He had never said he liked birds, so how did Ye Yun know?
"My intuition is usually quite accurate. I just felt that Mr. Lin has broad interests and is fond of things that fly."
"Seeing the black aura on your forehead now, you might face imprisonment. If possible, I suggest Mr. Lin carefully examine the birds you own. Of course, this is just a suggestion," Ye Yun said with a smile.
When in doubt, resort to quantum mechanics; when unable to explain, turn to fortune-telling.
Ye Yun had long considered that this fortune-telling rhetoric was indeed very effective, even though he was a firm atheist himself.
However, he was merely offering a reminder. As for whether Lin Shiyou would take it to heart, he didn't want to, nor would he.
In fact, Ye Yun's reminder was more because the guy was endearingly foolish.
After all, this rich man's foolish son was truly embodying the role.
Besides all sorts of pastimes, he also enjoyed supporting charity.
Whether it was for fame or simply to spend money for fun.
He had indeed done something substantial.
Moreover, Lin Shiyou himself wasn't short of money; the Lin family's cash flow was terrifyingly abundant.
In the future development of his own career, he might need the Lin family's help. Cultivating good karma wouldn't hurt.
"Mr. Ye, what did you see?" Lin Shiyou asked, startled, then said with gravity.
"Mr. Ye, are you serious?" Wang Hailin also asked earnestly.
"Very serious. Mr. Lin, you'd best believe me. Checking won't hurt anyway," Ye Yun said with a smile, then hailed a taxi. "Mr. Wang, Mr. Lin, thank you for the hospitality. I'll be going now."
"Oh, and Mr. Wang. This is a new drug I've just developed. Could you please give it to Old Master Wang for me? He'll know what it's for."
Ye Yun handed Wang Hailin a small bottle and, amidst their bewildered gazes, got into the taxi.
The pale green taxi soon disappeared from Lin Shiyou and Wang Hailin's sight.
"Shiyou..."
Wang Hailin put away the bottle, feeling parched.
"Uncle Wang, you want to tell me that I should believe Mr. Ye, right?"
Lin Shiyou tugged at his thick gold chain. Although it was nearly ten o'clock and the weather was quite cool, he still felt a bit hot.
"This person is a bit uncanny. I think you'd best listen to his advice and check on the birds," Wang Hailin mused. "You told me tonight that you just bought a batch of interesting birds, didn't you? Go check them."
"I bought that batch from a university student in the Northeast. That place is beautiful and pristine, what could possibly go wrong?" Lin Shiyou said instinctively.
"Do it for peace of mind. Ye Yun doesn't gain anything by bringing this up, yet he still did. You have many hobbies, so just do it for peace of mind. How about this, I know some friends at the Jinling Ornithological Research Institute. I'll have them take a look for you."
Without waiting for Lin Shiyou to refuse, Wang Hailin made a call.
Seeing this, Lin Shiyou could only sigh and drive away in his flashy Lamborghini.
...
The next morning, eight o'clock.
Several middle-aged men with glasses and scholarly demeanors arrived at the Jinling Bay villa complex.
"Hello, I am Zhao Haitang, an ornithologist. Mr. Wang introduced me to come and examine some birds," Zhao Haitang said to the housekeeper after ringing the doorbell in front of a villa.
Someone beside him muttered.
"Wang Hailin is really something. What's there to see? Bird trading is so strictly regulated by the country now. How could anyone dare to buy those 'prisoners of prison' birds?"
"Who cares? Anyway, he's Old Master Wang's son, so it's just a small favor, not much trouble." Zhao Haitang shrugged.
He agreed with his companion's sentiment, though.
Nowadays, those 'prisoners of prison' birds were no longer a question of daring to buy or not.
Even if you had the guts to buy them, you couldn't get them!
"Please come this way, gentlemen."
Informed by the housekeeper, Lin Shiyou personally came down to greet them and led the group to his courtyard.
"These are some of my treasured pets. Please help me inspect them. Thank you for your trouble."
As the saying goes, the rich man's foolish son has plenty of money.
While speaking, Lin Shiyou handed each of them a large red envelope, one thousand yuan each.
After receiving the red envelopes, the men's brows relaxed slightly, and they began their inspections.
"Mr. Lin is truly a bird lover. There are so many species here, and they're all so well cared for!"
"Amazon parrots, finches, red-whiskered bulbuls, purple martins, larks... Ah, what is this!!!"
"Quick, look! What is this!"
The group had been flattering Lin Shiyou, but one of them suddenly exclaimed, pointing a trembling finger at one of the birds.
Everyone else then shifted their gaze.
It was a bird resembling a swallow, deep blue-brown all over, with a white underside marked with dark stripes. Its leg feathers were light red, and when its wings were folded, the wingtips almost reached the end of its tail feathers.
What was even more peculiar was its eyes: irises dark brown, eye rings and cere yellow, beak blue-gray with a black tip, legs and toes yellow, claws black.
However, for some reason, this swallow-like bird appeared listless at the moment.
"I just bought this from a university student online. What's wrong with this bird?"
"Falco... A falcon! This is a falcon!"
The leader, Zhao Haitang, his face instantly changed. He took a step back and quickly returned the red envelope to Lin Shiyou, explaining.
"Mr. Lin, I cannot accept this red envelope. I have urgent matters to attend to. I must leave!"
Seeing this, the others suddenly came to their senses. They all took out their red envelopes, quickly returned them to Lin Shiyou, and then hurried away from the Lin family villa as if avoiding a plague.
"Uh..."
Even with his limited intelligence, Lin Shiyou knew this bird was a major problem!
He quickly found someone to inquire about what was so problematic about this bird called a falcon!
"Mr. Lin, the falcon is a second-class national protected bird! If traded illegally, one can be sentenced to more than ten years in prison!"
*Splat!*
Lin Shiyou felt as if struck by lightning and collapsed onto the ground!
What Ye Yun had said outside the Xiangcha Teahouse last night quickly echoed in his mind.
"Mr. Lin? Mr. Lin?"
Seeing Lin Shiyou not responding, the person opposite called out.
"I, I understand!" Lin Shiyou finally came to his senses and quickly dialed the police.
Twenty minutes later, a swarm of patrol cars arrived at the Lin family villa.
"This is indeed a second-class national protected animal. Because you were unaware of the situation and reported yourself promptly, the falcon has not suffered any harm. According to regulations, you will be fined one hundred thousand yuan. Do you have any objections?" the person in charge asked after the professionals had examined the bird.
"No! No!" Lin Shiyou shook his head like a rattle drum.
"You're quite lucky, kid. Jinling's climate isn't suitable for falcons to live in. If you had waited a few more days and the bird died, your crime would have been much more serious!" the person chuckled.
"I know, I know," Lin Shiyou nodded repeatedly.
At this moment, his back was already drenched in cold sweat.
My goodness!
Even with self-reporting, he was fined one hundred thousand yuan!
If he had let this bird die, and then added the crime of trading a second-class national protected animal.
What would have happened...
Lin Shiyou dared not even imagine!