Chapter 5

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Ling Yue poured fresh shredded meat from the plastic bag into the bowls. The red-and-white strips piled up into a small mountain, looking incredibly appetizing.

The leading crow boss instantly swallowed a mouthful of saliva. The two younger crow sisters on either side tilted their heads, drooling uncontrollably.

“Whoa, Big Sis, that looks like meat!”

“Wuwuwu, it smells so good, so good! I’m starving!”

The boss crow: “Yeah, I’m starving too—” It suddenly perked up and looked at Ling Yue warily. Even though it was famished, its small eyes remained sharp and alert, clearly suspicious of the human’s intentions.

“Human, what do you want? Let me tell you, beasts will never be slaves!”

Ling Yue finished the sentence for it: “Unless you get free food and housing?”

She couldn’t help laughing at herself and said, “Your name is Yaya, right? I heard everything earlier. You’ve been flying all day — want to eat something first?”

As she spoke, she pushed the three small bowls forward. Her intention couldn’t be clearer.

This was the first time Yaya had encountered such a strange human. Or perhaps it was because this was the first human who could understand her words. Otherwise, with her usual personality, she would have flapped her wings and flown away long ago.

“What do you want from us?”

She was still stubbornly resisting when she suddenly heard a “plop.” Turning her head, she saw her two younger sisters already diving headfirst into the meat pile, eating without even lifting their heads.

Yaya moved her wings, unsure whether to cover her face or fly away. How embarrassing for the birds!

But it was precisely these two silly sisters that allowed Ling Yue to successfully integrate into the group. Only then did she learn that they were the Three Crow Sisters. Yaya was the eldest sister. Their parents had died unexpectedly before the three sisters left the nest, and Yaya had raised her younger sisters alone.

Ling Yue pushed forward the dish of water. “You’re really amazing.”

She stated her purpose. Back at the police station, she had already thought about it — if not for the crows’ help, she didn’t know how dangerous it would have been for her to act alone.

Thinking of this, Ling Yue’s expression became serious. She reminded herself that she must not be impulsive in the future.

Ling Yue continued, “Anyway, if it weren’t for your help today, I wouldn’t have gotten away so easily. This meal is my treat. In the future, if you want anything to eat, just tell me. I’ll do my best to satisfy you.”

Yaya flapped her wings. “You said it yourself.”

Five minutes later, Ling Yue’s balcony was pitch black. It looked as if it had been scorched by the sun, but in reality — dozens of crows were densely packed on the balcony, squeezing and shifting around constantly.

“Ouch! You bumped into my butt!”

“You’re squishing me! Newcomers, move back a bit!”

“You idiot from Sichuan, don’t you understand respecting the old and caring for the young? My claws are about to break!” This one had a fiery temper, having flown across provinces to visit relatives.

Yaya: “Alright, everyone shut up.”

“Caw—!” Yaya let out a long cry. Under her command, the little crow brothers all responded in unison: “Greetings to the Boss!”

Yaya puffed out her chest proudly. “Since you said we helped you, then first feed my dozens of little brothers. They don’t need meat — green beans, wheat, or fruits are all fine. After all, we crows are omnivores.”

The dozens of crows were stunned when they heard their boss. Dozens of identical bean-like eyes stared at Ling Yue. A human feeding them? No way!

As if they didn’t know — humans hated crows. They would curse “bad luck” the moment they saw one. Feeding them?

The dozens of crows immediately erupted into chaotic cawing, but Yaya suppressed them with a single sentence. She coughed twice, as if trying to cover it up, and said, “What happened before barely counts as help. From now on, if you need anything, all my little brothers will help you.”

Even though she was just a bird, Ling Yue clearly sensed the aura of a big shot from the underworld. She raised an eyebrow. “Then I actually do have something to trouble you with, Yaya.”

“But first, let your little brothers eat their fill. After all, we should be friends now, right?”

Yaya’s face turned red. If not for her black feathers, the hateful human would have seen it. She snorted, “Y-yeah, I guess so.”

However, her sparkling little eyes told a different story. While the little brothers were eating, Ling Yue tried using the knowledge she had learned earlier.

Her gaze fell on the two younger crow sisters.

At some point, a human finger landed on their heads. The silly sisters squeezed closer, rubbing against the soft pads of Ling Yue’s fingers. It felt so good on the spots their own beaks couldn’t reach.

They weren’t ungrateful crows. Such a comfortable thing must be shared with their big sister.

Hearing her sisters’ calls, Yaya’s eyes flickered. *Damn it, it really does look comfortable!*

With her superb massage skills, Ling Yue completely conquered the Three Crow Sisters. The younger sisters spread their wings, wishing they could just lie down under the human’s hands. Yaya still tried to maintain some big-sister pride, but her head unconsciously rubbed against Ling Yue’s soft fingertips.

As for the dozens of little brothers, they had long been forgotten. They didn’t notice how shocked their brothers were upon seeing this scene. All of them stared wide-eyed: *Is that really our Big Sis?*

Yaya swept her gaze over them domineeringly. “Who else could it be but me? From now on, she is my friend. None of you are allowed to bully her!”

Ling Yue’s movements paused. Amusement filled her eyes. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. *She had just been… protected by a crow?*

Before she could speak, the little crow brothers responded with obedient caws. Their voices attracted some attention from the neighbors.

A neighbor who had opened his window for ventilation looked at her in shock. “Ling Yue, what is that on your balcony…” He rubbed his eyes curiously, then quickly put on his glasses. Finally, he saw clearly what the “pile of things” really was.

The neighbor’s face didn’t look good. He said in shock, “Crows?!”

“Go away, go away! So unlucky!” The neighbor next door waved his hand to shoo them away. A whole balcony full of crows was quite a spectacle. He was also very worried about Ling Yue’s situation.

Out of kindness, he handed over a bamboo pole from his balcony. “Ling Yue, take this and drive away these unlucky creatures. They’re nothing but a bunch of thieving little pests!”

He said angrily, “I just got a new pair of glasses, and I’ve only worn them for a few days before they stole them!”

“Caw caw!”

The crow flock exploded like a drop of water into hot oil. “Nonsense!”

“Despicable human prejudice! We didn’t take his glasses! There was nothing shiny or sparkly about them — they weren’t nice at all!”

A crow with light spots on the sides of its beak, like freckles, tilted its head. “My nest is in the tree opposite. I saw it. His glasses weren’t lost at all. His own chick threw them into the drawer by the window. It wasn’t us!”

“Yeah! We don’t care about a broken pair of glasses anymore. Diamonds are the most beautiful!”

“Diamonds?”

“It’s the one we stole as a birthday gift for Big Sis. It’s covered in shiny diamonds, almost blinded our eyes! Super pretty!”

“Is it a butterfly knot necklace studded with diamonds, like this?”

Ling Yue opened her phone and showed them a picture. Inside a black velvet box lay a dazzling butterfly knot diamond necklace, sparkling with brilliant light. It was the display image she had asked Manager Zhao for earlier.

She held it in front of the crow flock. The noisy balcony instantly fell silent.

Seeing their reaction, Yaya, who had been kept in the dark, immediately realized the truth and flew into a rage. She wanted to speak, but Ling Yue held her down.

Ling Yue waved at the neighbor. “Mr. Liu, it’s fine. These crows are just resting here for a bit. As for your glasses, I think I heard your Lele say he put them in the drawer by the window. Why don’t you go check now?”

Hearing this, the neighbor instantly became furious. “That naughty brat! If I find them, I’m definitely giving him a good beating!”

He turned back inside and forgot about Ling Yue’s side.

Ling Yue curved her lips. Mr. Liu’s son Lele was six or seven years old this year — the age where he hated cats and dogs and was famous in the neighborhood as a little troublemaker. One could imagine that the little troublemaker would be treated to a “sumptuous feast” tonight!

As for now—

Ling Yue pulled over a chair and sat down, calmly watching Yaya scold her little brothers. Only then did she learn that they were actually a well-organized and disciplined little gang. Usually, they foraged in trash cans or hunted small bugs. Stealing jewelry was the first time they had done something like this.

Ling Yue had seen crows’ habits in the system — they indeed liked shiny things.

But these little crows still didn’t realize what they had done wrong. They only felt extremely embarrassed, especially in front of their Big Sis. Part of the reason was their natural instinct. Male crows would collect shiny objects to show their strength and win the affection of female crows.

Now, losing face in front of the goddess they admired — they could barely lift their beaks!

Ling Yue didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she explained the terrifying value of the butterfly knot diamond necklace to the crows. When they heard “eight million US dollars,” all the little crows were stunned.

“How much money is that?”

“Is it super expensive? We didn’t know such a small thing could be worth so much. We’re too capable!”

Ling Yue: “Yes, that money could be turned into food to feed you for a lifetime, and even your chicks for many generations. But it also shows how much humans value it.”

She lowered her voice slightly. “If they find out it was you who took it, they’ll probably search every bird’s nest in the entire capital. Not just crows — other birds too. What do you think the consequences would be?”

Ling Yue wasn’t lying. They were also lucky that they hadn’t been caught by surveillance or people when they stole it. Otherwise, Ling Yue might not have met the Three Crow Sisters today. After all, the city wasn’t inhabited only by birds — it was part of an ecosystem with other predators waiting for opportunities.

Once these birds lost the nests that sheltered them, the outcome was obvious.

Yaya, the smartest among them, was frightened by her own imagination. She waved her wings and said sternly, “Return it right now! You bunch of stupid birds, do you want to get everyone killed?!”

The crows finally understood what kind of trouble they had caused. They looked at Ling Yue in panic. “We’ll return it! We’ll return it right away!”

Ling Yue looked at the dejected crows that looked like they had been dried out by the sun. She could imagine how big a blow this was. She said, “Actually, it’s fine. You weren’t discovered.”

She suddenly changed the subject. “Oh right, I got sidetracked and almost forgot what I wanted to ask you for help with.”

Her abrupt words left the crows completely confused. Yaya pecked at her own wing in embarrassment.

They heard Ling Yue say softly, “The person I know is the owner of the jewelry store where the butterfly knot was stolen. He hopes I can help him get it back. So, what I need your help with is this matter.”

The two younger crow sisters behind Yaya brightened up and spoke in unison, “Isn’t this perfect?!”

They had also participated in stealing the butterfly knot. Their nest was built on the same street as the jewelry store. After hearing about the serious consequences from Ling Yue, they immediately remembered the people coming and going at the store these days, as well as the surveillance cameras.

They weren’t stupid. Stealing it was hard, but returning it would be even harder!

So they looked at Ling Yue with eager eyes.

Ling Yue: “……”

“Alright then, I’ll help you this once. Give me the butterfly knot diamond necklace. Once the boss gets it back, he won’t pursue anything else.”

After all, the masterminds were just a group of animals. As long as Zhao Lin wasn’t insane, he wouldn’t take action against them.

“And I’ll trade you for it.”

Ling Yue beckoned to the crows in a coaxing tone, “Without the butterfly knot diamond necklace, there are still rubies, sapphires, and big beautiful diamonds the size of pigeon eggs that sparkle. Do you want them?”

In an instant, all the crows turned their heads. Even Yaya was tempted.

She already knew this thing was a hot potato for them — they couldn’t throw it away fast enough. Now they could actually exchange it for other things.

Yaya suddenly looked left and right. Her younger sisters had their beaks open, lost in fantasy. Yaya looked extremely disdainful and snorted, “How embarrassing!”

But the next second, she was the first to speak: “I want a super big crystal to pad my nest with — the kind that blinds birds’ eyes when sunlight hits it!”

Yaya hesitated for a moment, then continued, “We crows are not ungrateful white-eyed birds. From today onward, you are the boss of our crow clan!”

With her words, the other crows didn’t dare refuse.

As for the meeting gift for the new boss, the crows chattered nonstop. In the end, they filled up half a notebook with requests. Ling Yue received the butterfly knot diamond necklace under a big tree. When it landed in her hand, it still carried the warmth of the birds’ bodies and had a few fluffy little feathers stuck to it.

Other than that, it was exactly the same as in the photo — even more dazzling and brilliant.

The butterfly knot, meticulously crafted by artisans of the last century and studded with expensive diamonds, sparkled under the light. It was the glow of money.

Ling Yue held her breath. The mechanism on the base of the butterfly knot connected perfectly with the silver chain. Everything was flawless.

As soon as she put it into the box, her phone dinged with a notification: Alipay received — 500,000 yuan.

Immediately after came a simple goodnight message from Zhao Lin.

Ling Yue raised an eyebrow and typed: [I remember Longxiang Jewelry opens at 8 a.m. tomorrow. I’ll come find you at 8:30. Is that okay?]

On the other side, Zhao Lin, who had just lain down, sat up abruptly. His sudden movement made his wife complain, “Old Zhao, what are you doing? Jumping around like a spring. Can’t people sleep?”

Zhao Lin said excitedly, “Sleep? I’m not sleepy at all right now. I’m full of energy!”

He paused and added, “Wife, you sleep first.”

At this moment, thousands of words in Zhao Lin’s heart converged into one sentence: *There’s hope!*

His hands trembled as he replied: [Yes, yes!]

Ling Yue didn’t reply. Since the matter was settled, she went to bed early. It was only nine o’clock in the evening, but she didn’t know that in another place, Zhao Lin stayed up all night because of her message.

The next morning, his wife saw him in a full suit with dark circles under his eyes, yet looking energetic. She was startled. “Old Zhao, is it that serious?”

“It’s just empty talk. Is it worth you taking it so seriously? I heard you say it’s a girl in her early twenties. What skills could she possibly have? Don’t let her trick you!”

Zhao Lin tried hard to explain, but clearly, his wife didn’t want to listen and made a decision.

—“Today I’ll go to the store with you. I want to see what this little girl is really about.”

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