"Mo Yu..."
Liu Nanfeng opened the door and shouted inside, his last hope extinguished.
"If this guy dares to come back, I won't let you in, no, I'll lock you in a cage and not let you out."
Liu Nanfeng complained aloud as he walked into the house. Looking at the quiet interior, he suddenly felt unaccustomed to it.
How had he gotten used to Mo Yu's presence in such a short time? He used to be alone at home so often.
He walked to the balcony and closed the window. The sun had risen, and the weather was getting hot.
Taking his laptop, he was about to go back inside when he heard a "pat" sound against the glass window.
"Mo Yu." Liu Nanfeng turned back in surprise, but there was no Mo Yu.
It was just a smudge of water sliding down the windowpane.
Liu Nanfeng opened the window and looked out. The sky was clear, with not a single cloud in sight.
He looked up at the building again; no one was hanging out laundry.
Where did the water come from?
As Liu Nanfeng was wondering, a stream of water suddenly appeared out of nowhere and splashed onto his face.
Liu Nanfeng touched his face and looked towards the rolling river across the road, not knowing who had done it.
But this little guy was truly amazing, really skilled at spraying water and blowing bubbles. Such a distance, and yet so accurate.
Just then, another water arrow shot towards his face. This time, Liu Nanfeng was prepared. He dodged to the side, and the arrow hit the wall behind him.
"Hong Jin, don't be mischievous. I'll be down soon."
Liu Nanfeng waved towards the river, unsure if the little koi had seen him. He closed the window again and prepared to go downstairs.
After going downstairs, he passed the community guardhouse and met the same security guard as before.
"Young man, have you found your cat yet?"
Liu Nanfeng paused, then quickly said, "It went back by itself."
"That's good. I checked the surveillance just now, and I didn't see any cat coming down from upstairs. It must have been hiding in the stairwell," the guard said.
Liu Nanfeng was a bit surprised and relieved at this.
"Thank you very much. I'm sorry to have troubled you."
"It's no trouble at all. It's my job."
"Then I won't disturb you further."
Liu Nanfeng hurried out of the community and walked towards the riverbank across the road.
There were no steps down to the river from the embankment directly opposite the community. He had to go around a bit to get to the riverbank, but Liu Nanfeng was too lazy to detour and jumped directly from the embankment.
Then came a long stretch of greenbelt, where many people usually exercised in the morning and evening.
It was almost noon, and the weather was hot, so naturally, no one was loitering there.
Liu Nanfeng reached the riverbank and looked at the rolling water but found no trace of the little koi.
He looked back towards his home, then turned to shout at the river, "Hong Jin?"
No response.
"Hong Jin." He called again, still receiving no reply.
"If you don't come out, I'm going back." Liu Nanfeng pretended to leave.
As soon as he finished speaking, a water arrow shot directly at his face from the river.
Liu Nanfeng had been guarding against it. He dodged to the side, evading it.
At that moment, a red koi leaped out of the water, creating a ripple that glowed golden in the sunlight.
"You naughty little fish," Liu Nanfeng said with a helpless smile.
The little koi swam rapidly through the waves and approached Liu Nanfeng. Then, it leaped high and lunged towards him.
Liu Nanfeng reached out and caught a small figure in his arms.
"E E E..."
The little koi let out a triumphant giggle, its two little legs kicking in the air.
"How did you get here? Does your mother know?"
The little koi, who had been wriggling, immediately drooped, looking pitifully at Liu Nanfeng.
Liu Nanfeng put her on the bank. The little koi immediately shook herself like a puppy, flinging water everywhere. Of course, she got Liu Nanfeng wet too, but it was summer, so being a little wet didn't matter.
"You still haven't answered my question," Liu Nanfeng asked, seeing the little koi playing dumb.
"Yesterday, Sister Yu Chan and I went home from here," the little koi said.
Liu Nanfeng was somewhat enlightened. So that's why the little koi remembered this location.
But to be able to tap on the window with a water arrow from such a distance, this little guy was indeed clever.
"Then tell your mother that you're coming home with me." Liu Nanfeng said.
"Can I not tell her?" the little koi said pitifully.
"No," Liu Nanfeng refused outright.
Helplessly, the little koi took out her echo shell and contacted her mother.
The echo shell soon received a response.
"Why are you going to Mr. Liu's house again?" Zhu Yin'e's voice in the echo shell sounded very helpless.
"Because I like big brother, E E E..."
Children are very straightforward. They like what they like and dislike what they dislike, without hiding anything.
"Even if you like him, you can't run to his house every day. It will disturb his life," Zhu Yin'e's voice came faintly from the echo shell.
"It's alright. I also like Hong Jin very much, and I have plenty of free time. She's always welcome to come and play with me. How could it be a disturbance?" Liu Nanfeng replied when he overheard this.
Zhu Yin'e on the other end of the echo shell fell silent. The little koi, oblivious, said proudly, "Mom, did you hear that? Big brother said it's not a disturbance, that he likes me and welcomes me. You saying that is very impolite."
"You, remember to come back early," Zhu Yin'e's sigh came from the echo shell.
"Okay." The little koi excitedly agreed and was about to put away the echo shell.
Just then, a soft voice suddenly came from the echo shell.
"Take good care of Hong Jin."
"Okay, don't worry,"
Liu Nanfeng quickly replied, and the echo shell finally fell silent.
So Liu Nanfeng took the little koi and headed towards the embankment, but they had to go forward a bit to get to the steps.
"When we get back, I'll introduce you to a friend."
Looking at the little person in front of him, Liu Nanfeng suddenly remembered Gu Gu.
If they met, they would surely become good friends.
The little koi was lively, and Gu Gu was quiet. They looked about the same age and would definitely get along.
"Who is it?" the little koi asked curiously.
"You'll know in a moment," Liu Nanfeng said with a smile.
The little koi scratched her chubby cheeks, feeling like a cat scratching, and was full of curiosity.
"She's your age, about the same height, and of course, just as cute," Liu Nanfeng explained with a smile.
This made the little koi even more curious.
Her friends were very good. Hearing that Liu Nanfeng was introducing her to a new friend of the same age, she was overwhelmed with excitement.
"But she doesn't like to talk much, so you'll have to help her more."
"Okay."
The little koi nodded repeatedly. She was a great kid and loved helping others the most.
Passing by the small supermarket at the entrance of the community, Liu Nanfeng thought for a moment and pulled the little koi inside, intending to buy some snacks to take back.
Seeing the supermarket, the little koi immediately got excited. She wriggled free from Liu Nanfeng's hand and was about to run inside. But after just two steps, she bent down and picked up twenty yuan.
Liu Nanfeng: ...