Chapter 208: Little Bird

"It's incredible, Xi He actually let Xiao Hei go," Wu Shanqiu said incredulously.

Zhong Kui appeared in the room at some point. When Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu were happy for Xiao Hei, a cloud of gloom flashed across Zhong Kui's face: "You can't use normal people's thinking to look at Xi He's behavior. He couldn't have let Xiao Hei go because of pity. There must be another reason for this."

Sure enough, the cheerful atmosphere didn't last long, and what Xiao Hei said developed in an increasingly strange direction.

"Xiaoyu, we have a child," it suddenly said, deep and emotional, "We have a child." Clearly, it was imitating Xi He's tone again.

On the other end of the phone, Liu Binjie asked suspiciously: "Who is Xiaoyu?"

And this name, for the people in the police station, was like a thunderbolt. "Xiaoyu," "Xiaoyu"—almost without doubt, the sentence Xiao Hei imitated was meant for whom.

Qi Fei and Wu Shanqiu cast their eyes on Zhong Kui in unison.

Zhong Kui shrugged: "I don't know what happened between Zhong Xiaoyu and him, but judging from the situation of my body, it's unlikely that she has given birth to a child. Don't guess blindly."

"Xiao Hei gave birth!" Liu Binjie's voice came from the other end of the phone. "When it came back, I checked its physical condition and found that it had laid an egg."

"Huh? Xiao Hei is a female bird??" Wu Shanqiu was very surprised. "Its speaking style is completely a 'pure man'."

"However, only Xiao Hei itself came back. I don't know where it laid the egg. Maybe this is what it meant by having a child."

"Myna birds only imitate. They won't really understand reproduction like humans and say it so clearly, right?" Zhong Kui said suspiciously.

Just at this time, someone brought a paper box up, saying it was an express delivery, written for the Criminal Investigation Brigade, Zhong Xiaoyu.

The recipient was "Zhong Xiaoyu." This scene was so familiar, exactly the same as the situation when receiving the diamond at Guiyue Apartment before.

No need to ask, the only person who would send the delivery to Zhong Xiaoyu was that one person—Xi He.

Zhong Kui decisively took the delivery box and unpacked it in two or three strokes.

This time, it was still wrapped in layers, making Wu Shanqiu curious: "Last time it was a diamond, what's the surprise this time?"

Finally, a pull-out small wooden box was revealed. Zhong Kui put the box in her palm and slowly pulled out the drawer. Only to see a small egg placed steadily in the protection of cotton wool.

"Xiao Hei's egg?!" Wu Shanqiu blurted out after seeing it.

The speakerphone in her hand was not turned off, and Xiao Hei on the other

Zhong Kui saw this and suddenly burst into loud laughter: "I know why he let Xiao Hei go."

"Because he discovered this bird was pregnant? A sudden pang of conscience?" Qi Fei was puzzled as to why Zhong Kui was suddenly laughing so hard.

"Of course not. The biggest mistake Zhong Xiaoyu made was thinking that Xi He would change.

He..." Zhong Kui said, her eyes as sharp as blades, "will never change. He let this bird go because Xiao Hei's birth gave him an upgrade in his sense of control. This perverted pleasure of controlling the cycle of life—I know why he wanted to offer this egg to Zhong Xiaoyu. It is his morbid fantasy of nurturing life together with a soulmate.

So, this little myna." As she spoke, her fingertips picked up the egg, which was only the size of a lotus seed, "is his confession. The bond between them is a bond of life; no one can make him give that up."

"Ah, what a pervert!" he exclaimed.

"Then..." What Qi Fei cared about was this exquisite gift Xi He had sent to Zhong Xiaoyu, "Doesn't this egg need to be returned to the Nancheng Zoo? It was laid by Xiao Hei, right..."

Zhong Kui gave a playful smile: "Why do I feel like someone is feeling sour?"

Qi Fei's face turned red in a flash: "Don't talk nonsense, who's feeling sour?"

Zhong Kui stopped smiling, suddenly reached out, and before Wu Shanqiu could react, pressed the end-call button. She then said coldly to Qi Fei: "You still don't understand Xi He. If this egg were returned to the zoo, both Xiao Hei and Liu Binjie would die."

"Then, then what should we do?"

"It's fine. He wants to have a child with Zhong Xiaoyu, so we'll just raise a child," Zhong Kui said as if it didn't matter. "Luosha happens to need a playmate."

"A bird and a cat?! Are you sure they can be playmates?" Wu Shanqiu opened her eyes wide, saying with no small amount of doubt.

"Dealing with a madman is such a hassle, and now I have to raise a bird too." Zhong Kui put the egg back into the wooden box with disdain.

Qi Fei leaned in close to her and said: "You're just saying one thing while meaning another. If it weren't to protect Liu Binjie and Xiao Hei, would you be willing to go through the trouble of raising a bird?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a faint cracking sound suddenly came from the wooden box.

Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the blue-gray eggshell, and under the astonished gazes of everyone, a wet beak poked through the outer shell.

The newborn chick struggled to break free from its confinement. "Crack..." The eggshell split completely in two, and the little creature, covered in mucus, crawled out shivering.

The newborn bird had no feathers; beneath its tender red skin, the beating organs were clearly visible. No matter how you looked at it, this little creature looked very ugly, but everyone present was still filled with love for it. This was perhaps the wonder of life.

Zhong Kui suddenly gripped Qi Fei's hand tightly, causing a surge of excitement in him: "You're moved too, aren't you?"

Unexpectedly, Zhong Kui said without a ripple of emotion: "My hands are too cold; I'm borrowing your body heat." It was as if, to her, this was merely a matter of physics.

Just like that, the two of them held hands tightly, each harboring different feelings.

After a while, Zhong Kui used the palm that had been warmed by Qi Fei to lift up the bird that had just broken out of its shell: "Let's give you a name. Since he likes quoting that line from Plato so much, then you shall be called Plato."

Qi Fei looked meaningfully at Zhong Kui as she held the little bird. For a moment, he couldn't tell if the bright and moving woman before him was Zhong Kui or Zhong Xiaoyu. This was followed by a sense of loss; the myna toy Zhong Kui had given him was sitting on his desk, while Xi He had given her a real bird.

Zhong Kui, Zhong Xiaoyu—Qi Fei wasn't sure he could really tell them apart so clearly.

All the birds had been settled, and the keeper checked every area repeatedly. The recent events at the Bird Pavilion had made him somewhat paranoid. Finally, he turned off the lights and walked out of the staff passage.

As the door closed behind him, the last glimmer of light vanished.

In the darkness, a shadow appeared like a ghost and "floated" in front of Xiao Hei's cage.

Xiao Hei, usually so noisy, was exceptionally quiet at this moment.

It was the shadow that spoke first: "Hmph, you silly bird, I actually wanted to hear you talk when I was bored."