Angel

Birds, as a species, don't necessarily need a mate to lay eggs. Treating them the way one might help a cat in heat isn't appropriate—it only encourages their frequent hormonal cycles.

Lou Yuzhu had no experience with this. Tao Tao had only recently reached adulthood, and this was her first time facing such a situation. Left without options, she sought advice from her best friend Fu Ye, who happened to be an experienced parrot keeper.

[What's the best way to handle this?]

Fu Ye: [Play games with it more often. Keep it too busy to notice its biological urges.]

Lou Yuzhu chuckled, entertained by this peculiar new piece of knowledge: [If I found a husband for Tao Tao and distracted it with toys while they were bonding, would that stop it?]

Fu Ye: [What a perverse mother you are (dog head emoji).]

Lou Yuzhu's public persona required her to maintain an image of gentleness, elegance, and poise due to her job. In private, however, her personality was bold and fiery—the type of woman who'd absolutely joke about such outrageous things.

Thanks to her advisor's tips, Lou Yuzhu now had a plan. She began 'game time' with Tao Tao.

She retrieved some freeze-dried fruit and veggie snacks and used her index finger to stroke in small, clockwise circles beneath Tao Tao's fluffy neck feathers. "Tao Tao, how about a handshake with Mommy?"

She wiggled her finger near Tao Tao's dark gray claws, trying to coax it into raising a foot.

Birds in heat often became irritable, and Tao Tao was no exception. It squawked angrily at her—sharp, defiant cries that seemed to say 'I don't want to play!'

Lou Yuzhu had carefully chosen her apartment because each unit occupied an entire floor, eliminating concerns about upstairs or downstairs neighbors. Before adopting Tao Tao, she'd even tested the soundproofing to ensure her bird wouldn't disturb anyone.

Parrots, however, are naturally spoiled by affection. Tao Tao's defiant behavior was clearly a result of being overindulged by its owner.

"Want to play ball?" Lou Yuzhu tried another approach, crumpling a piece of paper into a ball and tossing it toward Tao Tao's feet.

This tactic seemed to work. After so much time spent playing together, Tao Tao had developed a sort of muscle memory. The little bird picked up the paper ball with its beak, strutted across the bed, and dropped it at Lou Yuzhu's feet, stretching its neck proudly.

"Tao Tao, you're amazing." Lou Yuzhu rewarded it with a freeze-dried veggie snack in her palm.

But instead of eating, Tao Tao wiggled its hips in excitement, its tiny body swaying like a wave as it joyfully bobbed its head. Finally, it dropped the veggie snack back into Lou Yuzhu's hand.

Clearly, it was offering the food as a gift to its beloved owner, its mood elevated to its peak by her praise. It even danced a little, puffed up with pride.

Lou Yuzhu, of course, wasn't going to eat it. She waited until Tao Tao wasn't looking, then discreetly wrapped the snack in a tissue.

"Shake hands." She wiggled her index finger again.

This time, the little parrot didn't lose its temper. It obediently lifted a claw and placed it firmly on her finger, curling its four sharp toes tightly around it. After a brief moment, it pulled its claw back and returned to its original spot.

Lou Yuzhu grinned. "Now this claw."

She moved her finger slightly to the left. Tao Tao, with some reluctance, raised its other foot and repeated the gesture.

It was less about enjoying the game and more about placating its insistent owner. Tao Tao, though exasperated, still complied—it knew Lou Yuzhu wasn't going to let it go.

Seeing that Tao Tao's raised wings were gradually lowering, Lou Yuzhu turned a face mask into a makeshift swing, letting the parrot lie on it and play for a while.

Distracting Tao Tao with games seemed to be working, alleviating the symptoms of its hormonal phase.

The next day, Lou Yuzhu had to return to the radio station. She sat at her desk drafting an interview script when her phone buzzed with a call from her matchmaker.

The matchmaker, an extended relative from her hometown, had been entrusted by Lou Yuzhu's parents to find her a husband with 'excellent qualifications'.

But times had changed. The matchmaker's idea of an ideal man didn't always align with the preferences of modern young women.

"Aunt Chen."

"Xiao Yu! Director Shen is such a generous man, a millionaire director! How could you let this opportunity slip through your fingers?"

The matchmaker's voice was filled with disappointment, almost as if she were mourning a lost treasure.

Recalling the blind date with the mama's-boy director, who couldn't stop talking about "my mom this, my mom that," Lou Yuzhu felt a wave of nausea. "It's just not a good match, Aunt Chen. We don't click, and I can't force it."

"You're so picky! What kind of man are you looking for, then?"

It was always the same spiel, and Lou Yuzhu had no new answers. "Gentle, mature, gentlemanly, emotionally stable, with a steady job. Oh, and no cats."

She rubbed her temples, feeling a little tired. Putting down her pen, she spread her fingers to stretch.

At that moment, a small, fluffy bird hopped over to her hand, nestled into her palm, and rubbed its head against the base of her thumb.

She cupped her fingers around Tao Tao's upper body, covering its eyes and beak before letting go, then repeating the motion—covering and releasing.

Tao Tao played along enthusiastically, enjoying the game. But as soon as Lou Yuzhu felt rested, she picked up her pen to continue writing.

The little parrot froze, tilting its head.

Moments later, it strutted boldly over to her draft, grabbed a corner of the paper with its beak, and tore it with a dramatic flick of its head.

"Hey!" Lou Yuzhu exclaimed as her carefully written notes were shredded.

Parrots aren't like dogs—they don't recognize a hierarchy of dominance. To Tao Tao, Lou Yuzhu was a companion. When she played with it and made it happy, it would obediently follow her instructions. But the moment it felt neglected, it would throw a tantrum.

From a certain perspective, Tao Tao's destruction of her draft wasn't just mischief—it was jealousy. It viewed the paper as competition for her attention.

Hanging up the phone, Lou Yuzhu lightly tapped Tao Tao's apple-green head with her pen. "Being naughty again, huh?"

Thankfully, it was just a rough draft, not the finalized version. The real script would be typed up on her computer and submitted for her boss's review.

Suddenly, Tao Tao started squawking loudly, its sharp cries echoing throughout the room. It flapped its wings wildly, repeatedly pecking at the pen she'd tapped it with, even assuming an aggressive posture. Its beak left dents in the plastic pen cap.

Lou Yuzhu quickly picked it up and placed it on her shoulder, rubbing her cheek against it. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Did Mommy hurt you with the pen? It's my fault. Mommy shouldn't have tapped you."

She alternated between soothing words and affectionate gestures, even using a babyish voice to comfort it.

The once ferocious little bird immediately lowered its head and buried it into her collar, looking pitiful and subdued. Its tantrum was over in less than a minute.

As she stroked Tao Tao's feathers, Lou Yuzhu replied to a message from Aunt Chen.

The matchmaker had already lined up another potential suitor: a pediatrician named Zhuo Yi. The photo showed a man with a scholarly demeanor, wearing a white coat against a blue background. His profile mentioned that he worked at a public hospital, was 178 cm tall, and had never been married.

Aunt Chen: [Dr. Zhuo might be a bit older than you, but he's at the peak of his career. Pediatricians aren't usually young, you know. I've asked around—he's skilled, patient, and highly praised by colleagues and patients alike. He's absolutely gentle and mature.]

Before Lou Yuzhu could thoroughly review his profile, she received a friend request.

The username was simply 'Zhuo Yi', and the profile picture was the same photo from his introduction—a professional shot in a white coat.

She stared at the screen for a few seconds. Something about it felt a little off, as if this were a work account rather than a personal one. It seemed like he was treating this as a task to complete.

After a long pause, she finally clicked 'Accept'.

Unlike her previous blind date, Zhuo Yi wasn't overly enthusiastic, nor was he cold. He maintained a respectful balance, greeting her and waiting for her to respond before sending another message. He didn't spam her or pry into her romantic history.

These normal interactions gave Lou Yuzhu a better impression of him.

One of her previous blind dates had started their online conversation by insinuating questions about her sexual history, trying to probe whether she was 'pure'. Disgusted, she'd blocked and deleted him immediately after a thorough verbal dressing-down.

Compared to that, Dr. Zhuo seemed much more normal.

[Ms. Lou, I heard from Aunt Chen that you enjoy theater performances. Are you free tomorrow evening? If it's convenient, I'd like to invite you to see a play. I'll make dinner reservations and plan everything so we can wrap up by 10 PM.]

That last sentence scored points in Lou Yuzhu's mind. She sent him her work schedule, effectively agreeing to meet.

Heading to her wardrobe, she pulled out several elegant dresses and laid them on the bed. Then she opened her jewelry box to select matching accessories.

As she pondered what to wear, Tao Tao seemed to sense that she was preparing for a date. The tiny bird stood amidst the clothing, flapping its wings indignantly.

Unfortunately, Lou Yuzhu didn't understand its behavior. Even though Fu Ye had explained that Tao Tao saw her as a mate, she found it more amusing than anything else.

"Tao Tao, are you sleepy?" Mistaking its actions for drowsiness, she tidied up the bed and prepared to sleep as well.

Though she had a luxurious birdcage ready, Tao Tao always preferred snuggling against her neck to sleep.

Lou Yuzhu tucked herself in, gently patting Tao Tao as it nestled against her. She even draped a little blanket over the bird before turning off the lights.

* * * *

Late at night, the moon hung high in the indigo sky, its silvery light unusually bright.

A sliver of pale moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting a faint, blurry shadow onto the herringbone-patterned wooden floor.

The shadow, indistinct at first, gradually took form. It revealed a pair of wings that unfurled fully, sending a breeze rippling through the room and causing the curtains to sway.

Lou Yuzhu stirred in her sleep, feeling a chill. Her hair brushed against her face, tickling her skin as if stirred by the wind.

Half-asleep, she thought she might have left a window open. Pulling the blanket tighter around herself, she groggily caught sight of what looked like an angel…

The figure had flowing platinum-blonde curls, soft lychee-like eyes, lips the delicate shade of white peach, and an ethereal pair of wings extending from its back. The angel sat obediently on the pillow, gazing at her.

It was as quiet as her Tao Tao, knowing not to disturb her before dawn.

But something about this dream struck her as odd. Why would an angel's wings be green?

Amused, she found the sight oddly fascinating. Then, in the stillness of her bedroom, a timid yet uncertain voice softly called out: "Mommy…"

Her eyes snapped open, and all traces of sleep vanished in an instant.