Chapter 190: Targeted During a Night Run
Chapter 190: Chapter 190: Targeted During a Night Run
The middle-aged shop owner said she didn’t believe it, but she still secretly searched for "Renee Jennings" online.
The videos that popped up made her face grow paler and her heart pound tighter the more she watched.
Her palms were clammy. She quickly called her husband, her hushed voice trembling with agitation. "Something terrible has happened! Our stingray wants to commit suicide! It’s depressed!"
Her husband was silent for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. "Are you pulling my leg again? How could a fish commit suicide?"
"It’s true!" The shop owner quickly recounted what had just happened. "I looked her up online. She’s the real deal! What do we do? That fish is worth seven hundred thousand! We absolutely can’t let it die!"
Her husband seemed to finally take her seriously, his tone growing solemn. "Then you’d better go get her back here! Ask her for help, to convince the stingray not to kill itself!"
"Okay!" The shop owner hung up, told her employee to watch the store, and sprinted off in the direction Renee had gone.
Unfortunately, Renee’s family had already driven away from the furniture store to get dinner.
They were dining at a hot pot restaurant by the river.
After finishing their meal, Rhea Dempsey suggested they take a look at the nearby scenery.
The family of six strolled leisurely as the river breeze brushed against their faces, bringing a pleasant coolness.
It was eight o’clock at night, the liveliest time by the river. Many young people were playing guitars and singing, and numerous vendors were selling lemonade, starch sausages, takoyaki, and cotton candy...
Even though she had just eaten hot pot, Renee’s appetite was whetted. She led her nephew and niece to buy some snacks.
Diana Jennings was afraid Renee couldn’t handle the two children alone, so she told her parents and followed them.
Dalton Jenson watched the younger ones walk away, then reached out to take Rhea’s hand. He grinned and said, "Honey, now it’s our ’us’ time."
"Get away, get away." Rhea shot him a disdainful look. "Why are you grinning like a creep?"
Dalton Jenson: "..."
Renee didn’t expect to run into an acquaintance while buying snacks. Oh, wait—an acquainted bird.
Someone nearby was releasing pigeons at night, scattering grain all over the ground. A few birds were mixed in, eating, and among them was Coco the Sparrow.
’What a little glutton.’
"Coco?" Renee called out from a distance, not knowing if the sparrow heard her.
She called a few more times. Just as she was about to give up, Coco, who had been pecking at the ground, finally stopped and looked up at her.
Coco’s little eyes lit up, and she chirped excitedly, "Renee!"
Normally, Coco would have flown straight to her, but today was different.
She didn’t fly to Renee. Instead, she said, "Renee, wait for this sparrow!"
Renee blinked, thinking, ’She must be really hungry.’
After buying the takoyaki, she glanced down and noticed Zane and Jasmine staring curiously at the flock of white pigeons on the ground.
"Want to go feed them?" she asked with a smile.
But Zane and Jasmine shook their little heads in unison. "No thanks, Auntie. We can just feed the little sparrow at home!"
Renee knew they were worried about the cost, so she walked straight to the pigeon owner, bought two bags of feed, and came back. "You probably haven’t seen white pigeons up close. Come on, let’s go take a look."
Zane and Jasmine turned to look at Diana Jennings, seeking her permission.
Diana’s heart ached a little. She said softly, "It’s okay. Go feed the pigeons with your aunt."
In the past, she had raised the two children by herself on a low income. Zane and Jasmine knew she tried to save money, so they never asked her for anything.
You often see children throwing tantrums on the supermarket floor over a toy, but Zane and Jasmine were the opposite. Whenever Diana wanted to buy them something, they would always refuse, saying they didn’t like it.
But she had clearly seen them secretly glancing at those things for a long time.
Diana watched her children’s backs, her eyes quietly turning red.
’It’s all my fault for not being capable enough,’ she thought, ’making them suffer so much with me.’
Zane and Jasmine fed the white pigeons, their innocent little faces beaming with excitement and joy.
Watching this scene, Renee’s lips, a little greasy from the takoyaki sauce, curved into a wide smile, her eyes brimming with affectionate laughter.
"Renee!" Coco the Sparrow finally came to find her, chirping excitedly. "This sparrow just heard a piece of gossip over there. Wanna hear it?"
Renee raised an eyebrow slightly, asking as she ate a piece of takoyaki, "Coco, what gossip have you got?"
Coco the Sparrow flapped her wings, landed on Renee’s shoulder, and whispered mysteriously in her ear, "This sparrow heard that a female human who jogs here at night has been targeted by some male humans. Those males are planning to ’do her’ tonight!"
After saying this, she tilted her head and asked curiously, "Renee, what does ’do her’ mean?"
Renee’s expression gradually grew grave. She stood up and said to Diana, "Sis, something’s come up. Keep an eye on Zane and Jasmine."
"Okay, go ahead." Seeing her expression, Diana nodded firmly. "I’ve got things here."
Renee took Coco the Sparrow and left the crowded, lively area.
She found a deserted corner and asked anxiously, "Is this information reliable?"
"Reliable!" Coco was very serious. "This sparrow even heard them say they’re coming here tonight to wait and see what ’doing her’ is!"
Renee furrowed her brows, her tone stern. "Coco, can you bring the birds who know about this over here?"
"Renee, is ’doing her’ a bad thing?" Coco asked, confused.
Renee nodded. "It’s illegal. You get locked up in a dark room for it."
"This sparrow gets it! Then Renee, you wait a minute!" With that, Coco flapped her wings and flew off.
A moment later, Coco the Sparrow returned, leading a few other small birds to Renee.
"Renee, I heard it from them just now."
Renee scanned the group. The small birds were two magpies and a robin.
"Hello, I’m Renee Jennings." After greeting them, she asked softly, "Were you the ones who heard those male humans here last night, planning to wait for the female jogger tonight?"
"Yes," said the robin. "Some males were by the river at night drinking that liquid from iron cans. Then they saw the female running and started talking about her. And it wasn’t just for one night."
Renee’s eyes flickered, and she frowned. "Are you saying they’ve been watching that female for several nights?"
The robin nodded. "That’s right, that’s right!"
Renee: "Did you hear what those males said?"
The robin was still trying to remember when the larger magpie jumped in to answer, "This magpie heard! They said the female’s legs are so long, and wondered if they were just as white and long without pants!"
"Right, right!" the smaller magpie chimed in. "They also said the ’landmines’ on the female’s body are huge, and they jiggle when she runs. So easy on the eyes."
The robin remembered now too. It quickly added, "Those males said they couldn’t imagine how happy they’d be to sleep with such a ’goddess-tier’ specimen, and then they started saying a lot of things this robin couldn’t understand."
Renee’s expression was cold, her eyes sharp. "How many of them are there?"
The large magpie: "Three!"