Chapter 1
“Because of a job transfer, I can’t keep him anymore.”
“His name is Yan Yan. He’s a fawn-colored penguin pearl bird, very obedient and well-behaved.”
This was the first thing Yan Yan heard today.
A tiny pearl bird lay quietly atop a pile of shredded cotton paper. Since the cage was covered in black cloth, he couldn’t see what was happening outside. All he could do was tilt his head slightly and listen to the conversation between the two humans.
“There used to be other birds too… but they’ve all been given away. This is the last one.”
“I’m giving you a bird for free. You’re absolutely getting a good deal…”
—No matter how earnestly he spoke, the other person remained unmoved.
Even Yan Yan, curled up in his cramped little cage, couldn’t help but silently curse.
Liar.
Big liar, big liar, big liar!
Before coming here, he had a lot of brothers and sisters he grew up with.
The lucky ones were adopted. The unlucky ones were heartlessly abandoned on the roadside.
Because he was a rare fawn penguin variant, he was the last to go.
Before this, his owner had tried to find buyers—every single one had been scared off by his sky-high asking price.
In the end, he found the current sucker.
After he talked until his mouth ran dry, Yan Yan finally heard the sucker say:
“Not taking him.”
Not taking him—absolutely the right decision.
Yan Yan blinked slowly, lowered his head to look at his crude little nest, doing his best not to cry.
These days, everyone wanted hand-raised birds—meaning birds that had been socialized by humans since birth, eventually becoming interactive and clingy companions.
Cage-raised birds like him, who weren’t close to humans, only had two possible fates.
The first: become breeders, producing the next generation so humans could start fresh raising their dream hand-trained birds.
The second…
They’d be thrown away.
Yan Yan froze.
He was a domesticated pearl bird, with zero survival skills in the wild. Outside the window, a red kestrel was always eyeing him and his siblings, drooling at the sight.
If he was just tossed out like this…
He’d either end up in the beak of a hawk or the mouth of a cat!!!
That’s exactly how a lot of his companions died.
Seeing it with his own eyes had made Yan Yan realize—his dumb former owner wasn’t just saying it to scare him. He really planned to throw him out.
No. He couldn’t just sit and wait to die!
Yan Yan thought for a moment, then summoned all his courage and let out a flurry of chirps.
Outside, the two humans were immediately drawn to the delicate and high-pitched chirping.
The little cage, shrouded in black fabric, emitted an especially crisp and melodious sound—like a tiny trumpet going off nonstop.
But after a while… it was just a tiny bit annoying…
Yan Yan’s owner awkwardly said, “This little bird has really good features… why don’t you at least take a look before deciding?”
He yanked off the black cloth. Suddenly exposed to the light, Yan Yan shrank into his pile of shredded paper.
It took him a long time before he dared poke out his little head to peek at the two humans.
He was already sick of looking at his former owner. What really caught Yan Yan’s attention was the other guy standing next to him.
He was wearing a black short-sleeved hoodie. Maybe because he didn’t like going out, his skin was pale. Single eyelids, expression cool and distant, like he hadn’t slept yet.
Yan Yan looked up at him, completely entranced.
Si Jingce was also looking at the little bird.
He had finished streaming at 3 a.m., started editing his video, gone to bed at 5, and then at 7 a.m., this not-very-close friend came knocking to ask him—out of the blue—to adopt a bird.
His sleep had been interrupted, and he was in a pretty bad mood.
But when the black cloth was pulled off, all Si Jingce saw was an empty cage.
The food bowl sat to the side, completely empty, clearly unused for a while.
A pile of shredded paper sat in one corner. Si Jingce squinted at it for a while before spotting the fuzzy little bird head.
So small. Like a mochi ball.
The tiny pearl bird had vibrant feathers. Under its eyes, there were yellow markings like cute little blush spots, and pearl-like white speckles dotted both wings.
…He’d never seen a pearl bird before. The only impression he had of them was from an essay he read in elementary school.
What luck—A friend gave me a pair of pearl birds.
Si Jingce looked again…
So fat. Its whole body looked like a fluffy ball.
Just then, his friend—the former owner of Yan Yan—grinned and tried to win him over: “What do you think? Cute, right?”
Hearing that, the little bird stared at him with wide eyes too.
Si Jingce: “Not cute.”
The pearl bird visibly drooped.
“I know you originally wanted to get a cat, but raising birds is great too. If you train them well, they can be just as affectionate as cats.”
Si Jingce rubbed his brow, a little annoyed, “I already made arrangements with the cattery. Paid the deposit. The kitten’s arriving soon.”
His friend awkwardly said, “…That’s fine, right? You can raise both cats and birds. Just keep the cage shut tight.”
Yan Yan: …
Birdie really doesn’t want to become a kitty’s toy QAQ
“I want a companion, not part of a food chain,” Si Jingce said bluntly. “Don’t you know cats and birds aren’t meant to be raised together?”
“How is that a food chain? I have lots of friends who keep both cats and birds. As long as the cage stays closed, nothing happens.” His friend dismissed the concern and reached to open the cage.
“Yan Yan is very obedient. Even with the door open, he won’t run.”
Si Jingce immediately reached out and stopped him.
Yan Yan watched Si Jingce get up, carefully shut all the doors and windows in the house, then gestured for him to open the cage door.
The exit was right in front of him. Yan Yan looked at the little opening and broke out in goosebumps.
It felt like any second now, a huge hand would reach in and pluck out one of his brothers or sisters.
His feathers trembled slightly. Now that the other pearl birds were all gone, he was the only one left.
He lifted his little leg and hopped quietly into the corner.
The friend laughed, “See? He really won’t come out.”
Then he grabbed the cage and gave it a good shake.
The dizziness hit hard. Already weak from missing several meals, Yan Yan couldn’t grip the bars and was flung around like a pinball!
His cries were especially heartbreaking.
Si Jingce pressed down on the cage, stopping the shaking: “Don’t do that.”
The shaking stopped. The little bird, now dizzy, flopped face-first into the shredded paper.
Si Jingce frowned hard.
Whether it was the interrupted sleep or how the bird was being treated, his patience was wearing dangerously thin.
“A bird can meet all your pet needs,” the fake friend kept pitching, unaware of Si Jingce’s worsening mood. “If you won’t take him, I’ll just have to leave him on the street and hope someone picks him up.”
A flash of disgust and disapproval passed through Si Jingce’s eyes.
That was no different from abandonment.
To Yan Yan, it was like a bolt from the blue. He scrambled up in panic, a bit of paper still stuck to his head, the whole bird looking blank and dazed.
If he didn’t do something now, he really was going to be abandoned!
Humans liked clingy, interactive e-birds, right? (e-bird = noisy, chatty, like an “electronic” companion – often affectionately annoying)
This little i-bird closed his eyes, steeled his resolve, and hopped bravely forward. (i-bird = self-aware, emotionally intelligent bird that acts cute and proactive—like a pet version of an “iPhone”)
“Huh?” the owner exclaimed in surprise, “He actually came out!”
The little bird emerged from the paper pile—he was even tinier than Si Jingce imagined. Two slender legs supported a chubby, round body as he ran to Si Jingce’s hand.
Yan Yan looked up at him, then, without hesitation, rubbed his head against the man’s fingertip.
Soft, warm, an unbelievable sensation blossomed at his fingertip.
And then—accompanied by a flurry of chirps—a clear, syrupy voice exploded in his ear—
[Waaahhh kind sir please take in this homeless little bird! If this keeps up I’m really going to starve to death on the street waaahhhh!!]
Two voices overlapped, nearly blowing out Si Jingce’s eardrum.
He jerked his hand back in shock, and without the support, the pearl bird tumbled like a ball onto the table.
The little bird chirped nonstop. Afraid he’d fall off the edge, Si Jingce reached out and scooped him up.
The moment he touched the bird, that unfamiliar voice sounded again.
[Please keep me! I’ll be really good, super obedient, always there when you call. Just don’t throw me out or send me back to that idiot owner’s house waaaahhh!]
The friend standing nearby didn’t react at all—it was clear only Si Jingce could hear the voice.
This confirmed it—Si Jingce was sure now… the voice in his head was coming from this tiny pearl bird in his hand.
His pupils dilated in shock.
Did I game so hard… I hallucinated?
“He really seems to like you,” the friend seized the opportunity to push again, “Yeah, he’s a bit noisy, but you two are fated!”
Once he withdrew his hand, Si Jingce’s mind went quiet again.
The little guy on the table was still chirping non-stop, probably still pleading to be adopted.
That voice just now had definitely piqued Si Jingce’s curiosity.
But more importantly—
He couldn’t ignore a tiny life being abandoned.
Si Jingce tapped the table with his finger, thinking aloud, “What’s the market price for a fawn penguin pearl bird? Include bird food. I want everything totaled. Let’s be clear—I’m buying the bird from you. After today, don’t ever try to take him back.”
He didn’t like owing favors. He also wanted to make sure, once he adopted this bird, he wouldn’t be tied to that dumbass ex-owner again.
Yan Yan’s chirps cut off abruptly.
This human… was willing to adopt him?
He had a new owner!
Just as joy was about to burst from him, he heard Si Jingce say, “But this is only temporary. I’ll look for someone more suitable to take him eventually.”
Yan Yan: …
Too happy too soon. He was going to be rehomed again.
Birdie turned into a stone statue.
Afraid Si Jingce would change his mind, the friend hurried to finish the deal. One hand passed the bird, the other received the payment.
“Usually you don’t need to worry about him. Just refill the food bowl.” With the money in hand, the friend offered a rare sincere smile, “I’ll leave Yan Yan to you.”
After the transaction was done, Si Jingce saw the friend out and promptly deleted him from his contacts.
If your values are that different, even friendship spikes your blood pressure.
What really mattered now… was that voice he just heard.
Si Jingce silently extended a finger and cautiously poked Yan Yan.
The little bird hadn’t recovered yet and just stood there dazed.
Was I hallucinating?
He mentally added “psychiatric appointment” to his to-do list. Not wanting to push too far, he called out, “Yan Yan?”
Hearing his name, Yan Yan instantly snapped to attention, puffed up his chest, and chirped loudly: “Chirp!”
Yan Yan reporting in!
Whatever happened next, the most important thing now was to win over his new owner.
“No flying around here. No running off. Don’t sneak outside when I’m not looking.” Si Jingce tried to lay down the rules. “Every day, I’ll let you out of the cage for a while, but don’t make a mess in the house.”
“Also, you’re only allowed in the living room. You can’t go anywhere else.”
Only after finishing did Si Jingce realize how absurd he sounded.
He was laying down ground rules… with a bird.
Yan Yan: “Chirp chirp chirp chirp!”
Got it!
Being allowed to stay was already a blessing—he would be obedient for sure.
Then, human and bird both fell silent.
Yan Yan’s claws clutched the table tightly… Uh-oh. This was kind of awkward.
His previous owner did have hand-raised birds.
Those birds would snuggle in their owner’s palm, chirping sweetly, and happily accept relaxing massages.
But Si Jingce didn’t touch him, so he couldn’t initiate that familiar combo.
Could it be… the new owner was socially anxious too?
Looks like breaking the ice would have to start from the bird’s side.
Si Jingce understood that cage-raised birds couldn’t be forced into interaction, so he didn’t say anything—letting the little guy get used to his new environment.
Unexpectedly, the tiny fluffball started inching closer and closer to him.
Then… the clumsy pearl bird didn’t notice a pen cap on the table and tripped, tumbling right onto Si Jingce’s leg.
Landing in a rather awkward spot.
Si Jingce: …
He looked down and locked eyes with the little bird, who instinctively curled his sharp claws and clung to whatever he could grab to steady himself.
😕
When the pearl bird realized exactly where he’d landed, Si Jingce watched the entire bird freeze in place.
The little bird… was standing on the big bird. (TN: IYKYN XP)
