My Mister Ostrich

Chapter 16

Gu Mingxi resisted a bit, trying to twist away from her hand. Pang Qian glared at him and said quietly, “Don’t move. Do you want another bruise to show up on your leg?”

So Gu Mingxi stopped moving. He turned his head away, toward the window. The street was busy, the shops were lively. People’s tired but somehow fresh faces… He did all he could to divert his attention, but he couldn’t help how sensitive his skin was. The thin cloth wasn’t enough to stop him from feeling the warmth of Pang Qian’s palm. He even felt her fingers rubbing slightly from the shaking of the bus.

He became a bit distracted, and then he felt ashamed for his thoughts.

Pang Qian quietly looked at Gu Mingxi’s side profile. His haircut was pretty good looking. It wasn’t as long as Xie Yi’s and didn’t look as supple either. Rather, it was short and looked rather furry. Under the sunlight, it gave off a healthy shine. As for his face… Pang Qian realized that she hadn’t taken a good look at Gu Mingxi in a long time. Was it really true that distance makes things appear more beautifully? Now, she saw his smooth facial lines, his straight nose, and his sharp eyebrows. Pang Qian had to admit that Gu Mingxi was actually pretty handsome.

And then she had another amazing discovery.

“Gu Mingxi.”

When Pang Qian called him, he turned to look at her. His expression looked a bit unnatural, and he asked, “What?”

“Did you get taller?” Pang Qian stood on her tiptoes to compare. And then cried out, pleasantly surprised, “Hey, you really have gotten taller! Last semester, I was still up to your ear. Now, I’m only at your chin. You’ll be taller than my Dad soon!”

Gu Mingxi’s face reddened a little. In a quiet voice, he said, “I think I got a little taller. My mom said that it was easiest to grow taller in the spring.”

Pang Qian laughed, “Will you grow as tall as your dad in the future? Then you’ll be too handsome!”

Just then, the bus driver slammed on the brakes. Unable to grab onto anything, Gu Mingxi swayed heavily. Pang Qian anxiously grabbed hold of his waist to help him steady himself.

Finally, a passenger realized that for this boy without arms to stand on the bus was a rather dangerous thing, and got up to let Gu Mingxi sit. Gu Mingxi’s face reddened. Pang Qian thought that he was embarrassed because no one had given up their seat before, so she pushed into the seat. Then she put both of their backpacks onto his lap.

Pang Qian felt that Gu Mingxi was acting a bit strangely. He didn’t say anything and just looked out the window. It was finally their stop and they both got off. They still had to walk for another 10 minutes before they’d be back at the Golden Compound. Gu Mingxi finally opened his mouth to say, “Pang Pang, when I get home, I’ll tell my mom that my leg doesn’t really hurt anymore. In the future, let’s just ride our bike to school.”

Pang Qian asked, “Why?”

“It’s too annoying to take the bus,” Gu Mingxi answered seriously. “And when it comes to walking, you walk too slow.”

Pang Qian, “…”

Gu Mingxi laughed, “Don’t worry. I already got my bike fixed. I can ride it.”

Pang Qian asked with concern, “What if you slip and twist your ankle again? When I used to ride with you, you slipped a few times already.”

Gu Mingxi replied gently, “Normal slipping like that isn’t a big deal. Just don’t tell my mom.”

After he mentioned Li Han, Pang Qian had to ask, “Oh yeah, is your mom any better?”

“A lot better.” Gu Mingxi’s eyes darkened a little, as he continued, “The doctor put on her bed rest for a few days, and he said it wasn’t major. My grandma is taking care of her for now.”