Firs kiss

A stranger had suddenly appeared in Lou Yuzhu's room—a completely naked stranger, no less. Terrified, her face went pale as she rolled off the bed in a panic, landing on the floor with a thud.

Ignoring the pain coursing through her body, she sat on the ground, wide-eyed and trembling. "Who are you? How did you get into my home?"

Scrambling to grab her phone from the bedside table, she dialed the property management office. At this late hour, it was no surprise that no one answered.

Suddenly, a strong wind began to whip through the room, the gusts howling past her ears as the curtains billowed furiously. Lou Yuzhu froze, stunned, her gaze locking onto the girl before her. The girl's wings were flapping wildly, creating small whirlwinds that lifted the curtains into swirling spirals, as though she were upset.

The girl's platinum blonde hair, which had been partially concealing her chest, was now thrown into disarray by the wind, leaving her snow-white peaks exposed for all to see.

Embarrassed, Lou Yuzhu quickly turned her head away, cold sweat dripping down her back. "Wait, wait… Who the heck are you? And why aren't you wearing any clothes? Just leave, okay? I won't call the police!"

The scene was so surreal that if she weren't in so much pain from the fall, she would've thought she was still dreaming.

Gradually, the wind subsided, and the curtains settled back into place. The room grew quiet again. Lou Yuzhu debated whether she should open a window to let this strange being fly out.

But before she could act, she suddenly found herself face-to-face with the girl, who had crawled to the edge of the bed without her noticing. The girl tilted her head, watching Lou Yuzhu curiously, her posture still that of someone unused to their own body.

"Mommy…"

That soft, bird-like chirp echoed through the room once more.

The girl seemed just as frightened as Lou Yuzhu, uncertain and timid as she tested her unfamiliar hands and feet. She fidgeted with her long hair, and her hands hesitated as they touched the large wings on her back, which had grown far larger than they should have been.

Lou Yuzhu was momentarily entranced by the girl's stunning hair, which shimmered in the dim light. Shaking herself out of it, she looked at the yellow-green wings and suddenly had a sinking feeling. Her gaze darted around the room as she frantically searched under the blankets, beneath the pillows, and even in Tao Tao's cage.

But there was nothing.

Her pupils contracted as she turned back to the girl, who was sitting there cluelessly, fiddling with her limbs as though trying to get used to them.

Lou Yuzhu's voice trembled as she asked, "T-Tao Tao… is that you?"

Hearing her name, the girl reacted instinctively, lunging toward Lou Yuzhu and trying to burrow into her neck like she always did. But she had completely forgotten her new size—aside from managing to nuzzle against Lou Yuzhu's neck, she couldn't fit in any further.

As the familiar scent of grains wafted over, Lou Yuzhu froze in place like a statue.

Could this really be Tao Tao? Was it her care and feeding that had turned her bird into… this?

It was too much to process all at once. Gently pushing the girl off of her, Lou Yuzhu retrieved a white T-shirt from her wardrobe, avoiding direct eye contact as much as possible.

"Y-Your wings… Can you, um, put them away?"

She had expected to spend some time explaining, but the girl surprisingly seemed to understand. Slowly, the massive wings folded back, disappearing into her shoulder blades.

Lou Yuzhu handed the T-shirt over, watching as Tao Tao clumsily tried to shove her head through one of the sleeves. Sighing, Lou Yuzhu took it back and helped her put it on.

At least it was less awkward now.

Still, her heart was racing. Sitting on the bed, she stammered, "How… how did this even happen? Can you turn back to normal?"

She could cuddle and pamper a bird, but doing so with a woman felt utterly inappropriate.

Tao Tao, who had a very limited vocabulary, couldn't answer. She simply leaned her face against Lou Yuzhu's shoulder and murmured, "Mommy."

That was the word she had heard most often from her owner.

Lou Yuzhu stiffened, her hair practically standing on end. Pushing Tao Tao's face away, she said with a conflicted expression, "Don't call me that. Call me Xiao Lou, or Zhu Zhu, okay? And… aren't you hot? Don't lean so close. Do you even understand what I'm saying?"

Thankfully, Tao Tao was female, which made this just barely tolerable. If she were male, Lou Yuzhu really wouldn't know what to do.

Tao Tao could only comprehend parts of what Lou Yuzhu was saying. She sat on the bed, playing with her hair in strange, clumsy movements, clearly unaccustomed to using hands.

Lou Yuzhu's mind was spinning. She still loved Tao Tao, but she had no idea how to handle her in this form. She needed answers and decided to call Fu Ye, who had given her Tao Tao in the first place.

The night was sleepless. Despite all her efforts, Lou Yuzhu couldn't get Tao Tao to lie down properly or stop snuggling up to her.

Finally, she resorted to her tried-and-true method: fetching cherries from the fridge. She removed the pits, placing the fruit in her palm.

"Tao Tao, why don't you lie down over here and sleep?" She patted the space closer to the wall, then gestured to the outer half of the bed. "I'll sleep here."

She avoided calling herself 'Mommy' again, fearing that Tao Tao might say something shocking once more.

The girl's delicate face, tinted with a soft blush that resembled the pink markings on her original form, leaned down to pick up a cherry with her lips.

At that moment, Lou Yuzhu was hit with a vivid memory of how Tao Tao had recently developed the habit of trying to feed her by mouth. Nearly jumping out of her skin, she sprang up from the bed.

The girl tilted her head, confused by her owner's sudden reaction.

The air felt heavy with tension. Lou Yuzhu ran a hand through her hair, then over the bridge of her nose, and started fidgeting with the blanket. In a single second, she made a dozen random movements, trying to calm her nerves.

Forcing a strained smile, she slowly sat back down. Internally, however, she was spiraling.

Just a few hours ago, she had been in this exact spot, using… certain items. It was fine, she tried to reassure herself. Tao Tao had no idea what she had been doing, and she had been under the blanket the whole time.

But Tao Tao could hear her!

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Lou Yuzhu's toes curled against the floor in mortification. She wished she could disappear into the ground.

Suddenly, a cool sensation brushed against her lips. Turning slightly, she saw that Tao Tao was pressing a piece of cherry against her mouth. The girl's angelic face was mere inches away.

The cherry, already bitten into, glistened with red juice. As Tao Tao gently pushed it toward her lips, some of the juice smeared onto them, staining them a deep crimson.

Lou Yuzhu froze, unable to react. Though she hadn't opened her mouth, the piece of fruit was slowly pushed inside.

The soft, warm touch of a tongue briefly brushed against hers before retreating. It was… hot.

Satisfied with the tiny bite she'd taken, Tao Tao licked her lips, then obediently lay down in the spot Lou Yuzhu had designated for her.

Lou Yuzhu sat motionless, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. She touched her lips, still holding the piece of cherry in her mouth. She couldn't swallow it, but spitting it out felt strange too.

"We can't… Tao Tao, we can't do this," she whispered, trying to reason with her.

But her words faltered when she noticed the girl had already fallen asleep.

Tao Tao had no ill intentions. In a parrot's mind, feeding its owner was simply an act of affection.

Lou Yuzhu tried to calm herself down. She was an adult, after all—she shouldn't overreact. She'd ask Fu Ye for advice in the morning. For now, she pulled the blanket over her head, letting out a silent scream.

She had just been kissed. By a girl. With tongue!

It wasn't disgusting… just weird.

As dawn broke, the soft light of morning bathed the room in a pale glow.

From the oversized, rumpled T-shirt, a small apple-green parrot suddenly hopped out. It jumped onto Lou Yuzhu's chest and started chirping loudly.

Time to wake up.