Chapter 7
Si Jingce had actually woken up the moment Yan Yan jumped on him.
The little bird’s frightened mutterings had gone straight into his mind, noisily dragging him out of sleep. Si Jingce didn’t immediately push him off; instead, he kept his eyes closed, curious to see what sneaky thing Yan Yan was trying to do.
The fuzzy chick crawled all over his body, making Si Jingce’s breathing slightly uneven as he tried to suppress the ticklish sensation.
But when Yan Yan began stepping and pecking on his chest, Si Jingce really couldn’t keep pretending anymore.
Now, the pearl bird was pressed against his arm, rubbing up to him in a fawning manner, eyes darting around in guilt.
“I told you, you’re not allowed in my room, and definitely not on my bed.” Si Jingce’s tone carried a hint of scolding—unintentionally a bit harsh.
Such a tiny bird—what if he accidentally crushed him?
Yan Yan almost teared up.
{I’m really not scared! It’s just… the thunder is so loud, doesn’t Master need a bird to keep him company? I won’t sleep on the bed—I just need a corner of it for one night!}
As he spoke, he actually started feeling sorry for himself, his soft voice laced with crying, unleashing a flood of complaints.
{Not allowed on the bed, not allowed in the room, finally got to play in the study and now I’m back to being stuck in the living room. But you were so generous with the cat—cat door on the wall, cat tower all ready! But for me? You’re so harsh. So stingy.}
{Good thing you don’t understand what I’m saying, otherwise I’d get called an ungrateful bird.}
Si Jingce: …
The little pearl bird talked and talked, but the man in front of him didn’t react at all. Feeling awkward, he turned abruptly and flew toward the door—only to be scooped back by Si Jingce.
He took off again, and was caught again.
Now the bird lay limp in his palm, weak, pitiful, and helpless.
Si Jingce opened his mouth to explain, but before he could, Yan Yan’s tears suddenly welled up.
{Waaaah—!! I am scared, okay!! I admit it!! Just let me sleep in the room!! There’s a tall, terrifying, headless ghost by the door! A ghost!!}
A headless ghost?
Right by the door?
Si Jingce wiped away his tears, stuffed Yan Yan into the chest pocket of his sleepwear, and walked out of the room.
Yan Yan shut his eyes tightly and huddled in deeper.
The living room light flicked on.
The whole house lit up, and the storm’s horror was softened a bit.
Yan Yan cautiously poked his head out and looked toward the door—
It was just Si Jingce’s trench coat hanging there.
Ah… so it was just clothing.
Pearl birds had poor eyesight, and without light, they couldn’t see much—especially not after being scared by a horror game earlier. Mistaking clothes for a headless ghost was pretty reasonable.
But something else disturbed Si Jingce even more.
He had definitely locked the birdcage.
Looking toward the cage, he found the lock on Yan Yan’s shabby little house was still perfectly intact—no signs of damage or being opened.
Now that was the real horror story.
Si Jingce: “…How did you get out?”
Yan Yan glanced at him, then jumped down from his hand.
The chubby chick squeezed out from between the bars… and squeezed right back in.
Yan Yan: “Chirp!”
Just like that!
Lately, he’d been eating well, and his fluffy white belly was round, so squeezing through took a bit of effort.
Si Jingce fell completely silent.
Old cage.
Had to go.
The man crouched down, took out the coconut-shell nest, and placed it into the acrylic birdcage he had purchased. He gestured for Yan Yan to go in.
Yan Yan looked hesitantly at the new cage.
“If you want to stay in the room, you sleep in the new cage. If you’re in the living room, you sleep in the old one,” Si Jingce said.
The bird turned and walked right into the new cage.
He’d been eyeing the new home all day. Even while sleeping in his old nest, Yan Yan couldn’t help sneaking peeks at it.
Now that he was actually inside, Yan Yan felt—
This place! Was amazing!
The perch gave off a faint woody fragrance, and a few little pinecones were hung from the cage bars. Yan Yan familiarized himself with the surroundings and quickly climbed onto the moon-shaped swing he had been dreaming of, swinging back and forth like crazy.
“I’ll only keep you on the nightstand. You’re not allowed on the bed.”
Si Jingce tried to lay down some ground rules, but the little bird completely ignored him, happily playing inside.
When he got tired, he dove into the coconut shell, tilted his head, and looked at Si Jingce.
Si Jingce was charmed by the cuteness. He reached in and stroked the bird’s feathers.
Then he heard Yan Yan’s voice again.
{Now that I can earn money for Master, sleeping in the new house should mean I won’t get given away, right?}
Si Jingce’s hand paused.
He looked down at the little bird, pondering those silly words for a long while.
…
Yesterday’s stream had gone viral, with clips quickly edited and uploaded online.
Several videos hit tens of thousands of shares and spread across platforms.
His follower count in the backend was rising rapidly, visibly increasing by the second. Even the price of pearl birds doubled.
Cloud had already messaged him early: “Thanks, bro! I caught some of your shine too.”
He chuckled, “Your follower count is almost up there with the top streamer. This year’s Annual Star is basically yours!”
The top streamer on Gem TV was someone named Luo Huoxi. A few years ago, the title fit, but now his growth had plateaued, and he was just one of the top dogs, with several hot rising stars trailing close behind.
Despite his name sounding like a blood pressure medication, his streaming style had the opposite effect—he was good at making viewers’ blood pressure skyrocket.
Si Jingce had dealt with him before. Off-camera, the man was just as infuriating.
The Annual Star award, despite its name, was only awarded once every four years—it was the most prestigious title on Gem TV.
According to Cloud, Si Jingce’s only disadvantage was starting too late. He’d only begun streaming around the time of the first Annual Star selection. Otherwise, he would’ve easily been on par with Luo Huoxi.
Si Jingce replied casually, “You’re exaggerating.”
“Honestly, both you and Luo Huoxi have had kind of a slow year,” Cloud analyzed seriously. “There’s only so much audience on the platform. Everyone’s almost reached saturation. Now it’s all about breaking out into the mainstream.”
“You wouldn’t believe what Luo Huoxi’s doing—he’s going hard on that CP bait. Always playing games with his ‘best bros,’ flirting all over the place… I mean, damn.”
Straight guy CP baiting—it’s deadly. Especially with someone like Luo Huoxi, who always skirts the edge. He’s one suggestive comment away from making up a whole bedroom scenario… Cloud saw it every time and wondered how he hadn’t been banned yet.
He suggested, “Why don’t you do something like that? Just for show. It’s not like you’d mean it.”
Si Jingce: “Not interested. He’s fake gay. I’m real gay.”
The other end of the call went dead silent.
Cloud’s voice wavered. “Bro… next time you come out, can you give me a little warning first?!”
He was stunned for a while, then blurted out, “Do your parents know? Is your family okay with you dating guys? Wait—you’re not dating right now, are you? Don’t! You’re in your career peak!”
Si Jingce didn’t react much. “I’m not dating. Haven’t told them. Congrats—you’re the first person to know.”
Cloud: “…Thanks, I guess. Didn’t really want to be first.”
He fell completely silent on the other end.
When he announced his relationship, he lost a ton of followers and got roasted online for months before clawing his reputation back.
Thinking about lcberg’s personality, Cloud quietly ordered a bottle of fast-acting heart meds online.
“Just don’t act on impulse, okay?” he reminded. “Baiting CP is baiting. Coming out is something else. Don’t confuse the two…”
Si Jingce said flatly, “It’s not like I’m describing my sex life on stream.”
After hanging up, Si Jingce poured some bird feed into Yan Yan’s bowl, locking eyes with the bird who stared back inquisitively.
Si Jingce: .
Suddenly, he felt awkward.
Yan Yan: “Chirp.”
Birdie heard nothing, OVO.
Man and bird averted their eyes like nothing happened and went about their business.
Technically, today would’ve been perfect to capitalize on the buzz and stream again. But instead, Si Jingce was tidying up the house.
Yan Yan ate his breakfast while reflecting on what Si Jingce had said earlier.
Master likes males.
He glanced at his own leg, then looked down.
He was male too.
By simple math—Master liked him!?
Yan Yan pondered deeply.
Although Si Jingce wouldn’t let a bird sleep in bed, he was actually quite handsome.
So if he treated Master even better, maybe he wouldn’t get thrown away?
Just then, the doorbell interrupted Yan Yan’s thoughts.
He watched as Si Jingce opened the door and called out, “Mom,” to a graceful and dignified woman standing outside.
Si Jingce’s mother—Madam Gui Yaying—walked in without hesitation.
“Not bad. Still pretty clean in here.” She looked around, then began to nag, “You told me you had a new family member. I got excited thinking you’d finally found a girlfriend. Turns out… it’s a bird.”
“I’ll dismantle the cat tree later. You can take the rest of the cat supplies home too.” Si Jingce ignored her underlying message and patted the big box beside him.
Gui Yaying peeked inside. The box was full of cat litter, kibble, canned food—she beamed. “Alright. Your two older brothers will feast like kings again.”
Si Jingce: …
He was technically an only child, but ranked third in the household, behind two massively overweight orange cats—both absolute units.
Gui Yaying still looked a little regretful. “So, not keeping cats anymore? That golden British Shorthair you picked last time was quite cute.”
Si Jingce glanced at the birdcage. Yan Yan had a strand of coconut fiber in his beak, frozen mid-movement like he was eavesdropping.
Thinking of what Yan Yan had said yesterday, Si Jingce cleared his throat and deliberately raised his voice: “How can I keep a cat after raising a bird? That would be irresponsible to the bird.”
The bird inside the cage gently dropped the coconut fiber and smoothed his feathers.
Gui Yaying looked stunned for a moment. “True. You can’t stop a cat from opening a cage, and you can’t stop a bird from sneaking out.”
She pointed to the pile of supplies: “Alright then, I’ll take all this. No backing out later.”
Si Jingce raised his voice again: “Take it. I’m never raising cats again. I’ll focus on raising birds—”
Gui Yaying shouted back in a drawn-out voice: “You’re insane—go get therapy—why are you yelling—”
Then twisted his ear. “You calm yet? If you’re calm, let me see what this bird looks like!”
As she followed him over, the little bird stood perched like a tiny triangular rice ball, curiously watching the unfamiliar person.
Madam’s features exuded strength. Clearly, Si Jingce inherited his looks from his mother. She looked very serious.
Now the Serious Mom and Serious Son stood together in front of the cage.
Yan Yan had just seen her twist Si Jingce’s ear, and shamefully chickened out.
He slowly lifted his foot and scooted deeper inside.
“Aiyaya!” Gui Yaying melted instantly, her voice turning syrupy. “Our little Fourth is so adorable!”
Not even a minute in, and she’d already arranged a seniority ranking.
She held out her hand, hovering in the air, then turned to ask, “Can I pet him?”
Yan Yan eyed the hand warily.
Master is a good person, Master’s mom should be a good person too… probably not bad…
Yes, love the house, love the bird.
Si Jingce said heartlessly, “No. Pearl birds are timid, not very sociable. See? The cage is open but he didn’t come out…”
Before he could finish, Yan Yan had decided the mom was harmless—and boldly hopped onto her hand.
Gui Yaying: !!!
She carefully cupped the fluffball, eyes full of joy. “He let me! He let me! So soft—way better than your two cat brothers!”
Si Jingce: …
One strike to the ego.
Still, he reminded her, “Just one pet. Yan Yan might get uncomfortable.”
But she was already gently rubbing Yan Yan’s cheek spots and head. Yan Yan squinted happily, his little head tilting to the side, heart immediately leaning toward Gui Yaying.
Chirp… Mom is awesome! Keep petting!!
“How is he uncomfortable?” said the now-addicted bird-petter Gui Yaying. “He’s loving it!”
