I raise furry animals and fly them to my motherland.

Chapter 217 Sister Feng Gossips

[Hmm...not bad, much better technique than that clumsy makeup artist.]
It hummed and commented, its tail feathers unconsciously curling up in an elegant arc, clearly quite satisfied with its beauty.

After the feather oil was applied, the macaw shook its feathers to ensure the oil evenly covered every inch. Then it stood proudly on its perch, looking just like a lady who had just had a spa treatment.

It tilted its head and looked at Xu Ying, a hint of awkward admiration flashing in its bright black eyes.

"...You're now my favorite human on set." It announced awkwardly, its tone still haughty, but the last syllable rose slightly, revealing a hint of barely concealed joy.

Xu Ying raised an eyebrow, teasing it deliberately: "Oh? What about the white peacock?"

The macaw's crest feathers instantly bristled, and the bird hopped as if its tail had been stepped on. [Who cares about that flashy idiot! This actor just doesn't want to lose to it in terms of looks!]
It turned around angrily, its backside facing Xu Ying, but after a couple of seconds, it secretly turned back and whispered, "...But if you can help me apply the oil every day, this actor might consider making you my personal assistant."
Xu Ying finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, and gently tapped its little head: "Not bad, big star, but I don't come here to work every day."

"Can I apply the oil for you when I arrive?"

The macaw let out a satisfied "caw," flapped its wings, and flew up to a higher perch. It began to admire its shimmering feathers in the sunlight, adjusting its angle from time to time to ensure that each feather was presented in the most perfect posture.

[My name is Caifeng, what's your name?]
The macaw then took the initiative to introduce itself.

Xu Ying smiled and gave her pseudonym: "My name is Xu Mumu."

She was afraid that if she revealed her real name, the parrot would call out her name in public.

Cai Feng wagged her long tail: [Xiao Xu, since we're such good friends, I'll tell you a secret!]
[Did you see that mannequin wrapped in a white sheet? I think its name is something like Zhang... a cockroach? An octopus?]
Xu Ying looked at Zhang Chenyi, who was dressed in white ancient costume on set, and immediately perked up her ears: "Sister Feng, what's wrong with him?"

Cai Feng seemed to really like the nickname "Sister Feng," which carried a kind of domineering air about her: "[Him? He's definitely a bad guy!]"
Cai Feng lowered her voice mysteriously, pointing her wingtip towards the dressing room: "[That cockroach demon hid the poison powder in his tattered string of prayer beads! I saw him pour the powder into the beads with my own eyes!]"
The parrot suddenly fluttered to Xu Ying's shoulder and whispered in her ear: "[Yesterday at noon, I was standing outside the dressing room window and overheard him on the phone saying something like, 'This time I'm going to break it myself.'"
It perfectly mimicked Zhang Chenyi's chilling tone: [Let everyone see that it was Jiang Mo who rode his horse and injured people.]
[He even said he wanted to sew blood packs into his costume!]
Cai Feng excitedly shook her feathers, [and said that when she fell, she would be "covered in blood," adding that she had already bribed three stagehands to testify.]
It tilted its head and added: [Oh right, right, they said they've already arranged for a reporter to come tomorrow to film the "big news."]
Xu Ying's pupils suddenly contracted: "He's planning to orchestrate a whole scheme to frame Jiang Mo?"

No wonder this person always carries that string of Buddhist prayer beads; apparently, there's more to those beads than meets the eye.

[Absolutely true! Believe me!]
Cai Feng preened his feathers with his beak. [I heard him say with my own ears, "This time, we must make that Jiang fellow utterly disgraced."]
The parrot suddenly lowered its voice: "[Xiao Xu, you absolutely mustn't tell anyone that the scoundrel I snitched on is the most vengeful.]"
Xu Ying gently stroked the phoenix's ruffled feathers and said softly, "Sister Feng, we really owe you a lot this time! Once this is over, I'll definitely buy you the most expensive imported nuts, the kind with the shells on!"

The colorful phoenix was proudly wagging its tail when it suddenly froze, as if frozen in place: [It...it's here!]
The parrot scurried behind Xu Ying in a panic, [That bully is here again!]
A dark shadow swooped down from the sky, and the peregrine falcon "Lightning" landed steadily on a nearby shelf, its sharp golden eyes sweeping over the trembling phoenix. [Heh, why isn't the little chatterbox so noisy today?] It slowly preened its feathers with its beak.

Cai Feng only dared to peek out from behind Xu Ying's shoulder: [Lightning! You, you don't have to be so smug! I have someone protecting me now!]
Xu Ying shielded Cai Feng and pulled a piece of beef jerky from her pocket: "Lightning, stop bullying Sister Feng. Here, have this, okay?"

The peregrine falcon haughtily turned its head away: [I'm not like those stupid birds that bow down for snacks.]
"is it?"

Xu Ying blinked. "What if I told you I know almost half the peregrine falcons in the desert?" She lowered her voice. "Including the flock of young peregrine falcons that migrated from the north last month."

Although Xu Ying was not familiar with the animals in the desert scenic area's wildlife park, she had read the wildlife park's brochure.

This peregrine falcon was injured during migration and was taken in and treated by the zoo in the scenic area. It can no longer fly as fast as its companions.

Lightning's feathers suddenly trembled slightly.

"[Those are the newcomers?]" The peregrine falcon's voice softened noticeably. "[How long will they stay here?]"
“At least until winter,” Xu Ying said softly. “When they encounter difficulties, they will seek help from the 032 Rescue Station in the desert. The leader is particularly talkative, saying he really wants to meet the local animals…”

A flicker of longing flashed in Lightning's golden eyes. It looked down at its wounded wing—an old injury from a year ago that would forever prevent it from joining the migration of wild herds.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xu Ying took out another piece of dried meat: "Do me a favor, and I'll introduce you two, how about it?"

The peregrine falcon stared at the jerky for a long time, then suddenly swooped down and snatched it away: [Let me make this clear, I'm not after the food!]
It landed on Xu Ying's other shoulder, [just to see if those rookies were flying correctly].
Cai Feng peeked out from behind Xu Ying and mustered her courage to say, "[It...it clearly wants to make friends!]"
Lightning immediately bristled: [Shut up! Believe me or not—]
"OK OK."

Xu Ying quickly smoothed things over, gently stroking the peregrine falcon's back feathers, "From today onwards, you two are partners."

And so, a peculiar combination was born. Cai Feng was in charge of ground reconnaissance, and with Xu Ying's backing, it even dared to swagger in front of Shan Dian; Shan Dian, on the other hand, used its sharp eyes to monitor Zhang Chenyi's every move.

Whenever Cai Feng got carried away, Lightning could make it retreat back to Xu Ying's side with just a glance—but Xu Ying discovered that the peregrine falcon never really bullied the noisy parrot again.

Zhang Chenyi, who was filming on set, never dreamed that his every move was being watched by this pair of "arch-rivals".