Raven

"What are you talking about? Is there ever a time when people have enough money?" Shi Ze shot back.

"Uh, so you're planning for the future?"

"Something like that!"

"Isn't your pet hospital doing pretty well? Why did you suddenly decide to mess around with all this?" Guo Yuan asked with a puzzled look.

"I've started dating recently! I have to think about the future for the two of us—"

"Wait a second! What did you say? You're dating?"

"Yeah!"

"Who are you dating? Since when?"

"A college classmate of mine. About half a month ago!"

"Is she a veterinarian too?"

"No. She went on to do graduate studies in biology, and now she researches birds at Bingzhou Zoo."

His best buddy had gotten a girlfriend. Guo Yuan felt even more strongly that he couldn't stay in Hangcheng another second. He wanted to fly back immediately and see what Shi Ze's girlfriend looked like.

So, the two arranged to meet at Shi Ze's pet hospital at five in the afternoon. Shi Ze would bring his girlfriend along.

At 4:20 in the afternoon, Guo Yuan's plane landed in Bingzhou. He immediately hailed a cab to Shi Ze's pet hospital.

"Why did you come so early? It's not even five yet!" In his office, Shi Ze looked at the travel-worn Guo Yuan and asked.

"I was curious! It's hard to imagine anyone dating you."

"You fucking—"

"Caw, caw~" Before Shi Ze could finish, the call of some bird came from outside the door.

"Click~" The next second, the office door was pushed open. A petite, short-haired girl with healthy wheat-colored skin walked in, carrying a cage covered in black cloth. The bird call from earlier had probably come from inside the cage.

"Shi Ze, why did you call me over here in such a hurry?"

"I want you to meet someone. This is Guo Yuan, the brother I grew up with. Guo Yuan, this is my girlfriend, Luo Siqi."

"Hello! I'm Luo Siqi. I've heard Shitou mention you a long time ago."

"I'm Guo Yuan. Nice to meet you."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two were acquainted.

"Siqi, hasn't this bird found an owner yet?" Shi Ze asked, pointing at the cage.

"Ugh!" Luo Siqi let out a long sigh. "This little thing is driving me crazy. I've given it away twelve times already, but every time, it flies back on its own before long. Why don't you keep it?"

"No, no, no! I can't handle this little guy. It bullies all the other small animals in my shop. How am I supposed to do business with it around?"

"What kind of bird is it, if even a veterinarian and a bird specialist are helpless against it?" Guo Yuan asked curiously.

Luo Siqi lifted the black cloth off the cage.

At first glance, the bird was entirely black, but its feathers gleamed with a violet-blue metallic sheen in the sunlight, especially on its wings.

The feathers on its throat and chest were long and lance-shaped. Its irises were dark brown, while its beak, tarsi, and toes were black.

"Is... is this a crow?" Guo Yuan asked.

"Yes. Its scientific name is the common raven. This one belongs to the nominate subspecies, the most intelligent of the raven's twelve subspecies. Though this little one is still underage, she's very smart and can imitate some simple human speech. Come on, Lilith, say hello to everyone."

A trace of disdain flashed through Lilith the raven's eyes. She turned toward Guo Yuan and called out, "Dumb...ass."

Lilith spoke without any intonation, making it sound like a single call.

But when the two syllables were put together, Guo Yuan understood. Fuck, this bird was insulting him!

A friendly reminder: This raven is extremely intelligent. Despite not being fully grown, she already possesses intelligence comparable to that of a twelve-year-old human child. If properly trained, she will make a perfect pet and can do many unexpected things for you.

Guo Yuan froze. Was the narration's evaluation of this bird really that high?

Luo Siqi, meanwhile, was beyond embarrassed. Her bird had opened its beak and called Shi Ze's childhood friend a dumbass. Anyone who didn't know better would think she had something against Guo Yuan!

"Guo... Guo Yuan, Lilith isn't usually like this. This was an accident, I—"

"It's fine. I'm not petty enough to get angry at a bird. But I am somewhat interested in her. I want to adopt her. What do you two think?"

"Caw, caw~" Before Luo Siqi could respond, Lilith cried twice at Guo Yuan.

This raven does not like you. She believes that Luo Siqi is the only human who can understand some of her thoughts, and she does not want to follow any other human. She is warning you to stay away from her.

Guo Yuan smiled slightly and said, "See? This little thing got so happy when she heard I wanted to adopt her that she started calling out. She probably wants to come with me too. Why don't you let me try?"

Luo Siqi turned to look at Shi Ze.

Shi Ze gave her a slight nod.

"Then... all right! But Guo Yuan, if you don't like her or find that you can't get along with her, just open the window and let her go. She'll fly back to me."

"Mm, I understand."

Only after Guo Yuan agreed did Luo Siqi hand him the cage.

"Caw, caw~" Once the cage was in Guo Yuan's hands, even Lilith's cries changed. She looked at Luo Siqi with tearful eyes.

"Wow, this little guy really has become a spirit! It looks just like a child who can't bear to leave its parents." Shi Ze said teasingly.

"Caw!" Lilith shot Shi Ze a vicious glare, then continued cawing hoarsely at Luo Siqi.

When Luo Siqi failed to react for a long time, Lilith stopped calling. It closed its eyes and stayed quietly in the cage.

Lilith had already made up its mind. Tonight, once you were asleep, it would open the cage itself, break out, and fly back to Luo Siqi's home.

The corners of Guo Yuan's mouth lifted slightly at that, and he thought, This little guy is kind of interesting.

Afterward, Guo Yuan said goodbye to Luo Siqi and Shi Ze, then carried the cage home.

The moment he entered the house, Guo Yuan opened the cage.

Seeing the cage door open, Lilith did not immediately fly out. Instead, it hopped into a corner of the cage.

Lilith felt that you, this human, were up to no good. You had opened the cage to take the chance to retaliate for it calling you an idiot earlier.

"Little guy, don't worry! I'm not that petty. I don't care about you insulting me anymore. And I know about your plan to break out tonight and fly back to Luo Siqi. If you want to leave, there's no need to wait until tonight. You can go now."

Lilith was stunned. It did not understand why you knew what it was thinking.

"You're wondering why I know what you're thinking, right? That's because I can read minds. I can know what you're thinking anytime, anywhere. Following me will definitely be more comfortable than following Luo Siqi.

"You like staying by Luo Siqi's side because she can guess some of your thoughts, but I can directly know what you're thinking. It'll be easier for us to communicate."

Lilith made it clear that it did not believe your nonsense, unless you could bring it some water right now. It had been calling for so long that it was already thirsty.

Hearing the narrator's words, Guo Yuan turned around, went to the bathroom to pour a glass of water, and brought it to Lilith.

"Caw caw!"

Guo Yuan could understand that without the narrator translating it. It was probably something like, Holy shit!