It’s So Noisy, A Friend Gave Me a Pearl Bird – CH40

Chapter 40

The cold wind carried fine snow as Si Jingce held Yanyan tightly in his arms. A few strands of the boy’s caramel-colored hair brushed restlessly against his cheek.

Si Jingce tilted his head slightly and saw a car approaching from the distance.

Once it stopped, he quickly pulled Yanyan into the car.

The warm air inside dispelled much of the cold. Si Jingce glanced at the driver in front and greeted him calmly, “Uncle Zhong.”

Uncle Zhong was his second uncle’s driver, sent to take them back to the hotel.

Through the rearview mirror, he looked at the two of them. “It’s so cold—young master, you could’ve waited until I called before coming out. What were you doing out in the corridor? Your faces are all red from the cold.”

The soft sensation of his boyfriend’s lips still lingered. Si Jingce closed his eyes briefly and answered silently in his heart.

Kissing in the corridor.

Hidden beneath their thick coats, their hands were tightly clasped together. Yanyan lowered his head, hiding his lips, now flushed red from being kissed.

Uncle Zhong, met with silence in the car: …

Back at the hotel, Si Jingce took off their scarves and hung them on the rack.

Just as he was about to turn on the lights, Yanyan instinctively grabbed his hand.

“Brother.” Yanyan looked at him, licking his lips slightly. “I haven’t had enough.”

He still wanted to kiss.

Si Jingce stared at him for a moment, and the next second, his lips pressed down again.

Yanyan was suddenly pulled into his arms, flustered as he pushed weakly against Si Jingce’s chest. His breath was completely stolen, his whole body trembling, soft and burning, helplessly clinging to him.

Their lips slowly parted. With a click, Si Jingce turned on the entryway light.

The dim, ambiguous glow made Yanyan close his eyes instinctively. Si Jingce’s hands were still on his waist, desire surging in his gaze.

Yanyan stared at him for a long time, then tiptoed up and kissed the corner of his lips, his cheek…

“Brother…” he panted softly, hooking his arm around Si Jingce’s neck, their foreheads touching. “Before, I said… if you touched my back, it would count as me being half your partner.”

“Maybe at the time we both thought it was just a joke. But recently, I thought about it seriously—back then, I meant it.”

Yanyan said earnestly, “I want to become your real partner. I want to be with you, want to kiss you… and also…”

“I want to mate with you.”

That last sentence was a direct provocation.

Si Jingce’s breathing stalled. His hand around Yanyan’s waist tightened unconsciously, his ears and neck flushing red.

Yanyan’s voice grew softer. “I can’t lay eggs… so whatever you want is fine.”

“I’m ready.”

Confusion and tangled thoughts surged in Si Jingce’s mind.

“You…” he looked at him. “Do you know how pearl finches mate?”

Yanyan opened his mouth, but before he could answer, Si Jingce continued, “When pearl finches mate, the male stands on the female’s back, bites her feathers, presses down his tail, and aligns with the female’s cloaca.”

“But humans are different.”

Si Jingce touched Yanyan’s lower abdomen, awkwardly saying, “I would… here.”

Warmth spread from where they touched. Yanyan stiffened, lowering his head, unable to say a word.

“Do you still think you’re ready?”

Seeing his reaction, Si Jingce patted his head and sighed softly.

“You don’t need to think about this yet. I’m not some lust-driven beast.”

“Let’s sleep first.”

They had only just gotten together—talking about this was too early.

In the end, Si Jingce was so stirred up that he didn’t sleep at all that night.

It wasn’t until dawn lightened the sky that exhaustion finally overcame him. Holding Yanyan, he fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke, it was already three in the afternoon.

Si Jingce opened his eyes in bed, picked up his phone, and saw a message from Xiao Li.

He had arrived in B City.

Today, they had something important to do.

Yanyan was groggily pulled out of bed. The moment his skin touched the cold air, he shivered and woke up fully.

After washing up, Yanyan stood in the living room, then turned into a small bird and flew onto Si Jingce’s head.

After their discussion yesterday, they decided to activate the “sparrow intelligence network”—it might help locate Doctor Chen faster.

Yanyan’s clothes were scattered all over the floor. As Si Jingce was about to pick them up, the doorbell rang urgently.

Opening the door, he saw Gui Yaying standing there, carrying large and small bags.

His hand still on the doorknob, Si Jingce was startled. “Mom, why did you suddenly come?”

Gui Yaying had been about to say she wanted to surprise him, but when she looked up, she saw the little bird perched on his head.

His hair was messy from the pearl finch, the chubby little bird peeking out, frozen in place as if it hadn’t expected her arrival.

Gui Yaying quickly stepped inside with her things and shut the door.

“What are you doing?” she scolded immediately. “Letting the bird out to play and still opening the door so casually—aren’t you afraid it’ll fly away?”

Si Jingce glanced at the time—it was almost time for his appointment with Xiao Li.

“It’s fine,” he said. “Yanyan is very well-behaved. He won’t run off.”

“Even if he’s well-behaved, you still need to be careful. Such a small bird, and it’s freezing outside—what if it gets lost?”

Gui Yaying looked around the room, her gaze landing on the scattered clothes on the floor.

She fell silent for a few seconds, then asked, “Where’s Yanyan? I’m here on a business trip, asked your second uncle where you were staying, and brought some things he likes to eat.”

Si Jingce felt the little pearl bird pacing back and forth on top of his head. “…Yanyan is still sleeping.”

Gui Yaying: …

For some reason, Si Jingce added, “He was tired last night.”

Gui Yaying lowered her voice slightly. “Oh.”

She was so embarrassed she could practically fly away!

She had deliberately come in the afternoon to avoid disturbing them, yet still…

Next time, she would never dare show up without calling first!

The little pearl bird on Si Jingce’s head suddenly chirped crisply, “Ji!”

That’s right—Yanyan the person is still asleep. The one in front of you is Yanyan the bird!

Gui Yaying resisted the urge to pet the fluffy little bird and asked again, “Then you’re now…?”

“Taking Yanyan out for a walk.”

Gui Yaying was just about to criticize him for tiring Yanyan out when she suddenly realized. “Walking the bird?”

Si Jingce: “Mm.”

Gui Yaying: …

It was all Si Jingce’s fault—why give the bird the same name as the person? She was getting confused.

Seeing how rushed he seemed, she didn’t stop him to chat.

She only watched as he hurriedly picked up the clothes on the floor and walked into the room.

Gui Yaying held back, but her gaze still followed his movements—

The curtains in the room were drawn, leaving it dim.

The bed showed signs of someone having slept in it, yet the blanket was now spread open.

Empty.

Gui Yaying froze for a moment.

Before she could look more closely, Si Jingce had already shut the door.

He put on his coat, placed the bird from his head into his palm, and wrapped a tiny scarf around it.

“Mom, I won’t entertain you today,” Si Jingce said at the doorway. “I’m heading out—going to get some sun.”

Before she could remind him to use a leash for the bird, he had already gone out and shut the door.

Bang.

The soft sound snapped Gui Yaying out of her thoughts.

She stood there quietly for a while, then carried the food to the fridge and filled it up.

Finally, she left a note reminding Yanyan there was food inside.

After finishing everything, she still didn’t leave. Sitting on the sofa, the more she thought about it, the more something felt off.

Her eyesight was better than Si Jingce’s—she had clearly seen that there was no one on the bed.

Could Yanyan be sleeping in the other room?

She got up and walked toward the other room, but before reaching the door, she dismissed the idea.

The door was open. Inside were their suitcases, and the bed showed no signs of being used.

Gui Yaying returned to the living room.

Based on her understanding of her son, if Yanyan were still sleeping, Si Jingce would never leave alone to “walk the bird,” nor would he rush off like that, leaving her and Yanyan under the same roof… especially under such circumstances.

She carefully looked around the room and noticed a pair of slippers by the entrance cabinet.

Those were Si Jingce’s.

And beside the sofa, there was a smaller pair.

Those were Yanyan’s.

In such cold weather, would he really let Yanyan walk barefoot?

After checking again, Gui Yaying could confirm one thing—

Yanyan was not here.

Then where did he go?

Gui Yaying fell into deep thought, vaguely feeling like the temperature around her had dropped.

How strange.

…

Si Jingce carried a few bags of bread, watching the elevator numbers go down.

Yanyan, restless, had burrowed into his sleeve—a soft little bundle pressed against his arm.

Just now… they probably hadn’t been exposed.

Si Jingce frowned, carefully replaying his actions, only to be tickled by Yanyan squirming inside his sleeve. He reached in to grab the bird—

Just then, the elevator stopped at the twentieth floor.

The doors opened, revealing Yunduan, still smelling faintly of alcohol.

He yawned and saw Si Jingce’s awkward posture, not reacting at first.

By the time the doors were about to close, Yunduan hurriedly squeezed in.

Looking at him, he hesitated. “Bro… where’s Yanyan?”

Si Jingce repeated his earlier excuse: “Still sleeping.”

Yunduan was shocked. “Damn, you two are progressing at rocket speed, huh?”

They hadn’t drunk much last night and went back early—if nothing happened, there was no way they’d sleep until after three.

He eyed Si Jingce suspiciously. “If Yanyan’s still in the room, why are you out here?”

Si Jingce said, “Don’t misunderstand.”

He finally pulled the pearl bird out of his sleeve. “I’m taking the bird out.”

Yunduan and the tan, blushing little bird in his palm stared at each other.

For once, his usually slow brain worked perfectly.

“…Yesterday, I didn’t carry a birdcage upstairs for you.”

Si Jingce: …

Yanyan: “Chirp chirp chirp!”

If you didn’t notice carefully, you can’t blame others!

Si Jingce: “He says you weren’t observant.”

“Wait, bro…” Yunduan scratched his head. “Where did you hide the bird when bringing it up? I really didn’t see it.”

Yanyan: “Chirp chirp!”

Humans shouldn’t know too much.

Si Jingce: “He says you shouldn’t ask what you shouldn’t know.”

Yunduan had just woken up and was already being ganged up on by a man and a bird.

He laughed awkwardly. “You two really have great tacit understanding.”

The pearl bird, wearing a beige scarf, puffed out its chest proudly.

Of course—Brother and I understand each other best!

Si Jingce glanced at Yanyan but said nothing.

Successfully distracted, Yunduan didn’t pursue it further. He went off to find food, while Si Jingce quickly took Yanyan to the meeting spot.

After almost being exposed twice, he became more cautious. Covering the bird, he walked to a quiet area of the square, only letting Yanyan out after meeting Xiao Li.

The little pearl bird hopped straight onto the white snow, immediately flying back into Si Jingce’s palm from the cold, fluffing up its feathers.

Once it regained its shape, it peeked at the ground—two faint bird footprints were already visible in the snow.

“Chirp!”

So cold!

But thinking of his task, he flew down again, slowly adapting to the temperature.

“I applied for this,” Xiao Li said, taking out a small device—a miniature camera.

It even had a string, making it easy for a bird to wear.

After testing it, he explained his plan: “We’ll see if we can get clues about Doctor Chen from the sparrows, then have one of them wear the camera and locate where he is.”

“It has a tracking function, so we can follow the signal. The camera will collect evidence and let us see if there are other animals inside.”

If it was only one crow, that was manageable. But if there were more animals, things would get complicated.

Yanyan wasn’t satisfied, scratching lines in the snow with his claws. “Chirp!”

Xiao Li looked up at Si Jingce. “What did he say?”

Si Jingce picked Yanyan up. “He’s asking why we can’t just find the guy and grab him directly.”

“You think I don’t want to?” Xiao Li said tearfully. “Our department doesn’t have enforcement authority!”

Si Jingce thought for a moment. “I could use some methods… just not very elegant.”

But first, the most urgent task was finding Doctor Chen.

Si Jingce broke the bread into small pieces and placed them on the ground.

Then he led Yanyan and Xiao Li a bit farther away to avoid scaring the sparrows.

The afternoon temperature was slightly higher, and many sparrows came out to forage.

They were cautious about the sudden appearance of bread.

After pecking at it lightly, they flew away, then returned once they sensed no danger.

Brown little sparrows gradually gathered, sharing the food.

When the timing felt right, a pearl bird wearing a scarf blended into the group…

Also a passerine bird, Yanyan was slightly smaller than the sparrows, occasionally scratching at the snow.

Soon, one of the sparrows noticed the tiny outsider among them.

Yanyan didn’t rush to speak to them. He stayed quietly to the side, watching as they finished all the bread on the ground.

Si Jingce hadn’t broken up much bread. For so many sparrows, that tiny amount was nowhere near enough.

After tasting a bit of sweetness, the sparrows didn’t feel full. In the cold winter, it only made them feel even hungrier.

A few sparrows, unwilling to give up, kept digging through the snow in search of more crumbs. Yanyan spoke softly, “Do you still want more bread?”

The sparrows looked at each other. One of them bravely stepped forward. “Do you know where there’s more food?”

Yanyan nodded. “The food was brought by my brother! He’s sitting over there.”

Following Yanyan’s gaze, the sparrow saw two humans.

Yanyan continued, “The tall, very handsome human—he can provide you with food.”

The sparrow couldn’t help but take a few extra looks at the bird in front of them.

This bird, who kept saying it could provide them food, looked completely different from them.

Smaller and more delicate, with fluffy camel-brown feathers that made him look rounder, with a pair of rosy cheek patches that were lively and adorable.

And every single feather was neat and clean, with even a tiny scarf tied around his neck.

Clearly a pampered pet bird.

The sparrow was starving and decided to take a risk and trust this unfamiliar, rosy-cheeked bird.

“Th-then… can he share a bit more bread with us?”

Si Jingce and Xiao Li were waiting at a distance, only hearing the birds chirping noisily.

No one knew what Yanyan had said, but soon the camel-colored, penguin-like pearl bird led a flock of sparrows flying over.

Yanyan called out to Si Jingce, “Ji!”

Understanding immediately, Si Jingce quickly started breaking more bread.

Xiao Li followed suit, muttering, “Poor little birds… such heavy snow outside. They won’t find food until it melts… how are they supposed to get through this winter…”

Once the birds had eaten their fill, Yanyan finally brought up his request.

“By the way, could you help me with something?”

Having benefited from the food, the sparrows readily agreed. “No problem.”

Yanyan looked at the flock in front of him and thought for a moment. “Among you, who knows the most sparrows?”

The sparrows immediately pushed forward an adult one.

The adult sparrow said proudly, “I know the most! I’m their leader.”

Perfect.

Yanyan’s eyes lit up. “Then can you gather some sparrows to help me identify a person?”

They got to work right away. The sparrow leader quickly summoned a group.

Tiny birds gathered in the snow, forming a dense, dark cluster—quite a spectacular sight.

Si Jingce took out his phone, found Doctor Chen’s photo, and had the birds line up one by one to identify him.

The first sparrow glanced at the photo, shook its head, took a small piece of bread, and left.

The next one came forward, looked carefully, and still didn’t recognize him.

The two humans and one bird waited patiently for a long time.

Until the very last bird stepped forward—and still, no trace of Doctor Chen.

“No luck?” Xiao Li said, a little disappointed.

Si Jingce replied, “It’s fine. We can also have the sparrows keep an eye out for where Doctor Chen has appeared.”

Sparrows were everywhere—sooner or later, one of them would have seen him.

And if not, they could rely on manpower. Eventually, they would find him.

Yanyan cleared his throat and addressed the sparrows, “Thank you all for your help today. If you find any clues, you can come to me—I’ll be here every afternoon.”

“If you bring a clue, I can grant your wish,” Yanyan paused.

“And even if you don’t have a clue, you can still come every day. There will always be food.”

Life was especially hard for wild birds in snowy weather. Now that Yanyan had the ability, he wanted to help them however he could.

“If we have a clue… can we make any wish?”

A soft, timid voice suddenly sounded beside him.

Yanyan turned to look. It was a very small albino sparrow.

It looked at him nervously and quietly stepped back.

Yanyan remembered it—it stood out too much.

Completely white, different from all the others.

And during the identification earlier, it had stayed off to the side, watching.

Hearing that it had a clue, Yanyan quickly said, “Any wish can be granted.”

The white sparrow gathered its courage and stepped forward. “Just now… I thought the person in the photo looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure.”

“Now I remember. I’ve seen him.”

“He lives in a small house next to my nest. At the time, he was carrying a cage—with a crow locked inside.”

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