Chapter 10
The air fell into a deathly silence.
Yan Yan’s gaze slowly shifted to Si Jingce’s face, then moved down to the hand he hadn’t had time to pull back.
The man followed his gaze and glanced down, pretending nothing had happened as he casually rested his hand on the table.
“I didn’t mean to,” Si Jingce paused. “Do you believe me?”
Yan Yan: …
Do you think I believe you?
There was a faint mark left on his tail feathers by the man’s touch. To show his apology, Si Jingce actually reached out again to smooth down the feathers…
Yan Yan was completely furious.
How could you touch me a second time!
The angry little bird pecked hard at the man’s hand, then quickly flew back to his coconut shell nest. With a sharp “pop,” he blocked the entrance with coconut fibers.
A few fluffy feathers dropped onto the table. Si Jingce froze for a moment before picking them up and carefully tucking them away.
By the time night fell, the coconut fibers blocking the nest entrance were still untouched.
Si Jingce crouched in front of the birdcage, trying to clear away the fibers, but he somehow felt a small force resisting him.
The little bird was tugging the fibers from inside, not allowing him to see.
Si Jingce had no choice but to let go. He knocked on the shell. “Yan Yan, are you coming to the bedroom to sleep tonight?”
Yan Yan didn’t want to respond.
Si Jingce: …
Great. Now he couldn’t even coax the bird.
After thinking it over, he gave up the idea of forcibly dragging Yan Yan out of the coconut shell. “Then I’ll go in first.”
He turned off the room light, leaving a small crack in the door for Yan Yan to come in.
After a long while, a bright red beak poked out from the coconut fibers, followed by the little bird’s entire head squeezing out.
Yan Yan made a small hole in the fibers and slowly flew into the room.
Si Jingce was a light sleeper and easily heard the sound of claws tapping on the floor.
Soon, he felt Yan Yan fly onto the bed and burrow into the covers.
Si Jingce held his breath and stayed still.
A fluffy little creature climbed inside his shirt and stepped on his abs.
Si Jingce stifled the ticklish sensation as the little thing continued upward, finally pressing down on his chest.
Then, Yan Yan stomped a few times on his chest with some force, found the most comfortable spot, and curled up to sleep. A barely audible sound full of anger came from the bird.
“Hmph, jerk.”
The man almost couldn’t hold back his laughter, completely melted by the little bird’s cuteness.
The next morning, after Yan Yan had run back to his nest, Si Jingce “woke up.”
He hadn’t slept at all the previous night, afraid of accidentally crushing Yan Yan. He’d kept his eyes open the whole time.
After washing up, he went to the birdcage. The coconut shell entrance was still blocked by the fibers.
“Yan Yan, do you want breakfast?” Si Jingce spoke to the coconut shell. “I poured your bird food into your bowl.”
The coconut shell was silent.
“I know I was wrong,” Si Jingce apologized sincerely. “I won’t flick your butt ever again.”
There was a moment of quiet, then angry tapping sounds came from the coconut shell.
Si Jingce panicked and tried to calm him down. “I won’t even mention flicking your butt anymore.”
The tapping became even more intense.
It took a long time to barely coax the bird into settling down, but Yan Yan still sealed himself in the coconut shell, ignoring him.
This bird would absolutely not forgive the jerk who flicked his butt!!
An apology meant nothing!
Si Jingce went back to bed for a nap, then quietly observed for a day. He noticed that Yan Yan would come out to eat and drink when he wasn’t around and felt slightly relieved.
Occasionally, he heard a few clear chirps, but most of the time, he just stared blankly at the birdcage.
It was as if he was raising an empty cage, not a pearl bird.
A bit of a headache.
Even the fans in the livestream room started to get frustrated.
After finishing a game, Si Jingce glanced at the live chat and saw it full of people asking about Yan Yan.
[Where’s Yan Yan? Why haven’t we seen him lately?]
[Let me see Yan Yan! I need to soak up his chaotic energy or even my good looks (forgot what else bla bla) will vanish!]
The requests in the chat were overwhelming. After a moment of hesitation, Si Jingce slowly said, “Ever since Yan Yan got scared by that horror game, I haven’t let him into the study.”
[If he can’t go into the study, take him outside to stream. Even gamers need bird cuddles after exhausting battles.]
Si Jingce: …
It’s been three days since he last touched the bird.
“There’s another reason I haven’t shown Yan Yan on stream.”
His explanation was feeble. He turned the camera to face the little bird amusing himself outside.
Ever since raising a bird, Si Jingce rarely closed the study door.
From his gaming chair, he could clearly see the birdcage and monitor everything Yan Yan did.
He’d placed a few vases of hydroponic roses outside, especially for the bird to play with.
The camel-colored little pearl bird lay between the red flowers. The stems seemed to struggle to hold his weight, swaying with his movements.
Yan Yan had found a natural cradle and was having a great time in the blossoms.
Suddenly, Si Jingce called out, “Yan Yan!”
The startled little bird snapped a rose stem with a loud crack. Petals floated to the ground.
Yan Yan looked like he’d seen a ghost and darted back into the coconut shell, leaving only a bit of tail feather sticking out.
Si Jingce expressionlessly turned the camera back. “That’s the situation.”
Fans were especially concerned.
[The bird’s not sick, is it?]
[Oh no, was he really that scared by the horror game? He was totally fine before.]
Si Jingce: “…It might have something to do with me flicking Yan Yan’s butt the other day.”
[!!!!! So cruel! Flick me instead!]
“If you want to flick something, adopt your own bird. Why are you all obsessed with mine?” Si Jingce shot back at the fans, then shamelessly asked, “Any ideas on how to get Yan Yan to forgive me?”
The chat burst with suggestions.
[Bro, this really feels like you’re trying to coax your angry partner… Maybe prepare something Yan Yan likes to eat?]
Si Jingce quietly made a note.
Guess I’ll make more chips.
[I’ve always wanted to say this—has everyone forgotten that pearl birds are highly social? lcberg only has one bird. Won’t Yan Yan get depressed?]
[Exactly! That’s why people always say, “My friend gifted me a pair of pearl birds.” Emphasis on pair!!]
Si Jingce frowned at the chat. “Do I really need to get another one?”
[Of course you do!!]
[Two male birds might fight. It’s best to get a female—maybe even find a partner for Yan Yan, hehe.]
Si Jingce saw that comment and immediately rejected the idea. “Yan Yan is still young. No arranged marriages.”
[He’s not that young—if converted to human years, he’s at least 18.]
[lcberg, you should take this seriously. My friend had a male bird with no companion, and it spent all day staring at its reflection in the window, thinking it was a friend. It eventually died of depression.]
The chat grew more intense, and even Si Jingce began to realize the gravity of the issue.
He suddenly looked up. The birdcage was empty. Yan Yan had turned away, quietly curled up inside the coconut shell, staring at him.
Si Jingce’s heart skipped a beat.
Yan Yan was a pearl bird. He loved playing with companions, not sitting alone in a daze.
He was silent for a long while.
“I’ll check out the bird market soon.”
After ending the stream, Si Jingce sat in front of the birdcage scrolling through his phone.
He searched multiple times online. All the advice pointed to getting another bird to accompany Yan Yan.
He sighed silently when his phone suddenly pinged with a new video forwarded from Yun Duan.
[Yun Duan]: Damn! Have you seen the public opinion about you online lately? Something feels off.
He summarized the situation: [A bunch of people are saying you’re keeping birds improperly. It’s even flooded my Weibo DMs, so I did some digging…]
[Guess what? It’s all being stirred up by Luo Huoxi. Seriously, what’s his problem, always looking for drama?!]
Si Jingce didn’t open the video immediately. He first browsed Weibo, and most of the posts were criticisms from Yan Yan’s perspective, accusing him of not giving the bird a companion.
[Si Jingce]: It’s fine. Honestly, they’re not wrong. Yan Yan is a very social bird; I should’ve gotten him a companion.
[Yun Duan]: That’s not the point! I get that logic, but I’m literally fuming. Look what that guy is saying!
Only then did Si Jingce open the video.
It was a clip from Luo Huoxi’s livestream.
The man in the video looked rather plain, slightly chubby, and grinned with a wide mouth. His teeth were yellow from years of smoking, which made him look even more unpleasant.
Si Jingce grimaced and held his phone a little farther away.
“The annual streamer awards are coming up. You want me to review other streamers?” Luo Huoxi read the comment in a self-important tone. “Fine, let me, your veteran, give some opinions.”
His words were sharp—more accurately, rude. He insulted every top streamer on Gem TV.
Even Yun Duan didn’t escape, getting a comment like—
“His girlfriend’s pretty. As for him… forgettable.”
Then a bird appeared on screen.
It was a jet-black myna.
“Brother Luo, you raise birds too?” Luo Huoxi read the chat while teasing the myna. “Raising birds isn’t a privilege, right? Of course I can too.”
He suddenly smirked. “Speaking of birds, I have to mention a certain streamer with an English name… Yeah, that one. I’m not saying his name—he’s got too many fangirls. He’s living the dream, huh?”
There was something vaguely nasty about his tone.
“I used to admire him. He had momentum. Too bad now he’s showing his face in streams, selling his looks.”
“Raising a bird? Anyone who knows a bit about it can see he doesn’t care at all.” Luo Huoxi made a mysterious face. “That kind of bird shouldn’t be raised alone. Wasn’t he planning to get a cat before too? Talked a good game. In a while, he’ll probably be raising cats and birds together.”
Yan Yan, still hiding in the coconut shell, had been eavesdropping the whole time.
When he heard that part, he couldn’t hold it in anymore and started angrily chirping for a long time.
What nonsense!!
How dare he slander people like that!
Si Jingce stared at the coconut shell, surprised.
He actually spoke.
Yun Duan couldn’t hold back anymore and sent a voice message, yelling, “Damn it! Fine if he insults me, but how dare he hit on my girlfriend too?! Hell no!”
Luo Huoxi had insulted tons of streamers, even some female ones, often with crude sexual innuendos.
Si Jingce checked the video’s post date—it was from yesterday. A whole day had passed, and no one on Weibo had said a word.
He had interacted with Luo Huoxi before but disliked his behavior and kept his distance. Both sides had remained neutral.
Now though—
It seemed the man felt his position was threatened and couldn’t sit still.
Si Jingce reminded the shouting Yun Duan, “Sometimes, you don’t have to hold back.”
“Hell, who dares go against him?” Yun Duan wiped his face. “His fans are vicious, like they crawled out of some toxic forum. He’s still the top dog on Gem TV—whoever defies him gets roasted.”
Si Jingce corrected while scrolling Luo Huoxi’s Weibo. “Wrong. Former top dog.”
Ah, there it was.
Yun Duan was about to say more when he saw a notification pop up.
Si Jingce had just posted a new Weibo.
His eyelid twitched, and he opened it silently.
The post was very short.
[lcberg: Mind your own business [image]]
The image was a side-by-side comparison of Luo Huoxi’s post from three months ago, showing off a new kitten, and yesterday’s livestream where he held the myna while accusing Si Jingce of planning to raise cats and birds together—extremely ironic.
Yun Duan: ???!!
Bro, seriously…
That single Weibo post exploded instantly.
Luo Huoxi had run wild on Gem TV for years. This was the first time someone dared to confront him!
Many streamers, upon hearing the news, dropped everything and clicked into Si Jingce’s Weibo.
Damn!
That felt good as hell!
And the man at the center of the storm casually turned off his phone and tapped gently on Yan Yan’s coconut shell nest again.
“Yan Yan.”
His voice was especially gentle. “Let’s go out for a bit. Will you talk to me now?”
