Abandonment

Lou Yuzhu's workday started at 9:30 AM. Normally, she'd set her alarm for 8:00 AM, giving herself an hour to wash up, put on makeup, and eat breakfast, before driving the half-hour commute.

But ever since she adopted Tao Tao—barely two months ago—her alarm clock had become completely useless. Rain or shine, Tao Tao would always wake her up around 8:00 AM, never off by more than ten minutes.

In her half-asleep daze, Lou Yuzhu would instinctively reach out under the blanket, find Tao Tao in her palm, and gently hold her. The little bird would quickly quiet down.

When the soft feathers brushed against her palm, Lou Yuzhu would pause in bed, momentarily lost in thought, before suddenly sitting up to confirm that the little creature was really there, tightening her grip slightly.

The small parrot, only a little larger than her palm, chirped softly, as if speaking to her.

Was last night a dream? Just as this thought popped into Lou Yuzhu's mind, her gaze landed on a white T-shirt lying beside her. Picking it up, she noticed it still had some of Tao Tao's downy feathers stuck to it.

"How did you turn back into a bird?" Lou Yuzhu muttered groggily, her morning voice drowsy and slurred, like the murmur of someone half-drunk. Her index finger gently stroked Tao Tao's wings as she gazed at their colorful feathers in contemplation. "Where's your brilliantly white platinum hair? Your bright locust-yellow wings? Those lychee-like eyes and peachy lips? Where did the beautiful lady go?"

She had forgotten to take a picture last night. Now, even she was beginning to doubt whether what she'd seen had been real. Lou Yuzhu had no idea if Fu Ye would believe her if she said it out loud.

The little bird's pink-and-white beak lightly nibbled at Lou Yuzhu's finger. It didn't hurt; it was soft and gentle, accompanied by a constant stream of chirping as if Tao Tao was speaking to her.

Parrots were naturally lively, social creatures. Every time Lou Yuzhu left for work, Tao Tao would chatter away endlessly, either reminding her to 'hunt safely' or trying to stick to her like glue. The little bird always had something to say.

"Good girl, are you hungry?"

Only when Tao Tao was in this form could Lou Yuzhu treat her as a pet. Otherwise, there was no way she could bring herself to use such a sappy term for the woman she had seen last night.

She picked up the little parrot and placed her on her shoulder, then changed the water in the birdcage with fresh mineral water. She added a small handful of rice as the main meal, a fingertip-sized piece of broccoli, and peeled one segment of a grapefruit.

After taking care of Tao Tao, Lou Yuzhu finally began to wash up and apply her makeup. Her job required her to maintain a polished and approachable image, so her makeup couldn't be too dewy or excessive. She often opted for a look that exuded both sophistication and poise, pairing it with minimalist yet elegant pearl earrings.

* * * *

At the station, Lou Yuzhu threw herself into work, reviewing news scripts with her partner. Just before rehearsal, the crew was busy arranging the cameras, microphones, and other equipment.

Li Hongwen came over, speaking in a hushed tone: "Xiao Lou, has the boss mentioned anything to you? Word is they're replacing you on this show and transferring you elsewhere."

Lou Yuzhu, who had been practicing expressions in front of a mirror, paused mid-smile. "When did this happen? Where would I be transferred to?"

The two had been partners for four years, co-hosting the station's nightly political news segment. Now, a sudden switch of partners—especially for a newcomer—would be a headache for Li Hongwen.

"I just heard rumors. Not sure if it's finalized, but they're talking about transferring you to the Legal Satellite Channel for a show called Marriage Cases. Twice the workload, but who knows if the pay's any better…"

Lou Yuzhu tuned out the latter part of his complaint. Her mood was already spiraling. She and Li Hongwen were household names after hosting together for years. Changing anchors wasn't something the station would do lightly.

If Li Hongwen had heard whispers of it, that meant the higher-ups had likely made up their minds. Her transfer was practically set in stone.

During rehearsal, Lou Yuzhu managed to maintain her composure in front of the camera, keeping her expression steady and professional.

During a break, she casually posted on her social media:

[The chosen one of the workforce.]

She included a meme of Tao Tao screeching, with added text that read:

[My mental breakdown is imminent.]

At lunchtime, while eating her work meal in the break room, the receptionist called.

"Sister Lou, a handsome guy just delivered flowers for you. He told me to wait until you weren't busy before calling you. Is he your boyfriend? Ooh~"

The receptionist's teasing left Lou Yuzhu puzzled. Who sent flowers? Was it Zhuo Yi?

After finishing her meal, she headed to the reception area, where a bouquet of cappuccino roses awaited her. The attached card read: [An unexpected blessing.]

The signature was a single character: [Zhuo.]

It really was him…

Dr. Zhuo was surprisingly thoughtful. Had he seen her earlier social media post complaining about work?

As she touched the vintage-pink roses, her mood visibly brightened.

Unfortunately, she had already promised Fu Ye she'd spend the evening with her and couldn't accompany Dr. Zhuo to the theater as planned. Although she had apologized via WeChat that morning, she made sure to apologize again after work.

Fu Ye arrived by car, waiting downstairs at Lou Yuzhu's workplace. When she saw her friend climb into the car with a bouquet, Fu Ye joked, "What's this? You don't want to go on a blind date, so now you're using me as your excuse?"

Over the phone, Lou Yuzhu had vaguely mentioned something urgent, but hadn't elaborated, insisting they meet in person. Fu Ye had assumed her friend was just messing around—after all, they'd played their fair share of pranks on each other in the past, testing each other's acting skills.

Lou Yuzhu casually placed the bouquet in the back seat. "Ah Fu, what I'm about to tell you might completely change the way you see the world. You have no idea what I saw last night!"

After holding it in all day, she finally had someone she could confide in.

On the way to dinner, Fu Ye wasn't easily fooled. "What? Did Tao Tao turn into a beautiful woman?"

Lou Yuzhu froze, her tone growing even more animated. "How did you know? You already knew, didn't you? Your parrot breeding base is full of parrot people!"

She'd visited Fu Ye's breeding site multiple times before. It seemed like an ordinary aviary, with various colorful birds sold to bird lovers.

Everything appeared normal, yet Fu Ye was always preoccupied with tasks that didn't seem related to selling birds. Her home was lined with bookshelves filled with tomes on biology and genetics.

"Screeech—"

Fu Ye slammed on the brakes, her expression strange. "You think I sell parrot people? Am I that twisted?"

Lou Yuzhu caught the peculiar tone in Fu Ye's voice. "So you're admitting there are parrot people at your base?"

A normal person's first reaction would have been to ask what a 'parrot person' was. But Fu Ye outright denied selling them instead of denying their existence.

Fu Ye's eyes darted back to the road as she continued driving, laughing lightly. "I never said that. What are you thinking? Tao Tao's just a bird. How could she turn into a woman? Are you secretly in the closet?"

"What does 'in the closet' mean?" Lou Yuzhu asked curiously.

That stumped Fu Ye, who opened her mouth, paused, then burst out laughing without explaining.

Lou Yuzhu wasn't in the mood for distractions. She brought the topic back around. "I'm serious. I'm not joking. Tao Tao had platinum hair, a human face, hands, feet, and fair skin. She even poked her own wing. Last night… she just stared at me. When I called her name, she reacted."

Fu Ye smirked. "How's her figure?"

"I didn't get a good look, but I think it's pretty hot—wait, no! That's not the point!" Lou Yuzhu snapped, frustrated. She had come for help, not teasing.

Fu Ye parked outside a barbecue restaurant and looped an arm around Lou Yuzhu as they got out. "It just means you're raising Tao Tao well. Keep up the good work."

The barbecue meal was thoroughly unenjoyable. Lou Yuzhu couldn't stop stressing over her unanswered questions. She was dreading going home and opening the door, unsure of what she might see.

Midway through the meal, Fu Ye suddenly remarked, "You should send Tao Tao to school. She needs to learn some things."

Lou Yuzhu nearly choked on her soda. "What school?"

"There's a school just for parrot people. They're quick learners—three years and they graduate. The curriculum is comprehensive. Afterward, they can support themselves. The capable ones can even become civil servants or interpreters. Entrepreneurial types could become big business owners. Those with less ambition can work as waitstaff, assembly line workers, or even street vendors. They're basically just like regular people."

Fu Ye said this with a straight face.

Lou Yuzhu spat out her soda in shock. "Cough, cough! Didn't you just say there were no parrot people?"

Fu Ye wiped her mouth. "I thought you were trying to trick me."

"…"

Fu Ye's breeding base really did have parrot people. She wasn't selling them, though. The bird stores she ran were merely a front—an unavoidable necessity.

Parrot people had existed for over fifty years, yet their origins remained a complete mystery. The egg she had gifted Lou Yuzhu had been screened and documented as that of a normal parrot. Somewhere along the way, however, something had gone wrong, and it had hatched into a parrot person.

Looking apologetic, Fu Ye explained, "We can't reveal this to the public just yet. The plan is to uncover the origins of parrot people before making it known to the world."

Lou Yuzhu hadn't expected such a species to exist, let alone in numbers significant enough to warrant a specialized school and curriculum.

"What… what should I do now? Ah Fu, should I give Tao Tao back to you?" She was at a loss.

As soon as she said it, she felt reluctant. But if she didn't give Tao Tao back, how was she supposed to carry on with her life?

Fu Ye quickly shut down that idea. "Absolutely not. To Tao Tao, you're the only one she knows. She's never interacted with anyone else or even her own kind. She sees you as her mate. If you send her away, she'll know she's been abandoned. She'll get depressed. Don't underestimate a parrot's depression. Just recently, a parrot person died after pulling out all her feathers following a breakup. She bled to death."

Parrots were monogamous, and the chances of them being homosexual were exceptionally high. Once they felt abandoned, neglected, or unloved by their partner, the consequences were dire.