Chapter 15
The rose sake carried a rich floral fragrance with a refreshing, sweet and sour taste, completely masking any trace of alcohol. Yan Yan smacked his beak a few times as he looked at everyone… Delicious!
He sneaked a glance at Si Jingce and, while the others were distracted, dunked his head straight back into the glass! Glug glug glug, he took several big gulps.
Si Jingce scrambled to pull the little pearl bird out of the sake, but Yan Yan swiftly climbed up his arm and darted inside his shirt, clinging tightly to his collarbone.
Si Jingce: “…Yan Yan.”
He pressed on the small lump moving under his clothes, and the bird chirped softly like a sound button.
{Not coming out!}
“I won’t scold you.” Si Jingce softened his voice. “Just come out and drink some water.”
The bird cautiously poked his head out of the collar.
Really?
But the moment his head emerged, he was caught and placed on the table by Si Jingce.
Yun Duan quickly asked a waiter for a glass of water and placed it in front of Yan Yan with a clunk.
“Drink some.” Si Jingce pointed at the glass.
Yan Yan tried to turn and run again, but Si Jingce pinned him in place with one hand.
Patiently, he repeated, “Drink the water first.”
Pearl birds are small. Yan Yan had already eaten quite a bit earlier and now gulped down a significant amount of rose sake—he was clearly overstuffed.
He dipped his beak into the water and, upon looking up, saw everyone watching him with concern.
BoboMei said, “Maybe we should take him to the vet? Sake has a high alcohol content. Yan Yan drank a lot really fast. He might seem fine now, but the alcohol could kick in soon.”
Yan Yan staggered back a few steps, frightened.
No, not the vet!
But before he could protest further, Si Jingce had already stuffed him back into the bird carrier.
“I checked—closest animal hospital is about thirty minutes from here.”
Yun Duan helped gather their things and booked a car.
As he put his phone away, he leaned toward Si Jingce’s bird carrier and peeked inside. “You’re pretty clever, huh? Gotta get your owner to lock you up next time.”
Yan Yan looked up at Si Jingce in outrage. “Chirp chirp chirp chirp!”
Did you hear that?!
Expressionless, Si Jingce replied, “Mischievous little ones need to be locked up.”
Yan Yan: …QAQ
Just as BoboMei predicted, the alcohol hit Yan Yan fast.
When they first got into the car, the bird was still bouncing around inside the carrier. Not long after, he curled up into a ball and started swaying in the corner.
Upon arrival at the animal hospital, Si Jingce pulled him out—Yan Yan was already limp like a squashed pancake.
“Yan Yan?” Si Jingce shook the little bird and lifted one of his wings before letting go.
Yan Yan couldn’t support it at all. He tilted his head and looked at Si Jingce with a silly grin.
{So many Si Jingces…}
Crap. He was seeing double.
The animal hospital was fairly crowded despite it being late. A nurse quickly admitted them and brought them to a consultation room.
After explaining the situation, Si Jingce noticed a judgmental look in the vet’s eyes.
“In the future, it’s best to keep the bird in his cage during meals.” The vet scribbled a prescription without looking up. “He’s so tiny, he doesn’t know any better. It’s the owner’s job to be more careful… Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious.”
After examining Yan Yan, the vet added, “The needle’s bigger than the bird… Good thing you brought him in quickly. Let him drink some glucose water to flush out the alcohol.”
Si Jingce’s furrowed brow eased a little.
As long as it wasn’t serious.
Since it was getting late, Yun Duan had BoboMei return to the hotel while he stayed with Si Jingce to watch over Yan Yan.
“I told you, bro,” he said, still shaken. “That bird’s way too clever. You really need to keep a closer eye on him.”
Lying on the table, Yan Yan whimpered weakly after sipping some water: “Chirp-ji…”
Ugh… I feel awful…
Si Jingce stayed silent, gently smoothing the bird’s feathers while Yan Yan’s pained voice kept echoing in his mind.
His face darkened.
Today was completely his fault.
When Si Jingce didn’t reply, Yun Duan suddenly felt a chill. He shivered. “Don’t get too upset… The vet said everything’ll be fine once he drinks the medicine.”
But Yan Yan was too full. Even the medicine went down slowly.
Si Jingce patiently spoon-fed him bit by bit.
Midway, Yun Duan stepped outside to take a call. When he returned, his face was grim.
“Bro,” he said, “did you check your phone?”
Si Jingce unlocked it and was bombarded with messages.
Surprisingly, there was a long apology message from Luo Huoxi.
[Luo Huoxi]: Bro, I’m really sorry. I was talking out of my ass a few days ago. I’ve realized I messed up. Since we’re both streamers on the same platform, it’s bad for everyone if this gets ugly. Next time you go live, let me know—I’ll send you a few deepwater torpedoes and apologize publicly.
Si Jingce looked at Yun Duan, who quickly explained, “A month’s not that long. By the time he’s back, it’ll almost be time for the Star of the Year contest.”
“This incident really damaged his rep. He’s panicking, so he’s trying to apologize publicly and regain favor with the audience.”
But Si Jingce hadn’t responded to the message. So Luo Huoxi, impatient, found Yun Duan and asked him to help mediate.
Yun Duan, being well-connected and something of a social butterfly at Gem TV, had already gotten wind of the situation.
“Luo Huoxi’s PR team has already set things up. The moment your stream ends, they’ll spin it as you being the bigger person and push it to trending.”
“I get it.”
Si Jingce tapped a few times on the screen, then blocked Luo Huoxi.
Yun Duan: …
My bro’s savage.
“But even if you block him, he can still donate during your stream,” Yun Duan said. “No matter how you respond, it only benefits him.”
Si Jingce glanced at him.
Yun Duan read the look instantly: “As if he could.”
…
By the time Yan Yan finished the glucose solution, it was already 3 a.m.
The bird was still too weak to move, lying quietly in Si Jingce’s palm.
Si Jingce gently touched his tail feathers. “How are you feeling now?”
Yan Yan didn’t even open his eyes.
{Hot…}
He was burning up.
The rose sake had tasted like juice—sweet and tart. It had gone down easily, but gradually, his strength vanished.
His whole body burned. His head buzzed. A strange heat churned in his belly.
After drinking the awful medicine, it felt slightly better and his mind cleared a bit.
But he was still uncomfortable. Still burning.
Yan Yan whimpered pitifully in Si Jingce’s palm.
I’ll never drink anything I’m not supposed to again QAQ
Si Jingce asked the vet to examine Yan Yan again. “Does his body feel too warm?”
The thermometer read normal.
“Technically, the alcohol should’ve worn off by now,” the vet said, frowning. “But he doesn’t seem drunk.”
Si Jingce quickly asked, “Is something seriously wrong?”
The vet shook his head. “No, it’s probably nothing major. Take him home and observe for a day. If he’s still lethargic by tomorrow, bring him back for another check-up.”
He added reassuringly, “You don’t need to worry. He’ll be fine. Let him rest at home.”
Hearing that, Si Jingce carefully packed Yan Yan into the bird bag. He said goodbye to Yun Duan at the hospital entrance and brought the bird home.
Yan Yan used the last of his strength to crawl into his nest and fell straight asleep, impossible to wake.
Si Jingce sat in silence for a moment, then reached out a hand.
Warm, still breathing.
Alive.
A weight lifted slightly from his chest. He showered, returned, and checked on Yan Yan again.
As soon as he reached out, the bird instinctively leaned in and nuzzled his fingertip with a warm cheek.
A little tingly.
He really seemed okay now.
Si Jingce absentmindedly rubbed his fingers together, the warmth from Yan Yan still lingering.
Maybe it was the release of all the tension from the night, but after confirming several times that the bird was alright, Si Jingce finally drifted into deep sleep.
Meanwhile, the little bird was awakened by the sudden storm outside.
The temperature dropped sharply, and the howling wind rattled everything.
Heavy rain slammed against the windows, dull and oppressive like someone knocking from outside.
Yan Yan tossed and turned.
Still hot. Burning up.
The fire inside grew stronger. A faint buzzing filled his ears, making sleep impossible.
He desperately wanted ice.
Drowsy and flushed, Yan Yan laid his head on the nest’s edge, trying to cool down.
It wasn’t enough.
He wobbled out of the nest and tripped, rolling beside Si Jingce.
The man’s body was exceptionally cool.
Like a traveler in the desert stumbling upon an oasis at the last second.
Yan Yan, weak and trembling, crawled onto him.
But the chill didn’t bring comfort. Something in him still felt unbearably empty, and the heat scorched his mind until reason nearly melted away.
Ugh… so uncomfortable.
“Chirp chirp-ji…”
Tears welled up in his eyes as he whimpered softly for Si Jingce.
So uncomfortable.
Really wanted to be held.
But Si Jingce was asleep.
A sick bird’s cries were too quiet to wake him.
Frustrated, Yan Yan clutched at his shirt buttons with his claws, occasionally biting at them.
It was unbearable.
Utterly unbearable!
The pain gnawed like ants under his skin. Yan Yan, half-conscious, felt his bones stretching unnaturally, breaking through flesh.
An unfamiliar force surged inside him. He panted heavily and wriggled on Si Jingce’s body. Suddenly—something felt off.
He was getting bigger.
Panicking, Yan Yan pushed himself up…
With a hand?!
He stared at his wings—no, hands—in stunned silence.
Human hands. Slender and pale. Joints tinged pink from tension. The fingers clumsily opened and closed, grasping the blanket.
Yan Yan was silent.
He slowly turned toward the window.
A shadowy reflection appeared on the glass.
A pale, naked boy straddled a sleeping man’s waist, eyes wide and dazed.
Yan Yan: ?
In the blink of an eye.
A flash of white light—and the puffed-up blanket collapsed.
Moments later, a small bird’s head poked out from beneath the covers.
The room was still, with only the sound of rain outside. Everything that just happened seemed like a hallucination.
The pearl bird looked down.
Wings.
Where are my hands?
Yan Yan was frozen.
Yan Yan was shocked.
Yan Yan was utterly confused.
Wait a second—did I just… transform into a human?!
