It’s So Noisy, A Friend Gave Me a Pearl Bird – CH53

Chapter 53

Yanyan fully carried out what Si Jingce called “hunger marketing.” He quickly said goodbye to the viewers and ended the stream.

Thinking back to what just happened, Yanyan frowned slightly and muttered, “Annoying scumbag.”

The snake had told him far more than that. If he had said everything, the whole livestream room would probably have been banned.

He opened the streaming backend to check today’s stats, only to find his private messages completely flooded.

Many people were willing to pay a high price to beg him to do another “communication” session. Even more were questioning him, saying today’s act looked staged and deliberate.

Yanyan ignored all of it and turned to check his ranking on the newcomer leaderboard…

Still in 8th place.

“Once you enter the top ten, the rankings usually won’t change much,” Si Jingce said, jotting down notes about today’s stream performance. “You stopped streaming for quite a while before, and you suddenly changed your content. Being able to hold at 8th is already pretty good.”

Yanyan lowered his head, secretly messaging the girl from earlier to check on her situation. Hearing that, he looked up and asked, “So does that mean I have to stream every day now?”

Si Jingce nodded. “You need a fixed schedule to maintain your popularity. Later on, you can also gradually extend your streaming time… of course.”

He smiled faintly. “Boyfriend, I think when you stream, you still need to ‘act’ a little.”

Yanyan looked at him in confusion.

Act what?

“Let me give you an example. If you see a fortune teller on the street telling someone’s fortune, and the customer sits down, and the fortune teller immediately says a bunch of accurate things without even thinking—”

“Some people will believe it, but more people will think… that customer is just a plant.”

“Of course, you don’t have to care too much,” Si Jingce added. “No matter what you do, there will always be people who doubt you.”

Yanyan thought for a moment and decided he should “act” a bit next time.

Whether people believed him wasn’t that important—what mattered was not exposing himself.

“Alright,” Yanyan said. “I’ll think it over.”

Planning to improve tomorrow’s stream, Yanyan casually went to check his competitors’ livestreams—

Si Jingce quickly stopped him from entering with his main account and instead used a small account to open the current #1 newcomer’s stream.

The moment they entered, Yanyan was startled by a chorus of meowing.

The current top-ranked newcomer was also a pet streamer, raising a large number of cats in his yard.

The streamer, a young man, was sawing wood and building a new shelter for the cats.

The stream title read:
[One year to build a cat paradise in my yard.]

The whole vibe was warm and peaceful.

Yanyan scrolled through his past streams and videos. The framing was beautiful and carefully composed, set against a picturesque countryside background, showing daily life with his cats.

Each cat looked freshly groomed and well-fed, round and lively, following behind the man one after another.

Even the chat atmosphere was something Yanyan had never seen before—calm and gentle.

After watching for a while, even he couldn’t help but get immersed.

“It feels so relaxing.”

Si Jingce said, “It’s probably something ingrained. Life is stressful now, so deep down, people all want to return to the countryside, live quietly, and raise a few cats or dogs.”

Yanyan suddenly remembered Si Jingce had once tried similar content.

Back then, Si Jingce was trying to tidy a bird nest, while the little pearl bird was “helping” by making things worse.

The effect had actually been quite good!

Seeing his expression, Si Jingce rejected the idea before Yanyan could even speak.
“First, it would look like imitation. And my main focus isn’t pet care.”

“Second, my little bird now has his own career. I feel bad taking up his personal time again.”

“And think carefully,” Si Jingce added flatly, “what were the comments like back then?”

Yanyan: …

Of course he remembered—

[So noisy. My friend gave me a pearl bird.]

“The pearl bird’s chirping is clearly very pleasant,” Yanyan muttered.

Si Jingce suppressed a laugh. “Mm, a little loudspeaker.”

The “little loudspeaker” pecked him angrily on the face.

Comparing the two streams, the atmosphere really was different. Yanyan curled up in Si Jingce’s arms, holding the phone and watching the cats, gradually getting desensitized.

At some point, a cat sat right near the camera—only a fluffy blur was visible, accompanied by its soothing purring.

Yanyan grew drowsy.

[Listening to cat purring while falling asleep, so blissful.]

He yawned, about to turn off his phone, when suddenly the chat exploded.

[Holy crap! Something big happened—check trending now!]

[Huh? What’s going on?]

Even the streamer was called away by someone off-camera. After a while, he returned with a grim expression and apologized:

“Sorry everyone, we’ll end today’s stream here. See you tomorrow.”

The screen went dark.

Yanyan blinked in confusion and opened Weibo. The top trending topic read—

“Multiple executives of Gemstone TV taken into criminal custody.”

Si Jingce glanced at it, surprised. “That fast?”

Just as he spoke, his phone rang.

Yunduan’s frantic voice echoed through the room: “Holy crap! Bro! Something big happened!”

Si Jingce: “Mm, I know.”

After learning key information from the crow earlier, Si Jingce had already reported it to his second uncle.

His uncle had also sent a message, practically radiating collapse through the text:

[When you told me it was Hong-ge, I didn’t believe it. He’s an old-timer from the early days, always diligent, even bought snacks and toys for Tangguo. But after investigating… turns out the biggest parasite was right beside me!]

[Pull one radish, bring out a whole string of mud. This exposed a bunch of people, even several top streamers are involved…]

Seeing one cockroach at home means there’s a whole nest hidden somewhere.

[Anyway, from what we’ve uncovered… the full list is probably with Luo Huoxi. I need to find a way to get information out of him.]

On the other end, Yunduan continued rambling:
“In recent years, the company developed this ‘tribute system.’ If you want recommendation slots, you have to pay Luo Huoxi’s group. He takes a cut, then passes it up to the executives.”

Si Jingce had already heard of this before. Back when Gemstone TV’s system wasn’t mature, they relied on manual recommendation placements instead of algorithmic ones—leaving behind this hidden problem.

His unlucky second uncle had really paid a high price to take over a complete mess.

On the other end, Yunduan scratched his head. “Well, that’s it. The big boss has started cleaning house—no one’s getting away.”

“It’s fine. If they get arrested, they get arrested,” Si Jingce said calmly. “We just keep streaming as usual.”

Yunduan fell silent for a long time.

Si Jingce suddenly sensed something and frowned.

“Bro… I need to confess something to you.” Yunduan sounded uneasy. “When I first signed my contract, Gemstone TV made it sound really good. They said as long as my data was good, I’d get a recommendation slot every week.”

“I didn’t understand anything back then, so I just signed. Later I realized it was a trap.” He rubbed his face in frustration. “At first, for about a month, they really did give me recommendation spots. I did pretty well too, gained a lot of followers.”

“Then suddenly… no more recommendations.”

For streamers, exposure is everything. This basically meant Yunduan was frozen out.

“I thought my data wasn’t good enough. But later I saw streamers with worse stats than me still getting recommended.” Yunduan said regretfully, “So I asked around… and ended up paying them too.”

Si Jingce: “How much did you pay?”

“More than fifty thousand,” Yunduan said. “I didn’t dare terminate the contract—the penalty was too high. Anyway, after paying, I got a really good recommendation slot… and then I fell into a pit. Every quarter I had to pay again. Like protection fees. Damn.”

“Later, after the leadership changed, they toned it down… I also took the chance to cut ties with them. Barely got out of it.”

After saying all this, Yunduan went quiet.

This kind of pay-for-recommendation system was disgraceful. Now that a group of executives had been arrested, investigations would inevitably extend to the streamers.

He had just proposed to Bobo Mei. Life was finally starting to get better.

And more than anything, he was afraid of losing Si Jingce as a friend.

Yunduan had already prepared himself for Si Jingce to hang up.

After a while, he heard Si Jingce say, “Then take this chance to make them spit all that money back out.”

Yunduan: …!

He was stunned. “Bro… don’t you think I’m disgraceful?”

Si Jingce found the question baffling. “Why would a victim feel disgraceful?”

Sure, it sounded bad to fans—but those people were clearly the ones at fault.

Yunduan let out a long breath. “I already turned myself in to the boss. Whatever punishment comes… I’ll accept it.”

He hesitated, then asked carefully, “Bro… did they ever approach you?”

Si Jingce raised an eyebrow. “They did.”

After hanging up, he saw Yanyan angrily punching the air beside him.

“This is too much! How can they do this!” Yanyan looked at him with concern. “Brother, you didn’t give them money too, right?”

Si Jingce: “No.”

After he became popular, people had hinted more than once—give them benefits, and he’d get recommendation slots. But he ignored them.

“I guess I was a bit arrogant back then,” he said with a helpless shake of his head. “I even scolded them and sent a complaint to headquarters. Now I understand why it disappeared without a trace.”

“I just thought—there’s no way I can’t succeed without paying.”

With that stubborn drive, he really did make it big.

But many others were still struggling—either waiting out their contracts or resigning themselves to paying for exposure.

Yanyan hugged him tightly. “There’s still part of the list with Luo Huoxi, right?”

His eyes lit up with a mischievous idea. “I can turn into a bird, sneak in, and steal that notebook!”

Si Jingce: “…No.”

He gave Yanyan’s backside a light smack, serious. “Let my uncle handle it. We don’t need to get involved.”

Yanyan puffed up, annoyed. “But we have to avenge the crow! I need to peck him a few times to feel better.”

“You can peck Luo Huoxi after my uncle catches him,” Si Jingce said. “Not to mention how dangerous this is… did you forget? There’s that tabby cat in his house that fought the crow to the death.”

“You’re tiny,” he added firmly. “No need. We’ll just wait for my uncle’s update.”

But Yanyan still wanted to help him.

He looked at Si Jingce with pleading eyes, lips pouting. “I’m not weak. I’m a very strong male pearl bird. I can help you.”

Si Jingce’s tone turned stricter. “No. Don’t be stubborn.”

Yanyan fell silent.

Only then did Si Jingce realize he had accidentally snapped at him. Feeling guilty, he bent down and tried to kiss the corner of Yanyan’s lips.

The boy turned his head away, refusing the kiss.

Si Jingce paused, slowly lowered his hand, and quietly went to the kitchen to get snacks to coax him.

The little bird was sensitive and simple-hearted—he only wanted to help, to solve things sooner so they could focus on the annual awards.

Holding Yanyan’s favorite little cake, Si Jingce walked back to the living room, thinking.

He’d explain things properly. When the time came, letting the crow and Yanyan peck Luo Huoxi a few times would be fine.

But the moment he stepped into the living room, he froze.

Yanyan’s clothes were scattered messily on the floor.

But Yanyan himself was nowhere to be seen.

He quickly set the cake aside, picked up the clothes, and shook them.

No bird.

“Yanyan?” Si Jingce called anxiously, searching all the usual spots.

No trace.

The windows were closed, so he couldn’t have flown outside. That meant he was hiding somewhere inside.

His worst fear as a bird owner had come true.

The house was too big. If the little pearl bird wanted to hide, he simply wouldn’t be able to find him.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Si Jingce suddenly heard faint rustling from the ceiling.

He looked up—just in time to see a tiny red beak quickly retract into the recessed ceiling.

Si Jingce: …

The little bird turned around angrily, forgetting about his tail—leaving a short tail feather sticking out.

Oh no. He couldn’t even fly properly.

Si Jingce grabbed a bag of chips and shook it, trying to lure him down. “Yanyan, I see you. Stop playing hide-and-seek. Come down and have snacks.”

He walked to the other side, looked up—and sure enough, saw a small bird standing on the ceiling.

No matter how he shook the snack bag, Yanyan refused to move.

Left with no choice, Si Jingce went to the storage room and brought out a ladder.

At this point, he had to admit—Yanyan’s abilities were impressive. With such a tiny body, he could probably hide in Luo Huoxi’s house for days without being found.

And even if discovered, one quick flight upward—and with Luo Huoxi’s clumsy body, there’d be no way to catch him.

Si Jingce climbed up the ladder, got close to Yanyan, and reached out—

The blushing little bird glared at him and shuffled away with tiny steps.

He grabbed nothing.

Sighing, he climbed down and moved the ladder.

This time, he didn’t try to grab him. Instead, he spoke sincerely:

“This time, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have been harsh.”

“I know my boyfriend was thinking of me—wanting to help me get out of trouble sooner.” Si Jingce said slowly, “But at the same time, I’m afraid something might happen to you. That’s why I don’t let you do these things.”

Arguments are normal between couples. It’s not about backing down—it’s about finding a way to resolve it.

“How about this,” Si Jingce said. “Come down first, and we’ll properly discuss how to deal with Luo Huoxi—help the crow, help me, and help everyone vent their anger. Okay?”

Yanyan finally looked at him.

Then he flew straight onto Si Jingce’s head.

Si Jingce couldn’t help but smile, carrying the bird as he slowly climbed down the ladder.

After landing steadily, he seized the moment while Yanyan wasn’t paying attention and suddenly grabbed the little bird.

Yanyan panicked: “Jiu jiu!”

Then Si Jingce lifted the pearl bird to his lips and gave it a kiss—only to end up with a mouthful of dust.

Si Jingce: …

He silently took out a wet wipe and cleaned his mouth, then pulled out another one to wipe Yanyan down.

The recessed ceiling looked nice, but it had one big flaw—it collected dust easily.

Yanyan had only flown up there for a short while, and the clean little bird had already turned into a dusty little bird.

After wiping his boyfriend clean, Si Jingce said, “Can we talk now?”

Yanyan quickly turned back into human form and sat in his arms.

Si Jingce hurriedly grabbed a coat and covered him, only to notice his little boyfriend’s eyes were slightly red as he muttered, “Sorry… I was wrong too.”

“I won’t argue with you next time.”

“It’s fine. Arguing once in a while is also a kind of… romantic flavor,” Si Jingce said. “But you need to listen to me first. Next time, don’t just hide like that.”

“If you like staying up there, I’ll have someone clean the ceiling next time and even make you a little bird nest there.”

“I thought it through carefully,” Si Jingce continued. “Your idea is actually feasible. With how small you are, if you sneak into Luo Huoxi’s house, he might really not notice you.”

A bird’s emotions changed quickly. Yanyan’s eyes lit up. “So you agree with the plan?”

Si Jingce: “I don’t.”

Yanyan: ?

Then what was all that talk for?

“I know you want to help me, but there are many ways to do that. You don’t need to put yourself in danger.”

No matter what he said, he still refused.

Yanyan knew there was no point arguing further, so he just nodded perfunctorily. “Mm-hmm.”

At worst, he’d just pretend to agree for now. In a few days, he could try again—ask the sparrow about Luo Huoxi’s whereabouts.

If going alone was dangerous, then he could bring the crow and the white sparrow, and even summon a whole flock of birds—charge straight into Luo Huoxi’s house and snatch that notebook!

Who knew how long it would take to wait for second uncle to handle it? Might as well go the direct route!

Yanyan felt extremely clever and couldn’t help feeling proud of himself.

Held in Si Jingce’s arms, all these “robbery plans” were heard loud and clear: …

“You are not allowed to ask the sparrow about Luo Huoxi’s whereabouts, and you are definitely not allowed to break into his house and rob him,” Si Jingce said, his expression complicated. “We should be a civilized bird.”

Yanyan’s eyes widened in shock. “How do you know my plan?!”

He quickly recalled what Si Jingce once said—that everything he thought was written all over his face.

That kind of mutual understanding might be sweet between lovers… but having your bad ideas exposed like this was terrifying for a bird.

Yanyan reacted quickly and covered his face with both hands.

Si Jingce: ?

His boyfriend said gloomily, “Now you can’t tell what I’m thinking anymore.”

Inside Si Jingce’s mind, one thought kept looping—

[You can’t guess, you can’t guess, you can’t guess, you can’t guess…]

This bird was determined to go mess with Luo Huoxi.

…Am I being too controlling?

His boyfriend was already an adult bird, an adult person—but he kept treating him like a fragile pet. Thinking further… maybe he shouldn’t restrict him so much.

Si Jingce closed his eyes and decided to step back, to let him be.

He nodded and told a gentle lie in a flat tone, “Wow… I really can’t tell what you’re thinking anymore.”

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