"Don’t tease it anymore," Dean Chen couldn’t help but say. "This bird is quite irritable. You’ll anger it to death."

"Die from anger?"

"Of course. They’re difficult to care for. If you want a pet bird, I’ll find one for you tomorrow."

"But I remember them being very easy to raise." Ye Qianning had often seen them back in Australia, where many people kept them as pets. They never seemed particularly ill-tempered.

"Once captured, they’ll go on a hunger strike. They usually die in less than two days. That’s why, despite being beautiful, very few people try to catch them."

"A hunger strike? I doubt it. I can raise this one." No matter how she looked at it, Ye Qianning didn’t think this particular bird looked like it would starve itself. It just had a real knack for cussing.

Its little beak hadn’t stopped moving since it was caged.

Seeing her so confident, Dean Chen didn’t have the heart to burst her bubble. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He picked up his books and went to the side room.

Ye Qianning recalled that Honey-sucking Parrots liked soft fruits. After a moment’s thought, she retrieved a small fruit from her dimensional space, mashed it with a spoon, and set it down beside the cage.

The Honey-sucking Parrot, still muttering curses under its breath, suddenly turned its head and stared at the spot beside its cage.

Ye Qianning moved her face closer. The moment the Honey-sucking Parrot’s eyes met hers, it quickly looked away. Its gaze, however, kept drifting, its eyes unable to resist glancing back at the fruit.

Every time its eyes landed on Ye Qianning’s face, the Honey-sucking Parrot would whip its head away. But not even thirty seconds would pass before its head would swivel back as if guided by a compass.

Ye Qianning could see the conflict and struggle on the little bird’s face. ’In the face of true delicacies, many convictions can crumble in an instant.’

After ten-odd minutes, the Honey-sucking Parrot was practically drooling. It finally caved and moved its beak toward the fruit.

At that exact moment, Ye Qianning snatched the fruit away. "Want a bite?"

The Honey-sucking Parrot turned its head away. ’Damn it! I want it, I want it so bad! That wretched...’

"If you want to eat, you have to agree to one condition."

The Honey-sucking Parrot kept its head turned. ’What condition?’

"I need your flock to spread throughout the Capital City and bring me information every day." Ye Qianning squeezed the fruit, and red juice dripped from it.

The Honey-sucking Parrot drooled at the scent. ’Control my flock? In your dreams!’

"Fine, don’t agree." Ye Qianning sighed. "But a fruit this good... I doubt you could find another like it even if you searched the whole world over." As she spoke, she started to put the fruit away.

The Honey-sucking Parrot’s mouth watered. ’Wait...!’

Ye Qianning paused, her gaze fixed on the bird.

The Honey-sucking Parrot met her gaze, and its little eyes suddenly went wide. ’It’s not just my imagination, is it? Did that child just... talk to me?’

’No, no, no, that’s impossible. It must be a coincidence.’

"The world is full of strange and wonderful things. Don’t doubt it. I can understand you, and it’s no coincidence," Ye Qianning said languidly.

"SQUAWK!" The Honey-sucking Parrot screeched as if it had received a shock and began to thrash wildly inside the cage.

Ye Qianning didn’t stop it, letting it wear itself out. Finally, exhausted, it collapsed in the cage, its eyes staring at her as if it had just seen a ghost.

’What in the world are you? You can really understand what I’m saying?’

Ye Qianning nodded.

The Honey-sucking Parrot was stunned all over again. ’For generations, no one has ever heard of a human who could understand our language. This is scaring my feathers off!’

Ye Qianning waited for it to calm down before speaking again. "Don’t worry. I didn’t capture you to kill you. I just want your flock to help me with something."

’Why should I believe you?’

"Because I have the power to make your entire flock disappear whenever I want," Ye Qianning said with a smile.

The Honey-sucking Parrot pulled its neck in. ’That’s a threat. That’s definitely a threat.’