Chapter 33

After that day, Little Bird harbored a little secret thought.

The Little Bird Dumpling, who had always loved sticking as close as possible to his Benefactor, had learned some restraint. Though he still slept on Pei Du’s pillow, he only cautiously extended a bit of wing fluff to brush against it.

Barely maintaining his usefulness as a hypnotic bird.

Pei Du was the first to notice this change. In a way, Shen Jiujiu’s behavior like this actually made him feel more at ease and relaxed.

…Though Pei Du also felt faintly unaccustomed to it.

When Jia Shisan saw Shen Jiujiu return safely, he naturally breathed a sigh of relief. But afterward, no matter what he was doing, he always kept one eye on Shen Jiujiu, afraid of losing the Little Bird Dumpling again.

Shen Jiujiu, however, didn’t mind at all.

He even thought that if he had called Jia Shisan to help chase after Mother back then, with the skills of the Dark Guards, they certainly wouldn’t have lost her.

After refining the Blind Box business a bit, Shen Jiujiu stipulated that everyone could buy only ten Blind Boxes within ten days. While keeping those young nobles hooked, he was also trying to get a message to Shen Yuan.

But for some reason, Shen Yuan had been extremely cautious lately. For a full half month, he hadn’t stepped out of the mansion once, and no one knew why.

Hiss… It felt like all the recent events were vaguely connected somehow.

But when he thought carefully, he couldn’t quite find the loose thread.

Shen Jiujiu stood on his little desk, overlooking the to-do list written on the paper. Unintentionally, the Little Bird Brush on his wing dragged a winding ink trail near his talons.

And Mother!

Mother, Mother, Mother!

The thought that Mother would definitely enter the capital in a few days made the entire Little Bird bounce uncontrollably with excitement.

After scampering a circle around the desk, the Little Bird Dumpling’s gaze swept over Pei Du’s desk not far away, and his steps halted.

He rubbed his two little bird talons together, then shuffled to the edge of his small desk, facing Pei Du’s desk as he hunkered down.

Encountering someone so stunningly captivating was bound to stir the heart.

Especially when, through some twist of fate, you ended up spending every day and night together, in intimate contact. That stirring of the heart would inevitably ignite like lightning striking flint, bursting forth like a stream swelling into a raging river.

Little Bird let out a wistful sigh.

No, Shen Jiujiu.

If you were human, once your heart stirred and you fell for someone, you’d just go after them. Nothing to it.

His handsome Benefactor—Jiujiu wanted him, plain and simple.

After all, with Benefactor’s extraordinary bearing, top-notch character, no betrothal or family complications—who wouldn’t see him as prime marriage material?

But right now, you’re just a little bird.

If you were a shape-shifting demon or ghost, you could convince yourself with a bit of moral flexibility and make a play for it.

But you’re truly just an ordinary little bird who just learned to fly, who can’t even speak.

Sigh.

You were born before I ever hatched; by the time we met, I was already chirping for you.

What a bird, what a bird.

Shen Jiujiu sighed wistfully again.

Outside the study, Sui Ziming, crouched under the window, stole a glance at the long-suffering, lovesick Shen Jiujiu. He turned to Pei Du standing not far away.

“What’s this about now?”

Pei Du, who usually understood Little Bird so well, fell silent for a moment before helplessly raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know either.”

“Really? You’re serious?” Sui Ziming was genuinely shocked this time. “You really don’t know?”

Pei Du sighed helplessly. “I’m not omniscient.”

After a pause, Pei Du said, “If you’re free today, why don’t you take Jiujiu out for a stroll.”

Sui Ziming glanced at Jiujiu in the study, then at Pei Du, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “I could, but my gut says this is treating the symptom, not the cause… We still need to figure out why he’s unhappy.”

“Is it because of that brother of his?” Sui Ziming clenched his fist, huffing. “That Blind Box business is downright shady. Doesn’t seem like much, but it’s raking in cash. It’s just that turtle in the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion hasn’t shown his face.”

“If that’s the case, it’s easy enough. I’ll take Jiujiu and drag the guy out—bag him, corner him, give him a beating to vent, then talk later.”

“Xinian’s setup is fine; the problem lies with the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion,” Pei Du said thoughtfully. “Something’s off about the Marquis Mansion lately. Something else must have happened.”

Pei Du also looked toward Shen Jiujiu in the study. Whatever he saw made his gaze pause briefly.

“But it’s not so bad.”

“In a few days, if Madam Xie truly enters the capital with the Western Regions Envoy Group, Xinian’s attention should shift to her.”

Sui Ziming: “So what about these next few days? We can’t just let him stay this miserable. Poor thing.”

Pei Du took a slow step back, as if distancing himself, putting some space between him and Sui Ziming.

Sui Ziming: “? What?”

Pei Du smiled faintly. “I’ll leave these few days to you, Ziming.”

The burdened Sui Ziming: “…Huh?”

“Wait, no—you’re not setting me up again—Ow!!”

Sui Ziming’s head was pecked hard by the attacking Shen Jiujiu, and he yelped as he bolted away.

Shen Jiujiu relentlessly pursued Sui Ziming from behind, like an enraged fluff ball.

A limp, empty handkerchief dangled from his talons, flapping up and down in the air with Shen Jiujiu’s furious chase.

“Chirp chirp chirp chirp!!! Chirp chirp chirp chirp!!!”

Where’s my snack!!! Little Bird’s snack!!!

Shen Jiujiu didn’t just peck Sui Ziming—at any chance he got, his wings would whap whap whap whap!

Shen Jiujiu was truly furious!

Furious and aggrieved.

He’d already been heartbroken from his crush, and when he pulled open the drawer for some snack comfort, he found the handkerchief neatly refolded—but the snacks inside were all gone!

Those were the loving snacks his crush Benefactor had specially peeled for Little Bird!!

Benefactor was so mature, steady, and gentle—he’d never do something like steal Little Bird’s snacks!!

The truth! Could only be one thing!!!

“Chirp chirp chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp chirp!”

You walking punchbag, give back Little Bird’s secret snacks!

~~~

In the Western Regions Envoy Group caravan heading to the capital, Xie Jingtang, who had rushed back covered in dust, sat in the carriage. She carefully wiped away the makeup disguising her face bit by bit, then applied a fresh layer.

Adding a touch of exotic depth to her originally Jiangnan beauty’s brows and eyes, with upturned corners full of wild fierceness.

“Back?”

A wheat-skinned girl slipped into the carriage, the ornaments on her body clinking and jingling.

“We’re almost at the Capital already. You’re in such a hurry that you want to take this risk and go peek ahead of time?”

Xie Jingtang didn’t answer. Instead, she shot back a question of her own. “What the High Priestess said before—that my son Xinian is still alive in this world—is that true?”

Previously, Xie Jingtang had only cooperated with Yueshi out of a mindset of better safe than sorry, trading stockpiled grain for their shortages. But yesterday, she’d received word that Xinian’s abacus—the one he never went anywhere without—had turned up in a woodware shop in the West Market. Now she was determined to buy it ahead of schedule.

She knew her child better than anyone. That abacus was Xinian’s true treasure, his beloved possession. For it to mysteriously appear in that shop after his imprisonment meant it had to carry some message he’d left behind.

But the woodware shop seemed to be up to something strange. A huge crowd had gathered out front, and given her unique status, Xie Jingtang ultimately hadn’t dared to venture closer.

“If you don’t have any other children, then that prophecy about rebirth from the jaws of death has to be talking about Shen Xinian.”

The girl popped a dried fruit into her mouth and swung her legs back and forth, looking utterly playful and mischievous.

“If you ask me, rushing off to find him right now won’t do a bit of good. The one who can stabilize his soul isn’t you—it’s the Great Fortune Bearer by his side.”

“You should be thinking hard about who in the Capital can help you recover your son’s empty shell of a body.”

“After all, that’s the truly important thing.”