu Xiaoli chuckled and shook her head, saying in a friendly tone, "Little friend, is this your pet squirrel? It's really special."

Gu Xiao could only reply, "Hello, Auntie. It's a bit shy."

Liu Yifei stood next to her mother again and mustered her courage to ask, "What's its name?"

"Xiaojiu."

Gu Xiao's gaze met hers for a fleeting moment.

Upon closer inspection, the girl's features appear even more delicate, and combined with her refined and elegant demeanor, she truly stands out.

Gu Xiao now has a more direct understanding of this saying: there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong given names.

"Xiaojiu."

Liu Yifei repeated softly, her eyes sparkling with obvious anticipation, "Can you tell me where I can buy a squirrel like this? I want to keep one too."

"It's a Eurasian squirrel, not a native species, so you probably can't buy it."

Gu Xiao bent down, picked up Xiao Jiu, who was clinging tightly to her trouser leg, brushed off the dust, and briefly recounted how she had met and adopted it at the flower and bird market.

After hearing the story, Liu Yifei visibly became depressed, and Liu Xiaoli, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but sigh, her eyes showing a hint of approval as she looked at Gu Xiao.

Kind people are always liked.

Xiao Jiu, the protagonist of the story, showed no sadness whatsoever.

It perched on Gu Xiao's arm, its eyes fixed on the sparrow on his shoulder, its small body slightly arched, its hind leg muscles secretly gathering strength.
Whoosh!
The red figure suddenly leaped up, its front claws aimed straight at the sparrow!

"Chirp!"

The two sparrows were prepared and nimbly took flight, easily dodging the sneak attack, and chirping sweetly in mid-air.

That was mocking a squirrel's overestimation of its own abilities.

Xiao Jiu was furious and shouted urgently.

The two sparrows were not to be trifled with either. They circled around Gu Xiao for a while, then one of them swooped down and precisely pecked at Xiao Jiu's tail, plucking a tuft of downy feathers before proudly flying back to its companion.

"Squeak!" Xiao Jiu howled in pain, her fur standing on end and her little chest heaving violently.

It gripped Gu Xiao's collar tightly with one of its little paws, while angrily pointing the other paw into the air and waving it around.

Even Liu Yifei and the others could tell that the squirrel was furious and was complaining.

"You're terrible at it, but you love to play games."

Gu Xiao didn't put much effort into comforting them, and casually waved her hand to signal the two sparrows that had succeeded in their prank to leave. "Anyway, they'll grow back. Out with the old, in with the new."

Xiao Jiu suddenly turned her head, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Is this something a person can say?
Gu Xiao met its gaze calmly. "Let's add one more rule to the three rules: no grabbing things randomly."

“Haw—!”

Xiao Jiu let out a long, mournful cry, picked up the big tail that had been viciously bitten, buried her little head deep in it, leaving only a round, puffed-up back view facing everyone.

Liu Yifei was so charmed that her heart trembled, and for the first time in her life, she had the urge to "rob" her mother, secretly tugging at her sleeve.

Liu Xiaoli felt quite helpless, thinking to herself, "This is someone else's pet, what can I do?"

"Little friend, how old are you this year? Why aren't you in school?" Liu Xiaoli tried to start a conversation.

There's no other way; I have to take care of my own daughter. I can't just buy someone else's pet, but surely I can pet it once we get to know each other?

Gu Xiao fell silent, unsure whether or not to answer, or how to answer.

What should I do if I have to lie during the interview? But telling the truth always seems like it would be a lot of trouble.

"I'm an art student," he tried to say dismissively.

"Oh, you're an art student too!"

Liu Yifei's eyes lit up, seemingly with excitement and curiosity, "Which colleges did you apply to?"

The elimination rate for art exams is astonishing. Students who have the opportunity will apply to multiple schools, and similar schools will intentionally stagger their exam times to make it easier for students to apply.

If a student is outstanding, there may even be competition among universities to recruit them. If a student becomes famous at a young age, they may be given a guaranteed admission.

Thinking about this, Gu Xiao felt inexplicably guilty.

He's been running around to art schools a lot these past few days selling study materials. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if he got recognized during the re-examination?

"Hey! Pay attention to me!" Liu Yifei wrinkled her nose angrily.

"Sorry, I was daydreaming," Gu Xiao said unconsciously. "I applied to the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy."

"really?"

Liu Yifei's eyes widened, and she said excitedly, "I also applied to the Beijing Film Academy."

Liu Xiaoli was also somewhat surprised, but after observing carefully, she quickly came to terms with it. It was indeed a pity that she wasn't an actress with such a face.

"Really? What a coincidence." Gu Xiao feigned surprise and began to think about how to shake off the other person.

The other person is, after all, a big star, and I always feel a little uncomfortable having them around.

He doesn't mind lying, but he minds lying all the time; it's exhausting.

Liu Yifei, however, wasn't about to let him off the hook, and kept asking, "Which preliminary exam were you in? What did you take? Did you pass?"

"Fairy Sister, why do you talk so much?" Gu Xiao answered one by one, adding, "I went out this time to complete the re-examination procedures."

The implication is clear: stop asking, I have important business to attend to.

Liu Yifei completely missed his hidden meaning and became even more excited:
"Then I'll take you there. I did it yesterday, so I know the process!"

Gu Xiao: "."

(End of this chapter)