She wasn’t in the mood to end the call herself.

Renee Jennings gathered her thoughts and looked at the live comments again. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

She spotted a few aggressive messages.

[Is having a kid that hard? My mom and my grandma had a bunch of kids and never complained. Now women have one or two and act all dramatic. What’s with the fuss?]

[Right? They make it sound like staying home with the kids is so miserable. Is it really? The men who are out there earning money are the ones who have it tough.]

Renee Jennings’s face went cold. "Only incompetent men think earning money is harder than their wives taking care of the children at home," she said sarcastically.

[Hey streamer, what’s with your tone?]

[Oh, so you’re playing the feminist card to get female followers, huh?]

[Damn, so she’s just another one of those man-haters. Unfollowing!]

"Go on, unfollow," Renee Jennings said slowly. "Saves me the trouble of kicking you out one by one."

[You... I’ll give you that!]

[I’m a guy, but I think the streamer is totally right. Women can’t go out and work because they have to take care of the kids. They sacrifice more. A lot of guys make light of it. Let’s see them try quitting their jobs to be stay-at-home dads.]

[It’s rare to see a reasonable guy. Liked.]

After a while, the live chat moved on from the topic. Only then did Renee Jennings say, "Alright, let’s connect with our fourth pet-owning friend."

This time, she connected with a user named "Fortune Blossom."

True to her username, Fortune Blossom was a middle-aged woman with a short perm, expertly drawn eyebrows, and painted lips. She had a gentle and refined air about her.

[What an elegant lady!]

[Getting major rich lady vibes.]

Renee Jennings looked at her and said gently, "Hello, Fortune Blossom."

"Hello, streamer," Fortune Blossom said with a bright smile. "What you just said was so true. The more capable a man is, the more humble he is. He can handle things on his own out in the world, and at home, he’s the pillar of the family."

"Indeed." Renee Jennings nodded lightly and asked with a smile, "What kind of pet do you have, ma’am?"

"My pet might be a little different from the others." Fortune Blossom smiled faintly, stood up, and walked into another room. "Streamer, I have a monk parakeet."

After speaking, she flipped her camera to show a monk parakeet perched on a branch. "This is Joy."

It was a little, lemon-yellow bird, and quite a looker.

Of course, it also had a high price tag.

[Rich lady!]

[Is that the parrot’s own room? SOB, I’m worse off than a bird... I still have to share a room with my little sister!]

[Can the streamer handle a parrot?]

This viewer voiced the same concern Fortune Blossom had. "Streamer, can you communicate with a parrot?"

Renee Jennings replied calmly, "Yes."

Fortune Blossom moved closer, and the parakeet with its lemon-yellow feathers filled the screen.

"I won’t do it again!" the parakeet, Joy, suddenly cried out. "I promise I won’t do it again!"

[Huh? Was that the parrot talking?]

[Won’t do what again?]

Fortune Blossom’s gentle voice slowly explained, "Here’s what happened. A while ago, my husband and I went on a trip and gave our housekeeper time off. We left Joy with my daughter for half a month. After we brought him back, he just keeps saying those things."

She flipped the camera back to her own face and said with a serious expression, "Streamer, could I ask you to find out from Joy why he keeps saying that?"

Joy was a talking parrot; he must have learned those phrases at her daughter’s house.

’So who was it that promised they wouldn’t ’do it again’?’

Fortune Blossom had asked her daughter, who said Joy learned it from the TV.

But she always had an uneasy feeling. A few days ago, a friend told her about a streamer online who could communicate with animals and suggested she consult her.

Fortune Blossom had sent Renee Jennings a private message, but it remained unread.

She never expected to connect with her directly today.

This was truly a blessing.

"I can," Renee Jennings said. "Put Joy on camera."

Fortune Blossom quickly aimed her phone’s screen at Joy. "Be a good boy, let the pretty lady talk to you."

"Hello, Joy," Renee Jennings said gently. "I’m Renee Jennings. Your owner asked me to ask you something."

The parakeet, Joy, stared at Renee Jennings on the phone screen, blinking his little bean-like eyes. He then squawked in a loud voice, "You’re so pretty!"

[HAHAHA, is that what a parrot’s voice sounds like?]

[That scared the crap out of me!]

Renee Jennings smiled. "Thank you for the compliment. You’re very handsome too. Can you tell me why you keep saying things like ’I won’t do it again’?"

"That’s not what Joy said," the parakeet squawked loudly. "That’s what Lily said! Joy is copying Lily!"

"Lily?" A look of confusion appeared in Renee Jennings’s eyes. "Ma’am, who is Lily?"

Half of Fortune Blossom’s face appeared on screen as she explained, "Streamer, Lily is my daughter. Is something wrong?"

Hearing this, Renee Jennings’s slender eyebrows slowly furrowed. An inexplicable sense of foreboding rose in her heart.

"Joy said he’s copying what Lily says."

"Copying Lily?" Fortune Blossom frowned, her heart sinking. "Why would Lily say something like that?"

[I’m suddenly getting the creeps.]

[There’s definitely something fishy going on...]

"I’ll ask." Renee Jennings’s tone grew heavier. "Joy, why did Lily say those things?"

The parakeet, Joy, replied, "That’s what Lily says when she’s being hit."

Renee Jennings frowned and asked, "Hit by whom?"

When Fortune Blossom heard this, her heart clenched. She asked urgently, "What do you mean? Who was being hit?"

The parakeet, Joy, said, "Lily gets hit by Lily’s husband. When Lily’s husband drinks, he likes to hit Lily. Every time, Lily says, ’I won’t do it again, I promise I won’t do it again.’"

Renee Jennings looked at the worry on Fortune Blossom’s face and pressed her lips together. "Ma’am, do you know if Lily’s husband has a tendency to be violent when he drinks?"

[Domestic abuse!!!]

[Domestic abuse is so scary...]

"I didn’t know." Fortune Blossom’s face was pale. "He hits Lily?"

Renee Jennings nodded. "Yes. Joy said he likes to hit Lily after he’s been drinking."

Fortune Blossom’s lips trembled. She clutched her chest and said with a sob, "Lily never told me any of this."

Renee Jennings sighed inwardly. ’She was probably afraid of worrying you.’

"That foolish child!" Fortune Blossom was heartbroken. "We’re her family! We’re her support, her rock! She has to let us know so we can protect her!"

[The lady’s reaction is so heartwarming. I remember my cousin’s husband was also abusive. She wanted a divorce, but her family was afraid it would be too humiliating and told her to just endure it...]

[I can’t even. Is that her family or her enemies???]

[Did your cousin get out?]

[She’s free now, I guess. My cousin committed suicide later on.]

[...That’s so sad.]

"Joy," Renee Jennings spoke again. "Why didn’t Lily tell her family about this?"

The parakeet, Joy, actually knew what had happened. "One time, Lily was about to call her mom, but her husband got on his knees and begged Lily, crying, asking her to give him one more chance."