Chapter 61

"Chirp chirp chirp! New home! New home!"

A small, snow-white shadow darted excitedly around the empty living room; it was the spirit beast Frostfeather. One moment it would land on the gleaming marble island, curiously patting the surface with its tiny paws; the next it would fly to the high chandelier, surveying the entire space with eyes full of wonder.

"It's much bigger than the birdcage in the hotel! I love it! Hua Hua, where's my little ice crystal nest? Where should I put it? It needs to be close to the window so I can see the stars!"

With a flick of her finger, Zhuohua conjured a delicate little nest made of pure ice crystals, radiating a faint chill, and landed steadily beside the large floor-to-ceiling window in the corner of the living room. "Satisfied with this?" she asked indulgently.

"Satisfied, satisfied!" Shuangling immediately flapped her little wings and flew over, carefully rubbing her head against the edge of the ice crystal nest, squinting her eyes comfortably, "Chirp! So comfortable! Huahua is the best!"

Just then, the door across the hall opened, and Lu Xiao walked over in his pajamas, carrying several large supermarket bags filled with fresh groceries. "Hua Hua, Shuang Ling, look what I bought!" He smiled warmly, radiating a cozy, homey feeling.

Shuangling's little nose immediately started moving like a radar, instantly snapping her out of her reverie about her new home and rushing like a cannonball toward the bag in Lu Xiao's hand!

It clung precisely to the edge of the bag, its little head straining to peek inside: "Fish! Such a big fish! Beef! And... strawberries! Chirp chirp chirp! Lu Xiao! Tonight we're having boiled fish! Sweet and sour pork ribs! Strawberry cake!" Its little voice rattled off the dishes quickly and loudly, its blue eyes sparkling with the light of a foodie.

Lu Xiao was amused by its eagerness and carefully placed the bag on the island counter to avoid crushing it: "Okay, okay, everything's arranged. But the cake will have to wait until after dinner, we can have dessert after dinner."

"Then...then let's eat the fish first!" Shuangling immediately gave in, her little paws pawing at the bag of fish, her mouth practically watering.

Zhuohua walked over and naturally took another bag from Lu Xiao's hand to help him organize it. She watched as he skillfully tied on an apron in the open kitchen, washed vegetables, cut meat, and prepared seasonings with fluid movements.

Who would have thought that before meeting Zhuohua, this guy was just a background actor who could only cook instant noodles? Under the daily encouragement of Shuangling, a top-notch foodie (and extremely picky eater), Lu Xiao's cooking skills have improved by leaps and bounds at an astonishing speed, and he now has the demeanor of a master chef.

"You've worked hard." Zhuohua leaned against the island counter, looking at his focused profile, her voice soft and sweet.

"It's no trouble at all to cook for you and Shuangling." Lu Xiao turned back and smiled at her, his eyes full of tenderness. He enjoyed the reassuring feeling of being able to do something for her.

Dinner was naturally extremely lavish. The boiled fish was spicy and fragrant, with tender and smooth fish meat; the sweet and sour pork ribs were bright red in color and had a delicious sweet and sour taste; and the stir-fried seasonal vegetables were crisp and refreshing.

Shuangling stood directly next to her own small plate, carved from a single piece of cold jade, and began to eat diligently, her little head almost buried in the plate. She made satisfied "cheep cheep" sounds as she ate, occasionally giving orders: "Lu Xiao! Spicy! More spicy!" "Spare ribs! Give me this big one!"

Zhuohua and Lu Xiao ate slowly and deliberately, occasionally glancing at each other, the air filled with a warm feeling that needed no words.

After the meal, Lu Xiao indeed brought out an exquisite strawberry cake. Shuang Ling immediately abandoned the other plates and focused intently on picking at the strawberries on the cake with her little paws, getting cream all over her face, like a little kitten. This prompted Zhuo Hua to take out her phone and take several pictures of her as "evidence."

The night was gentle, and the city lights were just coming on. Frostwing, its belly round and full, lay in Zhuohua's palm, contentedly rubbing its tummy with its little paws to aid digestion. Zhuohua suggested, "Shall we go for a walk?"

“Okay.” Lu Xiao naturally agreed. Shuang Ling also lazily chirped, indicating her second opinion.

The neighborhood has a lovely environment, with shady trees, a well-maintained garden, and winding paths. A gentle evening breeze dissipates the daytime heat.

Zhuohua and Lu Xiao strolled hand in hand. Shuangling perched on Zhuohua's shoulder, her little head nodding as she dozed off, her blue eyes half-closed, enjoying the peaceful time after dinner.

Passing a wall covered in blooming roses, you'll find a relatively secluded pavilion ahead. From inside, you can faintly hear deliberately hushed voices and giggles.

Lu Xiao paused slightly, instinctively pulling Zhuo Hua to try and change direction. He recognized the people in the pavilion—Wu Ying, the rising star who had recently become incredibly popular thanks to a hit fantasy drama, and Feng Qi, an equally sought-after top actor. The two were clearly trying to avoid being discovered in such a private place late at night.

Zhuohua didn't care. As a goddess, why should she give way to a mortal's love affair? She didn't stop walking and openly led Lu Xiao across the path a few meters away from the pavilion.

The two people huddled together in the pavilion clearly noticed them and immediately separated, creating an awkward and tense atmosphere. Wu Ying even subconsciously pulled her hat brim down. Feng Qi frowned, his gaze sweeping over Lu Xiao and Zhuo Hua with a hint of displeasure at being disturbed and a scrutinizing look.

Just as the two were about to pass each other, in a subtly silent moment—

"Chirp!"

Shuangling, who had been lazily dozing off, suddenly raised her little head, her green eyes widening instantly as she stared intently at the beautiful couple in the pavilion.

Its tiny nostrils twitched rapidly, as if it had smelled something extremely unpleasant, and its entire body of snow-white fur bristled up with a "whoosh"! It looked like a little hedgehog whose tail had suddenly been stepped on!

"Ugh—!" Shuangling even made a remarkably human-like gagging motion, frantically flapping her little wings in front of her nose, her voice filled with undisguised disgust and loathing, "What a smell! It stinks! It's disgusting! Like...like rotten dog skin plaster! It's suffocating me! Hua Hua, get out of here! It stinks!"

Its babyish voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet night, full of innocent and blunt, yet deadly, words.

Zhuohua and Lu Xiao stopped at the same time.

The awkwardness on Wu Ying and Feng Qi's faces instantly turned into astonishment and embarrassment, especially Wu Ying, whose face flushed red and then turned pale. Anyone would probably be unable to hold back if a bird (although this bird was abnormally beautiful) called "stinky" to their face and described it as "a rotten dog skin plaster".

Lu Xiao's lips twitched. He wanted to laugh but felt it wouldn't be very kind, so he could only suppress it and gently squeezed Zhuo Hua's hand to signal her.

Zhuohua's gaze instantly turned cold. She didn't look at the celebrity couple, but stared at the flustered Shuangling: "Shuangling, what do you smell?"

Frostfeather covered its little nose tightly with its tiny claws (though the action was comical for a bird), its blue eyes filled with physical disgust: "Stinky! It's just stinky! It smells like... moldy talisman paper soaking in a sewer! Mixed with the sour smell of rotten peach blossoms! It's fishy and greasy! Ugh... even worse than the filthy stuff in the warehouse last time! It made me want to throw up my cake!"

As it spoke, it vigorously flapped Zhuohua's shoulder with its tiny wings, urging her to hurry up, "Hurry up! Hurry up! I'm going to get poisoned if I stay any longer! Lu Xiao, help me! Hold me!"

The little guy actually abandoned Zhuohua, the "source of pollution," and fluttered its wings, burying its fluffy little head in Lu Xiao's arms, leaving only its trembling, bristly little bottom exposed, looking pitiful as if it had been overwhelmed by the fumes.

Lu Xiao quickly and carefully protected it, feeling the little guy trembling slightly in his arms, clearly quite agitated by the "smell".

He looked at Zhuohua, his eyes filled with inquiry and seriousness. Although Shuangling was sharp-tongued, its perception, especially its perception of negative energy, had never been wrong.

A cold, knowing glint flashed deep within her brilliant, glassy eyes. When she looked again at the celebrity couple in the pavilion, whose faces were extremely pale, her gaze now held a scrutinizing quality.

How could an ordinary person have a "smell" that Shuangling finds so repulsive? Moreover, Shuangling mentioned "moldy talisman paper" and "rotten peach blossom luck"... This is not a good omen.

She didn't linger, nor did she say anything to the two men. She simply said to Lu Xiao, "Let's go. Shuangling isn't feeling well."

"Hmm." Lu Xiao, holding the little snowball who was still "playing dead" in his arms, quickly followed.

Left behind in the pavilion, Wu Ying trembled with anger, her eyes red-rimmed: "What...what does that damn bird mean?! Are they crazy?!"

Feng Qi's face was also terribly gloomy. He looked at the departing figures of Zhuo Hua and Lu Xiao, his eyes flickering uncertainly. Besides the anger of being humiliated, there seemed to be a trace of barely perceptible...surprise and doubt hidden deep inside.

Back home, Shuangling immediately jumped out of Lu Xiao's arms, rushed into the bathroom, and splashed her face under the tap for a while (even though it wasn't actually dirty) before feeling a little better. She then listlessly lay back in her little ice crystal nest.

“That taste…” Lu Xiao poured Zhuo Hua a glass of water, his brows furrowing slightly.

“It’s not a good thing.” Zhuohua took the water glass, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the inside of the glass, her eyes thoughtful. “The ‘moldy talisman’ smell that Shuangling mentioned is the lingering scent of some clumsy evil magic or curse, carrying decay and malice. ‘Rotten peach blossom’… is probably a love spell or some kind of evil method that forcibly induces and distorts relationships. With both mixed together, no wonder it reacted so strongly.”

She looked at Frostfeather, who was still sulking in her little ice crystal nest, her little bottom facing them. "This little thing has a nose that's sharper than a dog's."

"Love spells? Evil magic?" Lu Xiao's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't unaware of the dark side beneath the glamorous facade of the entertainment industry, but anything involving such mystical concepts still sent chills down his spine. "They..."

"It's none of our business," Zhuohua interrupted him, her tone calm yet authoritative. "As long as they don't run into us."

She put down her water glass, walked to Frostfeather's little nest, and with a faint, soothing wisp of divine power gathered at her fingertips, she gently brushed the little creature's ruffled fur. "It's alright, it's nothing now. I'll buy you the freshest salmon and blueberries tomorrow to calm your nerves."

Shuangling's little ears twitched, but she stubbornly turned her back to her and let out a muffled "chirp," indicating that she was reluctantly accepting the bribe.