This was no ordinary feather.

It was over a meter long. The shaft was translucent and smooth to the touch, and the barbs were fine and dense. From base to tip, it glowed a golden-red, as dazzling and eye-catching as a static flame.

Que Feiling lowered his eyes nervously.

Even though Jiang Qingli was wearing a bulky protective suit that completely hid her face, he felt even more anxious.

He took a moment to compose himself before saying, "Miss Jiang, this is my feather."

"I don’t mean to offend you, I just wanted to..." Que Feiling carefully chose his words, his face flushing as he continued, "I-I wanted to become... friends, or something. If you feel pressured, just pretend I never asked."

He backed away as he spoke, his eyebrows drooping like a drenched bird’s.

Jiang Qingli recalled that Lin Xiyue had a pet parrot. The last time she visited, the bird had given her one of its molted feathers.

’So, this must be how birds show friendship?’ she guessed.

But...

Jiang Qingli hesitated slightly. "This feather seems a little too long. It’s so beautiful, I’m afraid I’ll damage it."

Hearing the word "beautiful," Que Feiling’s eyes lit up. "It can shrink!"

Que Feiling twitched his finger, and the tail feather shrank to the size of his palm, looking like an exquisitely carved bookmark.

Jiang Qingli took the feather. To her surprise, it wasn’t cool to the touch like a normal feather. Instead, it was warm, as if she were holding solidified sunlight.

’It would probably work great as a hand warmer in the winter.’

Que Feiling continued, "Don’t worry, Miss Jiang. This thing is very durable. You can do whatever you want with it. Unless it’s hit by an S-rank or higher Superpower, it most likely won’t get damaged, and it doesn’t get dusty easily."

Besides, if Jiang Qingli kept it with her, he would be able to sense her location.

But that sounded a bit creepy, so Que Feiling didn’t dare say it.

The bell at the door rang again, reminding Jiang Qingli that her healing session was over and it was time for her to leave.

Jiang Qingli put the feather into the pocket of her protective suit and waved goodbye to Que Feiling. "See you next time."

Que Feiling smiled politely and gently. "See you next time, Miss Jiang."

The door closed again. Que Feiling watched her figure disappear, then took a deep breath, flopped onto the bed, and buried his burning face in the blankets.

He pressed a hand to his chest, feeling a fierce flame burning inside him.

The heart monitor went wild, letting out a rapid BEEP-BEEP-BEEP.

Amidst the sound of his racing heart, Que Feiling rolled over, stared up at the ceiling, and suddenly sighed.

They had only just parted.

But he already wanted to fast-forward to next Saturday to see her again.

’It’s just like they say in the TV dramas,’ he thought. ’The time spent missing someone is pure agony.’

After the sound of his heartbeat gradually calmed, there was a sudden knock at the door.

The door opened to reveal a handsome, unruly face.

His crisp suit was impeccably tailored, yet it couldn’t conceal Qin Muye’s arrogant aura.

Qin Muye stood outside the door, surveying the room with a condescending, insolent posture, looking like a triad boss looking for trouble.

Mo Sinan trembled with fear behind him.

The Moon Festival was just around the corner, and inspections were being carried out everywhere. The supervision facility was no exception.

He never would have expected that the officer sent by the Imperial Family to conduct the inspection would be Qin Muye!

They had all braced themselves for him to turn the place upside down, but who would have thought Qin Muye would actually be serious and responsible? It was surprisingly impressive.

Just as everyone was breathing a sigh of relief as he was about to leave, Qin Shu suddenly called, urging Qin Muye to go see Que Feiling.

Qin Muye sneered. "What the hell does he have to do with me?"

Qin Shu’s tone was full of meaning. "You can’t say that. Perhaps you two will be spending a lot of time together in the future."

Qin Muye’s brow furrowed. "I really can’t stand you."

After hanging up, Qin Muye’s expression was as foul as if he’d swallowed a nest of flies, but he still had Director Qian lead the way.

The staff were stunned. Everyone knew the two were mortal enemies, so they had deliberately not arranged for them to meet. Who could have predicted this turn of events?

Director Qian made an excuse and fled midway, leaving Mo Sinan to wait with tears in his eyes.

’I just hope they don’t cause too much damage later...’

Under the nervous gazes of the others, Que Feiling stood up, his presence no less imposing. "What do you want?"

Qin Muye flexed his wrists, and the people nearby instantly backed up a few steps.

Qin Muye glanced back at the staff, whose faces clearly read ’I want to leave,’ and clicked his tongue. "What are you standing around for? Turn him into a bird."

Que Feiling had been expressionless, but his temper flared at those words. "You illiterate moron! Who are you calling a bird?!"

Mo Sinan quickly stepped forward to explain. "Mr. Que, according to regulations, we need to inspect your beast form..."

WHOOSH—

Before he could finish, a sudden gale swirled, and a massive Vermilion Bird appeared before them, mercilessly slapping a wing toward Qin Muye’s face.

Qin Muye dodged with ease as faint flashes of lightning sparked in the air.

The iridescent Vermilion Bird circled in front of him, then suddenly turned its back to Qin Muye and shook its tail.

"Smells like a damn bird."

Qin Muye pinched his nose, took a step back, and activated the air circulation system.

Que Feiling: "..."

’God knows I want to kill this bastard!’

Just then, a researcher cried out in alarm, "Mr. Que, your tail feather..."

Glancing at Que Feiling’s avian tail, Qin Muye noticed that the longest and most magnificent of the Vermilion Bird Tail Feathers was gone.

’It’s just one feather. What’s all the fuss about?’ Qin Muye thought.

But then he overheard the researchers whispering to each other, "I think I heard that avian Beastmen like to use a tail feather from their true form for courtship..."

Courtship?

Qin Muye recalled Qin Shu’s tone from their earlier conversation, and his brow knitted together.

’Has Qin Shu taken a liking to this stupid bird?’

’Doesn’t she have a thing for the Mermaid Clan? Is she tired of playing with things that swim in the water and wants to play with something that flies in the sky now? Did she accept his tail feather and then call me to come see him?’

"That’s right, I gave her the tail feather," Que Feiling said suddenly, looking at Qin Muye with defiance. "And it’s all thanks to the experience you shared."

Qin Muye shoved one hand in his pocket, looking completely unconcerned. "And?"

The Vermilion Bird’s beak dropped open in surprise.

He thought that once Qin Muye knew he’d been in contact with Jiang Qingli, he would fly into a rage and they’d fight for days on end. He was all prepared for it. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

He never imagined... that Qin Muye would be so tolerant and magnanimous! Faced with his own attempt to move in on his girl, not only was he not angry, he was even tacitly approving it!

Que Feiling was deeply moved. "Qin Muye! From now on, you’re my brother! My best bro!"

The Vermilion Bird’s wings whipped up a gale, nearly blowing the researchers off their feet.

Qin Muye clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Who the hell is your brother?!"

He had no idea what was wrong with this bird and turned to leave.

The Vermilion Bird’s excited voice echoed down the hallway. "Have a safe trip, bro!"

...

After the inspection was over, Qin Muye got into his car. The driver asked, "Your Highness, shall we return to the palace now?"

"Yes."

The car started moving slowly.

Qin Muye leaned against the back of his seat, watching the night darken outside the window, but he couldn’t shake a vague sense of unease.

He took out his terminal and toyed with it in his hand.

He’d been busy all day and wanted to chat with her, but then he remembered she was out with friends today, so he decided not to disturb her.

Qin Muye opened his social media app to see if Jiang Qingli had posted anything today.

Jiang Qingli hadn’t been online today.

’That’s strange. Normally, if she went out with Lin Xiyue, she would definitely post an update.’

Just as he was about to exit, the "suggestions" feed pushed a post from someone he might know. Lin Xiyue had posted a selfie with the caption: [So nice to be at the hot springs with family!]

An account named "Lili" with a lily for a profile picture asked: [Huh? You guys didn’t go to that restaurant? They had a limited-time special dish today!]

Lin Xiyue replied: [She had something come up, let’s all go together next time~]

Qin Muye’s breath hitched. He called Yi Nuo and learned that Jiang Qingli still wasn’t back, and his brow furrowed deeply.

Jiang Qingli was clearly with Lin Xiyue this afternoon, but she wasn’t home yet tonight...

Who was she with now?

A nameless sense of irritation welled up inside him, and Qin Muye dialed Jiang Qingli’s number without hesitation.

The call connected after three rings.

Qin Muye heard the crisp sound of leather shoes scuffing against the ground.

Without a doubt, the one who answered the phone was a male.

The person on the other end deliberately lowered his voice, but every single word came through with perfect clarity: "Sister-in-law, your phone is ringing."