Animal Detective-Chapter 85: Playing Matchmaker

Li Xiaobing looked at Shen Xin in surprise.

"Officer Shen, who’s Tingting?"

When he first took in Broo, he knew the parrot could say "Tingting," but he never knew what it meant.

Shen Xin was secretly touched.

’Sometimes, an animal’s feelings are purer than a human’s.’

Just like Lele, who hadn’t forgotten Wu Jiawang, his companion from childhood, for a full seven years.

And Broo, clearly, also remembered Liu Yuting.

Four years ago, Liu Yuting would have been only four years old.

Shen Xin felt he could picture the scene of the girl and the bird together.

In Liu Laibin’s office, Liu Laibin would be busy with work while Liu Yuting held nuts, teasing Broo and teaching him to say her name.

"She was his original owner," Shen Xin explained, stepping forward and holding a macadamia nut out to Broo.

Li Xiaobing instinctively tensed up, afraid Broo would attack Shen Xin, a stranger.

But to his surprise, Broo tilted his head, stared at the macadamia nut offered to him, and immediately snatched it. He skillfully cracked it open and ate the kernel.

"Toss one, toss one!"

He started hopping back and forth on his perch excitedly.

Shen Xin guessed this might have been a game Liu Yuting and Broo played. Taking aim, he gently tossed a macadamia nut.

Broo stretched out his neck and caught it precisely in his beak.

After eating it in a couple of bites, he squawked, "Good boy, good boy!"

’He must have learned that from Liu Yuting.’

"Again."

Shen Xin tossed another one and noticed that the icon above Broo’s head showed his affinity had increased by another bar.

’It increases pretty quickly at the beginning.’

Li Xiaobing clicked his tongue in amazement. When he first took in Broo, it had taken him quite a while just to get close.

But look at Shen Xin. How long had it been? He was already playing games with the bird.

Just then, Li Xiaobing saw Shen Xin extend his arm.

"Officer Shen, be careful!"

Li Xiaobing hurriedly called out a warning.

Shen Xin didn’t move. ’I’ve got one bar of affinity. It should be fine.’

He held his arm out in front of Broo.

Before coming, Shen Xin had specifically looked up how to get close to a parrot online.

There were all sorts of guides, but the most common advice was to raise it from a chick, preferably one you hatched yourself.

Broo tilted his head, staring at Shen Xin, as if trying to figure out the meaning of this gesture.

"Come on."

Shen Xin shook the macadamia nut in his hand.

The next moment, Broo actually hopped onto Shen Xin’s arm and then walked up to his shoulder.

"Clever boy."

Shen Xin praised him and immediately gave him a nut.

Beside them, Li Xiaobing shot him a sidelong glance and couldn’t help but say, "Officer Shen, you’re amazing. I think if you were a zookeeper, you’d do a great job."

He knew that some people, for whatever reason, were just naturally liked by animals.

He had said it casually, but to his surprise, Shen Xin replied, "Sure. How about I come to your zoo and guest-star as a zookeeper for a few days?"

Building affinity wasn’t something that could be done in a day or two. Shen Xin had already planned on visiting frequently.

"Huh?"

Li Xiaobing was stunned and didn’t know how to react.

Shen Xin said, "I’m serious. This parrot is very important. I might need to come over often to build a relationship with him. Would that be convenient?"

Li Xiaobing didn’t quite understand what use there was in building a relationship with a parrot.

"You’d have to ask the management about that," Li Xiaobing said.

Shen Xin nodded, then asked him what Broo liked.

Starting with an animal’s hobbies was the fastest way to increase affinity.

For example, Da Mei had gone through a phase of enjoying bullying that tuxedo cat.

"You’ve been around him for a while. For instance, what’s his favorite food? What does he like to do? Any hobbies? Or is there something he wants to do, like being let out to fly?"

Shen Xin pressed.

The parrot was cooped up and chained all day. Maybe he longed for the freedom to fly.

Li Xiaobing felt Shen Xin’s questions were getting stranger and stranger, but he answered honestly, "It’s hard to say. We have a lot of parrots here that all need care. To be honest, I haven’t paid that much attention to him."

"He seems to like arguing with people. He gets really excited whenever he argues."

’Arguing?’

Shen Xin immediately said to Broo, "Idiot!"

Broo, who was cracking a macadamia nut, stopped abruptly. He tilted his head to look at Shen Xin for a moment, then suddenly flapped his wings and took off.

His claws scratched Shen Xin, who winced in pain.

Broo flew around the cage twice, but the space was too small to move freely. He landed back on the wooden perch and shrieked at Shen Xin, "Idiot! All idiots! A bunch of idiots!"

He hopped back and forth excitedly.

’A bunch?’

Shen Xin waved a hand at Li Xiaobing to show he was fine, his attention keenly focused on Broo’s words.

He had said, "a bunch of idiots."

’Could it be that on the day of the incident, it really was a group crime?’

"Where are the idiots?" Shen Xin asked immediately, ignoring the blood starting to seep from his shoulder.

Broo just kept hopping and squawked, "You’re the idiot! You’re the idiot!"

Even though there was a reason for it, being called an idiot by a parrot still felt a bit awkward.

Shen Xin tried asking in different ways.

He asked how many idiots there were, if he had seen the idiots, and when he had seen them.

But it was no use.

It was clear that Broo was excited, but he just repeated the same few phrases over and over, unable to express a precise meaning.

’Looks like I’ll have to reach the second stage and hear his thoughts to know what he’s really thinking.’

But being called an idiot so many times wasn’t entirely fruitless.

The culprits might really be a group.

He tossed Broo a few more macadamia nuts. Once the parrot had calmed down, Shen Xin asked Li Xiaobing if he had any other hobbies.

Li Xiaobing’s expression was utterly bizarre; he had no idea what Shen Xin was up to.

After thinking for a moment, Li Xiaobing said, "Oh, right. He seems to like a female parrot. Um, she’s also a blue-and-yellow one named Huahua. But, well, Huahua already has a mate, named Steamed Bun."

"When the zoo first brought in the King Kong Parrots, they bought three pairs, so they all matched up nicely."

"Pipi came later, so he was the odd one out. Then last year, I noticed that during mating season in January and February, he would dance for Huahua, trying to court her."

"Because of that, Steamed Bun even beat him up."

"But Pipi doesn’t seem to have given up. During this year’s mating season, he tried to court Huahua again."

"Huahua didn’t really pay him any mind, though. You might not know this, but King Kong Parrots, like swans, are very monogamous. Once they form a pair, they usually stay together until one of them dies."

Shen Xin understood.

’It’s normal. He’s an adult now. Everyone else is in pairs while he’s all alone. He must feel bad.’

Looking at Broo again, Shen Xin smiled.

’Having a need makes things easy.’

Just like when he recruited Evil Bully, the process of satisfying an animal’s needs was the easiest way to raise affinity.

’I might be breaking up the couple, Steamed Bun and Huahua, but for the sake of the case, Steamed Bun will just have to suffer a little.’

"Buddy, can I ask you for a favor?"

Shen Xin said to Li Xiaobing with a grin.

...

「In the parrot exhibition area.」

Li Xiaobing used a cage to move Broo over.

He didn’t chain him; he just let him fly free.

The entrances and exits were blocked by chain mesh, so there was no worry of him flying out.

"Officer Shen, will this cause any problems?" Li Xiaobing, who was about to go move Huahua, said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

’What is this, playing matchmaker for a parrot?’

He was afraid the two parrots would squabble and start fighting, and he wouldn’t be able to stop them in time.

Most importantly, what would he do if his superiors found out?

Shen Xin heard the worry in Li Xiaobing’s voice and said, "Well, how about we call Director Hong first and explain the situation? The main thing is that I really do need this."

"No, forget it. It should be fine."

Li Xiaobing quickly waved his hands, still unable to figure out why Shen Xin was doing this.

He pushed the cage and left.

Shen Xin, meanwhile, stepped forward and beckoned to Broo.

The affinity level was working. Broo flapped his wings and landed lightly on Shen Xin’s shoulder. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Good boy."

Shen Xin rewarded him with a nut, then said, "In a bit, I’ll bring Huahua over and give you two a chance to be alone. You perform well and try to succeed in your courtship."

’You have to take credit for your good deeds, or how else will the affinity increase?’

Broo had a strong reaction to the name "Huahua," squawking nonstop with excitement.

Before long, Li Xiaobing returned, pushing Huahua’s cage.

She was also quite large, with plumage almost identical to Broo’s.

Broo immediately grew excited, squawking loudly.

Li Xiaobing opened the cage and let Huahua fly free.

With a loud squawk, Broo flew toward her.

But Huahua immediately took flight as well.

The two parrots flew back and forth in the exhibition area.

Broo let out piercing, loud cries of excitement as he eagerly chased after Huahua.

His fervor was so intense that Shen Xin could hardly bear to watch. It was just like all those tomcats that used to swarm around Da Mei.

After a little while, Huahua seemed to tire of flying and landed on a perch.

Broo immediately landed as well, actively sidling up to Huahua.

He flapped his wings, bobbed up and down, and gave the signal for courtship.

But Huahua seemed rather unmoved.

Before long, Huahua took off again to avoid him, and Broo continued his pursuit.

After flying for a bit, they landed again.

This time, Huahua seemed to give up resisting. She allowed Broo to get close and preen her feathers as a sign of affection.

Then, Shen Xin noticed that Broo was already impatiently trying to mount Huahua.

"Holy crap!"

Li Xiaobing gasped from the side.

Shen Xin also cursed under his breath. ’Aren’t you a little too desperate!’

’I was just trying to let you see your goddess and soothe your lovesickness, but you... you just went for it!’