Chapter 49
After the annual gala, it was about time to prepare for the return trip.
Just as Si Jingce finished packing, he saw a message from Gui Yaying.
[Mom]: I can’t handle this anymore. You explain it to your dad yourself.
Just seeing this sentence, Si Jingce could already imagine Si De’s reaction.
Si De must have thought Gui Yaying was mentally unwell…
He lowered his head and typed: [If I tell him, will he send me straight to a psychiatric hospital?]
[Mom]: Then don’t say it.
Mother and son reached an agreement—let Si De discover the truth on his own.
Si Jingce was about to put his phone aside when Yunduan suddenly called a video.
As soon as he picked up, Yunduan shouted, “Bro bro bro, emergency!”
He pointed the camera at several design drafts. “Help me choose—which wedding ring looks better?”
Si Jingce paused slightly. “You’re asking me?”
Yanyan popped up behind him, resting his chin on Si Jingce’s shoulder. “I want to see too, I want to see!”
Yunduan directly sent over the designs.
“I think all of these are pretty good. The hard choice is between these two.”
The two selected designs both leaned toward a dreamy, fairy-tale style. Yanyan, however, instantly took a liking to one of them.
This ring had a sapphire as the main stone, surrounded by small diamonds like starlight. The band was silver, with a wing motif on one side, cleverly incorporating sky elements.
“So sparkly.” Yanyan stared at it intently, tilting his head. “Last time you gave Sister Bobo Berry a ring too—are you giving her another one now?”
Yunduan smiled. “That was the proposal ring. Now I need to prepare a pair of wedding bands.”
“I checked—this brand has a waiting list until next year. It’ll be just in time for our wedding.”
But the two of them had a small disagreement over the choice.
Bobo Berry preferred the winged sapphire design, while Yunduan preferred another gray-toned diamond ring, more grand and elegant.
After listening, Yanyan thought for a moment, then immediately said, “I vote for the sparkly one.”
That is—the sapphire ring.
Si Jingce also cast his vote for it.
“Why do you both like this one? The gray one is clearly more expensive.” Yunduan scratched his head. “Fine, then I’ll go with this one.”
Because it was really very sparkly.
After the video call ended, Yanyan was still thinking about the sparkling ring.
“That ring is really beautiful.” He looked at Si Jingce eagerly. “Brother, you think so too, right?”
Si Jingce softly responded, “Mm.”
There was a reason Bobo Berry liked that one most—the sapphire with wings perfectly matched Yunduan’s online name.
But Yunduan was a bit single-minded, only thinking about giving the most expensive ring.
Yanyan kept chattering, “It’s really so pretty. A sparkly ring like that must look amazing on the hand… so do humans need rings for both proposals and weddings?”
“Generally, yes,” Si Jingce explained gently. “One proposal ring, as a surprise for the other person. And two wedding rings, exchanged during the ceremony, representing a promise between partners.”
Yanyan thought about it—he would probably only give Si Jingce a sparkly bird nest.
“So… does receiving a ring mean two people are truly together?”
Si Jingce said, “No. Receiving a ring doesn’t necessarily mean that. In some cultures, a ring represents a lifelong commitment. In others, it’s just a normal accessory.”
“But nowadays, rings are an essential part of proposals and weddings. Like I said, they symbolize a promise to spend a lifetime together.”
Yanyan understood—yet he still murmured, “Sparkly ones are really nice…”
Si Jingce keenly sensed that something was off.
His little boyfriend seemed a bit… off.
He tentatively reached out and touched Yanyan’s face.
Ever since they got together, this had somehow become a small intimacy between them.
There was always some physical contact between the two, and through it, Si Jingce could easily hear Yanyan’s inner thoughts.
Sometimes it was about wanting more snacks, sometimes about wanting Si Jingce to kiss him a little longer.
This time, what he heard was a full 360-degree surround—
[I also want something sparkly!]
Si Jingce quietly withdrew his hand and glanced at Yanyan.
Yanyan was still dropping hints like crazy. “Brother, sparkly diamond rings are really pretty, right?”
“Mm.” Si Jingce pretended not to hear his thoughts, suppressing a smile. “Very pretty.”
Seeing the man not taking the bait at all, Yanyan froze.
He watched helplessly as Si Jingce continued packing his luggage, showing no reaction whatsoever.
The little bird got anxious, but felt too embarrassed to make it obvious, so he just stuck close beside Si Jingce.
As a result, Si Jingce kept hearing a line pop into his mind from time to time—
[Want something sparkly.]
After hinting for a long time, Yanyan suddenly realized something.
If Si Jingce wouldn’t give him something sparkly, then he could give Si Jingce something sparkly!
Yanyan immediately took out his phone and searched for custom rings, saving a bunch of designers.
Then, as he kept searching, he somehow came across the “three gold pieces” required for weddings. Compared to pretty rings, a bride covered head to toe in gold was even more visually striking.
All ten fingers adorned with delicate gold rings, heavy golden bracelets strung around the neck, even rows of small gold pieces hanging at the waist.
He silently opened his balance to take a look.
Things were different now—he was a rich little bird.
So many accessories… for Yanyan, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Si Jingce finished tidying the bed and turned around, only to see Yanyan sitting on the sofa holding his phone, lost in thought.
“Time to sleep,” he called. “We still have a flight tomorrow.”
The little boyfriend responded slowly, “Oh.”
Yanyan climbed onto the bed and obediently lay down beside Si Jingce.
His hands were neatly folded over the blanket, lying stiff and straight—clearly hiding something in his heart.
Si Jingce chuckled softly. “You’re going to sleep like this tonight? No goodnight kiss?”
Yanyan paused, then slowly leaned over and pressed a kiss onto Si Jingce’s lips.
“That’s enough.” He lay back down and closed his eyes. “Let’s sleep.”
Too obvious.
Si Jingce raised an eyebrow and quietly sent his budget and Yanyan’s ring size to a friend who designed jewelry.
Then he saw a message from Xiao Li.
“The flight might need to be changed. We need to go to the Waterbird World first,” Si Jingce said. “The crow has passed its mutation period.”
Yanyan opened his eyes, clearly not focused on the crow at all. “Okay, I know.”
Si Jingce didn’t say more. He turned off the lights and pulled Yanyan into his arms.
He was used to a reversed day-night schedule and couldn’t fall asleep right away.
Around midnight, he suddenly felt the person in his arms move slightly.
Yanyan’s breathing was even. He slowly pushed away Si Jingce’s arm that was draped over him.
Si Jingce frowned lightly, about to ask what was wrong, when he noticed Yanyan holding his breath and going still.
As if afraid of waking him, Yanyan didn’t move for a long time.
After confirming his boyfriend hadn’t woken up, he slowly sat up and found his phone.
Si Jingce decided to see what he was up to.
Yanyan lowered his head, carefully searching something on his phone, muttering softly, “How do you measure ring size…”
Si Jingce felt him get out of bed to grab something.
When he came back, Yanyan gently took his hand.
The boy lowered his head, his soft hair brushing lightly against Si Jingce’s nose, making him suppress the urge to scratch the itch.
A string was tied around the ring finger of his left hand. Yanyan checked his phone while tying it, recording the measurement.
Si Jingce thought he would stop there.
But Yanyan put away the string and went on to measure his wrist.
Si Jingce: .
Was this bird planning to prepare a full set of wedding gold for him?
Then the boy leaned closer to his ear, illuminated by the faint light of the phone.
In the darkness, he stared at Si Jingce’s profile without blinking.
The soft glow of the screen perfectly outlined Si Jingce’s high nose bridge and the elegant curve of his ear.
Yanyan slowly reached out his hand, his movements so gentle it was as if he feared disturbing Si Jingce’s dreams, and carefully touched his earlobe.
Sensing his little boyfriend’s closeness, Si Jingce’s heartbeat instantly fell out of rhythm, his body tensing up.
Yanyan explored carefully. The touch was soft and warm. His thumb and index finger lightly pinched Si Jingce’s earlobe, turning it slightly, as if searching for something.
“No ear piercing.”
The tingling sensation made Si Jingce’s thoughts wander. He suppressed the urge to turn over and pull Yanyan into his arms, quickly turning his face to the side.
Yanyan was startled.
His movements froze midair. After confirming Si Jingce hadn’t woken up, he proceeded to the next step…
A string was suddenly looped around Si Jingce’s neck.
Si Jingce: ?
Yanyan gently placed one end of the string against his neck, measuring his neck circumference.
As the string tightened slightly, the illusion of being strangled made Si Jingce snap his eyes open.
He instinctively reached out and pulled Yanyan into his arms.
Yanyan was so startled by the sudden change that his face turned pale, the string slipping from his hand onto the bed.
H-how did he suddenly wake up?
“Baby.” Si Jingce frowned slightly. “Are you trying to make yourself a widow?”
Measuring a neck almost turned into attempted murder. Yanyan was still shaken, stammering, “I… I just wanted to make you a necklace… as a surprise.”
That surprise was a bit too much.
“No need to measure. A 45 cm necklace fits me,” Si Jingce said, then deliberately asked, “Why suddenly want to customize a necklace for me?”
Yanyan couldn’t answer.
A surprise wasn’t supposed to be revealed—otherwise how could it still be a surprise?
He mumbled vaguely, “Anyway… I just want to prepare a gift for you.”
“Then what else do you want to measure?” Si Jingce spread his arms. “You can measure everything today.”
At this point, Yanyan could only brace himself and continue the act.
“I also want to buy you a belt… need to measure your waist.”
In reality, Si Jingce rarely wore belts. He didn’t go out much, nor did he often wear formal clothes—occasions requiring a belt were very few.
But he still played along.
The boy boldly straddled him, holding the string, and said guiltily, “Then don’t move.”
Si Jingce smiled, letting him do as he pleased.
Yanyan tried to calm himself, but his hands still trembled slightly. He held one end of the string and carefully wrapped it around Si Jingce’s waist.
While adjusting the string, his fingers accidentally brushed against Si Jingce’s abdomen.
Yanyan’s face flushed instantly. He looked up in panic, meeting Si Jingce’s half-smiling gaze.
“How much?”
“Seventy-four.”
Si Jingce said, “Seems a bit inaccurate. Want to lift the clothes and measure again?”
Yanyan froze, not moving for a long time.
His ears burned hot as he blinked slowly.
“No need. Not buying a belt anymore,” the little bird said, giving up.
Anyway, he had already gotten the measurements he needed. One waist size didn’t matter.
Almost like fleeing, Yanyan quickly climbed off him—only to be pulled back by the waist. The string in his hand was taken by Si Jingce.
He held Yanyan in place and measured his finger size.
It matched what he had roughly estimated.
Yanyan stared at his actions blankly, suddenly realizing what Si Jingce was doing.
“Brother…”
“I’ve already bought you something sparkly,” Si Jingce said. “But I won’t tell you what it looks like, or when I’ll give it to you.”
“A proposal ring only needs one. Since I’ve already prepared one, do you still want to buy another?”
Yanyan’s eyes widened, his heart pounding fiercely in his chest.
He licked his lips and said, trying to stay calm, “Better buy it…”
“Aren’t wedding rings supposed to be a pair?”
After openly obtaining Si Jingce’s ring size, Yanyan’s excitement lasted all the way until they arrived at Waterbird World.
Xiao Li said that the crow had passed its mutation period last night and had completely turned into a human.
As soon as they pushed open the office door, they saw a young man in a black down jacket sitting quietly on the sofa.
The leather sofa reflected a cold, stiff sheen. The boy glanced at them, his sharp, messy hair falling loosely over his forehead. He casually brushed it back, picked up a bowl of salad beside him, and started eating without a word.
A little white sparrow rested steadily on his head and chirped at Yanyan.
“Crow?” Seeing the white sparrow, Yanyan immediately recognized him. “You’re the crow?”
The boy didn’t even lift his eyes, continuing his bitter battle with the salad in the bowl.
“He’s cut carbs recently, so his temper is a bit bad,” Xiao Li stepped forward from behind and explained to Yanyan. “Birds on a diet are like this. Don’t mind it.”
Still dieting?
Yanyan remembered what the crow looked like when he was rescued—a big black chubby ball that required several people just to lift the cage.
He circled around the crow, looking him up and down. “He’s not fat at all.”
Xiao Li: “…His human form isn’t fat. But his bird form is very fat. No matter how thin or fat the human form is, we judge based on the bird form. He’ll have to keep dieting for quite a while.”
The body shape of the bird form didn’t affect the human form.
Yanyan felt like he had discovered a loophole.
Si Jingce saw through his thoughts at a glance. “Even so, you still need to eat properly. Don’t just eat whatever you want.”
Yanyan said dejectedly, “Alright, I know.”
“Losing weight is quite difficult. But another bird has been very successful at gaining weight.”
Xiao Li picked up the little white sparrow from the crow’s head and showed it to them.
The sparrow had been well cared for here—its feathers were smooth, and even its previously sharp chest condition had improved.
“Ji!” It chirped proudly, showing off its body.
“Wow, you really got chubbier.” Yanyan praised without hesitation. “You’re truly a bird-raising genius.”
Xiao Li floated with pride.
“Not only that, I’ve made a new discovery.”
He took out a report. It contained blood sample analyses from Yanyan, the crow, and the pelican. One value was circled—showing abnormal spikes in all three.
“Animals about to pass the mutation period all show an increase in this value. It doesn’t even require complex procedures—just a simple blood test can detect it,” Xiao Li said, his tone mixed with relief and concern. “It makes it easier for me to identify which animals can successfully turn into humans. But… if someone else discovers this, that would be a problem.”
He took out another report and handed it to Yanyan. “At the same time, I gave the white sparrow a full check-up. This value is also fluctuating.”
Yanyan held the report and looked at it seriously before saying honestly, “I can’t understand it, and I don’t get it either.”
Xiao Li choked. “In other words, this white sparrow is also very likely to turn into a human.”
As soon as he said that, the white sparrow puffed out its chest proudly. “Jijiu!”
That’s right—I can turn into a human too!
This was truly an unexpected delight.
“Using this method, I’ve already found two more pets like the white sparrow among the rescued animals,” Xiao Li said. “I’ve also spoken with their owners, and they’re basically willing to cooperate with us.”
A proper approach was far more reliable than Doctor Chen’s half-baked methods.
Which meant they were no longer just a small group of one person and two birds—they could continue expanding and properly build their organization.
“Of course, there’s also bad news.” Xiao Li scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. “Last time, when we caught Doctor Chen, we used some improper methods. So we all have to accept punishment.”
Si Jingce wasn’t part of the organization, but Yanyan was.
Yanyan would be punished?
Si Jingce frowned. “What kind of punishment?”
“The two birds didn’t understand anything, so it’s understandable—they just need to pay a fine.” Xiao Li pointed at himself. “As for me, I didn’t set a good example, so my punishment is more serious… but still acceptable. Basically, my performance bonus for this year is gone.”
Si Jingce opened his phone’s payment code. “How much does Yanyan need to pay? I’ll cover it.”
“One bird takes responsibility for its own actions!” Yanyan quickly stopped him. “No need, brother. I have quite a lot of money now. No matter how big the fine is, I should be able to pay it if I try hard enough.”
Xiao Li: “…Three hundred.”
Yanyan: ?
Xiao Li: “The fine is three hundred.”
Without expression, Si Jingce transferred the three hundred.
“In the future, don’t let Yanyan get scared over such trivial punishments,” he said, putting his phone away. “Just tell me directly.”
Yanyan asked worriedly, “Then what’s your base salary? Can you even survive this year?”
“Two thousand six hundred,” Xiao Li said. “But because of this major contribution, the higher-ups rewarded me with one million. Hehe.”
Yanyan: “…Brother is right. Don’t let me get scared over such small things in the future.”
After years of working diligently, it was Xiao Li’s first time receiving such a large reward, so he couldn’t help feeling a bit elated.
But he felt embarrassed to brag to others, so he could only share it in front of Si Jingce and Yanyan.
Since Yanyan was here, Xiao Li also asked him to transform into his bird form for a check-up.
Si Jingce stayed behind to talk with the crow.
After all, having followed Luo Huoxi for a while, the crow knew more than others.
When Si Jingce approached him, the crow quickly understood his intention. Leaning back with his legs crossed, he gnawed on a piece of lettuce with a cold expression.
“You want to know something about my former owner.”
The white sparrow pecked his head, signaling him to be more polite.
The crow pouted in dissatisfaction, placing his hands on his knees and sitting upright like an elementary school student.
“It’s fine, just talk casually first,” Si Jingce said. “Tell me what you saw and experienced at his place.”
The crow thought for a moment, then realized there didn’t seem to be much to say.
“He was my second owner. He bought me from someone else… there wasn’t any special purpose. It was just because you were raising that little bird with blush on its cheeks.”
At that time, Luo Huoxi seemed to be working on some big plan, trying to build hype before the Annual Star selection.
“Anyway, he made a lot of preparations. He even bought trending topics, and planned to suppress your exposure. But in the end, he couldn’t stop it—the bird took all the attention.”
Si Jingce pondered for a moment.
Yanyan’s appearance back then had an unexpectedly explosive effect. Even he himself hadn’t anticipated it. Without intending to, he had taken all of Luo Huoxi’s traffic, wasting all his money.
“Later, he thought your effect was pretty good, so he bought me too, planning to create a similar wave of hype.” The crow shrugged. “But as you can see, it didn’t even make a splash.”
“He wasn’t convinced, so he asked someone what to do. I overheard their call—they said they might as well deal with you directly, and then he posted that Weibo.”
At first, he assumed Si Jingce wouldn’t dare confront him head-on. Who knew he’d hit the wrong target—Si Jingce directly exposed his hypocrisy.
“Do you know who he contacted back then?” Si Jingce asked.
The crow nodded. “I remember. Luo Huoxi always called him ‘Brother Hong.’”
Si Jingce immediately sent a message to his second uncle, asking him to check if there was anyone in the company called “Brother Hong.”
“That Brother Hong was actually pretty helpful at the beginning, always giving him advice,” the crow said. “Later, Luo Huoxi felt the advice wasn’t good and started making decisions himself.”
That matched up.
After Luo Huoxi was banned, he behaved for a while, but later how he handled the crow’s situation became completely confusing.
People in the company were probably about to give up on him.
The crow thought again. “Oh, there’s one more thing. He had a little notebook, listing people he was close with. Every week, he’d invite them out for meals.”
Si Jingce immediately took out paper and pen. “Do you remember the names? You can write them down.”
“Nope,” the crow said matter-of-factly. “I’m an illiterate bird.”
Si Jingce: .
Still unwilling to give up, he asked, “Not even a single character?”
“What kind of bird would go out of its way to learn characters?” the crow rolled his eyes. “We birds don’t have to take college entrance exams.”
Si Jingce put the paper and pen away.
He suddenly felt his little boyfriend was quite impressive.
At least he could recognize some characters and even sing the alphabet song.
Clearly, literacy education for these animals was urgently needed.
“But I remember faces,” the crow added. “If you show me photos, I might recognize them.”
With so many employees and streamers at Gemstone TV, compiling everyone’s photos would take some time.
“Alright,” Si Jingce said. “I’ll have Xiao Li bring you the photos later.”
It wasn’t a complete loss. At least from the crow, he learned that Luo Huoxi and “Brother Hong” had a very close relationship. During Luo Huoxi’s years at Gemstone TV, it was Brother Hong guiding him behind the scenes.
But since Luo Huoxi didn’t listen to advice, Brother Hong had decided to abandon him.
Si Jingce asked for more details about Brother Hong’s characteristics, organized the information, and sent it all to his second uncle.
Then he stood up and went to find Yanyan.
Yanyan’s examination had just finished at that moment.
When Si Jingce entered the examination room again, he noticed it had been completely upgraded, with many new instruments added.
There was also a large incubator nearby, with a bird egg inside.
He quickly withdrew his gaze and picked up the Java sparrow lying on the bed. “All done? Do you feel uncomfortable?”
Yanyan shook his feathers. “Jiu jiu!”
It’s fine, not uncomfortable at all.
“Take a look at his basic report,” Xiao Li handed over the documents. “During this period, Yanyan’s bones and organs have fully developed. He’s now completely the same as a human.”
Si Jingce let out a breath of relief. “That’s good.”
“Animals that pass the mutation period won’t have any further issues. You can be completely at ease.”
The Java sparrow in his palm flew onto his shoulder, stretching its head to sneak a look at the report.
Still couldn’t understand it.
A mix of English and numbers—it made the bird feel sleepy just looking at it.
The little bird yawned and let its gaze wander around the room, eventually landing on the egg in the incubator.
Curious, he flew over and landed beside it.
He didn’t know what species it was, but the egg was even bigger than a Java sparrow!
The little bird stared blankly at it, then cautiously leaned in to sniff.
There was barely any bird scent left.
This was an egg without parents, soon to be artificially incubated.
A strange feeling rose in his heart. Yanyan shuffled his claws uneasily, then silently climbed onto the egg…
After roughly understanding Yanyan’s condition, Si Jingce touched his shoulder—only to realize Yanyan wasn’t there anymore.
Where was the bird?
Xiao Li hurriedly searched with him. As soon as he turned around, he saw a rather ridiculous scene.
Yanyan was incubating the egg.
The egg beneath him was much larger than his own body. The Java sparrow’s feathers were fluffy and soft, his little head slightly lowered, his feathers somewhat messy from trying to press against the egg.
His short claws stretched outward, trying to cover the entire egg. But the egg was too big—even with all his effort, he could only cover a small part of it.
When he looked up, he saw the two humans staring at him.
The little mochi-like bird immediately toppled over onto the soft bedding, shyly poking his head out.
The bird didn’t mean anything by it—just wanted to try…
Xiao Li fell silent for a moment, then explained to Si Jingce, “Well… during breeding season, male Java sparrows help the females incubate eggs. They sit on the eggs, using body heat to keep them warm so the embryo develops normally.”
“But… Java sparrows usually don’t incubate other birds’ eggs. They have their own breeding instincts and can distinguish their own eggs…”
Xiao Li awkwardly flipped through the report in his hand. The atmosphere in the room became increasingly strange.
“Uh… I don’t mean anything by it.”
He counted on his fingers, estimating the time.
“I remember you two have been together for quite a while. Logically speaking… Yanyan shouldn’t be showing this kind of breeding behavior.”
Si Jingce’s temples throbbed suddenly.
It felt like the air had been sucked out, leaving only an uneasy silence.
Xiao Li opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but didn’t know where to begin.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to break the suffocating silence.
“I mean… uh… have you… not satisfied Yanyan yet?”
Si Jingce: ….
