Chapter 5
The stream paused for a second, then was instantly flooded with gifts, dazzling the screen with special effects.
[So your last name is Si? That’s not a very common surname.]
[So tiny! It’s really such a tiny chick!]
[Bro, move the camera closer so ee can kiss the little chick ^3^]
Si Jingce silently moved the camera closer to Yan Yan. A giant pearl bird appeared on the 32-inch monitor.
“Is he a hand-raised pearl bird? Or cage-raised… I’m not really sure why he’s so close to humans.”
“He’s not chirping right now because he wore himself out chirping this afternoon.”
“Where’d the bird come from…” Si Jingce paused as he read the comment, “A friend had a job transfer, so I took over.”
A wave of iconic messages immediately flooded the chat—
[So nice. A friend gave me a pearl bird.]
[So not nice. I have no friends to give me a pearl bird :(]
Si Jingce took a sip of yogurt calmly. “If you don’t have a bird, go adopt one yourself. Stop dreaming about friends gifting you one.”
“Come on, baby.” He scooped Yan Yan off his shoulder. “Say hi to everyone.”
Yan Yan leaned into the man’s palm, glancing between the camera and the computer screen, momentarily unsure where to face.
He stuck his head out, then suddenly stopped and softly chirped on both sides, “Chirp.”
[Aaaaah I want to grab that little chick and sniff him hard!!]
[That voice… even a grown man like me is getting milk flow…]
Since his earlier introduction was a bit rushed, Si Jingce formally introduced him again:
“His name is Yan Yan, the ‘yan’ from ‘language.’ His breed is the camel-colored penguin pearl bird. He’s a newly adult male.”
He held Yan Yan up to the camera and slowly rotated him. “This kind of bird has penguin-like color patterns, a clean white chest, and male birds have little blush spots on their cheeks and red beaks.”
Yan Yan was fully displayed as the man lifted his left wing, then his right.
“He’s very brave and healthy.”
[Bro, can I see you too? What does Yan Yan smell like? Is it that sweet mochi chocolate kind of smell!!!]
The smell…
Si Jingce saw the comment and hesitated for a moment.
Yan Yan, now tired from being handled, glided smoothly onto the memory foam wrist rest on the table, stepping around to find a comfortable spot.
Before he could even warm it up, the man scooped him back up.
Yan Yan chirped nervously and stopped close to Si Jingce.
Warm breath blew over him. Yan Yan could even feel soft lips brushing against his feathers.
He froze completely.
Si Jingce sniffed lightly for a moment, then gave his verdict: “Not mochi. He smells like fresh grass.”
Like the light scent released when plants are cut—somewhat pleasant.
Whatever the scent, Yan Yan was stunned by the unexpected ambush, turning into a frozen fluffball.
Si Jingce placed him back on the wrist rest and gave him a light nudge.
No response?
After a moment, Yan Yan recovered and pretended like nothing happened, rubbing his red beak against Si Jingce’s thumb.
[Waaaah a grass-scented chick! What color burlap sack would he like ww]
[Okay okay, done with the intro. Where’s the purchase link?]
Si Jingce: “He’s mine. Just showing, not selling.”
Yan Yan copied Si Jingce’s tone and chirped, “Chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp, chirp chirp!!”
Si Jingce: ?
Mimicking little chick.
Before the viewers could get their full bird fix, Si Jingce returned the camera to its normal position.
“Back to the main event, tonight I’m playing a newly released horror game.”
While he downloaded the game and waited for Cloud to log on, he occasionally answered fan comments.
Yan Yan was very interested in the slowly growing progress bar on the screen, stretching his neck to inspect it.
At that moment, someone dropped a deep-sea torpedo gift.
[Bro, have you ever thought about buying Yan Yan a pet communication button? They’re really fun.]
Si Jingce read the comment aloud.
Did he even need that?
Just touching Yan Yan was enough to know what he was thinking.
Still, out of curiosity, he searched up what a pet communication button was. The first video had 30,000 likes.
In the video, a girl was teaching her kitten to press a button to say “mom.”
But no matter how many snacks or cat toys she used to entice it, the kitten just glanced coldly and turned to find a comfy spot to nap.
Its pink little paw doing an air-kneading motion melted many hearts.
Finally, just as the girl was about to give up, the kitten moved.
It slowly stepped forward and pressed the button.
“Annoying.”
Si Jingce: …
[It really works. Let the little chatterbox speak freely.]
[Once Yan Yan learns, he could stream on his own, right?]
[So cruel, trying to make such a small bird go to work.]
The man was very silent.
If he bought that thing, he’d be the one suffering every time Yan Yan hit “annoying.”
He struggled to find an excuse: “The bird’s so small, I’m not sure he can press the button.”
[Then custom-make one, same size as a keyboard keycap.]
Si Jingce checked a shopping platform, and to his surprise, they were available—and not expensive.
A little bird head suddenly peeked over to look at his phone, prompting Si Jingce to turn off the screen instantly.
“As long as the bird is happy, that’s enough. No need to make him go to college or get a PhD, or become a working bird,” Si Jingce said. “Buying that won’t help.”
Yan Yan fluffed up his feathers.
If he had that thing, wouldn’t he be able to talk to his owner directly?
He jumped at the chance, biting Si Jingce’s finger and dragging it toward the phone.
His orange claw tapped at the screen: “Chirp!”
Then he hopped over to the computer monitor: “Chirp chirp!”
‘I earned money! You have to buy it for me!’
What a confident demand.
Si Jingce: “…Fine.”
It wasn’t expensive anyway—he’d just buy it as a toy for Yan Yan.
But the moment he opened the shopping app, things spiraled out of control.
Since he’d bought bird supplies before, the homepage was full of them. Yan Yan loved everything he saw, and before long, the shopping cart was stuffed to the brim.
Cloud’s sudden voiceover saved Si Jingce’s nearly empty wallet.
“I’m here, I’m here, I’m here! Lemme see the bird.” Cloud shouted, then realized he had to join Si Jingce’s stream to view the screen. “Little chick, give Brother a chirp!”
Yan Yan: “Chirp chirp?”
Where was that sound coming from?
He leaned closer to the speaker, and Si Jingce redirected him toward the mic.
“He’s here.”
“Chirp—”
Cloud couldn’t understand bird language but was pleasantly surprised. “He understands me?”
“He does.” Si Jingce said. “Even a three-year-old can understand.”
Cloud could hear the disapproval in his tone.
The two quickly teamed up and entered the game.
Elegant symphonic music began playing as the backdrop of a luxurious cruise ship dinner party appeared, tables laden with all kinds of gourmet food.
Yan Yan was immediately drawn in, standing on his memory foam pad, head tilted upward, staring at the illustrated food.
He wanted to eat so badly.
As the music crescendoed, the tone began to twist—becoming eerie and unsettling. The game title slowly surfaced at the center of the screen—
“Cruise Ship.”
In an instant, the cruise ship burst into flames. A sharp scream pierced the silence, and a charred ghost face wielding a knife appeared.
Chirp… chirp… help!
Yan Yan was so scared he trembled and flopped onto the table.
Si Jingce steadied him. “This game is really scary. Do you want to go to sleep first?”
[?]
[Did I just hear what I think I heard?]
[LMAO wasn’t this the guy who said no horror game could scare him?]
The fearless streamer ignored the comments.
His full attention was on Yan Yan.
The little chick pressed tightly against his palm, trembling so hard even his feathers shook.
If he was scared, it meant his owner was scared. How could he leave his owner and go to bed?
No way. He was staying!
Yan Yan’s chattery little thoughts were all picked up by Si Jingce, who tucked him safely in his hand and started the game.
The game supported multiplayer and was mostly roleplay-based. Si Jingce played a waiter on the cruise, while Cloud was a sailor.
They drew random identity cards with different storylines and endings. The game’s high freedom kept its popularity soaring since release.
As usual, the intro began with a lavish scene on the cruise. Si Jingce’s character wore an elegant suit and held a wine glass.
Buffets, swimming pools, sunrise at sea… everything looked stunning. Even Cloud was impressed. “Have you ever been on a cruise? It looks just like this. I wanna try one.”
“Nope.” Si Jingce crushed his fantasy. “What you’d get is old folks dancing in the lobby, kids screaming everywhere, and never being able to snag lobster or king crab at the buffet.”
Cloud: “…Fair.”
[So real. I once paid $2,000 for a 3-night, 4-day cruise thinking I’d enjoy lobster buffets. Couldn’t even compete with kids and grannies.]
[Cruises are risky. A lot of people have chronic conditions and end up dying on board. You might not even know you’re sharing a boat with a corpse.]
[Stop. I’m getting goosebumps.]
As the story progressed, the ship left port and drifted across the vast sea for an 8-day, 7-night journey.
After the tutorial, the two were assigned to handle a passenger who had smuggled a parrot onboard.
The NPC spoke in garbled foreign languages. Eventually, after negotiations, the guest agreed to let the crew relocate the parrot.
In the cutscene, Si Jingce’s character coldly shoved the parrot into a cage and tossed it on the floor.
The parrot let out a piercing scream. Its lifeless eyes were chilling.
Cloud, whose courage rivaled Yan Yan’s, shrieked, “Brooo protect meee!”
Cold and ruthless Si Jingce: “Scram.”
From the fuzzy fluffball in his hand, a pair of eyes peeked out. The little chatterbox couldn’t hold back a chirp.
Si Jingce looked down and comforted him. “It’s okay, Yan Yan. Don’t be scared.”
Cloud: …
[LOL check out Cloud’s stream, his face is killing me.]
[Never seen such a double standard.]
Later that night, a ball was in full swing in the main hall when a loud bang suddenly rang out—the entire cruise lost power! Panic spread fast.
The broadcast tried to calm passengers while the crew was ordered to head to the power room to deal with the fire.
Following the guidance, Si Jingce and Cloud arrived. Thick smoke poured out, and even through the screen, you could imagine the burnt smell.
After putting out the flames, the ship still didn’t regain power. A supervisor called out to Si Jingce, “Hey, you two go fix the wires.”
As part of the plot, Si Jingce and Cloud were assigned the task.
Off-screen, Si Jingce muttered, “With what I’m being paid, why should a waiter fix wiring?”
Still, he clicked “Refuse.”
The supervisor insisted: “Don’t worry, you’ll be rewarded.”
He scribbled something on a paper and handed it to Si Jingce.
Si Jingce quietly clicked “Accept.” “Actually, I’m quite experienced with electrical work.”
[???]
[Knew it. Still a shameless gold-digger at heart.]
He and Cloud split up—one to find the toolbox, the other to locate the fire source.
With a flashlight in hand, Si Jingce slowly entered the power room.
The walls were scorched black. Even the background music had stopped. Though separated by a screen, a sense of dread crept in.
Yan Yan stared hard at the screen.
To enhance the atmosphere, Si Jingce turned off all the lights. The computer’s white glow cast an eerie sheen on Yan Yan, making him look ghostly pale.
Afraid a jump scare might pop up, Yan Yan shrank his head, eyes locked in curiosity.
While solving the puzzle, Si Jingce reached over to block Yan Yan’s view.
The bird sat still for a bit, then peeked out again.
The character’s breathing grew heavier. Just as the fire’s origin was being uncovered, the background music turned urgent, and a figure flashed rapidly across the screen—too fast to be human.
[Mom, I’m scared.]
[Play a good-luck charm song, stat.]
The in-game character turned to look, saw nothing unusual, and kept moving—only to kick something unknown on the floor.
He shined his flashlight down. It was the parrot—belly sliced open, blood and flesh exposed.
He cursed. And as he looked up, a grotesque ghost face lunged toward the screen—
It actually jumped out!
Si Jingce’s vision went black as a furry creature screamed and latched onto his face.
“Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp!!”
{Aaaaah don’t be scared, I’m here to protect you!!}
